'Idle No More' protest draws hundreds to Churchill Square

Hundreds of First Nations people gathered in Edmonton's Churchill Square on Monday for Idle No More, a national day of protest against the federal government's Bill C-45 which they say violates their treaty rights.

The omnibus legislation contains changes to the Indian Act and the Navigable Waters Protection Act that affect land and water.

Crystal Lameman with the Beaver Lake First Nation said the Harper government has ignored its duty to consult with First Nations on the changes.

"In our treaty, it says that we will always be able to go to the land to subsist, but when you are pulling fish from the lake that have cancers hanging off of them, and that the migration pattern of the Woodland caribou are being affected, that's our basic human rights being violated," she said.

Protests were also held on Monday in other Canadian cities including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Toronto.