Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Jan 09/06) - With an announcement on Monday, Jan van der Veen became the fifth candidate in the federal election in the Northwest Territories.

Van der Veen, an economist based in Fort Simpson is running as an Independent.

After deliberating for a few months about running, van der Veen said he committed himself because none of the southern parties are addressing what he sees as the three key issues. These issues are centered on the inequalities in relations between territories and provinces, aboriginals and non-aboriginals, and amongst aboriginals.

In the first plank of his platform, Van der Veen calls for an option of personal ownership for aboriginals out of any land claim settlements.

"There are too few people controlling the lives of too many unnecessarily," he said.

Under this idea, an individual could ask to personally look after their share of a settlement, approximately $60,000, said van der Veen. This option would create freedom, he said.

Van der Veen's second plank deals with self-government, a term that he considers misleading.

"It means self-government for aboriginals, but it means no government for non-aboriginals," he said.

Self-government will create an apartheid because it allows governance by race, he said.

"I know the intentions are good, but the policy is destructive and divisive," said van der Veen.

Instead, van der Veen would like to see a continuance of municipal governments and the GNWT's continued control of already established departments.

If elected, Van der Veen would also push the Northwest Territories towards becoming a province.

"When no one ran on those issues I decided what the heck," he said.

This is van der Veen's third attempt at running for office. In the 1993 and 1997 elections he ran as a Reform party candidate in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Despite not winning, his enthusiasm hasn't dampened.

"It's kind of fun," he said.

With only three weeks before the election, van der Veen is focusing on getting flyers and ads out in communities. He hasn't decided on any travelling plans.

Van der Veen admits he's not sure how voters will respond to his platform.

"I'm running to present the voters with another option," he said.