Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Jan 13/06) - Inuvik voters will be hoping for a better candidate turnout at its all-candidates debate Monday than Yellowknife got Jan. 8.

"It doesn't show a lot of dedication," said independent candidate Jan van der Veen. He and NDP hopeful Dennis Bevington were the only ones who bothered to show up in Yellowknife.

RULES: The moderator will introduce the candidates and outline the ground rules. Candidates will then be allowed to give opening statements not to exceed five minutes in an order determined by lot. They will then be asked to address the three set questions/statements. Name one area where you would increase federal spending and one where you would decrease it. What do you consider the most widespread misconception about your party and why is it wrong? What do you consider the most unjustly neglected issue of this campaign? The moderator will then open the floor to questions, which must be directed at all the candidates. The order of response will then be by rotation and the candidates' answers cannot exceed two minutes. After approximately two hours, candidates will deliver closing statements in reverse order from the opening statements and these are also limited to two minutes.

The three candidates who didn't attend the all-candidates forum were involved in other campaign activities and unable to attend.

Liberal incumbent Ethel Blondin-Andrew had prior commitments in the Beaufort-Delta region; Green party candidate Alex Beaudin was in Ottawa; and Conservative Party candidate Richard Ejericon was travelling from Hay River at the time.

Van der Veen, who has lived "on-and-off again" in the Territories since 1989, entered the race two weeks ago because he believed the crop of candidates weren't addressing the issues important to the region.

"No one else had any new ideas for dealing with the North differently," said van der Veen, who lives in Fort Simpson.

As to how van der Veen would steer the ship were he elected, the businessman's platform contains three main ideas; no to devolution and yes to province-hood, no to self government deals and what he calls "the personal ownership option" for aboriginals that would amount to a $60,000 personal payment from any settlement deals with respect to land claims.

"Governance by race is a very bad idea," said van der Veen. "States by race is a concept not employed anywhere else in the world and a no-win concept."

Van der Veen explains that his "province over devolution" idea would cut through a lot of unnecessary negotiations, as well as ensure the Territories get a Trans-Canada highway extension to the Beaufort Sea.

When asked what kind of a reception his platform was getting from voters, van der Veen says it's mostly been positive.

"It' is the non-aboriginals who seem not to agree with me," he said. "I'm actually getting encouragement from many aboriginal people I've spoken with."

Meanwhile, NDP candidate Dennis Bevington, who also attended the debate in Yellowknife Jan. 8, started his week of campaigning in Norman Wells.

Adding to his list of campaign promises, Bevington says if elected, he would push the government to increase the Northern Residence Tax Deduction.

"It hasn't been increased since 1991, while the consumer price index has risen 50 per cent since then," said Bevington, who would double the deduction.

Inuvik's all-candidates forum begins at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 in the Aurora College main foyer. Thus far, debate sponsors say Liberal incumbent Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Conservative Richard Edjericon and Bevington have confirmed they will attend, while Green Party candidate Alex Beaudin has not yet decided. van der Veen says he will not attend due to a lack of campaign funds.