Commuters got an unexpected look at the Idle No More movement Wednesday as its demonstrators stopped traffic on St. Albert Trail.
About 22 people assembled in the intersection of St. Albert Trail and Sturgeon Road at 4 p.m. Wednesday to stage a blockade as part of the national Idle No More movement.
It was part of a series of roadblocks organized by aboriginal groups nation-wide that day to protest the passage of Bill C-45, also known as the budget implementation bill.
Bearing signs and flags and singing to the beat of a hand drum, the group marched into the intersection to hold a traditional smudging ceremony and a brief round dance.
RCMP officers were on hand to direct traffic. They also placed signs on 156 St. and 170 St. warned drivers about the potential delays.
The group dispersed after 20 minutes.
Organizer Mary Wadham said the rally was meant to show solidarity with the other Idle No More events happening across the nation and to raise awareness of the impacts Bill C-45 had on the environment and treaty rights. “This is important. It affects all Canadians and the environment.”
Edmontonian Damien Abrahams, who played the drum and sang during the protest, said he took part to stand up for the treaty rights of his children.
Bill C-45 changed laws such as the Navigable Waters Protection Act, he noted and removed federal environmental protection for many lakes and rivers. That affects the country's treaties with the First Nations.
The government had passed these bills without proper consultation with First Nations, he argued. “Part of the agreement is that before any changes are made to those treaties, both parties have to be in agreement and we're not.”
The demonstration happened with the permission of St. Albert RCMP detachment head Insp. Kevin Murray, who was on hand with his officers to manage traffic. Murray had met with Wadham earlier in the day to discuss the event.
Murray confirmed the protest was illegal in several ways, “but we also recognize that these events will take place with or without us.” Instead of arresting everyone, the department decided to work with the protestors to make sure everone stayed safe.
“There's larger issues being dealt with (here), and our responsibility here today is to make sure the public is safe.”
The demonstration was held near the start of rush hour at one of St. Albert's busiest intersections and backed up traffic on the Trail for about a block in either direction.
Public reaction was mixed. While some drivers honked of support – one woman waved a handwritten “I support Idle No More” sign out her window as she passed – others were visibly irritated, with one angry white male in a black SUV shouting to police, “You guys should be out there arresting these people!”
Greg, a city employee watching the protest, who did not wish to give his last name, criticized the disruption. “These (drivers) are coming home from a day of work. What gives (the demonstrators) the right to sit out there and block the intersection?”
Harold Burghardt, whose truckload of bricks was stopped by the demonstration, said he was OK with the roadblock so long as it didn't last all day. “I think it gets the point across.”
These delays were irritating, said Burghardt, who had been stopped by a similar protest near Fort McMurray previously, but they raise important questions about the environment. “If the environment's not there, what do we have for a future?”
An Ipsos Reid poll released Tuesday found that just 31 per cent of Canadians thought shutting down roads was a legitimate form of protest, and that just 38 per cent approved of the Idle No More movement. However, 59 per cent felt police should hang back during these roadblocks rather than arresting demonstrators.
These roadblocks might cause a backlash against Idle No More, Wadham said, but that would happen regardless of what its members did. “People judge. They think it's a native thing, and it's not.”
History shows that protests have an impact, said St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse, who observed the demonstration. “It doesn't matter if it's in Egypt last year or if it's in Canada,” he said.
What's important is that the police were alerted beforehand, he continued. “I'm absolutely OK with people demonstrating in a peaceful and law-abiding way. That's part of democracy.”
Abrahams said he hoped these demonstrations would send a message to the government to live up to its obligations. “We're here. We're not going to go anywhere because the government made a few empty promises.”
Wadham said she would likely plan further actions in St. Albert in the months ahead. More Idle No More events are set to take place in Edmonton next week.
