Attawapiskat Chief Won't Attend PM Meeting Without The Governour General Of Canada's Presence

Chief Theresa Spence has been on a hunger strike since December 11th over serious concerns regarding treaty rights and the conditions under which many First Nations people are living. Amid growing criticism and publicity from the Idle No More protest movement, PM Harper finally agreed last week to meet with Spence and other First Nations chiefs on January 11th. Spence considers it critical for David Johnston, the Governour General, to be at the meeting.

In a press release Spence issued today, she stated, "… the Treaties made under the Royal Proclamation of 1763 … allowed for settlement in our territories. The whole of Canada's legitimacy rests on the Treaties made with our ancestors. If the state of Canada continues to undermine and destroy the Treaty relationship, what rights does Canada have to exist within our territories?"

Regardless of what transpires on Friday the meeting, Idle No More is organizing a "one-day national dialogue" with Indian chiefs to discuss sovereignty and treaty relationships at Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan's Treaty 4 Governance Centre.