Editor:
In one of three letters supporting Idle No More (Coast Reporter, Jan. 18), Anna Elphinstone writes of how informed and inspired she is by this movement.
She recommends that all Canadians should become aware of the historical events from which Idle No More emerged. How many of the 49 per cent who voted "No" to Coast Reporter's question of the week (Do you support the Idle No More movement?) know of this legacy?
The recent shameful enactment by the Canadian government of Bill C-45, which serves to undermine treaty rights while dismantling parliamentary democratic processes Canadians perhaps take too much for granted, is particularly relevant in this regard. And John Weston's complacent party-line pap in response to the local Idle No More demonstration is simply indicative of Tory arrogance.
Despite the elation many of us share at witnessing the relative success of Idle No More, our otherwise highly-motivated and well-organized local initiatives concerned with social justice and environmental protection issues are not yet able to deal with how the causes we espouse are being relentlessly swept back.
Mainstream politicians and their officials easily manage, virtually on auto-pilot, the many petitions sent their way and typically anticipate that the momentary bursts of energy generated by one-off protest demonstrations will dissipate.
Instead of endless lamentations about the shortcomings of Stephen Harper and the nastiness of his ideologically-driven policies, there is a need for careful reflection on the effectiveness of current oppositional strategies and the identification of accessible alternative approaches.
There is also the challenge, discernible in Idle No More and similarly influential movements like Occupy and the largely Indigenous Zapatistas based in the Chiapas of Mexico, to retrieve a critical discourse on the meaning of democracy, social justice and effective citizen participation.
Michael Collins
Halfmoon Bay
