A recent court decision ordering the territorial government to provide French language services across the NWT has put the government in a very awkward position.

It's not surprising that the government fought the case so vigorously for seven years.

One needs to look no further than the NWT's Official Languages Act to see why. The government may very well wish it never penned this article of rosy optimism after promising the moon to no fewer than 11 official language groups.

Its court case versus the Federation Franco-tenoise was doomed from the start, and now that First Nations are clamouring for similar protection of their languages and culture, the territorial government must think it's in a serious pickle.

French, of course, is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution, while First Nation languages are not. At least the constitutional requirement gives the government ammunition to go cap in hand to the feds for more money to provide services in French.

However, when the NWT Official Languages Act was passed in 1988, the territorial government vowed it would push to include these other languages.

And now time is catching up with the government. It has no more excuses to delay. Eighteen years later, little progress has been made. The number of aboriginal language speakers continue to dwindle, and programs and services are still delivered primarily in English.

The government will surely plead poverty long before making even a half-hearted attempt to elevate the Languages Act into anything more than a touchy-feely bit of wishful thinking. Provide services for 11 languages? How do you do that without going bankrupt?

Well, aren't we rich? Or about to be? Premier Joe Handley and his government have gone to great pains to remind us how important it is that we take control of our resources to ensure our children can benefit from this wealth.

But it's all moot if all the government can do is guarantee a paycheque at the end of the day and a modular home to live in.

Aboriginal people want their identities and cultures protected above all else. This has come up time and again in hearings and meetings, whether dealing with diamonds or the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

A devolution deal with Ottawa must include guarantees for resources to seriously invest in aboriginal languages. Proceeds from resource royalties should also go into this pot.

This territory will only be wealthy when we've take all steps to ensure aboriginal language and culture are fully protected.

When the stone church in Cambridge Bay was destroyed by fire late last month, it didn't take long to start thinking of restoring it.

It's an important landmark, to be sure, and one that shouldn't be simply bulldozed over and forgotten. This burned-out memory of the Catholic church should also serve as a reminder that Nunavut's history isn't just found in buildings.

It is found through stories from our elders, from the knowledge they gained throughout their lives, most of which was spent on the land.

Communities need to ensure their historic landmarks stand the test of time, even if most were built when Europeans started arriving and changed Inuit life forever. But an equal, if not greater effort should be made to preserve the knowledge of the elders.

A good example is Mikitok Bruce featured in May 1, Nunavut News/North. Bruce is teaching his grandchildren in Coral Harbour the intricacies of iglu building and survival on the land.

That knowledge is the most important history and is much more fragile than a stone building.

Inuit are learning that in order to succeed, they must sell themselves.

From Tanya Tagak Gillis in Cambridge Bay to Zacharias Kunuk in Iglulik, and now Artcirq - a circus troupe also out of Iglulik Inuit who want to succeed in the arts and entertainment business must, unfortunately, take their skills and talent outside of Nunavut in order to get recognition.

It's something the government, and specifically Nunavut Tourism, could help with.

By organizing trade show-like events in the south once a year and bringing artists, carvers, musicians and other entertainers, Nunavut can showcase the talent that abounds in the territory.

Exporting talent will increase the territory's profile, and in turn create more opportunities for Nunavummiut.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak is not about to end his battle with Canada Post to have an Inuktitut-speaking employee at the local post office anytime soon.

Kusugak has lobbied the Crown corporation for a number of years now, and is growing increasingly frustrated over its unwillingness to address the issue.

If a resolution is not found soon, Kusugak may decide to wage the battle on a different front.

He's already wondering out loud about the legalities of a Crown corporation not being able to provide service in the working language of the territory.

Over the years, Canada Post has responded to Kusugak's requests with a number of reasons, including not receiving any complaints about the lack of Inuktitut service, poor past attempts at local hires and the failure of numerous applicants to pass a criminal records check.

Of course, if nobody in the post office speaks Inuktitut, a number of elders could have complained in person and been left to wonder why the employee they were speaking to kept throwing a book of stamps on the counter in front of them.

Verbal complaints aside, the issue is more complex than it seems.

While we support the mayor's stance for Inuktitut service 100 per cent, we also understand the situation Canada Post finds itself in.

And, let's be honest, you only have to look at what's taken place in a number of Nunavut communities this past year to realize Canada Post is a business like any other when it comes to the bottom line.

So, unless one of its current Rankin employees steps aside, it may take a New York lawyer to force the corporation into hiring another worker.

And, we don't think you'll find too many people in the community with complaints about the job performance of the current staff.

They do a good job under trying circumstances.

That being said, Canada Post should also avoid being too judgmental from its perch on-high.

If criminal-record checks of the past were somewhat less than successful, that doesn't mean every Inuktitut-speaking resident of Rankin Inlet is a criminal.

And just because someone sitting at a desk in Iqaluit hasn't been approached by a unilingual person from Rankin with an official complaint, doesn't mean it isn't happening on the local front.

Likewise, ghosts of the past shouldn't be held against the entire community, even if those ghosts made the ill-advised decision to bring their friend "Mary Jane" to work for a visit.

However, we all know how you conduct yourself on the job can impact those who come behind you.

The bottom line here is that local residents deserve the right to conduct business in their own language.

There would be quite the uproar if Canada Post couldn't provide French service in Quebec towns or English in small Alberta communities.

Surely the two sides can put their heads together and come up with a solution that works for everyone.

And, if they try hard enough, maybe they can do it without a law firm's stamp of approval.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

It's been a big week for Inuvialuit.

We saw our land claim cheques, although I can imagine that some of us saw them come and go pretty quickly.

It's also the time of year when most families want to be on the land, and a little extra money can mean a lot in the gas tank.

I talked to some people about being on the land at this time of year, just before the roads close and when the sun is out all day.

I hear you can get a lot done during the days, which should be good for those of you who haven't been out to the camps in some time.

This is usually the time of year that I go on the ice road, to enjoy a sunny picnic.

Nothing too extravagant, just me, some friends, a shovel and a grub box full of goodies.

I went to the victim services open house last week, and got to talk to some of the people involved with those services here in town.

The centre offers tons of information about your rights, and what procedures to use following a crime.

Another good service offered to people in the community comes from the Interagency Committee.

After spending a day learning about what they do, I realized that without programs like it, the community would not be in such a good place.

Services like the food bank, suicide hotline and the alternate school were all hatched from people who help with the Interagency Committee.

It's important that we keep programs like that available for the community so we can all grow together.

Growing together is important, too, because that way nobody gets left behind.

Whether it be a fellow student or co-worker, I think we can all band together, and stick through anything.

I don't see any need for high school dropouts because their friends should be there to support them, and give assistance when needed.

I talked with Shane Brewster for a while this week, too.

I think it's great that he stays so involved with the students at the school. That man does wonders for those kids' self esteem.

I remember growing up and hearing him give us advice throughout elementary school.

Seeing him work with those kids that day almost inspired me to have children really soon.

Well, maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but I definitely want my kids to have role models like him.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

Once again Mother Nature is proving that she has the final word in all matters.

Spring weather is providing drama, excitement, anticipation and entertainment around the Deh Cho.

As much as humans like to think they have a good measure of control over their daily environment, Mother Nature is always standing by, ready to shake that certainty.

As the rivers break up, humans can do little more than watch and hope for the best. In Fort Liard there must have been some tense moments as the water crept up and over the bank, the ball diamond and a road, leading to the evacuation of one house which ended up with a flooded crawl space.

Other communities are still waiting. The date of break up is an innocent thing to place bets on, but humans can make little more than educated guesses that are often flaunted by nature.

With the ice still in place on the Liard River outside Nahanni Butte on Tuesday, some elders said break up is happening later than normal. That will be sure to put some estimates off.

Spring weather controlled by Mother Nature is also wrecking havoc on local roads and highways.

It can be frustrating when events beyond your control derail plans, especially if the plans involved returning home or taking a planned trip.

Road closures may have inconvenienced some people, but a measure of thanks can be given for timing in this case. If the washout on Highway 1 had occurred just a few days later, it might have posed serious problems for the buses filled with soccer players headed from Fort Simpson to Grande Prairie.

Sometimes the weather misfortunes of some turn out to be benefits for others.

A similar case is happening in Alberta, where unusually dry weather is providing a boon for Fort Simpson fire crews who are getting an early start on their seasonal work.

While this is good news for the crews, no one would want to see the situation turned around. After break up is over it will be time to turn our attention to weather patterns and try to discern what nature has in store for us in the upcoming fire season.

A shout of good luck goes out to all the soccer players who are headed out to tournaments over the weekend.

The athletes deserve success after working hard in a variety of areas. Some have battled waking up at what is almost an unheard of hour for teenagers in order to attend practices. Others have put a little extra effort into their school work, so they would be allowed to travel with their team.

It's also great to see players from Deh Cho communities combine with athletes from other areas to make up teams. This is a great example of the co-operative spirit that we can only hope to see more of in the North.

The president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. is Paul Kaludjak. Incorrect information appeared in last week's article entitled "Tories approve $1.9 billion residential school deal." Nunavut News/North apologizes for the error.