A Canadian aboriginal chief in the third week of a hunger strike is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to "open his heart" and meet with native leaders angered by his policies as small impromptu protests spread beyond Canada's borders. Chief Theresa Spence from the remote northern Ontario community of Attawapiskat has been fasting since December 11 and has vowed to continue until Harper personally commits to the talks on a litany of complaints, including new legislation that she says will harm native lands.

"He's a person with a heart but he needs to open his heart. I'm sure he has faith in the Creator himself and for him to delay this, it's very disrespectful, I feel, to not even meet with us," she said in an interview in Ottawa. Spence is at the center of an unprecedented Canadian aboriginal protest movement called "Idle No More" that began with four women in the province of Saskatchewan raising awareness about the Conservative government's budget bill, which was passed earlier this month. The bill, which has also been heavily criticised by opposition politicians for its broad reach, scales back environmental protections for lakes and rivers and makes it easier to sell reserve lands.

Copyright Reuters, 2012