Idle No More promises to ramp up if feds don't listen (6 photos)

A peaceful Idle No More protest took place at Highway 17 east of Sault Ste. Marie Friday afternoon.

Idle No More protesters told SooToday.com the grassroots movement plans to ramp up the scale of their protests next week, with a view to force the federal government to address their concerns.

For weeks now, the grassroots movement, spearheaded by First Nations communities nationwide, has been protesting the federal government’s Bill C-45, an omnibus budget bill which First Nations say endangers all Canadians, endangering the environment by opening the door more widely to potentially harmful investment by the private sector.

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence is currently on a liquid-only diet and encamped near Parliament Hill in an effort to force Prime Minister Stephen Harper to meet with over 600 First Nations leaders to address concerns with Bill C-45.

A letter from Spence to Queen Elizabeth to intervene in the current dispute was answered in a letter from Buckingham Palace, dated January 7, in which the Queen expressed concern over Spence’s health and urged her to address her concerns to the federal cabinet.

Speaking to SooToday.com, Batchewana First Nations Chief Dean Sayers said, “at some point the Crown is going to be compelled to address our concerns, because if things don’t change in Canada, we’re going to see a lot of civil discord.  Canada has inherited Treaty obligations, and we’re not going to wait forever.”

The Batchewena Chief told us “we‘re convening a meeting on Monday with Robinson-  Huron treaty chiefs in Batchewana and contemplate next steps.”

What would those next steps involve?

Garden River First Nation Chief Lyle Sayers told us “there will be more stepped up activity.”

“I can see some of the non-First Nations opinion swaying in our favour, but we don’t want to hurt that too much because we need their support, but there will be an economic slowdown, based on the approval of our community after a meeting we have planned for Monday night.”

If approved by Garden River and Batchewana First Nations communities, Sayers said “we’ll be stopping transport trucks on January 28.”

That stoppage will not apply to general vehicular traffic, Sayers said.

“Things are heating up,” the Garden River Chief stated.

What of Theresa Spence?

Garden River Chief Lyle Sayers said “I think Chief Spence is on her own journey at this point…but we support her in her demand that the Prime Minister meets with all First Nations chiefs.”

Is there room for a compromise, for example, Prime Minister Harper agreeing to resurrect the Kelowna Accord, introduced by former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin, which would give $5 billion in aid to First Nations?

Batchewana Chief Dean Sayers told us “we should be looking at the Kelowna Accord and the 1982 Constitution Act, and the original intent of our treaty relationship with the federal government.”

The Batchewana Chief added that any upcoming agreement with the federal government must address the needs of every First Nation in Ontario and every other province, rejecting a blanket agreement for all First Nations coast to coast.