by Chris Meyers Almey
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 19/97) - Sahtu Dene and Metis are blaming their MP, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, for the loss of a lucrative oil exploration deal.

The leaders of the Tulita Dene and Metis are also condemning Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Ron Irwin and the Liberal government.

But the loss of support will hurt Blondin-Andrew the most because she was born in Tulita and was expecting the region's votes in the June 2 federal election.

Sahtu leaders say the region has lost an immediate payment of $2.5 million from the oil company and five per cent of net profits from any oil or gas discovered on a parcel of land the federal government recently opened for exploration bids.

"We could have got a training program going for our young people. Now I don't know. We have a lot of high unemployment in the Sahtu," Chief Gordon Yakeleya said.

"We could have saved the government a lot of hand-out money."

Yakeleya said the people "are unhappy with our MP. I think it, too. I feel really bad about it because there is a lot of youth suffering."

A public meeting on the matter is being held in Tulita on Wednesday.