If women are to be equal partners in the economic boom, they need to make some political noise.

Whether it's the issue of missing women, dealing with social issues or getting a bigger piece of the economic pie, women's groups in the NWT face an uphill battle.

Men throw around billion dollar sledgehammers; women take a more low-key, grassroots approach. While that may be a more civilized strategy for addressing issues, it may not be the most effective. Organizations must be more aggressive if they want results.

There are some positive signs - trades training programs for women and efforts to encourage girls in high school to pursue non-traditional careers, but more is needed.

With the federal election now under way, the Native Women's Association of the NWT and other groups must put the heat on candidates.

Put pressure on MLAs, too to make sure they understand that the benefits of economic development must be shared across the population. That pressure is critical, considering just two of 19 MLAs are women.

On March 17, Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson died unnecessarily when the roof of a saw shed at Home Building Centre collapsed on top of them.

The public is no closer to knowing why these two brave city firefighters died.

Weeks ago, the NWT Fire Marshal filed his report - a heater that passed numerous inspections was the cause. The coroner and police have done their jobs.

Now we're waiting for the Workers Compensation Board to produce its report. "Very soon" is all the WCB will say. This is an organization that has a deplorable culture of secrecy and lack of accountability. Sure there are files of people seeking claims for workplace injuries that must be private, but this killer fire is a public matter that must be addressed quickly.

Until that report is complete, important questions remain unanswered:

• Were firefighting protocols followed in the Home Building Centre blaze?
• Do procedures have to change? Have they changed?
• Are our full-time and volunteer firefighters properly trained?
• Do building inspections have to be improved?

These questions speak directly to public confidence in our fire department. Two men lost their lives trying to save a shed.

The public needs to know why. Now.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

We agree with Education Minister Ed Picco that we have to celebrate the success of students who have come through Nunavut's education system.

In fact, we here at Kivalliq News go to great lengths to report on the success stories and special projects being undertaken in the Kivalliq's 11 schools.

That being said, we also realize there are major problems in our education system that have to be recognized and, more importantly, addressed.

And, while we fully support the government's attempts to increase the use of Inuktitut in our classrooms, it has to be done in such a way that our students' ability to develop their English and/or French literacy skills are not compromised.

Nunavut does not have the economy to support unilingual (Inuktitut) youth growing up to be financially and socially successful, as can be the case in Quebec with unilingual French-speaking youth - and that's keeping in mind French is one of two official languages in Canada.

That's why the Statistics Canada report released earlier this month is particularly disturbing.

The report shows Nunavut residents have the lowest English literacy rates in the country.

Conducted among people aged 16 to 65, the survey shows that almost 90 per cent of Inuit have a literacy rate lower than the minimum level required to function in society - and function is a long, long way from succeed. The report also shows Nunavut to have the lowest French literacy rate in Canada.

Picco is correct in his statement that Nunavummiut would score much higher if they were tested in Inuktitut.

However, Inuktitut was the primary language spoken by only a little more than half of those tested.

In response to a barrage of questions from Iqaluit Central MLA Hunter Tootoo, Picco pointed to the facts we had our highest number of graduates this past year (173, of whom 156 were Inuit), and more than 300 students are involved with post-secondary studies here at home and in the South.

That, unfortunately, is to be expected with the swell of students in our system.

In fact, three Nunavut schools have already passed the 100 per cent capacity mark, with two at 115 per cent and Gjoa Haven leading the way at an astounding 132 per cent of student capacity.

Picco also did not offer any numbers on how many of those 300 post-secondary students are passing their curriculums.

We side with Tootoo that Nunavummiut are growing weary of the GN discrediting these reports rather than addressing our shortcomings.

Even the Standing Committee on Education listed unacceptably low literacy rates as one of the biggest problems observed while conducting its community consultations.

Picco can point to all the flaws in Statistics Canada's methods he wants, but that doesn't change the fact we need more comprehensive literacy programs in our education system.

Nine out of 10 Inuit having a literacy rate lower than what they need to function in society is unacceptable - in any language!

Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum

National Addictions Awareness Week has almost passed and with it the host of "just say no" messages and warnings against the dangers of drug use.

In addition to the tales of addiction tragedy, there are the success stories of people who've found a different path from that of drug dependency.

For one Deh Cho region chief arrested recently for marijuana possession, it was particularly bad timing, what with the addictions week on the horizon. However, despite how one feels about pot smoking, some credit has to be given to this chief for speaking frankly of his medicinal use of cannabis (he denied the possession charge though).

The fact is, millions of people smoke marijuana, grass, reefer, tokes, dope, or whatever terminology one prefers. Come to think of it, this old guy my friends and I hung out with during our university days - mainly for his high-grade marijuana - used to get mad when we called marijuana dope. He said dope was what heroin junkies "back in his day" and he was no junky.

Like alcohol, marijuana is a drug, that when used in moderation brings the feeling of relaxation. After a hard day at work, some would say there's nothing better than unwinding with a few cold ones. For others it could be a joint, or simply a relaxing cigarette after dinner. With the onslaught of public service announcements about the negative impacts of smoking, drinking and drug use, people should be aware by now of the inherent dangers of all drugs.

Fact: when used recklessly and without moderation each and every drug can lead to disaster. For anti-drug zealots on one side of the debate, each drug they say is a "gateway" for harder drugs; alcohol is a "gateway" for pot and pot a "gateway" for cocaine and so on.

This thinking provides the catalyst for demonizing all "drug" use, even Johnny six-pack's and his band of merrymakers. At the opposite extreme, there are those advocating the legalization of all drugs and in Vancouver this attitude has manifested itself in the form of nurses supervising heroin use in a "safe injection site."

History shows that societies which employ one extreme set of guiding principles never stay stable for long, at least without a tremendous amount of hardship. So it would be silly to think that either clamping down on marijuana or conversely turning things into a drug-free-for-all would solve any problems, particularly those Northern residents face as they pertain to drug and alcohol abuse.

In the Northwest Territories, apart from alcohol abuse (emphasis on abuse), crack cocaine has become the scourge of communities. But just as nobody sensibly relaxes after a hard day at work by pounding a 26er of vodka or drinking a dozen beers, nobody is relaxing with a couple hits from the crack pipe. Crack cocaine, which the experts say can make one an addict after one try, is something that keeps people up for hours and days on end and there's nothing relaxing about that.

So while the police and communities can make their best efforts to stem the drug tide, until people start taking some responsibility for themselves and make better lifestyle choices, this addiction vortex many unfortunately find themselves in will continue and crack cocaine will pave the way for the next drug epidemic. Sad but true.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

After years of professing to being open to innovation, the federal government is essentially offering Dehcho First Nations the same old song and dance.

First Nations and Metis in the Deh Cho have said from the start of self-government negotiations that they would settle for nothing less than having control over all the lands in this region. Federal negotiator Robin Aitken, who handled the Deh Cho file up until last year, told delegates on a few occasions that his superiors in Ottawa were uncomfortable with such an unconventional approach. But Aitken said then-Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault was willing to explore it anyway.

Many Deh Cho delegates remained highly suspicious of the federal government. They openly stated that Canada, rather than developing ways to put a true land-management regime in the hands of aboriginal people, was merely looking for new terminology to hoodwink the First Nations into a comprehensive claim.

Without making any commitment or promises, Aitken reassured the delegates that Ottawa was not trying to fool anybody. Maybe that was true at the time, but, despite a few unprecedented interim agreements, it turns out that the naysayers were right.

The new federal negotiator came to the table in Fort Providence on Nov. 16 with proposed terms for self-government agreement in principle that are almost identical to everything else Ottawa has signed to date. It would entail land selection - having First Nations choose plots of land from which they could benefit through industrial development. For the left over land, the balance of power may very well rest with the federal government.

It's a far cry from what the Deh Cho has been seeking. There were skeptics who claimed all along that the federal government would never accommodate the Deh Cho's demands. That's because if Ottawa set a precedent with the Deh Cho agreement, then all the other First Nations across Canada with settled land claims would expect the same or similar provisions.

Yet the government looked poised to possibly venture that far under Nault's tenure. Of course Nault was made DIAND minister by Jean Chretien. He was shown the door by Chretien's successor, Paul Martin, who could only muster a minority government. Maybe that's when Ottawa lost its gumption.

And here we are with another federal election in the offing. The years of delays - in fairness, some of the hold-ups have been caused by the Deh Cho - have placed immense pressure squarely on Dehcho First Nations. Unity among the 13 member organizations has been a challenge to maintain. Now, as other regions edge closer to signing access and benefits agreements for a Mackenzie Valley pipeline and as Deh Cho communities themselves enter more and more business arrangements, the question is whether there will be any solidarity left as the Deh Cho responds to a federal offer that so clearly misses the mark.

The negotiations aren't over, but at this juncture it has certainly taken a turn for the worse.