Features

With the territorial election now just around the corner, Yellowknife voters finally got a chance to see how the candidates in their ridings stack up head-to-head.

The three public forums held over the past two weeks varied greatly in format and effectiveness.

On Sept. 17, things got started with the Dene Nation's forum - almost two dozen candidates from seven ridings were jumbled in together, each facing the same five questions, answering in no particular order.

Range Lake incumbent Sandy Lee probably summed it up best.

"I wonder if it's more difficult to come up with different answers to the same questions for the 18th time ... or if it's more difficult for (the audience) to listen to it," she mused during a portion of her seven minutes of allotted speaking time.

Sept. 19 saw the Native Women's Association of the NWT and the Status of Women Council of the NWT raise the bar with the second public event.

Candidates still spoke in random order, though questions from the floor were posed to individuals rather than the group at large.

For an undecided voter, however, attending either of these events meant a three-hour commitment if you hoped to hear what all of the candidates in your riding had to say.

As a result, attendance at both of these forums was primarily limited to representatives of the media, special interest groups and the entourages of the candidates themselves.

This past Wednesday night the Yk Chamber of Commerce gave us a glimpse of how these important events should be organized.

The third and final public forum was divided by riding, with each group of competing candidates taking a turn on the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre stage.

"It makes it much easier to see how the people you can vote for differ on the issues," one spectator remarked at the end of the evening.

Candidates were still plagued by a general lack of time - each had a total of five minutes to say their piece - but it was clear the voters responded.

The crowd at this final event was probably larger than the other two events combined.

We say probably because it's hard to get a fix on how big it really was. Throughout the night people popped in and out to hear the 10 to 25 minutes that applied to them and then carried on with their busy lives.

Clearly all of the organizations involved in hosting these events are to be commended - but perhaps four years from now we can start from where the Chamber left off and come up with a winning format.

If we could get all of these groups working together, each riding could have an hour or two of dedicated time.

This would allow candidates time to actually debate the issues and give voters a chance get a true sense of their entire platform rather than just a five minute synopsis of one or two planks.

Voting is one of the most important jobs each and every one of us should do in the NWT.

Can we really scratch our heads and wonder why turnout on polling day is low if we don't give people a reason to stand up and be counted?

Humans have an amazing capacity for taking things for granted.

While we have something, whether it be a truck or good health, we seldom seem to take a moment to appreciate how much it means to us and how useful it is. It's only when the items are lost that the true value of them strikes home.

Unfortunately, the lives of fellow humans are one of the things that we often take for granted, especially in the case of elders.

Although they may be a bit frail and have a list of health complaints, elders, whether they are our great-grandparent, grandparent, parent or even just a fellow community member, have been part of our lives for so long that they are unconsciously expected to always be there. This, however, is not the case.

The Deh Cho recently lost Leo Norwegian, a well known elder.

Norwegian could often be seen driving around the village in his pickup truck wearing a baseball cap that was decorated with a variety of pins. He was also a common sight at Dehcho First Nations' leadership meetings, where he would sit with other elders or at the section of the table reserved for the Liidlii Kue First Nation.

By all accounts Norwegian will be remembered for his love of the land, his knowledge, his outspoken nature and the care he showed his family members.

But with the passing of elders such as Norwegian there is also a loss of a part of history.

Shortly before Norwegian's funeral, Grand Chief Herb Norwegian commented that one of the memories he'll hold about Leo was all of the knowledge he had stored. Leo knew all of the great leaders in the area, said Norwegian. Leo's loss will have an effect on many levels.

"You're taking a whole encyclopedia and putting it away forever," Norwegian said about the death.

This is an apt metaphor.

Everyone in his or her lives becomes a living encyclopedia. In their minds they store myriad memories that capture a snapshot of what the world was like where they lived while they were alive.

Norwegian, for example, went from being born in a small cabin at Rabbitskin and living a traditional life on the land to passing away in a hospital in the large city of Edmonton. The things that Norwegian saw over the course of his life are slightly different than the memories of anyone else and are certainty different than the memories that the newest generations are gathering.

The trouble with "human encyclopedias" is that they aren't like the ones that are found on shelves in libraries and classrooms or on CDs. "Human encyclopedias" are easily lost with death.

The only way to salvage and preserve the knowledge and history is to spend time with elders, listening to their stories. There are many hurdles that prevent this from happening.

In today's busy world it's not always easy to find the time to sit quietly and listen, but that is precisely what is needed. Putting it off by saying "maybe tomorrow" can lead to a scenario where all of an elder's tomorrows are used up.

In the Northwest Territories, according to the 2006 census, there were 41,465 people. Of those only 1,975 are 65 or older.

All of those 1,975 people possess stories that are unique. Their knowledge is important because it shows the path that has been followed and makes it easier to find a way forward.

To the people on the west end of Inuvik you have your work cut out for you. Step into the polling stations on Monday and choose your MLA.

Making that decision should not be taken lightly. This is a serious matter and we need to have the best possible representation.

We should all take a look around and figure out what is important to us as a community.

There are two people who have put their hats in the ring for the Twin Lakes MLA position. Both candidates have worked hard and have been visiting people around town.

The power is in our hands, as tax-paying voters.

In 2004, 605 people registered for the election. All those people made their voices heard. Now we have a leader who is looking for another go at bat. Should we let him? What if we let the newcomer have a try? I don't think we can afford to guess, or leave this to chance.

There is supposed to be an all-candidates forum tonight at Ingamo Hall. It starts at 7 p.m. so be sure to make an appearance. It will be the last chance to hear the issues before voting day on Oct. 1.

I'm disappointed that we waited this long to hold a forum to grill the candidates.

If you plan on attending the forum, be ready to push the candidates hard. We know what the incumbent is capable of, from his last election. Does he still have what it takes?

The point I want to stress is that the decision is ours. I'm sure a lot of you already made up your minds and are dead set in your ways.

I'm talking to the people who haven't registered yet and don't know who to vote for. I'm telling you to vote for the best person.

Don't vote for your cousin, don't vote for who your friends did either. This is where we separate the sheep from the rest of us. Take the information given and make an informed decision.

Starting next week, we will have an MLA for the Twin Lakes riding.

Floyd Roland will have a travelling mate and we can move on with our lives.

Again, I need to emphasize that we are fully capable of making good decisions. I don't want to see another election half way through a term because of some scandal. Twin Lakes is one of the newer ridings in the NWT and we should keep it strong.

I've done interviews with both people looking to take the crown of the west side. I've heard their piece and now I want to hear from the other 1,800 people on that side of town. Yeah, even your kids. Bring your nanuk to the debate and see what happens. We should all have a part of this election.

If we could increase the number of registered voters, it makes everything more interesting.

This reminds me of last year, when we voted for our new mayor and town council. I wasn't in town for the forum, but I knew my facts and made my decisions based on that.

After talking with people around town, it seems like this whole fiasco is just some sort of popularity contest. Who has the most family and who has the most clout? It shouldn't matter if the candidate's last name is McLeod, Kurszewski or even Schwarzenegger.

I'm going to vote for the person I have the most confidence in. Not faith. Wars have been lost and nations have crumbled because of faith. We need answers and a direction.

It's not rocket science, just pick and vote. When the dust settles, we'll know what to do next.

The Kivalliq News now has a weekly online survey called, Have Your Say.

It can be found on the right-hand side of the Kivalliq News home page.

Most people realize surveys can be far from 100 per cent accurate, scientifically speaking that is.

Yet, they are an effective means of checking the general pulse of the public in any given location, especially if a fair number of people take the time to have their say.

The higher the sample size, the more accurate a survey tends to be in reflecting public opinion.

Two weeks ago, for example, those who cast a vote overwhelmingly supported uranium mining in Baker Lake.

They were given the choice of voting no, due to mining companies' poor track record of respecting the land, or yes, due to the fact Baker needs the jobs a uranium mine would produce.

This week, as of press time, people in the Kivalliq were supporting English as the primary language of instruction in our schools at a 90 per cent clip.

Readers had their choice of voting yes for English, at least until Nunavut can offer complete post-secondary education in Inuktitut, or no to English, supporting the stance that Inuktitut should be the main language of instruction in all Kivalliq schools.

The first two weeks of the survey had readers supporting artificial ice in Arviat by the slimmest of margins, and the regulating of bonfires by a wide majority.

The survey can be quite thought provoking on any given subject, and a new question will be added every Wednesday when a fresh edition of the Kivalliq News hits the streets.

Plans are also in the works to have the weekly survey results published in the following edition of the Kivalliq News so readers without Internet access, or who didn't have time to cast their vote the previous week, can follow along with the results.

Web-based surveys can be a useful tool for politicians and organizational heads to get a basic feel for what their constituents may be thinking on any given topic.

And, again, while we're not claiming our survey to be infallible by any means, any question running a 90 per cent or higher opinion rate from a fair number of voters should get our leaders thinking.

Another aspect of the online survey I like personally, is that it gives people the chance to have their say in complete anonymity.

Having said that, a vote on an anonymous survey is nowhere near as effective as writing an articulate, well-researched letter to the editor of your local newspaper, but it does get your voice heard, albeit in a limited forum.

And, you can do it without any fear of fallout over your opinion.

Add in the fact democracy is founded on the secret ballot, and you have a legitimate vehicle for expressing public opinion.

The Kivalliq News will not shy away from asking public opinion on the most controversial issues facing our region today.

But, we will also throw in the odd question every now and then just for fun.

We look forward to seeing the results each week after our Kivalliq readers have had their say.

An error appeared in Wednesday's Yellowknifer ("Men taunt candidate with sexual remarks, Sept. 26). Elections NWT does not post MLA candidates' phone numbers on their website. Yellowknifer apologizes for any errors or confusion caused by the error.