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Idle No More not dead: organizer

There may have been fewer Idle No More protests lately, but that doesn't mean the movement is dead, according to one of the local organizers.
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About 40 people gathered in the downtown March 20 for an Idle No More march — the first since the end of January. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen.
There may have been fewer Idle No More protests lately, but that doesn't mean the movement is dead, according to one of the local organizers.

About 40 people gathered in the downtown March 20 for an Idle No More march — the first since the end of January.

Protesters marched through the downtown, blocking rush-hour traffic, and held round dances on both Durham and Paris streets.

Bruce McComber said Idle No More is really just a “branding” of Aboriginals' years-long struggles against the status quo, something which definitely isn't going away any time soon.

“It was a part of ongoing struggles against our environmental rights, human injustices,” he said.

“It became branded and trendy and cool for some people. But the injustices that are going on in the world aren't going anywhere, that's for sure.”

Earlier this winter, the grassroots Aboriginal movement grabbed national headlines, with protests sweeping the country. Earlier protests in Greater Sudbury attracted hundreds of people, a far cry from the most recent event.

What Idle No More is all about differs depending on who you ask, but one of the rallying points is opposition to Bill C-45, a 440-page omnibus bill passed by the federal government in early December.

Protesters say regulatory changes contained in the bill trample on Aboriginal rights.

Attiwapiskat Chief Teresa Spence, who staged a six-week hunger strike to draw attention to First Nations issues, was another rallying point.

While Idle No More definitely isn't over, McComber admits things have been quieter lately. He said the movement's organizers are going back to the drawing board to figure out where the movement should go next.

“Within the Canadian and American nation states, a peaceful protest can only go on for so long,” he said. “People have jobs and other commitments. You certainly can't fundraise and go to Ottawa every single week, especially when nothing is changing.”

As for the March 20 protest, McComber said it's necessary to create friction to grab headlines, and if that means blocking traffic, then so be it.

The protest was just one of many which will be held across the country over the next few days, he said.

Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty member and Laurentian University sociology professor Gary Kinsman was one of those who attended the protest.

He said Idle No More has been one of the “most inspiring” movements in recent history, especially in the context of opposition to the federal government.

“Especially for younger indigenous people, I think it's meant a lot,” Kinsman said.

“I think that whole slogan of Idle No More has really resonated with a lot of them. So for a lot of them, it's really been a movement out of passivity, and to levels of activity. I really hope that can continue.”

As for the apparent lull in Idle No More activity, Kinsman said the movement is having to regroup after one of its rallying points — Spence — ended her hunger strike and returned to her community.

He said the Assembly of First Nations also seems to be set on “calming things down and demobilizing people.”

Kinsman said he thinks there's a “certain period of reflection” and “rebuilding” happening with Idle No More right now.

“I'm hoping what you're going to see is more of a bottom-up, community-based movement emerging under the banner of Idle No More.”

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Heidi Ulrichsen

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