‘Idle No More’: Hunger-striking Attawapiskat chief vows to ‘die’ for her people as aboriginal protes

[soleiltropiques]

'Idle No More': Hunger-striking Attawapiskat chief vows to 'die' for her people as aboriginal protests spread

OTTAWA - Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan is offering to meet this week with a northern Ontario chief who embarked on a hunger strike Tuesday out of frustration with the federal government.

Comments

[kagehikario]

:( There is so much broken with how the federal and first nations governments interact. I feel like the federal gov is acting like a dead-beat parent who grudgingly sends support checks and ignores their charges the rest of the time, when they should be treating the tribes as fellow Canadian citizens with varied levels of independence and sovereign nations in a shared state. I wish Chief Spence well, but would be shocked if the federal government gives an inch.

[devetu]

trying to convince one of my bosses to find a little money in our budget (i work for a non-profit) so a coworker and i can go to the protests. wish me luck.

[romp]

good luck! I hope you post about it if you do go

[biting_moopie]

Good luck!

[soleiltropiques]

Good luck!! That sounds like a great idea.

[soleiltropiques]

I think that this argument (I am not saying that it is your argument, from what I see you are merely summarizing the government's position)

[soleiltropiques]

My apologies, lj died before I could post the rest of my reply

[soleiltropiques]

(I had to split this into three parts. Here is part 2

[romp]

I keep thinking about posting about Idle No More and thinking I have. :)

press release from the movement if anyone's looking on one

good summary of what's going on: Idle No More: There's good reason the Natives are restless
also, near the end, it links to an article questioning why some of the most marginalized and vulnerable people in North America to stand alone again environmental disaster and faux democracy. This is an issue for ALL Canadians.

[betray802]

And there goes my happy little schoolgirl fantasy that the aboriginal peoples had a better situation in Canada than down here.

[iolarah]

Unfortunately, no. They've been treated like shit for a long time, and it's awful the lengths they've had to go to just to have that recognized. The residential schools are a perfect example of that.

OP, thank you for posting this. First Nations peoples deserve more media attention than they're getting. I can't find a better article on it right now (on my way out the door) but a report was released this week in the wake of the Robert Picton case examining how Native women in particular at higher risk of such violence, and it makes 60+ recommendations to improve their conditions. It's actually a really interesting report, from what I heard on the CBC--far reaching; looks at socioeconomic factors and institutionalized racism, if I understood correctly.

http://www.globaltvbc.com/missing+women+inquiry+makes+65+recommendations/6442774135/story.html

[soleiltropiques]

Thank you! And I agree completely -this should be in the media a LOT more than it has been.

That is very interesting -the number of missing Aboriginal women in this country is appalling.

[toraguru]

They're treated like shit socially and by the government, especially in the case of reserves. The conditions of reserves in Manitoba are rated the same as a third world country, yet white people in the area somehow think they live like kings off of government money and welfare.