DEH CHO - As the results came in from the polls on election night leaders in the Deh Cho weighed in on what the Conservative majority and the return of Dennis Bevington as the Western Arctic MP will mean for the region.

For the Dehcho First Nations (DFN) the Conservative majority will mean working with a familiar government. DFN has been working with the Conservatives on the Dehcho Process for the last five years and have made relatively good headway, said Grand Chief Samuel Gargan.

There is currently no federal negotiator assigned to the process but Gargan said he will be in Ottawa next week and will be making inquiries about having the position filled. In addition to having a shared history on the Dehcho Process, DFN also has a good working relationship with the Conservative government's environment minister Peter Kent.

Gargan stopped short of labelling the election of another Conservative government as a positive development. Using the same comments he made about block voting earlier in the campaign, Gargan said that DFN can't be seen to favour one government over another.

"It's really between our members and the ballot box," he said.

Gargan had similarly muted comments about Dennis Bevington who was reelected as the Western Arctic MP. Gargan said he meets with Bevington at every opportunity he has while in Ottawa. Bevington has organized meetings in the capital for DFN in the past.

"The working relationship has always been good with Dennis," Gargan said.

Watching the Western Arctic polls from Fort Simpson, the village's mayor Sean Whelly said the results are a validation of the commitment and hard work Bevington has shown for the values of Northerners, especially considering the high calibre of competition he faced.

Bevington should now have four secure years that will give him more time to do things for the North, he said. Whelly said he expects Bevington's voice to be stronger than ever because of the fact that he's an incumbent familiar with parliament and because the NDP is now the official opposition.

Whelly sees Bevington's re-election as a positive development for Fort Simpson.

"I feel as though Dennis has done some good work for the village," Whelly said.

Local issues

Bevington took an interest in the issues surrounding the village's sewage treatment plant and the environmental order the village was subsequently placed under. He wrote a letter to the federal minister of the environment that helped raise the visibility of the issue, Whelly said.

On a national front, Whelly made some personal comments about the Conservative majority.

"The Conservatives have been good for the economy of Canada, even if you disagree with some of their policies," he said.

The Conservatives have been pro-North but Whelly said he would like to see the government focus more on the NWT and provide funding for programs targeting the North, particularly the development of aboriginal businesses.

Fresh from the Fort Simpson polling station where he was a Conservative scrutineer, Kirby Groat, the president of the Fort Simpson Chamber of Commerce, was happy to hear of the Conservative majority.

"A very good positive step forward," he said.

Stephen Harper has definitely had an interest in the NWT, said Groat. As for Bevington, Groat said he'd like to see the MP work to ensure the Deh Cho Loop is upgraded and the Mackenzie Valley Highway is built.

Fort Simpson would benefit from the road to resources and the increased tourism from both of the road routes, Groat said. The Mackenzie Valley Highway will also be beneficial for all of the communities along the valley, he said.

Groat was also positive while taking a broad look over the election process.

"It's been a very good campaign here," he said.

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