The former finance minister with all his Napoleonic faults, at least called a spade a spade and a mule a mule.
Todd wanted to use territorial taxation to encourage BHP Diamonds to allot enough diamonds to support secondary industry in the North.
BHP balked at Todd's aggressive rhetoric but after calmer negotiations with Economic Development Minister Stephen Kakfwi and his deputy minister Joe Handley, we now have the seeds of a diamond cutting and polishing industry in the North. BHP has committed to sell about 7,000 carats of good quality diamonds a month for northern cutting and polishing companies. Company spokesperson Graham Nicholls said BHP will go as high as $50 million worth.
Sirius Diamonds, soon to be processing diamonds in Yellowknife creating 32 jobs, will be using 2,500 carats a month at full production. That leaves room for another one or two companies. All of this is without extra cost to BHP.
The significance of this success has been totally lost on the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. When the discussion of secondary diamond industry came up after Ekati mine was given the green light in the fall of 1997, DIAND was caught off guard. They hadn't thought about it.
They sent one of their own to consult with the international diamond industry. He reported those industry people who would normally get the diamonds were dead set against diamonds staying in the North. End of story.
Now DIAND officials, who seem to be operating without any political direction or awareness of their Northern Development mandate, deem secondary diamond production outside the environmental assessment of the proposed Diavik diamond mine despite a line in their own guidelines that states: Consideration must be given to the effects on: g. opportunities to diversify the northern economic base to produce and to supply new goods and services.
Obviously they are not doing their job. If DIAND Minister Jane Stewart is to do her job, she must step in and ensure commitments are made by Diavik at least equal to if not more than what BHP has done voluntarily.
We also expect our liberal MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew to lobby hard to make DIAND act appropriately. The future of her constituency hangs in the balance.
Premier Jim Antoine and MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew shouldn't waste any time using their political muscle to help Roberta Vaneltsi get her children back.
Five years ago, Vaneltsi's 12-year-old son Roman and 10-year-old daughter Petra were taken illegally to the Czech Republic by her estranged husband, Petr Cerny . Her battle to reclaim them, despite hiring a Czech lawyer and entering the archaic Czech court system, has proved futile. And if that's not discouraging enough, attempts to get MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew and Prime Minister Jean Chretien involved haven't amounted to a hill of beans.
What's wrong with everyone? Since the NWT courts awarded Vaneltsi sole custody of her children in 1995, surely the government can do something to put an end to this woman's tragedy.
An evolution of government is taking place right here, right now and with history in their hands, some Metis have decided it's better to brawl in the streets, rather than discuss at the table.
This is the base. Primordial politics. Far beyond school kids and, "My grandma and your grandma . . ."
These men stand at historic crossroads in the formation of real, accountable, self-government and they cannot sit down and speak with mutual concern and respect.
If not for themselves, perhaps for the good of the people?
Discussion and opposition is essential towards the path of good government and democracy will eventually assure that, but in the meantime guys, it couldn't hurt to ask yourselves, "What would Louis say?"
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
Anyone familiar with Footprints One or Two, was, no doubt, not the least bit surprised by the Nunavut government's decision to dissolve the regional health and education boards.
It is a unanimous opinion that the writing was on the wall for the territorial government to assume control of these departments, arguably the two most important departments in the territorial structure.
However, there has been surprise expressed at the timing of the announcement. The majority of informed health and education workers figured the announcement would come during, or shortly after, the legislative assembly's next sitting, not before.
And, if there's been surprise at the timing of the announcement, there's been even more surprise at the content -- which, basically, offered precious little more than the announcement that the axe is going to fall on the regional boards in the summer of 2000.
There was a quick referral to a combined savings of about $4 million, but absolutely no explanation as to how government bean counters came up with this figure, especially in view of the promise of no job loss.
The regional heads of state were, apparently, briefed in Iqaluit last week as to some of the particulars, but nobody's talking too loudly about those details.
There has also been no indication out of Iqaluit of what exactly is going to replace the boards, other than the designation of the two territorial departments, which is more than a little broad in its nature.
The key motivator in the decision was the lack of accountability the regional boards enjoyed, which was raised in Footprints. Accountability or not, the common perception is the regional boards were a product of the GNWT and now have no role to play in the grand scheme of all things Nunavut.
It came as no surprise when Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Jose Kusugak was quick to issue a statement regaling the move as fine governing.
"It allows the people of Nunavut at the community level an opportunity to start with a clean slate," he said.
That may well prove to be true in the future, but, for now, it looks like that clean slate will have to be started from Iqaluit.
Also unknown at this point is what will happen to regional projects that have proven themselves to be successful in their own right, such as the Kivalliq Regional Science Fair? One success story from the education field already experiencing trouble having its voice carry from Baker Lake to Iqaluit to secure funding is the Nunavut Youth Abroad Program.
Kusugak was also quick to say, "I think we'll be seeing a lot more of these kinds of large scale changes taking place from the creation of Nunavut."
Let's hope these large scale changes are well thought out and implemented strategies aimed at improving our quality of life in the Keewatin, as well as the rest of Nunavut, and not just changes for change's sake.