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More than 100 protesters block the north side of the Deh Cho Bridge near Fort Providence for close to an hour on Saturday, Jan. 5. They were part of an Idle No More event, a movement to lobby for improvements to aboriginal rights in Canada. - Myles Dolphin/NNSL photo

DEH GAH GOT'IE/FORT PROVIDENCE
More than 100 people from southern NWT communities combined forces to block the Deh Cho Bridge as part of an Idle No More aboriginal rights demonstration on Jan. 5.

Protesters gathered at the north side of the bridge around 2 p.m. and for almost an hour they wielded colourful signs with slogans decrying the federal government's omnibus Bill C-45. That piece of proposed legislation deals with federal budgetary measures but also makes changes to Indian Act and land management that many First Nations people nationwide oppose.

Pam Snowshoe of Hay River was among the first protesters to arrive at the bridge Saturday. She said she's supporting the movement because she's worried about the treatment of aboriginal treaty rights and how it will affect her children's future.

When asked about the meeting between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and First Nations leaders scheduled for Jan. 11, Snowshoe said she wasn't optimistic.

"If the chiefs are united then maybe something positive can come out of it," she said. "I'll wait and see the outcome of the meeting,"

That statement was echoed by many other protesters that day. They came from nearby Fort Providence as well as Fort Simpson, Kakisa, Hay River and Wrigley, among other communities.

Plans made earlier in the week had called for protesters to march across the bridge and to be present on both sides but the Fort Providence RCMP made an arrangement with Deh Gah Got'ie Chief Wayne Sabourin on Saturday morning to keep the marchers off the structure.

"The Fort Providence RCMP have been in constant consultation with the chief and his councillors," said Cpl. Barry Ledoux of the Yellowknife RCMP. "Because of the rise of the bridge, the crest, the environmental conditions and the number of people here, we all came to the conclusion that, for safety reasons, they wouldn't go on the bridge."

Following an opening prayer by K'atlodeeche First Nation Chief Roy Fabian, protesters marched back and forth between the bend leading up to the bridge and a police barricade.

The bridge reopened around 3 p.m. There were few, if any, vehicles forced to wait during the protest, so disruption of traffic was minimal.

Darlene Lamb, also from Hay River, said Harper's scheduled Jan. 11 meeting with chiefs in Ottawa has been orchestrated for the wrong purpose.

"The only reason he agreed to meet with them is because his (popularity) numbers are dropping," she said. "(Liberal party leadership candidate) Justin Trudeau met Chief (Theresa) Spence at the beginning of the movement. He has respect for aboriginal people and wanted to hear from them. Harper didn't do anything until he noticed his numbers were down.

"I'm glad that (Harper) will be meeting with Spence on Jan. 11 but can we expect anything from that? That's why the movement is still carrying on."

Spence, the chief in Attawapiskat, Ont., has been on a hunger strike since Dec. 11, demanding to meet with Harper. Although she said she will be part of the Jan. 11 delegation to sit down with the Prime Minister, she won't eat solid food until after the meeting, she said.

Chief Lloyd Chicot of Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation in Kakisa attended Saturday's protest with roughly 15 other residents of his community, which only has a population of close to 50. He said he wanted to show his support for Spence and thought the upcoming meeting with Harper was a positive sign of things to come.

"It's a continuation of what we've been asking, which is to meet with the federal government to ensure our rights are protected," he said. "They're rushing all these bills through - some are good but a lot of them are bad. A few years ago our community took the government to court for lack of consultation but they're still doing it."

In 2007, a federal court decision came down in Ka'a'gee Tu's favour in two related court cases when it deemed that the government violated the community's right to meaningful consultation before a final decision was made on a modified land use permit granted to oil and gas company Paramount Resources Ltd. in 2005.

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