by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 07/97) - Western Arctic New Democrats are fed up, they're not going to take it any more, and they're betting others feel the same way.

NDP federal election candidate Mary Beth Levan, backed by Northern labor leaders, continued to hammer the Liberals over the weekend in the first major rally of the campaign in the city.

"The outrage and anger is really there in people," said Levan, speaking from the steps of city hall to a gathering of 40 to 50 NDP supporters during Saturday's family rally.

Levan said she spoke to about 300 people the day before, during three hours spent campaigning outside the Wal-Mart department store on Old Airport Road.

"Not one person we spoke to liked what the Liberals were doing," she said.

And, said Levan, Western Arctic incumbent Ethel Blondin-Andrew has forsaken Northerners for the party. "What I'd like to know is why Ethel didn't speak up for Northerners," said Levan.

"Why didn't she speak up about cuts to CBC North? Why didn't she speak up about gun control? Why didn't she speak up on massive cuts to transfer payments to the NWT. Why didn't she speak up for jobs?"

Levan also said Northern aboriginals have grown unhappy with the governing party, a dissatisfaction evident in a scathing review given the party's policies by the a party's own aboriginal commission.

Several members of the commission resigned in 1996, she pointed out.