TANNARA YELLAND
Associate News Editor
There was a distinct protest within a protest at the Jan. 23 rally against the prorogation of Parliament.
While most of the protesters were there to cry “shame!” at Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his decision to prorogue Parliament, a large contingent of First Nations people were protesting the current state of the Indian Act.
Section six of the Indian Act, which deals with who is entitled to status, was judged by the B.C. Court of Appeals in 2009 to contravene the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Eldon Okanee of the Thunderchild First Nation spoke to the rally about recent changes to the Indian Act and what that might mean for Canada’s Aboriginal population.
Amid the signs declaring “Pierogies not Prorogueing” and “King Stephen (The Last)” were more ominous ones bearing the slogan, “Let’s stop genocide in our country.”
According to protester Albert Angus of Thunderchild First Nation, the last signs were intended to refer to the Indian Act and the “cultural genocide” it is effecting by tying Registered Indian status to blood quantum, as it currently does.
Blood quantum refers to whether or not someone is eligible for Indian status depending on racial inheritance.
The child of one Aboriginal and one non-Aboriginal parent is eligible for Registered Indian status. However, if that person has a child with another non-Aboriginal, that child will not be eligible for status.
“And since it’s been found that 50 per cent of our young people have children with one non-Indian as a parent,” said Angus, “in three generations there will be no more Indians under the current Indian Act”¦. That’s analogous to genocide.”
It is this provision that led to many First Nations protesters carrying signs asking to end the “genocide” in Canada. It is also this provision that was ruled unconstitutional.
The court suspended this ruling for one year until April 6, 2010, to allow the federal government to amend the law.
The Indian and Northern Affairs Canada website says, “The government intends to introduce legislation in early 2010 with the goal of having the proposed amendments in place by April 6, 2010,” but because the prorogation will set all parliamentary business back until March 3, this is unlikely to happen that soon.
This has caused consternation among Canada’s indigenous population.
In a recent media release, Chief Guy Lonechild of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations said, “There are serious issues that need to be dealt with in Parliament, including citizenship.”
“It may affect funding because they count Indians’ social services according to the Indian Act and when that’s in suspension, like now, it may not legally be possible for them to fund on a status quo basis,” Angus said. “People who live hand to mouth on these poor Indian communities, what are they going to do then?”
“Democracy is being run over,” said protest MC Peter Garden after introducing himself. “It’s being gagged in Canada because of the decisions of our prime minister.”
Garden said he was happily surprised by how many people braved the poor weather conditions to show their distaste for Harper’s behaviour. Nearly 450 people were there according to a manual count conducted during the rally.
Jan. 23 had been designated a national day of action, and protests were carried out across Canada. There were 50 rallies organized and listed on Facebook. Taking into account cities like Prince Albert and Moose Jaw, where protests were happening but had not been counted, Garden estimated the actual number of rallies at closer to, if not over, 100.
“I think (Harper) should be working during his work period,” said University of Saskatchewan psychology student Ryan Legge. “I can’t take a semester off and still convocate or get marks.”
Legge was also, inexplicably, not wearing a coat during the protest despite below-freezing temperatures.
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photo: Erin Elsner