Monday, January 13, 1997
Taking Nunavut to the people
It is a good idea. Few south of 60 are aware of the huge political changes looming for their Northern neighbors.
One item sure to interest southerners is the NIC recommendation that each electoral district in Nunavut be represented by both a man and a woman.
The 'gender parity' idea will doubtless draw attention. It is a bold and for some a contentious move and has a refreshing appeal in a country that seems to have run out of new political ideas.
In fact, the notion of government by consensus rather than confrontation will no doubt stir some discussion in the South. Skepticism about national political parties is running high and with good reason.
There is a lot of political hardball to be played before the future of Nunavut is charted.
At the top of chief commissioner John Amagoalik's list should be the Liberal caucus. The general level of awareness of issues facing the North is no higher in the House of Commons than it is on the streets of Ottawa. Our future, like it or not, depends on the support of the Federal government.
The more the nation understands the issues, the greater support there will be for the government to spend the money required for the creation of Nunavut.
Perhaps Amagoalik has taken a few lessons from Zebedee Nungak, the well-travelled president of Makivik Corporation.
Amagoalik's job is to win over Canadians and then show Ottawa that people are behind him. He can't do that sitting in Nunavut.
We wish him and his colleagues luck. ( 1/13/97 )
While Inuit and Dene may have mixed feelings about early explorers, they were good at collecting things.
One major drawback was that some explorers collected artifacts without regard for ownership. They even took people, as if they were historical objects, with no thought of returning anything.
But now, as with Robert Kennicott's collection of Dene and Inuvialuit artifacts (he paid for much of it) which will hopefully be coming North, there is great potential to recapture some history.
It will be up to Dene and Inuit scholars to do some exploring of their own in the museums of North America and Europe. ( 1/13/97 )
If we all get 15 minutes of fame, as Andy Warhol once said, then New Year's babies have little to look forward to -- the thrill is gone before they're old enough to appreciate it, much less Andy Warhol's wisdom.
But we are pleased to encourage an otherwise harmless tradition, as we did last week. That this year's first baby will be given up for adoption is, happily, irrelevant.
Once, that would be cause for embarrassment. But today there are some new parents somewhere celebrating their good fortune. And we celebrate with them what can best be called progress. ( 1/13/97 )