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The failure of our territorial leaders to negotiate a resource royalties agreement with the federal government is costing the NWT millions.

Resource royalties do not have to be tied to a devolution deal.

There are already examples of the feds anteing up resource revenue to Northern groups with the will to fight. In 2003, the Dehcho negotiated an interim resource development agreement with Ottawa. The deal granted the Dehcho a percentage of royalties collected in the Mackenzie Valley.

Then in 2005, $500 million was earmarked for 15 NWT communities to help offset social impacts of developing the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline.

This came as result of pressure from oil companies beset with demands to address social ills caused by the pipeline. That deal also required agreement from aboriginal groups, the GNWT and the feds. The will was there and the deal made.

The precedent has been set and the GNWT needs to fight harder for a royalties deal to benefit our territory by untangling it from the devolution issue.

Territorial coffers are dwindling. That reality is propelling our closed-minded, weak-willed leaders to propose taxes and cost of living increases that will only hinder more than help.

Former premier Joe Handley and the parade of high-profile negotiators liaising between him and Ottawa made us believe a devolution agreement was just days from being ratified.

After hearing those assurances for years, it quickly became obvious it was all smoke and mirrors. Now, Premier Floyd Roland has basically said a devolution deal has been all but shelved.

It's time to simplify negotiations complicated by a labyrinth of politics and legions of third parties. While we cannot stop fighting for the devolution of federal powers, we have to get our hands on some of the resource dollars flowing straight to Ottawa.

In 2006, the federal government siphoned $270 million in resource royalties out of the territory. In 2005, then-premier Joe Handley predicted with the completion and peak production of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline the NWT's royalty output could reach $500 million.

Based on that figure and a 50 per cent sharing deal, the territory could stand to make approximately $250 million in royalty revenue. That's not to mention new jobs and spinoffs for Northern contractors.

Resource revenue will allow the GNWT to further develop much needed infrastructure, create employment and reduce the cost of living. The result will be a more prosperous NWT.

From a federal perspective the investment would be relatively small, but there would be major gains. It would show Canada's commitment to invest in the North. More jobs means more people.

More people will make improving transportation infrastructure easier to justify and that in turn will tighten our claim on Arctic sovereignty.

What we need to get it done is a strong leader. Any takers?

Despite at least three visits to Nunavut in the last month or so, the Conservatives still don't seem to grasp what Inuit want from the federal government.

Last month, the federal Justice minister made a stop Iqaluit to get input on changes the government proposed to make to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. That act, which replaced the Young Offenders' Act in April 2003, emphasizes the rehabilitation of youth who run afoul of the law and their reintegration into the community.

The proposals the justice minister outlined last month in Iqaluit are designed to steer the act back in the direction of punishment over rehabilitation.

Nunavut-based justice workers say it's particularly ill-suited to the North because the emphasis on incarceration, in this territory, means removing young offenders hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometres from their families and home communities.

Seeing as the number of young offenders relegated to lock-up would undoubtedly increase under such punishment-driven policy, where would the Conservatives propose to put these troubled youth? Are they going to construct a new detention centre? Is that what Nunavut Conservative candidate Leona Aglukkaq supports?

The money would be better invested in rehabilitation and on-the-land programs.

That, however, is not the only troubling stance from atop of the Conservative party. When Prime Minister Stephen Harper dropped into Iqaluit unannounced on Sept. 20, just after the legislative assembly had passed its much-heralded Inuit Language Protection Act, Harper said the federal government is not bound by any province or territory's language requirements. This unacceptable attitude may very well explain why the federal government only has Inuit filling 30 to 40 per cent of its jobs in Nunavut.

Add that to the feds' continued refusal to add Inuk representation to the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission and you have a government that wants all the public relations value of photo ops in the "true North" but hasn't hung around long enough to find out what the people up here really want.

Granted, the Conservatives aren't dogged by a Liberal carbon tax plan that has been largely rejected by territorial leaders. Harper's party does have a strong economic development platform and has taken concrete steps on Arctic sovereignty, including bolstering the Canadian Rangers.

The Conservatives have demonstrated an ardent interest in the North, but their party leaders have missed the mark on a few Nunavut fronts during the campaign to date.

Aglukkaq, a capable and resilient territorial politician, may have a hard sell ahead of her. She is left to play up points in the party's national platform that may benefit Nunavummiut - such as fuel tax cuts - while emphasizing her own record on issues where the Conservatives are not-so-attractive.

Whether she would stand against her own party on Parliament Hill is the important question.

There aren't many campaign signs to be found around the Deh Cho but the federal election is fast approaching.

On Thursday there were 19 days left until voters go to the polls to choose Canada's next government.

If following politics at a national level isn't something that interests you the impending election might have barely registered in your consciousness. Ottawa is, after all, a long way away and the party leaders don't make a lot of house calls around the Deh Cho.

Candidates in the Western Arctic, however, are making their ways to as many places as possible in the territory before the polling day. While on the election trail every candidate will be explaining their parties' platforms to anyone who's willing to listen.

Most of the points will be broad and apply to changes they'd like to make across the territory. It will be up to voters to ask pointed questions and find out what a party has to offer the Deh Cho.

There are a few areas that candidates should be quizzed about. Near the top of the list is what will their party do, if elected, with regards to the Dehcho Process.

The Dehcho First Nations has been in long-standing negotiations with Canadian government. Deh Cho voters need to know if other parties have considered the Dehcho Process and whether or not they would expedite the negotiations. Also, if re-elected, does the Conservative government have any concrete timelines for how they'll move forward with the process?

Part and parcel with the Dehcho Process is the Dehcho Land Use Plan. Candidates should also know where their party stands on conservation levels for the area.

On the subject of conservation, the Nahanni National Park Reserve is also an issue some people will want to raise. Residents who are concerned about the amount of land that may or may not be included within the park's final boundary will want to direct candidates' attention to that area.

All of those issues, however, are things that won't effect daily life for most residents. Many people want to know what a political party is promising to do for them.

Ideas for how to lower the price of living in the North are something every candidate should have. The Deh Cho isn't exactly a hotbed of economic opportunity and with rising costs many people are feeling the pinch.

Concrete plans, however, instead of vague ideas and half-mumbled promises are what will get candidates the support from the people in Deh Cho.

By questioning candidates about local issues residents can make the federal election more personal. Even if playing 20 questions doesn't inspire more people to vote it will at least keep the candidates on their toes.

No matter what political candidate you support or how many posters you put up outside your house, none of it matters unless you vote.

That's right Inuvik, it's election time again, but now we're looking at a broad campaign for the member of parliament for the NWT.

Now, we have familiar faces and an incumbent looking to continue his work on Parliament Hill.

In the past weeks, we have heard all sorts of new regulations for our voting process.

The powers-that-be decided all voters across the country should provide photo identification at the polls to prevent voter fraud.

Preventing voter fraud is a horrible excuse for this regulation.

Some I have spoken to are claiming it's about controlling who gets elected.

While it all sounds like a plot for a lazy movie about conspiracy theories, the issue raises questions.

With many people in the NWT living their lives in smaller communities with reduced services, one has to wonder if they will have problems voting.

I just logged onto the Elections Canada website and it tells me people living in the Western Arctic riding have three options to vote.

The first choice is to bring in a piece of government-issued ID with a photo on it, like your driver's licence.

The second choice would be to bring two pieces of non-photo ID which prove your identity and residence. That includes a power bill or health care card.

The third and final option for those of us up North who want to vote is to swear an oath and be vouched for by someone in the community who is on the voters' list in your polling division. That person needs to provide ID as well.

If there was ever a way to reduce the number of Northern voters, I think this is it.

People I know don't like voting but they do it anyways. They go into the polling station, check in with the clerk and mark their ballot.

From what I can see, all the new regulations will do is deter people - sending them back home to search for power bills or a neighbour to vouch for them. How many will bother to return to the polling station?

I'm glad the people of the region were at least given this brief window to get their affairs in order.

By that, I mean they have some time to rifle through their belongings to find enough paperwork to vote.

It's going to be interesting to see the numbers once the dust settles on this October election.

I hope Elections Canada is doing everything it possibly can to inform people in remote communities about the changes to the voting system.

What about the people who don't have any ID or don't have any utilities in their name?

I don't think there is enough time to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and fill out forms to get a suitable ID before then.

Maybe the best solution is to sign up for a power bill, if only to have your name on file.

What we need to remember is this: no matter what obstacles are put in our way, we need to vote.

Read the notices and be prepared to prove who you are on voting day.

A good turnout by remote voters could sway the decision away from bigger centres like Yellowknife.

The most recent sitting of Nunavut's legislative assembly should have closed out on a high note this past week with the passage of Bill 7 - the Inuit Language Protection Act - and members gearing up to file their candidacy this week for the upcoming territorial elections.

But it was simply not to be as, once again, Nunavut's version of the political Soprano family just couldn't keep from shooting themselves in the foot with outrageous statements.

The upcoming election held the promise of diverting the public's attention away from the Soprano's performance of the past year, which included the usual legal troubles, gag orders, bullying tactics against those who would dare criticize them, public apologies and numerous incidents of embarrassing behaviour on the part of a number of family members.

Missing, yet again, was a sense of acceptance that elected politicians must adhere to the rules and laws governing their positions, no matter what their cultural background.

It was astonishing to hear Hudson Bay MLA Peter Kattuk vote against accepting Integrity Commissioner Norman Pickell's report sanctioning Baker Lake MLA David Simailak for his conduct while a cabinet minister.

Pickell ruled Simailak had repeatedly violated Nunavut's Integrity Act while minister of Economic Development and Finance between 2005 and 2007 in connection to his private business interests.

Kattuk claimed the report and sanctions do not conform with traditional Inuit values.

Admitting your mistake, apologizing and making restitution for your actions do not conform to Inuit values?

We certainly look forward to having Mr. Kattuk explain that one to us.

Equally outrageous was Rankin North MLA Tagak Curley's notion that science should be thrown out the window and only Inuit Qaujiniajatuqangit (IQ) used in determining the strength of wildlife numbers in Nunavut.

The contention was a blight on what was otherwise a fairly solid year for Curley in the assembly.

Science and traditional Inuit knowledge have to learn to work together to protect wildlife resources.

Currently, science finds itself in an adversarial position with hunters and numerous Inuit organizations concerning wildlife conservation practices.

However, to insinuate IQ holds all the answers and needs little or no input from modern science parallels Russian claims they invented pizza (and just about everything else) during the days of the Cold War.

Surely our legislative assembly, as a whole, realizes the importance of modern science in preserving our precious wildlife numbers.

And, surely our politicians realize the best approach in ensuring we sustain those numbers is through complete co-operation between science and IQ?

While it remains to be seen what Nunavummiut will have to say come election day, surely many voters will have had enough of what has emanated from Iqaluit during the government's past term and that voice will speak of change.

Too much of what has come from the capital during this government's past term would turn Nunavut green, if we could only figure out how to get it in bags and spread it properly.

In the candidates forum in the Nunavut News/North Sept. 22 issue, the photos of Paul Irngaut and Kirt Ejesiak were reversed due to a production error. Nunavut News/North apologizes for any confusion or embarrassment resulting from the error. Please see page 23 for this week's questions and answers.

Also in the Sept. 22 issue, the article "Harper comes bearing gifts" should have been attributed to reporter Carolyn Sloan. Nunavut News/North apologizes for the error.

Gwen Angulalik was aboard the Russian Icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov this summer. Incorrect information appeared in the Cambridge Bay Tea Talk column in the Sept. 1 issue. Nunavut News/North apologizes for the error.