The Promise Of Idle No More

Dalhousie University, Halifax, January 10, 2013: the entire foyer of the Scotia Bank Auditorium is buzzing with the energy of close to 200 people. This crowd is far from homogeneous in terms of race, class, gender and age. What they all share is audible anticipation for the Solidarity Halifax-hosted Why Are We #IdleNoMore? teach-in this evening. By the time the auditorium doors open to the public, over 400 people have shown up for the event. It's standing room only as we are asked to remove our hats and put away the cellphones and cameras. A ceremonial song by the All Nations Drummers fills the large room with the timeless sound of the medicine drum.

All at once, it's evident. This is where the power of Idle No More originates. It's more than a political movement. There is something sacred at stake, perhaps the very concept of anything being allowed to remain sacred in the contemporary age of rampant "development." Dalhousie students Rachelle McKay and Rebecca Moore step up to the podium together. They are young women from the Idle No More movement, and they don't mince words about what the movement means to them.

TREATY RIGHTS, NOT DISTORTED REALITIES
"We are the most likely population to save the Canadian environment," says McKay, who proudly identifies herself as from the Anishinaabe Saskatchewan First Nation. Treaty rights protect not only the rights of First Nations peoples, but stand as one of the last protections of Canada's land, water, air and natural resources, she explains. "Our government has chosen profits over First Nations, the land and the water," warns McKay.

First Nations peoples are confronting these distorted priorities, determined to be anything but "idle" as the federal Conservative government pushes Bills C-45, C-27, C-428, S-6, S-8, S-207 and S-212. Halifax MP and NDP Environment Critic Megan Leslie informs the audience that these bills, collectively, represent the Conservatives' efforts to enable implementation of Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty's controversial March 2012 federal budget. "Treaty rights are being changed in a vacuum, with no consultation," Leslie says, noting the Conservatives' objective is "speeding up the pace of business" in Canada. Environmental legislation and treaty rights are increasingly treated as dispensable agreements from the distant past, now mere barriers to the monetization of Canada's natural assets. This is Leslie's message; she is speaking as an ally of Idle No More.

While Idle No More has grabbed news media headlines since late 2012, there remains a common misconception that it deals with "Native issues" and has little relevance beyond Aboriginal communities. This is far from the reality. Halifax Idle No More organizer Marina Young is a young Mi'kmaq activist who sets the record straight. "This evening, CBC rated Idle No More as third in Most Notable Events for 2013," she tells Our Times. "There must be something said for that." She adds that a lack of First Nations-oriented content in the education system has badly eroded Canadians' understanding of Native cultures and their ongoing contributions to Canada. "Why do Aboriginals get a month to teach you about our history? Why not include it in our curriculum? We are part of history, too."

A MOVEMENT YEARS IN THE MAKING
Alongside Shelley Young (her sister) and Molly Jean Peters, Marina is leading and organizing Halifax Idle No More events. "The Canadian government has imposed many policies that have negated the respect that treaties promised; treaties made between us [First Nations] and the Crown," says the articulate Dalhousie University student. "Bill C-45 is the ultimate slap in the face to the First Nations and Canadians alike."

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Young is just one of the many women at the forefront of Idle No More activism. She's an energetic mother and arts student, fluent in Mi'kmaq. She has brought her four-year-old daughter, Emma, along to protests. The prominence of women leaders in this vibrant movement is historically unusual enough to have earned special mention from Peter Mansbridge on the January 8 edition of CBC's The National.

Idle No More was founded by Aboriginal activists Nina Wilson, Sylvia McAdam and Jessica Gordon, as well as Aboriginal ally and anti-racism activist Sheelah McLean. Concerned about the effect of Bill C-45 on Aboriginal treaties and, ultimately, on Canada's environment, the women, says Young, "organized information-sharing sessions and rallies in Saskatchewan, which led to a sharing of the events and concerns on social media." A local public discussion in Saskatoon last November, called "Idle No More," on the omnibus budget Bill C-45, quickly blossomed into a movement. On December 4, First Nations leaders were refused entry to the House of Commons, where they had hoped to comment on the objectionable bill. On December 10, a cross-country National Day of Action was held to protest the exclusion and Bill C-45. Idle No More gatherings swept like wildfire across Canada: in Whitehorse, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Halifax and other cities, First Nations and their allies gathered to express collective frustration with the actions of the Harper Conservatives.

But, make no mistake, these seemingly spontaneous demonstrations were (and continue to be) well-planned, and are firmly rooted in history. As Toronto Star reporter Jeff Denis observed in a December 20 article, "Idle No More is not a sudden case of 'mass hysteria.' If one were paying attention, one could feel the movement brewing for years."

ABORIGINAL WOMEN WAKING UP THE WORLD
Marina Young also suggests Idle No More has been a long time coming. "I believe that many of the people who feel compelled to support the movement are young and fearful for their own future and the future of their young families. I know that for me, I became involved because I feared for my own child and her future in Canada." She says assimilation of First Nations youth is often presented as their only option for success and even survival, even when this means abandoning their distinct cultural background. Having treaty rights and environmental protections tampered with via the Conservative omnibus bill was a tipping point, especially for many women, according to Young.

"I think women jumped on board easily after they learned about the intentions of Idle No More: advocating peaceful demonstrations, teach-ins, and peaceful rallies," says Young. "Strong women that I have met and conversed with throughout my involvement with Idle No More have been compelling, intellectual people who have voiced their own concerns, educated opinions and fears," notes Young, who herself was recently elected president of the Dalhousie Native Student Association. Female leaders like Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence and the four founding mothers of Idle No More have encouraged solidarity for their cause around the world. Young says it set a powerful example. "I think that, because it was strong, intellectual women who were seen opposing Bill C-45, other women felt drawn to the message, too: that we should all respond to the injustice in Canada now, and the threat to Canada's future."

Idle No More has attracted considerable attention for its unorthodox organizing and peaceful protest methods. For instance, the movement has used Twitter for information-sharing, and was famously started via Facebook discussions among its founders. An official Idle No More website was designed and donated by Devon Meekis, a member of the Wawakapewin First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. At times, such as on the evening of January 12, the frequently updated site attracts so much online traffic that would-be visitors are automatically notified "the website is temporarily unable to service your request as it exceeded resource limit."

OF FLASH MOBS AND FACEBOOK
The grassroots organizing of Idle No More is interwoven with the web, allowing First Nations communities and their allies to easily communicate and strategize, regardless of the geographic distance between them. "Through social media we were free to express our fears, our hopes and our commitment to the future of our communities," notes Marina Young. "Eventually, we began to organize under events posted online, and used the internet to share information and to educate one another about the effects of Bill C-45 and the overall stance that the Canadian government has taken to eradicate the efforts of First Nations to protect the lands and waters."

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In addition to its savvy online organizing, Idle No More has emphasized the presence and resilience of First Nations. With First Nations people too often absent from the news and political discussions, protesters have taken the matter into their own hands, staging large demonstrations which counter their invisibility in the mass media and House of Commons. In Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, one such attention-getting public event was a flash mob at the anachronistically named MicMac Mall. "Oh yes, the flash mob at Mi'kmaq Mall in Dartmouth was an experience," smiles Young. "My sisters and I, with our children, walked into the mall and heard the vibration through the lower floor. We were among shoppers, smiling, holding hands, circling around the first floor of the mall. It was beautiful. My sister Shelley jumped right in and started drumming and singing: we grabbed hands and danced with them."

Canada's First Nations communities have grown, while Canadians of other ethnic backgrounds have had declining birth rates in recent decades. The sheer number of youthful Idle No More participants helps explain the movement's choice of organizing methods, although there is visible cross-generational involvement, too. As Young explains, "The movement is very youth-driven. The world is posting, tweeting, blogging, reporting and rallying in support of the resistance to Bill C-45 and other questionable policies." She adds that inclusiveness makes the movement more powerful. "Idle No More feels like more than just a trend. It is a promise to build relationships and create understanding with allies across the world; to bring attention to the undemocratic actions of Canada's leaders."

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TEACHING CONSERVATIVES ABOUT CONSULTATION
January 28, 2013 was designated Idle No More's World Day of Action at the time of writing this article. Like all of the movement's activities, the timing is significant. Its website states, "This day of action will peacefully protest attacks on Democracy, Indigenous Sovereignty, Human Rights and Environmental Protections when Canadian MPs return to the House of Commons on January 28th." Young affirms that these objectives are intrinsically interconnected, and cannot be isolated from each other for the convenience of politicians. "Indigenous sovereignty requires meaningful consultation with First Nations; a process which, in turn, protects the land and water," she stresses. Meaningful consultation is what the Conservative government is currently avoiding, Young notes, citing the example of Chief Theresa Spence. "It's scary to think that a Canadian must starve themselves to open a mutual, respectful dialogue with Canadian leadership. What began as a simple request became a question: 'Why won't Harper meet with a person who represents a movement such as Idle No More, a person who represents a multitude of disputed points concerning Bill C-45, including amendments to the Navigable Waters Act?' Leading to the most important question: 'Why go to such great lengths to impose such a policy as Bill C-45?'"

As expected, the Canadian labour movement has gotten behind Idle No More, with just about every national union expressing solidarity with the cause. More than ever, the slogan "the personal is political" rings true. One need only hear Canadian Studies student Tayla Paul on the podium at the Solidarity Halifax teach-in, describing how Canada's residential school system attempted to make minimum-wage employees out of First Nations people, so that "settler/colonial-ancestry people" could monopolize better jobs. The legacy of political decisions made many decades ago still resonates through Aboriginal families and culture, workers' rights and the land, air and water. "There is a recovery process that extends through generations," observed Paul. She and other Idle No More activists caution that the future depends on a widespread refusal to accept Stephen Harper's infamous promise to transform Canada. "In my opinion, Harper is saying, 'Now, now, the law will not be held responsible should there be an illegal protest in the near future — right, Canada?'" says Marina Young about the prime minister's reaction to Idle No More. She suggests that his dismissive lumping of various social justice initiatives together may have been intended to disempower them, but has only led to greater solidarity among opponents to the Conservative agenda. In fact, at the time of writing, "a new assembly of social movements" calling itself "Common Causes" had announced its inaugural demonstration, scheduled for January 28. In a media release, the fledgling group stated: "Workers are fighting for their rights, with teachers in Ontario and B.C. leading the way. Now we have the amazing energy of Idle No More, with communities standing together with our Indigenous brothers and sisters to push back against the Conservative government's agenda."

TRAIL OF FIRE LEADS TO THE FUTURE
In late January, Nova Scotian Idle No More protesters were planning a symbolic trek called the "Trail of Fire." Young says the 10-kilometre walk will cover the distance between the shuttered Native residential school at Shubenacadie to Indian Brook First Nation on January 27. Residential school survivors, including Young's grandmother Mary Teena, were expected to walk together with younger participants, despite the very cold weather. Then, on the 28th, demonstrators were scheduled to traverse the Macdonald Bridge spanning Halifax Harbour, continuing to Citadel Hill for a mobile Native-history lesson, before wrapping up at the Halifax Commons for what Young hopes will be "the biggest round dance the city has ever seen." As for the name "Trail of Fire," Young says it references a trio of influences: the Trail of Tears (the forcible eviction of Native people from their land in the Southeastern U.S. in the 1830s and after, following the imposition of the so-called "Indian Removal Act"), the residential schools, and Idle No More. The Nova Scotia event is also in solidarity with a group of First Nations youth who, at press time, were travelling 1,100 kilometres on foot in -40 degree Celsius temperatures from Northern Quebec to Parliament.

"What does it mean when he says 'such protests'?," asks Young of Stephen Harper's response to the actions of Idle No More and other social justice movements. "Last year, the Parliament page [Brigette Marcelle DePape], who was fired for holding up her 'Stop Harper' sign in silent civil disobedience, voiced her concern with the majority government through action. I believe that the Harper government has forced the nation to react."

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Young says she's excited about additional plans for 2013, which will include a youth conference, an open forum for elders, and a course package for classroom use. The arts student reflects that there is much work to be done, at both the cultural/political and individual levels. "We still need to unlearn things, too," says Young. To illustrate the point, she tells the story of how her daughter, Emma, helped enlighten her about negative messages internalized by First Nations people even today. "She was singing the [Mi'kmaq] Honour Song on the bus and an older man was getting annoyed. I was going to tell her to be quiet, but, instead, I said, 'What a beautiful song.' I took action to support her." The other passenger was no worse off for the moment of compassion, and perhaps learned — or unlearned — something himself in witnessing the exchange. That's the philosophy at the heart of Idle No More activism. In the words of Marina Young, "We make these peaceful gestures and that's what people listen to."