The Arab Spring started exactly two years ago this week, when a young Tunisian expressed his frustration in an act of self-immolation. Mohamed Bouazizi's subsequent death sparked a series of street demonstrations through December 2010 ultimately led to the ousting of longtime President Mubarak a year later. The demonstrations were preceded by high unemployment, food inflation, corruption, and poor living conditions. The tension between rising aspirations and a lack of government reform may have been a contributing factor in all of the protests.
In Canada, Aboriginal peoples' frustration has boiled over, precipitated by many of the same circumstances seen in Tunisia: chronically high unemployment, inflated food costs, corruption, and poor living conditions as seen in Attawapiskat. Canada's Mohamed Bouazizi may be the hunger-striking chief of the troubled Attawapiskat First Nation, Theresa Spence.
While Arab leaders ignored spurts of dissent or attempted to quell the Arab Spring, their efforts were rendered futile. No Arab government could un-ring the bell that is sociopolitical awakening. To this day, Egyptians held their leader's feet to the fire when he overstepped his boundaries, forcing President Morsi to annul a constitutional amendment that would have expanded his power. Tunisians and Egyptians awoke from the fog of fear, stood up and spoke out on the streets of Cairo and -- most importantly -- took their movement to the polls.
In contrast, voter turnout for First Nations has been dismal at best. While the statistics are not exact and do not include off-reserve Aboriginals, voter turnout on reserves hovers between 35 and 50 per cent. Like many oppressed Canadians, Aboriginals have diluted their own strength via their collective electoral idleness. It could also explain why PM Stephen Harper has given more face time to Justin Bieber than the First Nation's leader.
As the "Idle No More" movement grows, Canadians are wondering whether First Nations' commitment to the cause will constitute a new normal, or will the beat of the native drums die down in yet another defeat?
On this day of Winter Solstice and the shortest day of the year, here's hoping for an Aboriginal Autumn that lasts through the 2015 Spring election and beyond.
Follow Rachel Décoste on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RachelDecoste
Mohawk author, consultant, and teacher of Indigenous knowledge and history.
He was born at Tiohtiake, Montreal, and grew up in Kahnawake. He was educated by Jesuits, served as a U.S. Marine Corps infantryman, and studied at Concordia University and Cornell University, where he earned a doctorate in political science. He now a professor in the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria.
In his writing and in his life, Ihe strive to heed the voices of his ancestors and to defend the dignity and freedom of the Original People of this land.
http://taiaiake.posterous.com/pages/research-papers
http://web.uvic.ca/igov/index.php/igov-overview
"All sorts of reasons and arguments are being put forward to justify the position that First Nations should, must!, become players in the Canadian electoral system. "
read more: http://taiaiake.posterous.com/47421296
Gerald R. Alfred, a Kahnawake Mohawk who was part of the band council during the crisis, and who later became a professor of political science, wrote Heeding the Voices of our Ancestors: Kahnawake Mohawk Politics and the Rise of Native Nationalism (1995). This was based on his PhD dissertation, which examined the issues.
Mohawk author, consultant, and teacher of Indigenous knowledge and history.
He was born at Tiohtiake, Montreal, and grew up in Kahnawake. He was educated by Jesuits, served as a U.S. Marine Corps infantryman, and studied at Concordia University and Cornell University, where he earned a doctorate in political science. He now a professor in the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria.
In his writing and in his life, Ihe strive to heed the voices of his ancestors and to defend the dignity and freedom of the Original People of this land.
http://taiaiake.posterous.com/pages/research-papers
http://web.uvic.ca/igov/index.php/igov-overview
"All sorts of reasons and arguments are being put forward to justify the position that First Nations should, must!, become players in the Canadian electoral system. "
read more: http://taiaiake.posterous.com/47421296
"The great aim of our legislation has been to do away with the tribal system and assimilate the Indian people in all respects with the other inhabitants of the Dominion as speedily as they are fit to change.” - John A Macdonald, 1887
But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a racist story!
How much goes to housing, health and education none of which is discretionary spending for Band Councils?
Where is your source for suggesting that 'most' band leaders are corrupt, because in fact most band leaders are not corrupt and their financial management of funds are better than most municipalities and the rules on accounting many time more onerous that Municiplities have to comply with.
You see, that is the tipping point for the racist when 'one' or a 'few' become all.
Surely you aren't suggesting that people go to the polls with the intention of electing people who promise to take from others who have more than we do and give that unearned plunder to us? I have news for you, we are all proud independent people who like to stand on our own two feet and provide for ourselves and our communities. When someone needs help, we don't wait around for someone to file the correct paperwork or hope they voted for the right party last election, we stand up and help them ourselves with our own two hands because it's the right thing to do and we all know that when it comes down to it, we can count on the same help from others in our time of need. That's what community is all about, not being envious of others and feeling entitled to their help.
I agree with you, Cara, but some ethnic groups are further behind than others. I don't think we do ourselves any favours by not naming names. Black Canadians, Latino Canadians, Arab Canadians have much lower voter turnout as a whole than do Jewish Canadians, for example. Unlike the USA which was able to report voter turnout based on race, gender, religion, education, and other insightful parameters in the 2012 Presidential election, Canada has a piss poor tracking of ethnic votes. Just as having little to no census data harms research efforts and prevents govm't from rendering decisions based on hard facts, the lack of scientific tracking of voters by category allows Elections Canada to ignore the flagrant problem which plagues our democracy. I hope a good chuck of the 35% idle voters wake up eventually, Aboriginal or not.