More than 20 Yukoners took time out of their long weekend to send a message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The PM didn't stop his multi-Suburban convoy Sunday to talk with the protestors.

However, the beating of drums and First Nations singing were likely enough to draw his attention to the signs calling for democracy and environmental protection.

Yukon MP Ryan Leef also chose not to stop.

The two were on their way to an annual barbeque for Conservative Party supporters.

It was held this year at the Northfork Taxidermy property, the home of the late Shane Buchanan. He and his father, Chuck Buchanan, were killed in a plane crash in June.

Shirley Adamson, a former Council of Yukon First Nations grand chief, was among Sunday's protestors.

"I'm here because I want my voice to be heard along with the other aboriginals of Canada,” she said.

"I think we need to not be idle; we need to know more,” she said.

"Aboriginal people need to be heard,” Adamson told the Star.

That's exactly the message she hopes Harper and Leef walked away with.

In the Yukon in particular, "they need to look at those treaties that they signed, they need to begin to implement them in an honourable way,” Adamson said.

"I think that they also need to come away from here knowing that we're concerned about the conditions of the land, and we're concerned that the interests of others are overwhelming the interests of the first peoples,” she said.

Adamson preferred to stand in protest outside the property gates. She did, however, issue her support for First Nations leaders who accepted the PM's invitation to attend the late afternoon event.

"I honour that, and I accept that, and I support them; that's part of their job,” she said.

"They're doing what they're doing from where they're at, and we're doing what we're doing from where we're at,” she said.

Marilyn Jensen, a co-organizer of the Yukon's local Idle No More chapter, reiterated the group's main concern that the relationship between aboriginal Canadians and the federal government has deteriorated to an "utterly disgraceful” state.

"There are so many issues, and it all basically comes down to the relationship with indigenous peoples across Canada,” Jensen said.

"It's at a real all-time low. We need to start working towards real reconciliation, true reconciliation, so we're just here to show we're here, we're alive, we have concerns and that this is our land, so we're here to protect it,” she said.

The group wants the government to acknowledge aboriginal Canadians, to treat them with respect and to honour their treaties and agreements.

"We just keep getting pushed off; one concrete example is the murdered and missing women. All of the premiers are saying ‘do it,' and no,” Jensen noted as an example.

She was referring to the premier's recent call on the federal government to undertake a national inquiry into the numerous cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls.

"To me, as an indigenous woman, I just feel a kick in the stomach,” she said.

"Again, the message is, ‘You're not worth it. There's no equality. It's not a concern for us, so we can just keep killing off your women, the life givers, and it's OK; that's the message. On any front, there's just no give,” she said.

Other Yukon groups were also represented at the protest, including Yukoners Concerned about Oil and Gas Exploration.

Don Roberts, a former Yukon Liberal cabinet minister and a key organizer with the group, expressed his concern that Canadian democracy is being systemically undermined by the current government.

"The whole environmental regime of Canada, which has been here for many, many years, has gone. And so it's all about let industry do what they want.

"I have no problems with industry being part of the process of development and jobs and so on, but it has to be done in concert with people; it has to be done in concert with all governments and all Yukon people and Canadians, and I don't see that being honoured in these current times,” he said.

Harper was in Whitehorse Sunday and Monday as part of his eighth annual northern tour.

By Ainslie Cruickshank

Star Reporter