by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 12/97) - A meeting of the constitutional working group scheduled for last week had to be drastically shortened because four of six MLAs in the group were absent.

Three of the four absentees -- Mackenzie Delta's David Krutko, Yellowknife North's Roy Erasmus and Charles Dent of Yellowknife Frame Lake -- left for the Antwerp, Belgium, last Friday, the first day of the meeting.

The trio joined Finance Minister John Todd and his executive assistant and the two other Yellowknife MLAs, Jake Ootes and Seamus Henry, on the week-long trip to promote the establishment of a diamond-sorting facility in the Northwest Territories.

The trip cost an estimated $35,000.

Michael Miltenberger, MLA for Thebacha, and another member of the working group were also absent.

Working group executive director Steve Iveson said the Antwerp trip was scheduled after the constitutional meeting.

"We became aware of it certainly after we had scheduled this meeting," said Iveson. "And it was only over time we became aware of exactly which members were going."

Iveson said the working group still plans to hold its second round of public consultations this winter.

Krutko, Erasmus and Dent were sent a letter in July informing them of tentative dates for two meetings of the CWG, and were asked if the dates fit into their schedules.

The trip to Antwerp was announced publicly last week.

Iveson said he did recall Dent replying back almost immediately that the meeting may be a conflict, but did not know what responses were received from the other three MLAs in the group.

He first became aware of the attendance problem when he returned from vacation on Aug. 25.

Because of the absences, a two-day meeting with 11 items on the agenda was cut back to a one-hour meeting dealing with housekeeping matters.

Cut out of the meeting was a workshop on models for the new western government and a review of the CWG's work plan and budget for the next year and a half.

The aboriginal summit's discussion of its work plan and budget also had to be deferred. Those matters will be dealt with at the next meeting of the working group, which is scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19.