Raymond Robinson launches second hunger strike

By Nick Taylor-Vaisey - Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 9:17 AM - 0 Comments

Ryan Remiorz/CP

Raymond Robinson played a supporting role in one of the biggest headlining events of 2013. Robinson, the Cross Lake First Nation Grand Elder, sat with Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence on Ottawa’s Victoria Island, subsisting only on fish broth and water—the famous strike that turned liquid diet into a household phrase in Canada. Now, Robinson’s committing to new strike action, based on a different conflict with the feds. And he says this time, he’s “going all out”: no liquids or solid food until the government backs down from changes to aboriginal funding formulas.

For his part, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt is taking a similar line to his predecessor, John Duncan, during Spence’s protest. He’ll meet with Robinson to discuss the issues. Valcourt’s spokesman, Jason MacDonald, didn’t mince words: “Real progress means working together, not threatening one another,” he said.

So here we are again. Spence’s protest on Victoria Island escalated, slowly but surely, until she routinely made headlines simply by walking out of a tee-pee. Robinson, like Spence, says he’s “ready to die” for the cause. Are people still listening?

What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with Alberta’s ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the oil sands. The National Post fronts the pleas of innocence from the family of Aaron Yoon, a suspected collaborator with two Canadians who allegedly participated in an Algerian hostage-taking. The Toronto Star goes above the fold with a Senate report recommending better monitoring of prescription drugs. The Ottawa Citizen leads with two government scientists who allegedly attempted to smuggle brucella bacteria into China. iPolitics fronts Canada’s shortage of truck drivers. CBC.ca leads with the husband of a Canadian senator moving $1.7 million into offshore accounts. National Newswatch showcases a Toronto Star story that reports 48 per cent of Canadians think Justin Trudeau is qualified to be prime minister.

Stories that will be (mostly) missed

Nishiyuu Walkers arrive in Ottawa after 1,600-km trek from Hudson Bay

By The Canadian Press - Monday, March 25, 2013 at 7:14 PM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – Wrapped in ceremonial white, hooded jackets, nearly 300 young people arrived Monday on Parliament Hill to cap off a marathon winter trek through the Canadian hinterland inspired by the Idle No More movement.

Hundreds more supporters filled the steps beneath the Peace Tower to greet the walkers as they made their way to the Parliament Buildings from nearby Victoria Island on the Ottawa River.

Amid the pounding of ceremonial First Nations drummers and the chants and songs of marchers, dozens of speakers pleaded with the Harper government to alleviate the harsh living conditions on some reserves.

Continue…

How did Patrick Brazeau rate a seat in the Senate?

By John Geddes - Friday, February 8, 2013 at 6:39 PM - 0 Comments

When Canadians hear the Prime Minister calling Senator Patrick Brazeau’s situation “extremely appalling”—from Stephen Harper, uncharacteristically vivid language—they might well wonder how this character rated a Senate seat in the first place.

The short, glib answer is that he didn’t. In a way, no senator does. The continued existence of an upper chamber in our Parliament that exists to be packed with partisan patronage appointees remains a national embarrassment—or would be if we thought about it much.

But Brazeau’s personal downfall is, of course, entirely distinct from the institutional problem of a standing affront to democracy right there on Parliament Hill. Nobody should suggest that the charges of assault and sexual assault laid against him today somehow reflect on the Senate in general.

Continue…

The decent fix for aboriginal rights

By Barbara Amiel - Friday, February 1, 2013 at 3:00 PM - 0 Comments

Chris Wattie/Reuters

The hunger strike of Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence was really more of a diet and thank goodness for that. Spence went 44 days eating only fish broth, herbal tea and water and emerged looking haggard but still well-rounded. IRA protester Bobby Sands, skeletal and comatose, died of hunger—the first of several IRA hunger deaths—in a British prison hospital in 1981. Our other Aboriginal “hunger” striker, Manitoba elder Raymond Robinson, ended his strike simultaneously and told CBC he couldn’t get a proper medical exam after his ordeal. He encountered that special Canadian experience—the overworked emergency ward of delays and curt questions, in his case by a “blond” nurse who he felt was exhibiting “racism” in her tone—and so he went home.

I appreciate that hunger strikes aren’t a competitive sport but one shouldn’t despoil them by so poor a showing. Or they become meaningless, rather like armed road blockages and millions of bucks gone missing on some reserves, not to mention the billions poured annually into Aboriginal programs. These tactics tend to put non-Aboriginals off. Continue…

The Brazeau & Galipeau show

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 9:08 AM - 0 Comments

The Star reports that Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau and Conservative MP Royal Galipeau were the entertainment at a recent fundraiser for an Ontario PC candidate. First up, Senator Brazeau.

Sen. Patrick Brazeau referred to Spence’s “so-called hunger strike” in addressing about 80 people at a Legion hall in the Ottawa suburb of Orleans, and mocked her physical shape. “I was sick two weeks ago,” Brazeau said. “I had the flu and I lost five pounds.

Photo Gallery: Idle No More on Parliament Hill

By Mitchel Raphael - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 5:00 AM - 0 Comments

Hundreds of Idle No More protesters gathered on Parliament Hill on Monday to welcome MPs back to the start of the 2013 session.

“This is a moment in history when change arrives,” AFN chief Shawn Atleo told the crowd. “You are the change that we’ve been waiting for.”

The Commons: Idle No More and the complaints of before

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, January 28, 2013 at 6:21 PM - 0 Comments

With protesters standing in the snow outside, our House moved quickly to make up for six weeks without these formal proceedings.

“Mr. Speaker, today in First Nations communities across the country, the unemployment rate can reach 80%, half of the housing units are in a pitiful state and schools and students receive 30% less funding than others,” Thomas Mulcair reported. “Last year, during meetings between the Crown and First Nations, the Prime Minister promised to renew our nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous people. He promised substantial consultations: he never listened. He promised to tackle these problems: instead he attacked the chiefs. Will the Prime Minister finally take concrete action in this matter?”

The Prime Minister was prepared with assurances. “Mr. Speaker, this government has acted on several concrete measures, unprecedented in our country, for Aboriginals. We built new housing, created new schools, implemented new systems for drinking water and finalized certain land claims. Obviously, there is much more to do. However, we will continue our program with positive partners.”

It went on more or less like this for eight of the first 10 questions: a rhetorical stalemate, or rather a restating of the general positions. This newest concern is, of course, something like this nation’s oldest concern and the challenge is thus profound. In this case, the House probably needs something it can wrap its collective and metaphorical arms around—a tangible something to argue about (something that Romeo Saganash’s bill on the UN declaration and Carolyn Bennett’s question about cuts to the Aboriginal Job Centre might yet provide).

But if the last six weeks represented some kind of change beyond this place—though it is still too early to say so for sure—they did not quite resolve the matters that the opposition was fussing about at the end of 2012.

Take, for instance, the parliamentary budget officer—not merely the existential question of the office’s future, but the small matter of the questions the current officeholder continues to raise about this government’s management. Continue…

First Nations advocates maintain pressure on Harper

By The Canadian Press - Monday, January 28, 2013 at 11:21 AM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – First Nations advocates are hoping to keep up the pressure on the federal Conservatives, taking to the streets as MPs return to the House of Commons after a six-week break.

The Idle No More movement is holding protests across the country, joining other activists to oppose Stephen Harper’s changes to environmental oversight and urge action on native rights. In Ottawa, they plan to flood Parliament Hill with protesters, dancers and a long list of speakers.

At the same time, NDP critic Romeo Saganash is tabling a private member’s bill which would require that all federal legislation be compatible with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Saganash was a key architect of the declaration. Continue…

First Nations first: the political agenda as the House returns

By John Geddes - Monday, January 28, 2013 at 8:00 AM - 0 Comments

When it comes to assessing the performance of political leaders, there’s often a good deal of talk about how well they succeed at setting the agenda. But since the agenda rarely conforms for long to anyone’s manipulations, what matters more is how well they adjust to the unexpected.

Stephen Harper didn’t plan for aboriginal affairs to emerge as the dominant federal issue at the start of 2013. But when the House resumes sitting on Jan. 28, he’ll have to cope anyway with a first order of business imposed largely by Idle No More and Theresa Spence.

The Prime Minister will try, judging from his own public statements and comments made by his officials and cabinet ministers, to pull this unwieldy set of issues, foisted on him by shopping-mall drum circles and a fasting chief, into the safer confines of his own, preferred economic agenda.

Continue…

Tolerating civil disobedience

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, January 25, 2013 at 1:03 PM - 0 Comments

In a pair of blog posts, Brent Rathgeber explains his concerns with some of the tactics used by Idle No More protesters.

Last Wednesday, Native Protestors blocked the QE II near Gateway Boulevard fully and then partially for a little less than 2 hours.  Then during the afternoon commute, the same protestors set up a blockade on St. Albert Trail at Sturgeon Road.  As St. Albert is a bedroom community of Edmonton, I represent many commuters.  My office has been inundated with e-mails and phone calls asking why the RCMP allowed this admittedly peaceful protest to proceed. According to the St. Albert “Gazette”, the demonstration happened with the cooperation of the RCMP, who had met in advance with the protestors and were on scene to manage traffic.  Apparently, the RCMP share Edmonton Police Service’s theory that managing a protest is a better tactic than stopping it.

I am not so sure. In the first place, acquiescing to an illegal activity does nothing to prevent further illegal activities. And make no mistake; the police were enabling an illegal activity.   Section 430 of the Criminal Code clearly defines the offence of “Mischief” when one willfully “obstructs, interrupts or interferes with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property”.  Moreover, you can be charged with “Intimidation” when you compel “another person to abstain from doing anything that he or she has a lawful right to do” including one who “blocks or obstructs a highway”, which is “a road to which the public has the right of access” (Section 2).

A hallmark of a free society is our Charter protected rights of expression and assembly.  Accordingly, I defend the rights of peaceful assembly without equivocation.  However, one’s freedom to demonstrate cannot break the criminal law; one’s freedom to protest cannot trump another’s right to the lawful use of public property to get home after work.  As enlightenment philosopher John Locke so famously declared: “my liberty to swing my fist is limited by the proximity of your chin.”

Blake Richards is similarly concerned.

That being said, some of the militant activists hiding behind the Idle No More banner are doing all they can to threaten the progress being made between our government and First Nations leaders. Canadians are growing increasingly frustrated and disappointed with the actions of those who blockade highways and railways. The blockades must stop. They are counterproductive, and an impediment to progress.

From a philosophical standpoint, violating the law is fairly central to the idea of civil disobedience.

Such protests are, of course, not unique to aboriginal causes. Farmers in British Columbia conducted a blockade of a private property on an entirely unrelated matter this month (the blockade ended Thursday at the RCMP’s behest). Farmers have used convoys in the past that have tied up or otherwise impeded traffic in the process of protesting government policy. (Farmers also protested the coalition in 2008.) And at least one such protest has occurred with support from some of Mr. Richards and Mr. Rathgeber’s colleagues (see story below).

Ultimately, we’re talking about tolerance: what should a democratic society be willing to tolerate and what should law enforcement be willing to tolerate before intervening? (From a policing standpoint, for the sake of maintaining peace and order, where is the line between letting a protest run its course and needing to enforce the law? At what point is it more troublesome to intervene than it would be to work around the situation?) Protesters who break the law probably have to accept the possibility of being arrested, charged or fined—though, with something like a highway blockade, working with law enforcement in advance might allow for reasonable compromises to be found. But protesters also have to keep in mind how the general public will view their actions: a protest might be meant to raise awareness, but it might hurt the larger cause if the action greatly angers and frustrates those directly impacted and is viewed unfavourable by the majority of those who read and hear the news. In that regard, Idle No More protesters might be smart to consider the complaints of Mr. Rathgeber and Mr. Richards, even if they disagree with their conclusions. Continue…

Second-hand Stephen Harper on #IdleNoMore

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, January 25, 2013 at 8:00 AM - 0 Comments

APTN obtains notes taken during the Prime Minister’s meeting with First Nations leaders earlier this month.

Harper also discussed Idle No More, according to the notes, and said the general Canadian public was not supporting it. “Idle No More presents two realities. The first is the pressure felt by first Nations leaders. The second is the negative public reaction that this invokes,” according to notes on Harper’s statements during the meeting.

It also turns out that the Prime Minister is rather poetic behind closed doors.

The prime minister, however, told the gathered chiefs the relation between First Nations and Canada was essential for the country. “Our relationship lies at the heart of this country,” according to notes on Harper. “River analogy: moving down the river together-respectfully paddling in the same direction but must watch we do not get caught in the eddies.”

Anti-Harper venom absent as Theresa Spence ends her hunger protest

By Heather Scoffield - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 6:41 PM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence emerged from hospital Thursday to sign the First Nations declaration that ended her hunger protest after six long weeks — a period during which Stephen Harper barely uttered her name.

Indeed, for a crisis that just two weeks ago had the prime minister squarely at its centre, it seemed a weary and chaotic finale, one largely devoid of anti-Harper vitriol.

The Cree leader, who hadn’t had solid food since Dec. 11, spent most of the day recovering in hospital, only to show up unannounced at a celebration that brought First Nations chiefs from across the country.

A chanting, drumming crowd greeted her at a downtown Ottawa hotel, where she thanked family, friends and supporters for their backing during the six chilly weeks she spent on Victoria Island, just upstream from Parliament Hill.

Continue…

Public remains confused about Idle No More protest aims, poll suggests

By The Canadian Press - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 6:17 PM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – Canadians remain confused by — and are disengaging from — ongoing aboriginal efforts to improve the relationship between First Nations and the rest of Canada, a new poll and a separate analysis of social media activity suggest.

While the ongoing effort to codify First Nations priorities for resetting the relationship may help advance the public’s understanding, keeping them connected to the cause at a grassroots level remains a challenge, the reports indicate.

The latest Canadian Press/Harris-Decima telephone survey found that four out of 10 respondents said they are both familiar with and sympathetic to the goals and aims of the Idle No More aboriginal movement.

The waves of protests, teach-ins, blockades and flash mobs began in December in the wake of the federal government’s decision to change oversight of waterways via an omnibus budget bill.

Fuelled by social media, the movement has since expanded into a call for ongoing grassroots mobilization of First Nations to educate themselves and others about the need for self-governance and environmental sustainability.

Much of its public communications came via the Internet, with active Twitter and Facebook campaigns that attracted attention from around the world.

Those numbers are now on the wane: At its peak, tweets about the movement came from 17,000 different sources, but as of late last week, those numbers were down to around 5,600.

Despite the traffic, it’s unclear whether social media has failed to actually educate people as to the cause at hand, suggested digital public affairs strategist Mark Blevis, who compiled the data.

“I think it was largely a tool for organizing and getting information out in terms of when events were happening, sharing status updates about events,” Blevis said.

“I think that a movement like Idle No More has to work harder to figure out how to communicate their concerns to the public.”

The Harris-Decima survey does suggest that the more people know about the goals of the movement, the more supportive they become.

Almost two in three respondents to the poll who said they were aware of the movement’s goals expressed sympathy for it, with Atlantic Canadians and British Columbians most likely to be supportive.

“This suggests to me that if Idle No More can continue to raise their profile and understanding of what they stand for, their influence can only grow,” said Harris-Decima chairman Allan Gregg.

The telephone survey of 1,000 people was carried out between Jan. 17 and 20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Online Idle No More activity reached a crescendo during the Jan. 11 meeting between First Nations chiefs and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with a second bump of about 12,000 sources during a follow-up day of action five days later.

Since then, engagement has steadily been declining, Blevis said — and social media’s built-in limitations represent part of the challenge in keeping Canadians engaged.

“There’s a lot of production value that has to go into content and messaging these days in order to get people’s attention,” he said. “If you can’t condense your messages into their essence, they won’t have a particularly long lifespan on the web.”

Blevis said it’s not immediately obvious what’s behind the decline in online activity, nor what will happen next.

“It’s almost kind of like a star that really expanded very quickly and now, I don’t want to say it’s collapsing in on itself, but it’s returning to where its energy exists,” he said.

“There will be a group of committed people in the epicentre who will continue to carry it forward, and there will be some transient people who come and go and comment, but I wonder how long they can sustain the momentum of the round dances and all that stuff given the fact they’ve already started to trail off.”

Those rallying under the Idle No More banner separate themselves from formal First Nations leadership, even as those chiefs have seized upon the publicity they’ve garnered as impetus to force new talks with the federal government.

The Idle No More protests happened to coincide with the start of Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger protest, which began Dec. 11 in an effort to secure a meeting between First Nations leaders, Harper and Gov. Gen. David Johnston.

Spence soon became the public face of the Idle No More movement, even though the two were never formally linked.

On Thursday, in exchange for Spence agreeing to end her protest, aboriginal leaders and opposition politicians signed a 13-point declaration setting out how they intend to move the First Nations cause forward.

Idle No More supporters are planning to keep their cause alive as well, with an international day of action planned for Monday — the same day federal MPs return to the House of Commons after their Christmas break.

43 days and for what? Theresa Spence and the status quo

By Martin Patriquin - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 5:00 PM - 0 Comments

Fred Chartrand/CP

So Theresa Spence has decided to ingest solid foods once again, thus ending a six-week “hunger strike” that began as anything but and ended in the manner of far too many vanity projects: dragged out past its prime, with Spence struggling to keep the focus on her, her demands, her narrative. She surely didn’t do this purely out of vanity. After all, the more we talk about Spence’s supposed sacrifices over the past 43 days, the less likely we are to remember her various over-indulgences over the past six years. To wit: a litany of questionable finances under her leadership, brand new houses sitting idle in the midst of a housing crisis, a dictator’s instinct and ability to remove pesky reporters from her reserve, and a not insignificant number within her own community wishing she would just cut it out.

But her liquid-only fast didn’t just cheapen the legitimacy of some of her demands; it cheapened the movement with which she was most associated. Idle No More was started as a grassroots, largely leaderless campaign that sprung from the Conservative government’s omnibus approach to legislating changes to environmental laws. To be sure, Spence’s 13-point declaration—which, in a galling bit of egoism, thanks Spence’s own “self-sacrifice and spiritual courage”—calls for the undoing of these omnibus bills. The declaration also demands “Nation-to-Nation” negotiations on treaties, as well as resource revenue sharing and the implementation of a “National Public Commission of Inquiry on Violence Against Indigenous Women of all ages.”

Noble goals, all. Yet there was a convenient omission from the list of Spence’s kitchen-sink demands. The Idle No More movement wasn’t just about hoisting a middle finger at the Conservative government; that same finger was to be pointed, as the Globe’s Joe Friesen recently pointed out, at “the traditional First Nations leadership—the chiefs and band council system‚ which is often described as male-dominated.” It’s not hard to see why, say, a comprehensive look at the band council system wasn’t number 14 on Spence’s list. Part of the Idle No More movement is an attack on the status quo and, having been in various governmental positions for most of her career, Spence is very much the status quo.

What have we seen of Idle No More with Spence as its de facto face? A meeting with Stephen Harper bookended by infighting amongst various chiefs, an aggressive power struggle within the AFN, and the constant will-she-or-won’t-she question of Spence’s own continuing hunger strike.

In short, a dance of the aboriginal government status quo, rather than a challenge to it. Pity.

The Commons: Theresa Spence exits the stage

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 4:41 PM - 0 Comments

Danny Metatawabin, spokesman for the most influential woman in the country, took centre stage in her absence. Chief Theresa Spence was said to be under observation in a local hospital. Her protest—”hunger strike?” “fast?” “liquids-only diet?”—was now concluded, but she would not be here to mark the occasion.

There had been some delay in starting and there was some confusion about the seating arrangement, but now everyone had found a place at the table at the front of the National Press Theatre—Mr. Metatawabin, Manitoba elder Raymond Robinson, Saskatchewan Regional Chief Perry Bellegarde and Native Women’s Association of Canada president Michelle Audette, NDP MP Romeo Saganash and interim Liberal leader Bob Rae. Mr. Metatawabin was asked to speak first. He paused for a few seconds before beginning.

He offered a few words in his own language, acknowledged the Creator and Chief White Duck of the traditional Algonquin territory. “This is sage,” he said, holding up a bowl that he had placed in front of him. “But I’m not going to light it. It’s against fire regulations.” He smiled. “But it was a gesture … we had hoped to do a cleansing ceremony because I know media has been on our backs for the last six weeks now. And I know you mean well and I know at times the full story doesn’t get out there, to the Canadian public or even on the international stage. But what we have accomplished has gone international.”

He wore a brown leather vest and in his left hand he held an eagle feather.

“It is not only about Theresa Spence, it is not only about Raymond. And I’m passionate for protecting my treaty rights as well, but it wasn’t only for me. It was for the entire indigenous nations as well your future. Our future together. We must walk in harmony together. We must work together,” he said. “That was one of the messages that we always brought forth, since day one. All that we wanted was for the Prime Minister of Canada to invite the Governor General to meet with First Nations leadership. That’s all that we wanted.”

Merely that the elected head of government, the titular head of state and the elected representatives of some 600 communities meet for the purposes of beginning to fix the problems that have compounded over some 500 years of history. That’s all. Continue…

The testimony of Raymond Robinson

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 3:29 PM - 0 Comments

Raymond Robinson is an elder from Manitoba who joined Theresa Spence on a hunger strike in December. He spoke second at today’s news conference, after Theresa Spence’s spokesman, Danny Metatawabin. Here is a transcript of his statement (save for a few words that my tape didn’t pick up clearly).

As Danny was alluding to, today is the final day for my journey that I took upon myself over 30 days ago. It is with mixed emotions, with a lot of stress, joy, tribulation that I make this statement today that my journey on my hunger strike ends as of today, as we speak today.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride, for my sake, for my family’s sake, for my wife, my children, my grandchildren, for my community. The journey that I took upon myself to try to get some kind of word out to the general population, with respect to the way our people, my people have been treated over the course of these generations.

It’s amazing that, in this day and age, that our people are still not being respected as people in our own land. The non-aboriginal nation have been very complacent in our own territory and insisting that they have total control of every aspect of our lives, our lands, our resources, our waters. Little do they know we welcomed them with open arms when they first foisted their boats and set sail to this land. We nurtured you guys, we gave you our medicine. You guys would have died without our medicine. Without us teaching you how to live and survive in this country. We forged a relationship with you guys, hoping that you would be our partners, in everything, 50/50. We smoked the pipe to symbolize the relationship we wanted to forge with you, government to government, nation to nation, one sovereign nation to another sovereign nation, one country to another country, 50/50. That’s all we ever wanted from the start, 50/50. Nothing more, nothing less.

But through time, the non-aboriginal society, the government, thought that they could take everything from us. I’m an Indian residential school survivor myself. I went to three residential schools. The government of Canada tried to take my identity away from me, my life, my language, my being a First Nations person, to try to assimilate me to a foreign culture that I don’t know about. These are the things that I … in this journey that I took for 43 days, as part of that journey, to tell the world, to tell Canada that enough is enough. Can’t you just leave us alone? Can’t we just be ordinary people in this land? Can we have the same opportunities that you guys live on a daily basis? Can we learn to get along? Can I be received as a human being in my own land? Can I be acknowledged as a contributing society member of this land? Can I have the same opportunities that you guys enjoy, instead of trying to shove me in a corner, or bury me alive, with these genocidal bills that have been created by the government?

Bill C-38 gives … powers to the ministers to do as they wish. In our territory, the royal proclamation of 1763, states that there’s lands reserved for the Indians, that’s supposed to remain undisturbed, unmolested. But look at what these bills are doing to our lands … Bill C-45 takes control of all our lands, our resources, our waters. Bill 428 [wants to revise the Indian Act], where’s the duty and the obligations that lie within that act. Instead of progressing, we’re regressing.

I think it’s about time that the Canadian government and the general society of this land learn that we are part of this society. We’re not going anywhere and we’re never going to go anywhere. We just need our equal opportunities. We want our place in this soil. Is there something wrong with my colour that you don’t like? Is my heart, the blood flowing in my veins, different than yours? What is it? What can I do to tell you that I’m as human as you are? When I look at you, I don’t see no colour, no barriers, no prejudices. That’s the way I lived all my life. I see the beauty in everyone of you guys here, without distinction based on race. You will never see me act that way. But you seem to be doing the opposite. Trying to bury me alive. Bury my wife, my children, my grandchildren, alive. And you’ve taken full control of our daily activities, our way of life, even taken our property rights away. This is the message that I’ve been trying to carry these last 43 days. Sacrificing myself, my health, at the expense of my wife, my children, my grandchildren, to try to help you guys … the Canadian population too. This is your fight too. These acts, these bills will kill us all if they’re forced ahead. We’re supposed to have a freedom of democracy in this land, now where are they? The government takes them away. So fight with us. Make sure these bills do not go anywhere. Thank you very much and that’s what I have to say.

‘Deeply committed to carrying on the fight’

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 1:11 PM - 0 Comments

A statement from Bob Rae on today’s declaration.

“I am encouraged that Chief Theresa Spence has decided to end her hunger strike. Chief Spence and those who have joined her fast have helped bring about substantial change, but their cause – however just – should not endanger their lives or their health. Liberals join with Canadians across the country who are deeply committed to carrying on the fight for justice, dignity and reconciliation, and we salute Chief Spence’s courage.

The commitments we are making flow logically from the work of the Charlottetown and Kelowna Accords, numerous Supreme Court of Canada decisions, and our commitments as a country made when we signed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. They represent the strongly held values of the Liberal Party of Canada.

On behalf of our Parliamentary Caucus, I would like to express our party’s continued resolve to work inside and outside Parliament – on a nation-to-nation basis – to address the gross inequalities facing First Nations, from the disparity in education outcomes and poor health to the lack of clean running water and safe housing.”

‘Now is the time to begin a new relationship’

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 1:09 PM - 0 Comments

A statement from Thomas Mulcair on today’s declaration.

The NDP support the principles outlined in the important Declaration of Commitment released today.

We remain committed to building a new nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The cornerstone of this relationship is real co-operation and meaningful consultation that fully respects Aboriginal rights.

Today’s Declaration calls for action on important issues such as improving housing and schools on reserves, respecting treaty and non-treaty rights, and rethinking our approach to resource development, all of which must be part of the federal government`s dialogue with First Nations.

Now is the time to begin a new relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to replace today`s broken relationship. We need to act now and help realize the potential that exists within dynamic young First Nation communities. We cannot continue down the current path and alienate another generation of aboriginal peoples. Canada is stronger when we choose to work together.

Maclean’s Live: Press conference on Theresa Spence

By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 10:48 AM - 0 Comments

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence in hospital after ending hunger protest

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA – Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence remains in hospital on an intravenous line as she recovers following six weeks without solid food.

Her spokesman Danny Metatawabin says Spence went to the hospital Wednesday evening for a checkup after agreeing to end her 44-day hunger protest.

She had been scheduled to attend a news conference this morning in Ottawa, but now Metatawabin says she won’t be released until later today or on Friday.

Meanwhile, events marking the end of her protest are going ahead without her.

Chiefs and politicians are preparing for a gathering at midday at a downtown hotel.

Spence ended her protest after other chiefs and federal opposition parties promised to take up her cause of treaty implementation and improving conditions on reserves.

Statement by Liberal Leader Bob Rae on Chief Theresa Spence:

“I am encouraged that Chief Theresa Spence has decided to end her hunger strike. Chief Spence and those who have joined her fast have helped bring about substantial change, but their cause – however just – should not endanger their lives or their health. Liberals join with Canadians across the country who are deeply committed to carrying on the fight for justice, dignity and reconciliation, and we salute Chief Spence’s courage.

The commitments we are making flow logically from the work of the Charlottetown and Kelowna Accords, numerous Supreme Court of Canada decisions, and our commitments as a country made when we signed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. They represent the strongly held values of the Liberal Party of Canada.

On behalf of our Parliamentary Caucus, I would like to express our party’s continued resolve to work inside and outside Parliament – on a nation-to-nation basis – to address the gross inequalities facing First Nations, from the disparity in education outcomes and poor health to the lack of clean running water and safe housing.”

The end of a protest

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 9:16 AM - 0 Comments

Amid mixed polling, questions about her health and a report that she was facing an ultimatum, Theresa Spence will be honoured this morning in downtown Ottawa by the Nishnawbe Aski Nation and then proceed to a news conference at 11am.

The Liberals have announced that Bob Rae will be at that news conference.

AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo will have a news conference in Vancouver at 3:30pm EST.

Update 10:24am. Chief Spence is reportedly now in hospital and will not attend this morning’s news conference.

Update 10:44am. A statement from Chief Spence.

January 24, 2013, Victoria Island, traditional territory of the Algonquian Peoples…Chief Theresa Spence and Raymond Robinson have officially ended their hunger strikes today. This announcement comes after a signed declaration of commitment on behalf of Treaty Chiefs, the Assembly First Nations (AFN), the Native Women Association of Canada (NWAC), the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Liberal Party of Canada in implementing the thirteen point action plan. 

Chief Spence and Mr. Robinson began their hunger strike over six weeks ago to invoke change by petitioning Canada and the Crown to meet with First Nations leaders on a Nation to Nation basis on Treaty Rights and Implementation. 

“We end our hunger strikes with signed commitments from elected First Nations leaders and opposition parties to urgently carry forward our action plan which ensure that our Treaty Rights are recognized, honoured and fully implemented. Furthermore, we are still calling for an immediate meeting with the Crown, Federal and Provincial governments in order to renew and reset this volatile relationship. Indigenous Peoples have lived well below the poverty line in a country that considered one of the wealthiest in the world. We are no longer idle and precedence has been established over this past six weeks. There’s no going back, our voices have be heard and now I ask for your involvement to move our agenda forward,” stated Chief Theresa Spence. 

“I personally want to thank and acknowledge all our supporters this past six weeks for their prayers, encouragement and genuine support during our hunger strikes. Both Raymond and I have taken with us a deep spiritual experience which has lite a fire that will assist us in implementing our vision where First Nation Peoples have equality and can forge their own destiny,” stated Chief Spence. 

The thirteen point declaration includes eight points that the AFN presented during their meeting with Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. The plan highlights a new framework to ensure that Treaty and non-Treaty Rights are recognized and implemented. A commitment towards resource revenue sharing and a comprehensive review and meaningful consultation on Bill C-38 and C-45 to ensure it is consistent with section 35 of the Constitution Act. The plan also states that ALL current or future federal legislation has Free, Prior and Informed Consent of First Nation Peoples. 

“Canada has legal obligations as Treaty partners to protect our constitutionally recognized rights. Our Indigenous ancestors promised peaceful co-existence and that spirit and intent remains today. Canada cannot afford to fail and needs to abide by conditions of Treaty. As we seen this past month there is consequences to inaction and our Peoples will never be silenced or go back to status quo…it’s a new day and our Peoples spirits have been awakened,” concluded Chief Spence. 

Chief #Spence: Hero or punchline?

By Aaron Hutchins - Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 5:30 AM - 0 Comments

Chief #Spence and the end of her hunger protest

Storified by Maclean’s Magazine· Thu, Jan 24 2013 02:31:44

‘Our deep appreciation for her strength and resolve’

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 6:08 PM - 0 Comments

The Assembly of First Nations confirms its support for the joint declaration.

“We have expressed to Chief Spence our deep appreciation for her strength and resolve, and hailed the impact that has had in raising awareness of the need for fundamental and transformative change in the relationship between First Nations and the Crown,” said AFN Regional Chief Roger Augustine, speaking on behalf of the AFN National Executive.

National Chief Shawn Atleo expressed his personal appreciation for Chief Spence’s contribution, adding:  “Our shared goal is simple and clear: to guarantee that our children can achieve the brighter future that they deserve. This is what every Chief across this country, every member of the Assembly of First Nations, will continue to fight to achieve,” said AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo.  “Our mandate is to advance the priorities of First Nations in those areas, and to achieve that justice for our children. We have made real progress in recent weeks. Our journey – the Chiefs, the AFN and mine – will not be over until we have won those guarantees.”

Spence’s protest nears an end

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 5:20 PM - 0 Comments

Theresa Spence’s protest will end tomorrow morning—a news conference has been called for 11am—with the signing of a declaration. Here is the statement from Chief Spence.

Chief Theresa Spence’s Official Spokesperson Danny Metatawabin has confirmed this afternoon that Chief Theresa Spence and Elder Raymond Robinson have agreed to end their hunger strikes based on the commitments outlined and endorsed in a Declaration of Commitment supported by the Assembly of First Nations National Executive Committee, Native Women’s Association of Canada, NDP National Caucus and Liberal Party of Canada Parliamentary Caucus.

I’ve confirmed that the Liberals are planning to sign the declaration. The Canadian Press and the CBC agree that the New Democrats and the Assembly of First Nations will do likewise.

Here is the declaration.

DECLARATION OF COMMITMENT
First Nations: Working Towards Fundamental Change

In the true spirit of commitment to initiate dialogue to discuss both Treaty and non-Treaty Indigenous issues on behalf of our First Nations Peoples of Canada, Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat First Nation and Mr. Raymond Robinson of Cross Lake, Manitoba will continue their Hunger Strike, pending outcome of this written Declaration. We also like to acknowledge Mr. Jean Sock of Elsipogtog, New Brunswick and all other Fasters who have shown their deep dedication and courage in support of protecting and honouring both Treaty and non-Treaty obligations as written, entered into or understood by all Peoples, with the Federal Government of Canada including each Provincial/Territorial signatory.

Further, we agree the self-sacrifice and the spiritual courage of Chief Theresa Spence, along with Elder Raymond Robinson and all other fasters have made clear the need for fundamental change in the relationship of First Nations and the Crown. We fully commit to carry forward the urgent and coordinated action required until concrete and tangible results are achieved in order to allow First Nations to forge their own destiny.

Therefore, we solemnly commit to undertake political, spiritual and all other advocacy efforts to implement a renewed First Nations – Crown relationship where inherent Treaty and non-Treaty Rights are recognized, honoured and fully implemented as they should be, within the next five years.

This Declaration include, but is not limited to, ensuring commitments made by the Prime Minister of Canada on January 11th, 2013 are followed through and implemented as quickly as possible as led by First Nation on a high-level priority with open transparency and trust.

Furthermore, immediate steps are taken working together to achieve the below priorities:

1. An immediate meeting to be arranged between the Crown, Federal Governments, Provincial Governments and all First Nations to discuss outstanding issues regarding the Treaty Relationship, as well as for non-Treaty area relationships.

2. Clear work-plans that shall include deliverables and timelines that outline how commitments will be achieved, including immediate action for short, medium and longterm goals. Addressing the housing crisis within our First Nation communities shall be considered as a short-term immediate action.

3. Frameworks and mandates for the implementation and enforcement of Treaties between Treaty parties on a Nation-to-Nation basis.

4. Reforming and modifying the comprehensive claims policy based on inherent rights of First Nations.

5. A commitment towards resource revenue sharing, requiring the participation and involvement of provinces and territories currently benefiting from resource development from traditional lands.

6. Commitment towards ensuring a greater collective oversight and action towards ensuring the sustainability of the land through a sustained environmental oversight.

7. A comprehensive review and meaningful consultation in regards to Bill C-38 and C-45 to ensure it is consistent with Section 35 of the Constitution Act (1982).

8. Ensure that all federal legislation has the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations where inherent and Treaty rights are affected or impacted.

9. A revised fiscal relationship between First Nations and Canada that is equitable, sustainable and includes indexing and the removal of arbitrary funding caps.

10. A National Public Commission of Inquiry on Violence Against Indigenous Women of all ages.

11. Equity in capital construction of First Nation schools, including funding parity with Provincial funding formulas with additional funding support for First Nation languages.

12. A change in how government operates that would include direct oversight, a dedicated Cabinet Committee and Secretariat within the Privy Council Office with specific responsibility for the First Nation-Crown relationship to ensure implementation.

13. The full implementation of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – UNDRIP.

As expressed from time to time by Chief Theresa Spence, “Our Treaty Rights continue to be violated and ignored”. Elder Raymond Robinson says, “Treaties were entered into on a Nation to Nation basis and we need to do our best to re-bridge that balance to walk and work together as was the original intent of the treaties”. Far too long, we have been denied an equitable stature within Canadian Society. The time is ours and no longer will we be silenced and idle. We will continue to call upon the insistence of truth, justice, fairness for all our First Nation Peoples.

Chief Theresa Spence to end hunger protest after six weeks

By Heather Scoffield, The Canadian Press - Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 5:06 PM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – Chief Theresa Spence, the leader of northern Ontario’s remote Attawapiskat First Nation, has agreed to end her hunger protest after six weeks of forgoing solid food, her spokesman said Wednesday.

Spence has been subsisting only on fish broth and medicinal tea since Dec. 11 to push for a meeting between First Nations leaders, the prime minister and the Governor General.

Both she and Elder Raymond Robinson, who has been engaged in a similar protest, have agreed to stop, spokesman Danny Metatawabin said in a statement.

The breakthrough comes after a coalition of Liberal and NDP politicians and First Nations chiefs agreed to a declaration spelling out 13 specific demands for continuing negotiations between First Nations and the federal government.

The declaration calls for improvements to housing and schools on reserves, as well as an immediate meeting between the Governor General, the federal and provincial governments and all First Nations.

It also says historic treaties that originally defined the relationship between many First Nations and Ottawa should be modernized and fully implemented within five years.

“We fully commit to carry forward the urgent and co-ordinated action required until concrete and tangible results are achieved in order to allow First Nations to forge their own destiny,” the preamble to the draft declaration reads.

Numerous other chiefs and band councillors from the northern Ontario region around Attawapiskat are travelling to the capital to be part of the Thursday procession.

The resolution will likely serve to maintain pressure on the Conservatives as MPs return to the House of Commons next week after their Christmas break.

Not only will Harper face criticism for allowing First Nations unrest to boil over, but he will also face fresh demands to revisit environmental oversight that was dramatically changed in the government’s two controversial omnibus budget bills.

“We have political and legal and constitutional issues to deal with. That’s the road that Mr. Harper has chosen,” said NDP critic Romeo Saganash.

Harper is focused instead on his plans for forthcoming talks with Atleo based on an agenda they agreed to earlier this month — some of which overlaps with the Spence declaration.

“The important thing is that we continue to make progress so that the living standards of our aboriginal people improve and that their opportunities for participating in the economy continue to improve,” Harper said Wednesday at an event in Cambridge, Ont.

“Those opportunities exist with resource development in remote areas, with the shortage of labour the Canadian economy is going to be experiencing. And I want to see aboriginal people, particularly young aboriginal people, take advantage of those opportunities.”

An informal delegation that includes interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, Saganash and northern Ontario deputy grand chief Alvin Fiddler has been working closely with Spence to hash out a dignified solution.

Rae brings a reputation as a firm but respectful mediator in tricky situations such as the Burnt Church aboriginal fishing dispute in 2000. Fiddler is from the same region as Spence and is known as a practical, sharp thinker.

Together with Spence’s team of close confidants and with moral support from some aboriginal women leaders, they settled on a declaration that clarifies Spence’s concerns and commits signatories to carry on her fight.

The declaration also demands a thorough review of the two Conservative government omnibus bills, which dramatically changed environmental oversight.

“Far too long we have been denied an equitable stature within the Canadian society,” the draft declaration states. “The time is ours and no longer will we be silenced and idle.”

Thursday is significant. It’s the day Spence and the AFN originally wanted Harper and Gov. Gen. David Johnston to hold a broad meeting with the country’s chiefs, in part to commemorate the first anniversary of last year’s Crown-First Nation Gathering, which was supposed to have reset relations between the two sides.

Those encouraging Spence to end her protest have been describing how they count her victories: greater national awareness of First Nations issues; a meeting between the AFN, Harper and several cabinet ministers; and a commitment to modernize treaties and aboriginal rights, with negotiations between chiefs and the top levels of government.

They also note that Spence’s resolve helped galvanize thousands of protesters across the country under the Idle No More banner.

Spence’s protest also attracted unwanted attention: much publicity surrounded a government-ordered audit of her band’s finances that showed a lack of proper documentation for about $100 million in funding.

Her protest has also left the AFN badly injured.

Atleo attended the meeting with Harper on Jan. 11 even though the Governor General was not included in the meeting, as Spence had demanded. She boycotted the meeting, as did many chiefs from Manitoba, Ontario and other parts of the country.