by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 09/97) - Aboriginal rights need to be protected from the rule of the majority, Yellowknives Dene told the constitutional working group Monday.

"The numbers are changing drastically," said Fred Sangris. "What's going to happen in the next 20 to 50 years when the population comes up to a hundred or a hundred and fifty thousand?"

Working group co-chair Jim Antoine noted the population of the western territory will be 38,000 to 40,000 at the time of division, about half of them non-aboriginal.

"We don't know what's going to happen in the future," said Antoine. "If more mines attract people here, if the population grows, I believe aboriginal people will become a minority."

Sangris said the guarantee of aboriginal representation contained in the draft proposal might be one way of ensuring aboriginal groups that have not negotiated self-government or land claims are not ruled by others in their own land.

Sangris' concern over representation by population was echoed by Ndilo chief Darrell Beaulieu.

"How are original people going to be guaranteed decision-making capacity into the future? We've got to be thinking ahead, like our elders were when they signed our treaty."

Beaulieu said any cynicism aboriginal peoples have about the process is justifiable, considering their treatment at the hands of government since Europeans arrived.

But for most people in the community, he said, debate on the constitution is almost irrelevant.

"How's it going to solve our housing problems, drug and alcohol problems, health problems? We haven't been talking constitution here in our community -- we have those issues to deal with."

Muriel Betsina said the present system has a lot of room for improvement, considering it can take years to make legislation.

"I don't like the European-style House of Commons, I don't like the Ottawa House of Commons. This is the NWT, and we want a new house."

Betsina said the minimum time living in the territories to qualify to run for public office should be more than the present one year.