Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 09/00) - A former territorial negotiator has issued a stinging rebuke of the way governments are working toward treaties with First Nations groups.

During the year-and-a half Patrick Scott represented the GNWT in Dogrib negotiations, he was reprimanded for speaking his mind and eventually resigned his position last June out of frustration.

"The negotiator's hands are strapped," he said. "There is policy there, but it is very difficult for the team to make decisions at the table, and when you do, you get shit for it."

He said the fact any decision must be approved by committees strips negotiators of their creativity and accountability.

"I wrote some strongly-worded memos saying that what we're planning to bring to the table might cause some serious backlash," he said.

"I was reprimanded, but I saw that to be my job."

Although Scott would not go into specific details because of a confidentiality agreement, he said the GNWT cabinet made promises and then reneged on them.

"It was a political commitment made by three cabinet ministers," he said. The GNWT had hoped the federal government would support the position, but did not.

"It was stupid, what they did; it was stupid the bureaucrats could not see the writing on the wall," he said. "That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me."

Cause of troubles

When Scott resigned over the issue, the Dogribs took out a series of full-page ads in the Yellowknifer and News/North denouncing the GNWT's lack of political will to see the process through.

"Canada kicked the shit out of the GNWT and so did the Dogrib," Scott said. "Unfortunately, often they have good reason to."

Protocol prevented Scott from airing his concerns directly with the ministers. He said the process would be easier if the GNWT was part of the federal caucus.

"A lot of the battles between the feds and the GNWT would happen at the table instead of away from the table," he said.

The federal government insists the GNWT be present as an independent party.

"That's a great move on the part of the feds, because they can skirt around the responsibility they hold," he said adding that is why the Akaitcho and Deh Cho First Nations have asked for "nation to nation" talks. "The feds are masters at using the GNWT."

With all three parties bickering, Scott says the process is taking longer resulting in more loans to the government and less money for the Dogrib people.

"For every day it takes, they are paying more and more interest," he said. "If this drags on for 10 more years, they're not going to have any money coming in at all."

The inherent right

Due to the diverse nature of the peoples of the NWT, self-government is the only practical solution, but he says the GNWT policy makers "have extreme problems with that."

"If the GNWT is not prepared to change as a result of self-government, then they shouldn't be at the table," he said. "Why does it have to be a problem to change the GNWT?

He says while the governments "give little bits" at the table, the feds are taking benefits away, like scaling back health benefits to First Nations people, knowing that eventually, the services will be handed over to the bands.

"They are going to negotiate agreements and hope and pray that the First Nations take them on at a lesser level than what they're getting now," he said.

"Part of the fear of the GNWT, is, it's going to carry the brunt of that bag."