Stephen Harper stayed on the sidelines as Idle No More swept Canada from coast-to-coast-to-coast. He has now agreed to meet with a delegation of First Nation chiefs, including Theresa Spence, the Attawapiskat chief who is on a fast. In speaking of the relationship with First Nations, Harper waxed eloquent: “The Government of Canada and First Nations have an enduring historic relationship based on mutual respect, friendship and support… The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening this relationship.”
Really? When did this halcyon period of “mutual respect, friendship and support” break out exactly and did it involve the people large or just a select few? A more reality based assessment paints a different picture. The Harper government has undermined Indigenous communities by cutting funding and eroding treaty rights. Since the Tories ditched the Kelowna Accord that aimed to close the poverty gap between Indigenous peoples and Canadians, the situation . . . → Read More: drive-by planet: C-45 and the targeting of Indigenous peoples: Idle No More
