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Toronto held its two-year anniversary of the Idle No More movement on December 10, 2014 with a round dance at the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Avenue. You can watch the video by Derek Soberal here.

The big issue at stake here is the concept that Indigenous communities have been bored, ineffective and thus idle for 600 years. Some Indigenous and legal scholars claim the “Idle” part to be a reflection of how mainstream societies saw Indigenous Canadians as dirty, lazy and having no pride left in their bones to defend themselves. But it could just be that academics in America are devoid of Indigenous guidance.

The four founders of Idle No More — activists Nina Wilson, Sheelah Mclean, Sylvia McAdam and Jessica Gordon — claim they started the movement when in November 2012, during a teach-in at Station 20 West in Saskatoon called “Idle No More,” they rallied opposition to Harper government’s introduction of Bill C-45.

Other founding members include people like Grand Chief Shawn Atleo, and Chief Theresa Spence who famously started a hunger strike in a tipi in Ottawa demanding a meeting with multiple levels of government.

Idle No More events are scheduled today after 6PM in Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatchewan, and Vancouver. Idle No More will be circling Stephen Harper’s office at 6 p.m.

For more information on all the anniversary events, please click here.

Krystalline Kraus

krystalline kraus is an intrepid explorer and reporter from Toronto, Canada. A veteran activist and journalist for rabble.ca, she needs no aviator goggles, gas mask or red cape but proceeds fearlessly...