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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife participants in the Idle No More movement are expected to be back on the streets today as Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo and other native Canadian leaders meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

Supporters of the Idle No More movement are expected to hold a peaceful protest in the intersection of 50 Street and Franklin Avenue over lunch hour today. Here, Emelda King participates in a similar demonstration held on Dec. 21. - NNSL file photo

At noon, protesters are planning to gather in the intersection of Franklin Avenue and 50 Street where they are expected to hold a drum dance and distribute information about the grassroots movement to the public, according to the Idle No More - Denendeh Facebook group. Of the almost 3,500 people invited to the event, 573 said on Facebook they would attend.

"It's in support of the meeting. It's in support of the whole movement itself, of how far it's come in only two months," said Lawrence Nayally, co-organizer for Idle No More - Denendeh.

For him, the Idle No More movement is a means of expressing long-standing issues faced by Canada's First Nations people since colonial times, such as economic inequality and human rights violations.

The movement was formed as a way to protest against legislation recently passed by the federal government that some argue undermine environmental protection, such as Bill C-45. However, it is the spirit of these laws - the tradition of putting economic needs before the needs of people and the environment - that needs to change and this is something indigenous and non-indigenous people alike can get behind, he said.

"It's not about the native issues, it's about a much more broad scope of looking at things," said Nayally. "Our elders always made mention of, 'When you do something now, try to think of the consequences your actions today might have on generations ahead of you.'"

Atleo is scheduled to meet with Harper, along with a delegation of regional chiefs and native elders from across Canada, at 11 a.m. today local time.

Upon hearing that Gov. Gen. David Johnston would not be attending today's meeting, Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence announced Wednesday in a news release that she will boycott the meeting and called on other First Nations chiefs to do the same. Since the beginning of Spence's hunger strike, currently in its 30th day, she has been asking for a true nation-to-nation meeting between First Nations governments, the Harper government and the Crown.

On Thursday, the Governor General's press office released a statement stating that Johnston will host a ceremonial meeting at Rideau Hall in Ottawa at 6:30 p.m., after the meeting between Harper and First Nations leaders.

In a press conference at the National Press Gallery in Ottawa yesterday, Atleo outlined some of the issues to be raised with the prime minister today, including the abolition of the Indian Act, reversal of recently passed federal legislation aboriginal groups say undermines environmental protection, and a desire to recreate a mutually respectful relationship between Canada and First Nations which recognizes the sovereignty of Canada's aboriginal people.

While certain logistics of the meeting, such as whether it will be held at Parliament Hill or, as First Nations chiefs have requested, at the Delta Hotel, continue to change, Atleo was adamant that the meeting will go ahead.

The national chief also credited the Idle No More movement with making today's working meeting possible.

"I think the Idle No More movement ... it will continue," he said. "This moment, our people are saying, is like no other moment."

Even before the much-anticipated meeting in Canada's capital city, Idle No More activist Daniel T'seleie, a Yellowknifer studying law in Victoria, B.C., did not hold much hope that today's events will alleviate the concerns of protesters.

"It all comes down to the saying ... 'The definition of insanity is to do the same thing twice and expect a different result,'" he told Yellowknifer, pointing to a similar meeting held in 2012 between Harper and the Assembly of First Nations. "If anything, since then things have gotten worse."

T'seleie agreed with Nayally's assertion that the Idle No More movement is about more than reversing recent legislation passed by the federal government, although this is a good place to start.

"I think this is bringing a lot of issues to the table that make people uncomfortable," said T'seleie. "It's frequently said that First Nations people in Canada live in Third-World conditions, especially on reserves and in isolated communities - and that's true."

Eugene Boulanger is another Denendeh ex-pat currently studying in British Columbia. He became involved in the local movement after being contacted by Yellowknife organizers via social media.

While it is hard to nail down key messages from the Idle No More movement, he said, it is an excellent example of the power of grassroots groups in raising public awareness.

"In a sense, Idle No More has already achieved what it has intended to achieve: raising awareness, encouraging dialogue and inclusion," he told Yellowknifer.

In order for the movement, which has gathered support across Canada and around the world, to be successful, Canada and First Nations groups must begin to treat each other in a mutually respectful way that honours the nation-to-nation status given to native groups through treaties, land claims and other agreements throughout our nation's history, said T'seleie. This means having an equal seat at the table when Canadian politicians draft legislation such as the recent changes to the Fisheries Act.

Until that happens, people should not expect demonstrations to stop or the movement to die out as the result of a single closed-door meeting, he said.

Nayally was hopeful about today's meeting, saying that he was glad Harper reversed his earlier decision to not meet Spence's demands in the fear of setting a dangerous precedent.

"Tomorrow's meeting, in reflection to all the issues and concerns that have been brought up won't be dealt with in one meeting," he said. "It's going to take, possibly, years but we want to make sure that within this generation those issues are resolved (and) that gap is bridged amongst indigenous and non-indigenous people."

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