Attawapiskat chief starts hunger strike

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence said she is willing to go the distance as she prepared for a hunger strike in Ottawa that began on Dec. 11.
“I’m willing to go – willing to die for it,” she said.
Spence said she will end the hunger strike once the federal government and a representative of Queen Elizabeth II agrees to meet with First Nations leaders and involve them in the legislative process that affects First Nations across Canada.
At this point, she said, the federal government sees each chief, including National Chief Shawn Alteo, as nothing more than a “spokesperson” for their communities and people.
“We have to be more than a spokesperson, we need to be part of government,” she said.
Last January, First Nations leaders across Canada met with the prime minister and Gov.-Gen. David Johnston. During the meeting, dubbed the Crown-First Nations gathering, the federal government promised an improved relationship with First Nations.
Spence said the meeting was a failure because, as far as she can tell, there is currently “no relationship” between the federal government and First Nations.
Instead, the federal government is unilaterally passing legislation affecting education, water protection, and the rights of First Nations people, as well as cutting funds to tribal and regional councils – all without consulting First Nations leaders, Spence said.
Spence said their grandfathers made treaties with the government in good faith to share the land, its resources and to live in harmony. And while First Nations have honoured their side of the treaty, the government “took advantage of us.”
“They’re violating our treaties and it’s time to tell the government to stop,” Spence said.
Spence announced her decision during the Assembly of First Nations Special Assembly on Dec. 6. She said many chiefs, including Atleo, have expressed support for her initiative.
On Dec. 8, Spence returned to Attawapiskat to meet with the band council, Elders, and her family. She also took part in a sweat lodge ceremony in preparation for the hunger strike.
Spence originally intended for the strike to begin on Dec. 10, but poor weather conditions delayed her flight to Ottawa until the next morning.
On Dec. 11, a sunrise ceremony was conducted on Victoria Island, just upriver from the Parliament Hill grounds. Spence then made her way to Parliament Hill, where she will sit during the day of her hunger strike.
When she arrived on Parliament Hill, Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus presented her with gifts to help her keep warm.
In the evenings, she will return to Victoria Island to spend the night.
Spence said she will hold the hunger strike as long as it takes.
“If I see a commitment from the Crown and the prime minister to sit down and talk with us about these great changes without involving our chiefs, that’s when I’ll stop,” she said.