CREDIT: CANADIAN PRESS
Theresa Spence continues her hunger strike.

The grass-roots of the Idle No More movement were a response to Omnibus Bill C-45, an enormous piece of legislation that the prime minister introduced to the House of Commons. Since then, the story has been hijacked by the hunger-striking Chief of Attawapiskat, Theresa Spence. The parts of C-45 that relate to Native and Aboriginal rights are of particular concern as they affect a band's ability to control their land. The bill gives the federal government authority to parcel, sell or even dismantle a reserve should they see fit. This created outrage among First Nations and non-Aboriginals alike.

The movement has grown to encapsulate the views of an increasing percentage of the population who see portions of Bill C-45 that will affect them directly. As a movement grows in size, there's an inherent erosion of the core values due to the diversity of individuals, but in one case there's an individual who is, deliberately or not, changing the message completely.

As the Idle No More movement refuses to fade, the most controversial stories are coming from the actions of Chief Theresa Spence. In her efforts to raise awareness about conditions on her reserve, Spence has undermined a lot of the progress that Idle No More has been able to accomplish. In an interview with CBC, Idle No More cofounder Sylvia McAdam expressed concern that one individual was drawing so much attention.

Spence began her hunger strike in December and subsisted on fish broth for 44 days. The original intent of her hunger strike was to generate a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It was announced then that Chief Spence would be permitted to attend the meeting between the official body of First Nations, The Assembly of First Nations, and the Prime Minister. Shortly after the announcement, Spence responded that she would not be in attendance without the presence of Governor General David Johnston and that the hunger strike would continue. She ended the hunger strike on January 24. The interim leader of the AFN, Roger Augustine, expressed concern that Spence continues to try bargaining directly with the government when he was interviewed by The Globe and Mail.

The Idle No More movement has expanded to encapsulate Canadians of every ethnicity and region. In an interview with the National Farmers Union, an organization that has thrown their support behind Idle No More, board member Glenn Tait expressed concern over some of the trade policies that would be enacted under the new bill. Farmers already pay a patent fee for their seed and the formula is tightly controlled by the seed manufacturers. Under the new legislation, a farmer that is suspected of not paying the patent rate could have his assets frozen by the seed company until they've investigated. Tait went on to say that Idle No More is challenging the way the Conservative government conducts their affairs. It's an attitude that's been growing amongst Canadians as Harper's second term continues and Chief Spence continues to undermine that cause. Her flip-flop demands coupled with a damning audit of her reserve's finances render her as a detriment to the Idle No More cause which she selfishly continues to tout.
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