Historical Legacy

The 1970s and 1980s embodied a period of intense resilience for Indigenous peoples across Canada. The 1969 White Paper triggered an era of new forms of activism that ignited sentiments on a national scale. Resistance became a unifying point for First Nations communities across Canada, fighting to assert their common treaty rights. The Red Paper (1970) contributed in large part to the conversation about actively preserving Aboriginal treaty and cultural rights beyond the local conversations that had previously dominated. By 1980, the Constitution Express movement not only ideologically represented resistance on a national scale but quite literally and physically brought people from various communities across Canada to the capital in Ottawa to demonstrate and protest for their rights. 

The traditions of demonstration and protests established in 1970s and 1980s activism have continued beyond the twentieth century into the twentieth century, embodied in contemporary movements such as Idle No More. The roots of Idle No More can be linked to these previous resistance movements of the 70s and 80s, arguing for the central importance of honoring Aboriginal treaty rights in Canada [1]. 

Idle No More 

As a footnote to Indigenous activism of the mid to late twentieth century, it is important to trace the significance of Indigenous resistance in Canada in its broader historical context. Idle No More was started as an Indigenous rights movement in 2012. Founded by three Indigenous women and one non-Native ally, the movement was concerned with the dismantling of environmental protection laws that would put First Nations people living on the land across Canada at risk [2]. Idle No More has worked to protect Indigenous land and treaty rights while connecting First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and non-Native peoples across Canada through national political action, face-to-face demonstrations, and social media. 

Idle No More sparked political action not only across Canada but also internationally on a global scale. In December of 2012, Attawapiskat Chief Therese Spence embarked on a hunger strike to protesting against Stephen Harper's Bill C-45, demanding discussions with the Prime Minister and Governor-General. The protest on the part of Therese Spence sparked political support and action across Canada and worldwide, in solidarity with the Idle No More movement. In Canada flash mobs performing round dances were organized in shopping malls across the country during the holiday shopping season in December 2012. [3] Additionally, protests via railway and highway blockades were also set up across the country to support the idle no more movement. The mobilization of Indigenous political organizations through these non-institutional tactics reinforces the historical legacy of  Indigenous activism and its tactics in Canada. 

#idlenomore

#idlenomore is used on social media sites to draw in both Canadian national and global conversations about land exploitation and treaty rights of Indigenous people in Canada. Hashtag activism and social media aided in the growth of the Idle No More movement itself and helped to fuel the organization and mobilization of Indigenous people both on and off social media platforms. [4]. Twitter acted as an important platform for sharing opinions and mobilization initiatives like online petitions, demonstrations, and other types of political actions [5]. 

Video Source: 

"Idle No More." CBC News: The National. December 19, 2012. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpBdZtwH_xc

Idle No More centrally argues for the assertion of Indigenous land rights in the contemporary context of the twenty-first century. The historical legacy of Indigenous activism and resistance in this contemporary context can be analyzed when reflecting on the roots of activism in earlier decades. The Constitution Express movement like Idle No More used approaches of physical demonstrations and international lobbying to convey its message and gain support for its cause. As previously examined, the Constitution Express movement utilized tools of communication and leadership to further its cause. These connections between the two movements signifies how Indigenous resistance in Canada has continued in Canada over the last five decades, fighting against government policies that perpetuate systems of colonial institutions that threaten Aboriginal rights and treaties. Resistance embodied in Indigenous activism in the 1970s and 80s up until today demonstrates the common theme of honoring and respecting Aboriginal treaty rights.