“What do you mean ‘idle no more’?,” Atlantic region director Ian Gray responded to Steve Young’s email.
“Idle no more is the rallying statement for all the First Nations protesting Harper government actions. In other words, we aren’t going to sit by and take this,” Young wrote back. “Since mainstream media isn’t giving alot (sic) of coverage they are using social media quite effectively … it’s actually a great case study in grassroots use of new technology.”
Eight days later, then aboriginal affairs minister John Duncan was warned in a briefing note of a potential turning point in relations between the Crown and First Nations. By the time the protest movement captured headlines around the country, a social media analysis for the government concluded what that first email suggested: This was a movement the likes of which the government had never seen before.
The Dec. 20 briefing note to Duncan about the Assembly of First Nations special meeting in early December also suggests that the Harper government would have a harder time selling legislative changes, including those passed in the omnibus budget bill late last year, and potentially future legislation that affects First Nations.
“The Special Assembly could represent a turning point in the Crown-First Nations relationship and with the AFN in particular. As you are aware, chiefs briefly suspended their activities on the first day of the Special Assembly to protest on Parliament Hill,” the briefing note reads.
“The National Chief (Shawn Atleo) made clear that he and the rest of the AFN executive would support First Nations chiefs and communities in their efforts to oppose the Government of Canada legislative and policy agenda.”
One of the resolutions of interest passed at the meeting, singled out among others in the briefing note, puts the “government of Canada on notice that any further imposition of legislation and/or policies will be met with appropriate measures.”
“There is genuine discontent regarding the Indian Act and its application; however, proposed federal legislative changes are causing concerns in First Nation communities and no clear way forward is being proposed by First Nation chiefs in this area,” the briefing note reads.
The briefing note then identified Jan. 24, the anniversary of the landmark Crown-First Nations Gathering, as a key date to keep an eye on, followed by election of chiefs in Quebec and Alberta in late January and February, respectively. The dates the calendar has yet to hit include the release of census data on May 8, the AFN general assembly in July, and Oct. 27 — the 250th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation.
The documents were released to Postmedia News under the access to information law.
Also included in the documents is an email to workers at the Yellowknife office of Aboriginal Affairs, telling them that if they planned to join a Dec. 21 Idle No More rally outside their office, they had to “submit leave to their manager” and follow the ethics code for public servants.
The briefing note came amidst growing coverage of the Idle No More protest movement, a grassroots indigenous sovereignty movement spurred on and organized through social media, that quickly ramped up across the country last fall in response to the Conservative government’s two omnibus budget bills.
Many indigenous peoples said the bills loosened environmental protection of waterways and infringed upon First Nations’ right to self-govern.
“Organized and promoted through social media, Idle No More has been able to do something that other movements in the past have not been able to do or manage to sustain. It has people leaving their homes to participate.”
The analysis concludes by saying that social media has had “chatter” in the past around aboriginal issues, including the Crown-First Nations Gathering, but Idle No More “is quite different from what we’ve seen before in terms of activity and rhetoric.”
Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence became the face of the movement during her liquid diet, which she began on an island near Parliament Hill to protest the government’s legislation and demand a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The peaceful protests reached their peak on Jan. 11, when thousands of protesters marched on Parliament Hill. While drumming and dancing filled the streets, Harper met with First Nations chiefs to discuss issues such as treaty rights and comprehensive land claims. Spence boycotted the meeting, saying that Gov. Gen. David Johnston had to be there as well. (Johnston met with chiefs that night at a ceremonial meeting in Rideau Hall.)
A number of other chiefs supported Spence, denouncing the leaders who attended the meeting and protesting outside the prime minister’s office.
Original Article
Source: vancouversun.com
Author: Jordan Press & Michael Woods
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