The Aamjiwnaang First Nation said both the demonstration that began at Sarnia city hall and the ongoing blockade are part of the national Idle No More protests.
Organizer Vanessa Gray said the rally aimed to bring the community together “to stand up for what your rights are and what you believe in.”
Meanwhile, there was no indication Monday when the blockade would come to an end.
A court injunction has been issued giving police the power to end the blockade, but Sarnia’s mayor has said they won’t interfere as long as the situation remains peaceful.
Demonstrators say the blockade will continue until Prime Minister Harper meets with Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, who’s on a hunger strike to bring attention to aboriginal issues.
Spence started the strike on Dec. 11, and has been living in a teepee on an island in the Ottawa River that many aboriginals consider to be sacred land.
She is seeking a meeting with Harper, the governor general and First Nations leaders to discuss the treaty relationship.
n Monday, Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau, who is Algonquin, was rebuffed in an attempt to meet with her.
Last week, Brazeau told the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network he didn’t think Spence was setting a good example for aboriginal youth.
Brazeau posted an account on Twitter of his efforts to meet Spence on Monday, saying he was first told she needed time to prepare to see him but then that she wouldn’t see him at all.
Union leaders called Monday for provincial premiers to get involved in efforts to get the prime minister to sit down with Spence.
“No one level of government is solely responsible for the poor living conditions on First Nations reserves,” said Paul Moist, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employess, in a statement.
“And therefore it is in the interest of the premiers to help find a peaceful and safe resolution to this standoff.”
Original Article
Source: national post
Author: CP
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