APPROXIMATELY 150 people showed up early Friday evening Jan. 11 for a third Idle No More demonstration in Terrace, BC.
Frozen breath hung in the air on one of the coldest nights of the winter so far as the crowd chanted and drum beats sounded during a march from city hall across the Sande Overpass and then back again.
The march was one of many taking place across Canada as native leaders met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to press for improved living and other conditions.
Idle No More also opposes changes to federal legislation affecting aboriginal governance and environmental safeguards.
The area’s highways maintenance company set out traffic cones providing the marchers with a clear path across the overpass while traffic wardens controlled traffic and police officers kept watch.
Many passing cars honked their support, with one demonstrator remarking, “I never thought I’d see the day.”
The movement has drawn national and international attention to First Nations issues, but at least one speaker in Terrace emphasized that “this is not just a First Nations issue, it’s a Canadian issue and a human issue.”
More demonstrations are planned for later in the month.
