With its sweeping effects, there are no excuses for not getting involved in the push against Bill C-45

By Lana Friesen
Photos By Lana Friesen

On Dec. 21, 22, and 23, Indigenous people of many nations stood up with the visitors who have come to settle on un-surrendered and unceded Coast Salish territory in solidarity against Harper’s latest attempt to desecrate the environment and Indigenous rights in one fell swoop. Bill C-45 has already passed and has become law. The only positive change from Bill C-45 has been the response: the banding together of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and standing against Harper’s plan for further committing atrocities against people and the land in Canada. However, much more of this needs to happen to end this. Let’s start the push for action and change from the beginning.

Idle No More began in Saskatchewan with four lawyers who sought to stand up against Harper and Bill C-45. Sylvia McAdams called for Dec. 10 to be the Idle No More national day of action, and on this day and many since there have been, as Chief Stewart Phillips so aptly put it, thousands of people “of all races, of all colours, from all directions, coming together to speak as one voice” including 18 groups who wrote an open letter in opposition to the omnibus bill. Leaders of major Indigenous organizations were barred from entering parliament to contest the bill when it was first introduced in October 2012. Harper would not grant the opportunity to speak out against the bill in its initial stages, and this open letter was an attempt to do so, despite Harper’s muzzling discussion on this issue.

The situation Bill C-45 puts Canadians in makes me think of evictions of BC tenants — whereby tenants who do not respond to eviction notices are understood to be in tacit consent of the eviction. Although Bill C-45 has already been passed (largely as a result of barring public participation at numerous stages), Canadians should still express their extreme discontent with this bill and tell Harper about their abhorrence. Harper will continue taking advantage of Canadian citizens if they become or continue to be apathetic and politically inactive.

Becoming active does not take that much — simply write Harper either a note or a letter. Other ways to get involved include attending rallies and teachins, reading the numerous well written and informative articles appearing in newspapers, and spreading the word. Send Harper a strong message that his abuse of our parliamentary process is not acceptable.

Chief Theresa Spence protests the bill with a hunger strike, requesting that Harper and the Queen meet with her and other Indigenous leaders to discuss Indigenous rights. Despite the nation-wide attention she has aroused and the gravity of her promise to die for her people, Harper has promptly ignored the Chief, while tweeting insensitive things like “Mmmmm, bacon.” Spence has become a symbol of dedication to Idle No More, and has contributed to building support for the movement as she lends a human face to it — a human face that Harper unfortunately cannot bring himself to acknowledge.

One Chief that spoke out at an Idle No More peaceful demonstration at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Dec. 23 remarked, “We (Indigenous people) are still here, and are not behind a glass as in a museum.” Let us stand in solidarity with these peoples and force Harper to respect the sovereign authority they rightfully possess, rather than allowing him to treat them as the latest fad of Canadian Tourism.