Twenty-four indigenous and human rights groups have issued the following joint statement supporting the #IdleNoMore grassroots movement and Chief Theresa Spence, who is in the fourth week of her indefinite hunger strike on Ottawa’s Victoria Island, just across from the Canadian Parliament. Chief Spence, the leader of the northern Ontario Attawapiskat First
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Canada II: Ezra Levant and Sun News Network
Today both Ezra Levant and the Sun News Network have been asking scary questions about uses of money by the Attawapiskat community. They are suggesting malfeasance in an effort to discredit Chief Spence for political purposes. Why was Chief Spence’s partner paid so much per day? Why did they buy
Continue readingCanada II: Ezra Levant and Sun News Network
Today both Ezra Levant and the Sun News Network have been asking scary questions about uses of money by the Attawapiskat community. They are suggesting malfeasance in an effort to discredit Chief Spence for political purposes. Why was Chief Spence’s partner paid so much per day? Why did they buy
Continue readingCanada II: Ezra Levant and Sun News Network
Today both Ezra Levant and the Sun News Network have been asking scary questions about uses of money by the Attawapiskat community. They are suggesting malfeasance in an effort to discredit Chief Spence for political purposes.
Why was Chief Spence’s…
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada’s Indigenous #IdleNoMore Movement Gains Momentum (VIDEO)
First Nations groups denied their constitutionally-protected rights, targeted by the Harper Conservative government In Canada, #IdleNoMore, an indigenous rights movement that started as a small social media campaign, is gaining momentum. The movement is spearheaded by Chief Theresa Spence, the leader of the Attawapiskat First Nation, who is now on Day 23
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: The Most Read Politics, Re-Spun Posts of 2012, Engage!
Welcome to the most-read posts of 2012! As we move into a fresh, optimistic 2013, let’s look back at what made a difference last year! Thanks for reading over 950k posts last year, on our way to one million this year! Place Post Author Date 1 Logical Absurdities: Only Anti-Government
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Elizabeth May shares her 2002 hunger strike experience, begs Harper to meet Chief Spence
During my 85-day hunger strike against Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s New Jim Crow-style crime Bill C-10, the deceptively christened “Safe Streets and Communities Act”, a prominent opposition MP told me hunger protests weren’t part of the process of democratic engagement in Canada. I was shocked and disappointed. First, during our conversation on
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: United Church of Canada implores Harper to meet with hunger striker Chief Spence
by United Church of Canada: December 19, 2012 The Right Hon. Stephen Harper Prime Minister of Canada House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario Fax: 613-941-6900 Dear Prime Minister Harper: We write with urgency to implore you to meet with Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence, as soon as possible. We are
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Idle No More at Ottawa’s Rideau Centre today
At the Idle No More event at Ottawa’s Rideau Centre today, I bore witness: I saw friendly activists handing out literature: I saw a poster that said “We Support Chief Spence”. Theresa Spence, the Chief of the Northern Ontario First Nation of Attawapiskat is in Day 20 of her hunger strike. She
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Pam Palmater explains the historical background to Idle No More: (M)ost Canadians are not used to the kind of sustained, co-ordinated, national effort that we have seen in the last few weeks — at least not since 1969. 1969 was the last time
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Idle No More dance and speeches on Parliament Hill (VIDEO)
This colorful video of the December 21, 2012, Idle No More protest on Parliament Hill, will always remain one of the highlights of my career as a progressive activist. The video includes speeches by supporters and helpers of hunger striker Chief Theresa Spence. The speakers also repeated Spence’s call for a meeting involving Prime
Continue readingwmtc: chief theresa spence calling for solidarity actions on sunday, december 30
Media ReleaseFor Immediate Release December 28, 2012 Attawapiskat Chief Spence heading into day 19 of hunger strike and seeking Canadians, Members of Parliament and politicians to urge Prime Minister Harper to meet and commit to Nation to Nation relations with Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples. Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, Ontario Chief Theresa Spence
Continue readingbastard.logic: #IdleNoMore: What Do Protesters Want?
Dr. Dawg: The other day, I got into it a bit with John Ivison, who expressed polite disdain for the allegedly “hapless” Chief Theresa Spence—and then admitted that he had no idea what her demands actually were. That’s all too typical. But not all of us who support #IdleNoMore are as informed
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how Canadians have a far more positive view of protest movements than of the politicians whose actions bring about the need for activism – and how joining movements like Idle No More can ensure we have less to complain about. For further reading.– Environics’ polling on public support
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Ed Broadbent responds to the Fraser Institute’s attempts to minimize the importance of growing inequality: Economists tell us the chances of finding and keeping a good job today depend more than ever on a high level of education and skills required by
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Michael Harris asks why Stephen Harper is afraid to look Theresa Spence in the eye: (Harper) believes that the government’s lying about all these things is far less important than the fact that it is the government. Incumbency is a magic potion. Under
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Murray Dobbin connects a pattern of economic trends which has seen more and more wealth concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer people to the elimination of public discussion about work life: The neo-liberal revolution of the 1980s proposed unfettered capitalism
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Why does ArcelorMittal hate Bosnia?
Pollution, people and tombstones in Zenica. Owned by the Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, ArcelorMittal is the world’s largest steel producer—creating some 93 billion USD of revenue as of 2011. Granted, steel is an essential building block of the modern world yet ArcelorMittal’s obscene profit margins do raise the question of
Continue readingEarthgauge Radio: December 20, 2012: Buy Nothing Christmas and the shark fin import ban in Canada
Download: earthgauge-podcast-dec20-2012.mp3 This week on Earthgauge Radio, I have a feature interview with Aiden Enns of BuyNothingChristmas.org. We discuss some ideas about how you can have a “greener” and less stressful holiday season. I also have an update from NDP MP Fin Donnelly on his private member’s Bill C-380 to ban the import of shark fins
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