by Chris Meyers Almey
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 16/97) - Some Western Arctic election candidates appear to have put their political careers on the line by signing an election pledge.

But Independent Wally Firth, one of the three who agreed in writing Wednesday night to improve the lives of aboriginals if elected, said he'd "be willing to go to jail for signing this."

Dene Nation Grand Chief Bill Erasmus asked all five candidates at a debate at Northern United Place to sign an agenda to improve the situation of First Nations.

New Democrat Mary Beth Levan and Reform candidate Mike Watt also agreed to sign the document.

But then Liberal Ethel Blondin-Andrew dropped a bombshell. "The Election Act makes it illegal to sign pledges, so I can't sign this," she said.

The incumbent MP was referring to a section of the act forbidding candidates from signing any document presented to them during the campaign in the form of a demand "to follow a course of action that will prevent him from exercising freedom of action in Parliament."

Also refusing to sign was Tory Bob Dowdall, who said he would "dearly love to, but I don't have the authority on behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party."

The agenda at issue sought support in nine areas, including action on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, an independent lands rights tribunal and a new lands claims policy.

Erasmus also wanted a new fiscal relationship with First Nations, resource revenue sharing and economic and social problems addressed.

Elections Canada spokesman Jacques Mackay confirmed Thursday that signing the pledge would constitute a violation of the act. Anyone convicted of violating the section could be fined up to $5,000, receive a maximum jail sentence of five years and lose the right to vote or run for Parliament for five years.

As of Thursday, however, no complaints had been received by Elections Canada, Mackay said.

Erasmus was a member of a panel that included Marie Zarowny, Addena Sumter-Freitag and Kevin O'Reilly who put questions to the candidates.

Issues were also raised by the audience, including the stubbornly high unemployment rate, still close to 10 per cent.

Zarowny wanted to know what measures the candidates would take to get that figure down to five per cent.

Dowdall said setting targets is a mug's game. Industry has to take an active role as governments can't do it alone.

Levan pointed out that Canada has the 12th-lowest tax rate on corporations among western democracies and suggested we need a fairer tax system.

Firth said the unemployment rate in some native communities runs from 75 to 90 per cent.

The fur industry, which was ruined after it served people for 200 years, enabled them to raise families and buy homes, but now there are too many poor people, he said.

Watt said the federal government must first get its financial house in order.

Defending her government's record, Blondin-Andrew said the Liberals have put $800 million into retraining and $300 million in a transitional job fund for high-unemployment areas. Over the next two years 600,000 jobs will be created, she predicted.