Idle No More... Chiefs Kept Out

Chiefs want to be a part of the dialogue

As long as the colony that became Canada has existed, we have had dialogue – that is, the Aboriginal people and the European settlers. According to John Ralston Saul (1998), Canadians take pride in the fact that they worked things out by talking things over. A nation was created that is widely respected throughout the world as an icon of peace and tolerance. It was surprising then to hear that a group of Aboriginal chiefs were kept out of the House of Commons last week (“First Nations,” 2012). These chiefs wanted to be a part of the dialogue.

On December 4, 2012, the Anishinaabek chiefs, many descendants from the signatories of the Robinson Huron Treaty, went to Ottawa to protest the passage of Bill C-45.  A recent APTN news article (2012) explained that this bill is an Omni-bus Conservative bill. It was tabled as a budget bill, and had a number of riders attached. One rider included changes to the Indian Act. These changes were made without consultation or input from the people it would affect (APTN National News, 2012).  Despite the obligation to consult, the neo-conservative agenda of supporting business and the corporation had to be met. The omnibus bill contained changes to the Indian Act that would permit corporations to operate on reserve lands, supposedly providing opportunities for Aboriginal people to become involved to a greater extent in the Canadian, and thereby global, economy (APTN National News, 2012). 

Why an omni-bus bill? Look closer. Masquerading behind what the Harper government is hoping we all see as beneficial changes to the Indian Act, is the hidden agenda. Look closely at the trees, not just at the forest. It’s those “other” changes that the government is forcefully pushing through – the changes that are to benefit their causes. So if you are unsure why First Nations people are upset about changes that look like a good thing on the surface, the short answer is:

1) Not being consulted on the changes
2) The changes are presented in an omni-bus bill, instead of changes being presented individually
3) Lurking beneath the big ticket items (that appear to be a good thing) are the other items that contain the governments hidden agenda

The chiefs won’t be heard? Escorted out of the House of Commons? Somewhere along the line the dialogue has stopped. It obviously needs to be said over and over… Canada is a treaty nation.  All Canadians are treaty people. The problem is so much bigger than Bill C-45 and a movement rallying under the banner of “Idle no More” is gathering strength. At the heart of this unrest is the relationship between the Aboriginal people and Canada. “What it all boils down to is this. Canada has not committed itself to addressing the colonial relationship it still has with indigenous peoples. Canada is in denial about that relationship. I think it's fair to say that most Canadians believe that kind of relationship no longer exists. We are trying to tell you that you are wrong” (Vowel, 2012).

Lisa

Resources

Vowel, C. (2012, December 12). Idle no more: There's good reason the natives are restless . Retrieved from http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/apihtawikosisan/2012/12/idle-no-more-theres-good-reason-natives-are-restless

First Nations Leaders Storm Parliament Hill Over Budget Bill. (2012, December 4). Retrieved from http://www.theblobeandmail.com/news/news-video/video-first-nation-leaders-storm-parliment-hill-over-budget-bill/article5973974/

Ralston Saul, J. (1998). Reflections of a siamese twin: Canada at the beginning of the twenty-first century. (p. 254). Toronto, Canada: Penguin Group Canada.

APTN National News. (2012, November 21). Conservative proposed omnibus indian act changes would allow bands to lease out reserve lands without majority community support. Retrieved from conservative-proposed-omnibus-indian-act-changes-would-allow-bands-to-lease-out-reserve-lands-without-majority-community-support