Idle No More is an international demonstration to gain attention for modern problems faced by native people in the United States and Canada, from coast to coast. Both countries have a nasty habit of destroying finite resources, and people are fed up with the practice. The movement is not just about protecting natural resources, it is also about protecting and respecting women. Native women in particular are at an enormous risk for assault, and the members of Idle No More have decided that it is finally time to make a national statement against this American pastime. The movement is also about changing patterns of unemployment and other unique social problems faced by those living on reservations.
It began as a direct response to Canada’s Bill C-45, previously a water protection bill, which was re-worded and changed to protect businesses that use Canada’s waterways, rather than the freshwater sources themselves. This means that not only are the Canadian people’s fresh water sources in danger, but also the First Nations whose land surrounds those water sources. This issue is not just a local problem. It is a problem for humanity and the habitat our species lives in. This affects those in the U.S., native and non-native alike, just as much as it does anyone in Canada.
Take the Keystone XL pipeline for instance. TransCanada does not care where it builds or who it affects; it has a monetary goal that it intends to reach, no matter the cost to everyone else in the world. Borders do not matter here, which is why the movement transcends North American borders. Profit is an incredibly fleeting gain and a very small reason to justify the dangers these businesses are causing. Humans may have a complex economy, but we are still animals and we still need clean air and water to survive. We are rapidly losing these necessary elements of life by placing a greater value on petty short-term goals than on the health of our species. The good news is that the determination of this movement is paying off, little by little.
Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence has been undergoing a hunger strike since December 11th, 2012 in an effort to draw immediate attention to crises faced by her people. Canada’s conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper finally responded by making a decision to fix water issues in Canadian reserves. The Harper government will put $330.8 million over the next two years into building water and wastewater infrastructure in Canadian reserves, a long-needed solution to a very serious human rights problem. According to the ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, the funding is part of, “A long-term strategy to improve water quality in First Nation communities.” (Indian Country Today Media Network)
Idle No More draws attention to current problems faced by real native people alive today, who so often live invisibly to other Americans. It shows that a group of determined people can challenge discriminatory government policies and actually enact change. The movement shows that it is even possible for the Canadian and U.S. governments to take seriously the concerns of native peoples. But perhaps most importantly, it proves that any group’s problems are humanity’s problems.
Violence against women may affect indigenous populations disproportionately, but what makes it wrong in the first place is that it is violent. No woman of any race or ethnicity should have to wonder whether she will get assaulted if she goes out by herself at night, or even if she stays in her own home. And environmental concerns do not just apply to the people who vocally demand attention to them.
All humans live in the same relatively small space, and we need to start finding solutions the problems we have been causing over the years. All of our children, no matter what color or class, are going to be choking on the same air and fighting over the same limited clean water in the future. Idle No More is leading the way by uniting people across borders, nationalities and ethnicities towards a solution that we all dearly need.
Genevieve Buthod
Senior Viewpoints Editor
Journal of the Apocalypsev