by Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (May 01/98) - A request by Deh Cho First Nations (DCFN) Grand Chief Michael Nadli to delay the new appointment of the Deh Cho Health and Social Services (DCHSS) board was rejected at an important meeting in Fort Simpson Tuesday.

Nadli, who spoke Tuesday morning to an audience that included GNWT cabinet ministers Kelvin Ng and Jim Antoine, said the board appointments should wait until the DCFN had its annual assembly this coming August.

"This will give our general membership (time) to give direction to our leadership on how to proceed," Nadli said. "I believe the position you have put us in, to make a decision, is unfair and that the simple yes to a health board has (more) far reaching implications than just theories of practicality and convenience."

"Health programs, services, and financing should be flowing directly to a Dene government. This is the way we view self-determination -- based on treaty and aboriginal rights and flowing into public institutions to provide programs and services."

"The role I get to play today is that of a simple Dene standing up and being bad to raise my concerns," Nadli said after quoting William Shakespeare. "Perhaps the aura of dismay you sense is not from Denmark."

Work towards the formation of the new health board has been under way for almost a full year.

In response, board nominees from the various Deh Cho communities, who have been training since January, said they did not want to delay their appointments any longer.

"I volunteered thinking I could help people," said Steve Malesku, who was nominated to represent Fort Liard's Metis and hamlet.

"The political talk has kind of confused me and made me unsure. I expected to come to this gathering as a celebration and step forward... I would ask the leaders to think about the people who need these services."

Ernest Cazon, who will represent the Liidlii Kue First Nation on the board, was blunt.

"Let's grab a hold of something the government is offering and go with it," he said. "We have to start healing our people now and what better way (is there) than having our own health board."

Eric Menicoche, who was representing Liidlii Kue Chief Rita Cli, agreed with Cazon.

"Our position is that we want our own people to make decisions about our own health," he said.

Fort Providence's Margaret Thom, Kakisa's Allan Landry and the Hay River Reserve's Shirley Lamalice, all board nominees, make similar comments.

For their part, Ng, Antoine and outgoing DCHSS public administrator Nick Sibbeston, whose appointment runs out today, told the meeting that nothing in the board agreement would take away from aboriginal rights or treaty rights.

Ng reiterated the GNWT's strong support and belief in the rights of Aboriginal peoples to self-government. Nothing in this agreement would take away from that, he said.

Sibbeston also read off letters from area First Nations, Metis associations, hamlets and the village of Fort Simpson, who have already agreed to appoint board members to represent them. Only Wrigley had not as yet sent in an official nomination form.

In the end, Wrigley Chief Tim Lennie and Trout Lake Chief Dennis Deneron, both said they would withhold their signatures from the board agreement until after the DCFN's meeting in May in Fort Simpson. However, both chiefs said they supported forming the board as soon as possible.