Spence Hunger Strike Victory?
As I predicted yesterday, the Harper government has seized upon the olive branch extended by the Assembly of First Nations earlier this week to hold a summit later this month as a way to extricate itself from the Theresa Spence hunger strike.
Also as I predicted, Harper claims that the new meeting is based on the precedent of last year’s Crown-First Nations meeting, rather than in response to the hunger strike. Indeed, in his official announcement, he makes no reference to Spence at all:
On January 24, 2012, I was pleased to participate in the historic Crown-First Nations Gathering… It is in this spirit of ongoing dialogue that, together with Minister Duncan, I will be participating in a working meeting with a delegation of First Nations leaders coordinated by the Assembly of First Nations on January 11, 2013.
Of course we would be extraordinarily stupid to believe that the Spence hunger strike was not the real motivation behind Harper’s sudden decision, but I doubt the media will press him too hard on it. I’m relieved that Spence will live, but that relief is bittersweet. A conference held in just one week, with no plans for serious follow-up, will be no more than a meaningless gabfest. Spence’s demand that Harper speak to her on a nation-to-nation basis must be set aside.
And so we will enter 2013 with aboriginal affairs basically the same as they were before the hunger strike. At least she didn’t die, but in every other respect the Harper regime will consider this a strategic victory. It garnered widespread support from racist non-aboriginal Canadians, avoided having to publicly concede to Spence, and has earned the support of virtually all major newspapers for pursuing a hard line with respect to aboriginal affairs.
Still, for those who oppose the government, they have now been able to identify the breaking point of the Harper regime, for what it’s worth: railway blockades, widespread media coverage, international condemnations, and weeks-long hunger strikes by aboriginal leaders, on an issue as trivial as a meeting between a Native chief and the Prime Minister. Those sorts of circumstances aren’t easy to duplicate.
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Troy
I’d thought Spence was demanding a nations to nation meeting, not a personal meeting?
It’s been difficult to actually find an actual quote from Chief Spence, due to the newspapers just making things up as they felt like it.
Troy
It’s too early to celebrate, regardless:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/01/04/pol-idle-no-more-friday.html
“Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence says she will join a “working meeting” between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a delegation of First Nations chiefs, but is not ready to give up her hunger strike.”
Sixth Estate
She wanted a meeting between herself, potentially other chiefs, and the Prime Minister on a nation-to-nation basis. The key wasn’t that it was personal but that it was formal; her argument is that as the duly elected head of a First Nation government she ought to be having a meeting with the head of the Canadian government, which would be the Prime Minister and the Governor-General, not the Aboriginal Affairs Minister. The new summit will presumably feature an agenda which does not require the Prime Minister to make such recognition.
My reading — and you’re right, it’s hard to know — is that Spence has said she will continue the hunger strike up until the meeting, presumably to make sure it happens. Possibly she is thinking of continuing the hunger strike if the meeting turns out to be the trivial PR exercise that I suspect the government wants it to be.
Julie
Chief Spence is dealing with a P.M. who is selling this country out to Communist China. He has given China the resources and the resource jobs. Harper’s omnibus bill, gives China the right to sue, any Canadians blocking China’s intrusions into Canada. China sued in BC, to take the BC mining jobs.
Harper’s omnibus bill gives him the right to pollute waterways, fish and F.N. hunting grounds and every provinces eco systems.
Harper declared himself, a devout Christian, on his x-mas interview. When Harper was Policy Chief for his, Northern Foundation Party from 1989? He was linked with Christian Fundamentalists. I don’t know what that religion is?
I doubt Chief Spence can take Harper’s word on anything. Nor can any everyday Canadians. I don’t recognize Harper’s claim as a Christian. Harper has no right to even live in our country, let alone govern. He is not a true Canadian.
Kim
But will the Crown attend? I have heard nothing from the GG, although I imagine he will do whatever Harper tells him to.