Idle No More and the Audit of Chief Spence's Band

[Wetcoaster]

I was at Richmond Centre on Sunday and there was weird loud noises near the Starbucks. Turns out it was the Idle no more movement and police had to escort them out after they were rambling and banging their drums for about an hour. It's not like they were forced to leave, it was just that the police led them out of the mall after they let them do their thing..

[Dral]

Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with what can be accomplished by this movement and the questions that are being asked by them before posting?

[Mr.Habitat]

Every human is equal. No one alive now in Canada had anything to do with colonialism. I have a big problem with segments of the population having more rights than me.

At some point people need to move past this and make their own lives better.

[Wetcoaster]

Every human is equal. No one alive now in Canada had anything to do with colonialism. I have a big problem with segments of the population having more rights than me.

At some point people need to move past this and make their own lives better.

[RUPERTKBD]

This is the thing that many people don't seem to understand....

...we made a deal (or more accurately, the Crown made a deal) with the aboriginal peoples of Canada. All we're doing is honoring the terms of that deal (deals), not granting special rights and privileges.

[Wetcoaster]

It seems Chief Spence is finding questions being raised about the way the band affairs are being administered on the Attawapiskat reserve in northern Ontario to be a problem.

Today a Global News crew who arrived to do a story were threatened with arrest by Band Police if they did not leave the reserve and escorted out of town.

A Global News crew was escorted off the Attawapiskat reserve in northern Ontario and threatened with arrest after trying to do a story on living conditions in the community.

Jennifer Tryon, Global National's senior investigative correspondent, and photojournalist Trevor Owens travelled to the area Tuesday afternoon, but were met with resistance minutes after they arrived.

"Well, we got to the airport and made it to our lodging without incident," Tryon told Global National anchor and executive editor Dawna Friesen over the phone.

When Acting Chief Christine Kataquapit asked Tryon and Owens to leave, the pair thought it was a joke at first. "But then (Kataquapit) said the chief (Theresa Spence) has asked you to leave the community – for all media to leave the community. And we sort of looked at each other, and we realized that it actually wasn't a joke, and they weren't going to allow anyone to speak to the media here."

Tryon inquired about what violations or laws Global News was breaking by being present on the reserve, but didn't get any answers. "The acting chief said she had gotten a call from Theresa Spence herself telling all media to leave, and as far as I can tell, we're the only media here, but we're being told by Theresa Spence herself that we had to leave."

Band police were called, who then threatened to arrest Tryon and Owens with trespassing and breaching the peace if the pair didn't leave. Tryon added, "We put up a bit of a fight. We phoned our lawyer. I mean, we weren't here to make enemies. We were here to do a fair and balanced story. We certainly didn't want anyone angry with us, but we also wanted to stand our ground a bit too."

Residents were shocked at their encounter. "Prior to this happening, we sort of got a welcome response from the community, who were eager to talk about what the audit was really about. They had a lot to say about how it wasn't showing the full picture of what was happening in Attawapiskat."

Tryon and Owens were taken in a police cruiser back to their hotel, so they could retrieve their belongings, before being taken to the airport to catch a flight to Timmins, Ont.

On Monday, Tryon informed the Nishnawbe Aski Nation she would be heading to Attawapiskat with NDP MP Charlie Angus.

Attawapiskat has been in the news recently, as Spence has been on a liquid diet on Victoria Island, near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, protesting the Crown's relationship with First Nations people. On Monday, an independent audit showed the Attawapiskat band council has not properly kept track of millions of federal dollars – including money earmarked for housing.

A Global News crew went to ask Spence on Tuesday afternoon why Tryon and Owens were kicked off the reserve. No response was given.

http://www.globalnews.ca/global+news+crew+threatened+with+arrest+in+attawapiskat/6442784553/story.html

[Common sense]

I suggest Tryon and Owens go on a "hunger" strike until Attawapiskat band council reps agree to speak with them. That seems to work.

[Wetcoaster]

And the latest from Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence... if the Governor General is not at the meeting Friday to pay her homage, she will not attend.

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence will not attend Friday’s “working meeting” between the prime minister and First Nations leaders if the governor general sticks to his decision not to attend.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston’s office said Tuesday he would not be attending the meeting.

“The governor general will not attend Friday’s meeting because it consists of a working meeting with government on public policy issues,” said spokeswoman Julie Rocheleau in an emailed statement.

Spence’s spokesman Danny Metatawabin said the chief, who has been on a hunger strike since Dec. 11 consuming only fish broth, medicine tea and water, wouldn’t attend the meeting if Johnston didn’t show.

“If he is not going to be there Theresa is not going to the meeting,” said Metatawabin. “We are going to take it day by day.”

Metatawabin said they’ve relayed their position to Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo.

“We are going to have to take it day by day at this point to see if somehow he could be there,” he said.

Last Friday, shortly after the Prime Minister’s Office announced Harper’s meeting with chiefs, Spence told reporters she would be attending.

Atleo is scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday.

Spence has said she won’t end her hunger strike until she’s satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. She’s made the governor general’s involvement as one of the core prerequisites for ending the hunger strike.

Spence has lost 22 lbs since and her life partner Clayton Kennedy said she has been increasingly weak in the last few days and has complained about pains caused by her stomach contracting from lack of solid food.

Spence and her supporters have also felt besieged following the release of an audit into Attawapiskat’s finances between 2005 and 2011. Kennedy told APTN National News Monday that the audit shows financial controls improved since Spence became chief.

http://aptn.ca/pages/news/2013/01/09/attawapiskat-chief-spence-wont-attend-fridays-meeting-if-gg-sticks-to-planned-no-show/

[Common sense]

HA. All Spence wanted was a meeting with Harper. When she gets it, she refutes it. What a joke.

Attending no more: Chief Spence snubs Harper meeting because Governor-General not going

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence says she is no longer attending her long-sought meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday because Governor General David Johnston will not be going.

“I will not be attending Friday’s meeting with the prime minister, as the governor general’s attendance is integral when discussing inherent and treaty rights,” Spence said in a statement Wednesday after a morning of conflicting statements from her staff.

Spence said they wrote to Buckingham Palace to ask the Queen to send her Canadian representative to Friday’s meeting. She said Johnston officially turned down her request.

“This is a time of crisis and this government of the day is not taking Indigenous Peoples seriously,” added Danny Metatawabin in the statement. “We are sending messages to the Queen. Canada should take notice and act honourably.”

Spence made the statement after a morning of conflicting statements to various media outlets about whether she would be attending Friday’s meeting. This came a day after a Toronto Star reporter said she was kicked off the Victoria Island site where Spence is set up by her supporters and a Global News crew was reportedly escorted off Attawapiskat by band police after trying to interview residents.

Spence reportedly also declared she would not attend the meeting with Harper unless Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty was also in attendance. The outgoing Ontario premier would be unavailable to attend because he will be in China. McGuinty is not mentioned in her statement.

Spence’s statement also accused Canada of acting in bad faith by releasing an audit on the state of Attawapiskat.

The audit, released Monday as Spence’s fight to meet Harper seemed to be reaching its fever pitch, showed millions unaccounted for among the $104 million in federal funding from 2005 to 2011.

Spence’s move comes as some First Nations leaders say that Spence’s fiscal mismanagement is indefensible and it threatens to undermine reserves that keep their books in order.

“I admire what Spence is doing, but it’s tough to defend those numbers,” Kanesatake Grand Chief Serge Simon told the Montreal Gazette shortly after a damning audit into Attawapiskat’s finances was released.

“When something like this happens, it kind of rubs off on all of us,” added Ryan Rice, an administrator for the Kahnawake Mohawk Council.

“But the truth is, we never run a deficit and our books are always balanced,” he said.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/09/attending-no-more-chief-spence-snubs-harper-meeting-because-governor-general-not-going/

[DonLever]

Chief Spence is becoming a joke. Does she not realize that Governor General is just a figure head, used for ceremonial purposes, that he has little power except in cases where he can designate who is pm in minority governments. That in theory the GG can dismiss the PM but has never done so. The GG does not make laws.

The chief has lost all credibility.

[Wetcoaster]

Chief Spence is becoming a joke. Does she not realize that Governor General is just a figure head, used for ceremonial purposes, that he has little power except in cases where he can designate who is pm in minority governments. That in theory the GG can dismiss the PM but has never done so. The GG does not make laws.

The chief has lost all credibility.

[Wetcoaster]

The Chief Spence watch continues on her ever-changing flip flop on attending the Friday meeting.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

And the absolute latest word? NO! And that is final unless she changes her mind yet again.

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence says she won't be at a meeting Friday between First Nations leaders and Prime Minister Stephen Harper because Gov. Gen. David Johnston isn't attending.

Earlier Wednesday, spokesman Danny Metatawabin said Spence would be at the meeting even though Johnston said he wouldn't attend. Spence's camp distributed a news release less than four hours later saying she wouldn't go after all and that she'd sent a letter to Buckingham Palace asking Queen Elizabeth to order Johnston to be at the meeting.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/01/09/pol-afn-look-ahead-friday-meeting.html

Reports from Buckingham Palace are that Her Majesty was last seen rolling on the floor laughing her royal butt off in her throne room after reading the letter from Spence.

[ronthecivil]

Why would Harper even think of attending the meeting with her in the first place?

That one of the best examples of corruption in FN life is "starving" (I go on a liquid diet all the time) herself (no doubt opposed to her supreme rule/indifference being audited - how dare they!) is just another example of another one of her consistently poor choices.

Even for the peoples of her reserve having her off it could only be considered a plus.

[Dittohead]

Idle no more seems kinda ironic.

[Blackberries]

I think the issue with Idle No More is BIll C45 and the governments desire to be able to make changes to Aboriginal land title and holdings. Land that was already guaranteed to them under the Indian Act that the government has decided they can go back on now without a vote allowed to the people it effects.. for instance if a pipeline wanted to go through reserve land and the Band said no, the government can overrule.... how is that fair when the land was already constitutionally guaranteed by the crown?

[ronthecivil]

I think the issue with Idle No More is BIll C45 and the governments desire to be able to make changes to Aboriginal land title and holdings. Land that was already guaranteed to them under the Indian Act that the government has decided they can go back on now without a vote allowed to the people it effects.. for instance if a pipeline wanted to go through reserve land and the Band said no, the government can overrule.... how is that fair when the land was already constitutionally guaranteed by the crown?

[Wetcoaster]

A question for wet for sure but I doubt the constitution lays out specific parcels that correspond to specific bands.

Land and housing doesn't have to mean this land and this house.

Historically (right or wrong) natives have been moved from one spot to another in the past.

[Wetcoaster]

And it just keeps getting better for Chief Spence and her "life partner".

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence’s romantic partner, Clayton Kennedy — once in charge of the troubled northern Ontario reserve’s books — has had his own money problems in the past, documents show.

Public records show Kennedy declared bankruptcy just five years before he became the band’s money man. He declared debts of $24,380 and assets of $2,403 in his September 1996 bankruptcy filing.

Kennedy’s past money problems come to light as Attawapiskat and Spence face questions over a scathing audit of the band’s books that found a missing paper trail for millions of dollars between 2005 and 2011.

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Hunger+striker+husband+went+broke+before+taking+over+Attawapiskat+books/7800940/story.html#ixzz2Hcyf58h7

So Clayton... any comment?

Kennedy refused to speak about the bankruptcy when contacted by The Canadian Press.

“The matter you are referencing to is a personal matter unrelated to the leaked Deloitte audit report. As such the Deloitte audit report has been responded to already,” he said in an email.

“The issue I am dealing with is the health of Chief Spence and children. Please respect that.”

He did not respond to questions in a follow-up email or a call to his Ottawa hotel room, where he has been staying as Spence continues her protest, subsisting on fish broth and medicinal tea on an island in the Ottawa River.

Me??? I am off to continue my hunger strike with some medicinal 12 year old single malt scotch.

[Common sense]

So what exactly is happening with the meeting tomorrow? AFAIK, Harper is still meeting the AFN group, but Thief Spence is now "boycotting" it. Gov. Gen. Johnston also has his own meeting, to which Spence is also boycotting?

[Wetcoaster]

So what exactly is happening with the meeting tomorrow? AFAIK, Harper is still meeting the AFN group, but Thief Spence is now "boycotting" it. Gov. Gen. Johnston also has his own meeting, to which Spence is also boycotting?