FACT FILE

Constitutional Working Group proposed schedule

January 1998: Preparations for second round of community consultations.

October 1997 - May 1998: Discussions between aboriginal summit, DIAND and the GNWT on the companion and self-government agreements.

October 1997 - May 1998: Discussions on a political accord.

February 1998 - May 1998: Second round of public consultations.

May 1998 - June 1998: Revisions to constitutional package.

June 1998 - September 1998: Federal response expected. Preparations for major constitutional conference.

July 1998 - October 1998: Community review of final constitutional package.

November 1998: Conference to review package. Final revisions made by group.

Nov. 1998 - Dec. 1998: Federal approval of constitution, political accord and self-government agreement.

February 1999 - March 1999: Plebiscite.

April 1999: Federal and NWT legislation drafted.

by Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 14/98) - It is full steam ahead for the Constitutional Working Group following a meeting in Yellowknife last week.

The group has developed a schedule of events designed to produce a new constitution for the western NWT by April 1999, when Nunavut splits.

In the coming months, most of the time will be spent consulting each community.

"It's going to be very busy for sure," said Steve Iveson, executive director of the group.

Facilitators are currently being contacted and recruited in the communities to work on a part-time basis with the working group.

"The object here is to provide a good deal of information to the people and get feedback," Iveson said.

The federal government so far has made available $500,000 and the territorial government $266,000 for the group's budget, to take it through the end of March.