Friday, January 04, 2013

Idle No More: Native Issues

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, centre, with supporters Danny Matatawabin, left, 
and Angela Bercier in a teepee on Victoria Island in Ottawa during her hunger strike
Julie Oliver/Postmedia News

This is an insightful column from Chantal Hebert, on the Idle No More movement and the challenges it presents to Harper. She talks about the widespread resonance of the Idle No More movement - a social movement seeking to redress the appalling conditions facing First Nations - with those Canadians who are unhappy with the Harper Conservatives.

Harper's neglect of First Nations is unbelievable, the way he flippantly dealt with Attawapiskat, auditing rather than seeking to properly deal with the problems of poverty and substandard housing there. He has proposed/passed an array of legislation that tramples on First Nations and treaty rights - including bill C-45 which would allow obstructions of waterways (such as pipelines and dams) with little oversight on a vast range of waterways (lakes and rivers) in Canada.

Harper is using his majority to run roughshod over environmental and First Nations rights. He must be stopped, hopefully Idle No More will do that.

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