Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 04/02) - Georges Erasmus is now head of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Erasmus, born, raised and once again living in Yellowknife, has been politically active since the Berger inquiry in the 1970s. He's still using his public profile to push for change

Georges Erasmus, long-time political activist.

Yellowknifelife: I understand you are going to debate with John Ralston Saul, the husband of Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, next month in Vancouver.

Georges Erasmus: Well, I suspect if you had a chat with him, he wouldn't phrase it that way.

He (Ralston Saul) began a process to bring out the history of the country about two years ago. He started with a piece himself outlining an overview of the history of the country. He had a francophone last year and this year he felt he should have an aboriginal person to reflect the three-way partnership that created this country.The way he actually presents it is he creates a public forum with a presentation every year. There are leading articles done to get things started before the discussion. Then the panel will express their views in front of an audience who can participate. The following the day the panel meets and the event is televised, put in the Globe and Mail and other newspapers. There is an attempt to give it wide coverage.

Yellowknifelife: So what is the topic?

GE: I thought it was necessary to deal with the aboriginal situation. I will primarily be dealing with that. It has been a little more than five years since the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' report came out. I will deal with it to some degree but it is not the only thing.

Yellowknifelife: What are some of the issues you want to raise?

GE: Part of the lecture series is to explain the history of how the country developed and how things got done. Of course, John Ralston Saul raised his issues, and the francophone presenter asked the French question touching on the English and French situation. But there was a glaring gap because the role of aboriginals, aboriginal issues and their outstanding agenda was not mentioned.

Yellowknifelife: Do you think there is still a systemic exclusion of aboriginal history and influence when Canadians recreate their history?

GE: Historians use pre-written material so it is hard for them to go among aboriginal people and find written history. This was one of the many areas the Royal Commission report touched on. It is hard for First Nations to tell their stories because it is passed on orally. It must be written down. The longer it goes unchecked the harder it is.

Yellowknifelife: How would you rate the federal government's performance on aboriginal issues?

GE: I think for whatever reason, they continue to think priorities are things on the front burner. They have no ability to think a little bit ahead. They don't regard aboriginal issues as something they will get more votes on. It is unfortunate that they continue to be near sighted. All they think about is if they are going to be elected next time rather than doing what is right. I think in the real world and politics that is all it comes down too.

There is an ideology of power instead of about the country. Until we have political leaders that are not going to take the long view we are just going to have half-measures. We'll never have housing or money to educate everyone. We'll never have enough money to address the land questions across the country. You just never deal with it. The have superficial answers to these questions but when you go further, when you ask about a time table, "when are you going to go forward?" there is no answer. All they're doing is piece-mealing it to death.

The broad picture was the accomplishment of the report. If they had the 20-year plan recommended in 10 years you would see real change, real returns. Aboriginal people would pay taxes, they would have more income. Within 20 years the same money invested would have come back. They haven't moved on it in any major way. The thing that is annoying is that they are picking away at it. They are doing bits and pieces. It's as if they can pick and choose rather than moving in a major way. It is more frustrating in this way than if they just turned their back on it.

Yellowknifelife: Are we doomed to this cycle?

GE: We are not doomed. It is in the power of the government in question. At one point when we were concluding the report we were in a deficit situation. But very quickly we weren't there any more. All of a sudden we had these amazing surpluses and the whole agenda could have been addressed.

I am convinced from over 30 years of travel in this country that the overwhelming majority would like to see aboriginal people healthy, pulling their own weight, with the same number of unemployed and as healthy or as similarly sick as everyone else, rather than being so disproportionately different.

I know Canadians would feel better about themselves.

As people chased from elsewhere when they look at the original people, it has to bother them. The sympathy is there but the Canadian government has never taken and run with it. It would raise the esteem of Canadians.

It would take some courage. Unfortunately, courage and politics don't sleep in the same bed.

Yellowknifelife: Do you think you will ever get into federal politics?

GE: I don't think I would ever get into federal politics. I pretty well feel the kind of work it would take and the time it would take away from people I want to be with would be too much.

Yellowknifelife: You were actively involved in the Berger days and the pipeline question. Two decades later, what do you think of the new pipeline push?

GE: Under the circumstances of the day it was not in our interest to have that built. We would feel the social impact. We would not benefit economically. We would do a little manual labour and that's it. Communities could not withstand the kind of workforce needed. We didn't have the business, experience. The North wasn't really going to benefit. We had seen boom and bust many times before and usually it was a rip-off for the North, aboriginal or not, we were convinced a delay was needed. We weren't against development. Of course, we were concerned about the environment, but during that time people painted us into a black-and-white stereotype of us looking back and not looking forward.

These were non-renewable resources, they would be gone. No one had to tell us and treat us like we were children. We had seen ore taking out of the ground. We weren't benefitting, we were being "arseniced" to death. What we see today is that we have more capacity, more aboriginal business, more educated aboriginal people 25 years later.

Yellowknifelife: Any unfinished business in the North?

GE: There has been a lot of change here. A lot of really good change. There is maturity in the relationship between aboriginal people and non- aboriginal people. The kind of racism felt 25 to 30 years ago is just not here like it was. The level of it is just not here like it used to be. And it's easy to see. There's lots of good healthy changes taking place. It was a wonderful thing to behold. There are lots of areas where things can be improved. It's great to be here. I actually didn't come back to be prominent.

Yellowknifelife: How long have you been back here?

GE: I've been here since last May.

Yellowknifelife: How do feel about the GNWT's performance?

GE: We've come a long way. There is still lots we have to do. I, for one, would tap the premier on the back for having the courage of putting forth the notion of naming ourselves. I would strongly support him on that. The excuse of it being too expensive is pretty lame. The naming of everything would have been gradual. If the poorest province (Newfoundland and Labrador) can do it I don't know how we couldn't do that.

Yellowknifelife: What name would you choose?

GE: I've always been partial to Denendeh but open to a name aboriginal people are pleased with. The majority of the discourse in that instance was probably not with aboriginal people and it is unfortunate the debate was sabotaged by the economic question. It is about naming your homeland, and being able to feel good about it. We are talking about something that will last a long time. The NWT is a name we had nothing to do with. It was a name left after everyone cleaned away from us. The least we should be able to do is name our home territory.