Canada: Thousands stage "Idle no more" protest in Saskatoon shopping centre

(NewsPoint) –Around 2,000 people staged a flash mob on Thursday evening at Saskatoon's Midtown Plaza shopping centre to participate in a round dance as part of the "Idle no more" protests currently taking place in Canada. Indigenous activists and supporters have been demonstrating since early December across the country in protest against the federal government’s Bill C-45.

The "Idle No More" movement was born after Aboriginal leaders were blocked from entering the House of Commons last Tuesday where the omnibus budget bill was being discussed.

First Nations leaders say the omnibus bill, also titled the Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, violates treaty rights. The act includes amendments to a series of laws including to the Fisheries Act, the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the Indian Act.

First Nations groups are concerned as some of the changes will affect reserve land management and designation processes.