by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 19/97) - The group responsible for bringing home a western constitution unveiled a new plan of action Wednesday.

Changes announced by the constitutional working group sprang from a two-day analysis of input the group received at public meetings held in each western community over the past two months.

The most important of those changes was the adjustment of the deadline for completing the process.

"We heard from the communities that the western process was moving too fast," said co-chair George Kurszewski. "So we have agreed to delay ratification until we have a package that people are more comfortable with."

Under the original plan, a plebiscite on the constitution was to be held in October. That date has been pushed back as much as 18 months, to some time on or before division of the territories in April 1999.

Because it is a federal act, the constitution still has to be made law by Parliament, a process the group has said could take up to two years.

"We have some time now to do a proper job," said co-chair Jim Antoine.

Asked about what changes the group is considering making to the package, Antoine said, "We're not in a position right now to be looking at remodelling." Antoine said officials were working on Partners II, a sequel to Partners in a New Beginning, the draft package released by the working group last October.

Regardless of what alternatives the new package offers, changes to the way the western territory is governed are inevitable.

"It's quite apparent to those of us who have been involved in this that the status quo will be radically altered by self-government agreements now being negotiated," said Kurszewski.

The group also stated all future meetings of the group will be open to the public.

Public concerns that non-native Northerners are under-represented on the working group has resulted in the replacement of member and Sahtu MLA Stephen Kakfwi with Yellowknife Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent.

"I did not come to the table exclusively to address that concern," said Dent. The minister of education, culture and employment said cabinet has been discussing government's involvement in the process and decided to take a more active role.

The group also has a new executive director. Steve Iveson will replace Fred Koe, who has filled the position on a part-time basis for the past year.

Iveson will be working full-time on a salary from the territorial government. He had been working as the director of the self-government division of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.