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Moving family law into the 20th century
One of the marks of a truly sophisticated society is the way it cares for its children. Traditionally in the North, extended families provided for children collectively and in those societies the welfare of children was everybody's business.
By comparison, today's society has a lot of ground to make up. Too frequently, the Byzantine complexity of well-intentioned laws designed to ensure the adequate care and support of children actually delays decisions.
Sometimes decisions concerning custody and child support are made in court, far removed from the source of the domestic dispute. And far too often children end up being the victims of the laws that are intended to protect them.
So we welcome the cabinet's introduction of four acts of legislation designed to streamline the process by which family disputes are settled.
As the North moves towards giving the communities a greater voice in their future, it is only appropriate that the community participates in resolving family disputes.
The act's suggestion of the creation of "plan of care" committees involving the family and the community brings the decision-making process closer to home.
Adoption and divorce are also dealt with in the proposals. In the matter of divorce, it is important to ensure that family support payments are assessed equitably and quickly. The criteria for payment must be clear and unequivocal.
Adoption has had a painful history in the North. Historically, too many aboriginal children have been uprooted and relocated by an arbitrary system that tried to remake people to fit the system.
Resolving family issues is a complicated and delicate business. The cabinet should be encouraged to listen to public comments on the proposed laws then move quickly to reform an often unwieldy and time-consuming process.
Six years ago, the federal government signed a land claim agreement with the Gwich'in of the Mackenzie Delta. Ottawa promised, in writing, to pass legislation establishing a series of environmental panels for the Mackenzie Valley no later than December 1994.
While the timing of the Gwich'in lawsuit over the delay is suspect -- it's no coincidence that we're in the midst of a federal election campaign -- the Gwich'in are right to feel betrayed.
Passing the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act must be among the first tasks tackled by whichever party wins on June 2.
Two Hay River egg producers are fighting tooth and nail all efforts by the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency to prevent them from selling their eggs as they choose.
It's a classic case of the federal government forgetting the North exists. Federal regulations drawn up in 1972 did not envision egg producing operations north of 60.
One producer has been to court 27 times, the other was forced to slaughter 60,000 chickens in 1992. Yet they fight on, all the way to the Supreme Court.
We wish them luck. Their success will be a shot in the arm for Northern agriculture.
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