A discussion by Priscilla Settee and Sheelah McLean about where Idle No More came from, what its goals are as a movement and where it is going.
A discussion by Priscilla Settee and Sheelah McLean about where Idle No More came from, what its goals are as a movement and where it is going.
“It’s coming out of a sense of hope,” Settee says in the video interview posted on YouTube. “It’s refreshing to see people who often have been disenfranchised excited and joyful. Something sparked it, maybe a sense of justice.”
McLean believes the spiritual element to the movement gives it a heart and foundation.
“We’re working towards solidarity and building community,” she says. “Really the heart is also education and building consciousness in all Canadians about inequality, injustice, the environment. These are very human issues and this is a human story, and I think it’s resonating with people for that reason.”
Dr. Priscilla Sette is an activist, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan in the Department of Native Studies, and a noted author in Indigenous solidarity, nationally and internationally.
Sheelah McLean is a teacher and co-founder of the Idle No More movement. She holds a Masters in Anti-Racist Anti-Oppressive Education.
Both women live in Saskatchewan.