Idle No More. It's for ALL Canadians.

The other day my husband and I went for dinner at my parents. Since both he and I work for First Nations organizations it has been easy, not to mention exciting, to keep abreast of the #Idle No More wave that has been sweeping across the country. I love the movement. I love that it was started by four women. It uses social media. It engages youth and elders alike. And it raises legitimate concerns that are relevant to all Canadians. I was curious though, what had my parents heard? They are a somewhat typical white, middle-class couple. Don’t get me wrong, they are as cool and savvy as they come, and have done many amazing things in their lives; however, they watch the “regular news” and read the local paper and sometimes listen to CJOB and that’s about the extent of their media exposure. When I asked my mom what she had heard about Idle No More she responded, “Well, we’ve just heard that a lot of people are upset with the blockades that are stopping traffic.” And that was all…That was all?....Seriously??! I was quite shocked.
And then I thought, what if this is the typical mainstream experience? And if it is, we – media, society, native, non-native – need to change. We who are lucky enough to know the history, read the stories, update the tweets and post the pictures need to let white, mainstream society know what is going on. We need to let people like my parents (open, honest, non-racist people) know how Bill C-45 will affect First Nations Land and the fact that First Nations people were not even consulted on it. I know people like my parents would be interested in what the Harper government is doing. And maybe, just maybe, once they know, they’ll change their vote come Election Day. Or perhaps they’ll tell their friends about Idle No More or search for it on the Internet or maybe even participate in a protest. The information is out there! We just need to let the white folk know.