Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 03/99) - The concerns and interests of the territory's aboriginal people have a chance to be aired on a world stage at a meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Singapore this week.

Legislative speaker and Deh Cho MLA Sam Gargan, left Yellowknife for the South Pacific on Wednesday.

Gargan's executive assistant, Ben Nind, said Gargan's election to the post represents a first -- it's the highest level post held an aboriginal person from the Americas in the 88-year history of the association.

Nind said Gargan, 51, is one of three Canadians currently serving with the association and, as chair, will be replacing Dr. John Marek, who is currently involved in elections in his home country of Wales.

Canada, along with Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, was one of the founding members of the original Empire Parliamentary Association, when it was formed in 1911. Currently, 139 national, state, provincial and territorial parliaments are represented by the association -- based in London and patronized by Queen Elizabeth II.

Nind said Gargan has participated in the association for several years but this is the first time he has been asked to chair an international meeting. Nind said the program and planning sub-committee's agenda for the May 1 to 8 meeting involves preparing for the upcoming 45th Parliamentary Conference and the 19th Small Countries Conference in Trinidad and Tobago coming up later this year.

Nind said Gargan's second "first" is his position as an Americas-born aboriginal filling the role of chair.

"Part of his agenda is to raise awareness of aboriginal issues," he said. "Sitting in these meetings now, he has the ability to raise issues with representatives from around the world."

And Nind said the position of aboriginal Canadians is not so different from that found in other Commonwealth countries.

"The neat part of the Commonwealth was that many of these countries were settled by a dominant country, so most of these countries have indigenous issues," he said, "This is the first time that Canadian issues are being introduced by an aboriginal individual -- that's why Mr. Gargan's high profile is even more important."

Born in Redknife River in 1948, Gargan was first elected to the territorial legislature in 1983 and is currently the longest-serving member of the legislative assembly.