What was Idle No More?

Idle No More was an Indigenous-led grassroots social movement that emerged in Saskatchewan in November 2012 and spread across Canada and internationally. The movement opposed the federal Conservative government's omnibus Bill C-45 (the Jobs and Growth Act, 2012) and other measures that affected Indigenous rights, treaty rights, and environmental protection. The movement included rallies, round dances in shopping malls, blockades, and Chief Theresa Spence's six-week hunger strike from December 11, 2012 to January 24, 2013. Idle No More was the largest Indigenous social movement in Canada since the Oka Crisis of 1990.

The movement was founded in early November 2012 by four Saskatchewan women: Sylvia McAdam (Cree, Whitefish Lake First Nation), Jess Gordon (Pasqua First Nation), Sheelah McLean (Saskatoon, non-Indigenous supporter), and Nina Wilson (Cree, Kahkewistahaw First Nation). The founders initially organised teach-ins about Bill C-45 and its provisions affecting Indigenous lands, the Navigable Waters Protection Act, and the Indian Act. The first major rallies were held in November 2012 in Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert.

The movement spread rapidly through social media (the #IdleNoMore hashtag) from December 2012 onward. Round dances at Canadian shopping malls became a characteristic action; the December 17, 2012 round dance at the Cornwall Centre in Regina drew several hundred participants. Major Idle No More rallies took place across Canada in late 2012 and early 2013, including January 11, 2013 rallies that drew tens of thousands across Canadian cities. Indigenous nations and supporters in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Europe also held Idle No More events.

Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence began a hunger strike on December 11, 2012 on Victoria Island in the Ottawa River, demanding a meeting between First Nations leaders, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Governor General David Johnston to discuss treaty implementation. Spence's strike lasted 44 days, ending January 24, 2013 after federal and Indigenous talks. Harper held a meeting with Assembly of First Nations leaders on January 11, 2013, but Spence and other chiefs boycotted because Governor General Johnston was not present. The Idle No More movement gradually declined through 2013 but had lasting effects: it raised public consciousness of Indigenous issues, energised a generation of Indigenous activists, contributed to the 2015 Liberal victory (which won 10 of 24 northern and reserve-area ridings), and helped lay the groundwork for subsequent reconciliation initiatives. Many original Idle No More activists continued in Indigenous policy work, academia, and community organising.