Editorial
Monday, December 1, 1997
Let Quebec worry about national unity

We know Premier Don Morin's heart was in the right place the other week at the first minister's meeting in Calgary when he agreed to devote some attention to the national unity issue. He could hardly be the only premier to vote against the idea.

But as a poorly attended public meeting hosted by Yellowknife's MLAs last week shows, most Northerners have better things to do than worry about Quebec's place in Confederation. If a city as obsessed with politics and bureaucracy as Yellowknife can only draw seven people on a non-Hockey Night in Canada evening to talk about national unity, then it's doubtful interest would be higher among the good people of Fort Liard or Pangnirtung.

While politicians are elected, in part, to deal with those things with which most of us don't want to be bothered, neither should they let themselves get out of touch with the everyday needs of their constituents.

Canadians -- and Northerners -- have spoken on national unity many times before. Meech Lake was defeated in the face of public opposition. Charlottetown was defeated in a national referendum. Tuktoyaktuk was the first community to have a say in the Spicer Commission back in 1991. (Remember that?) Quebec's second referendum was also defeated. Surely enough has been said.

We believe tomorrow's legislative assembly debate on the issue should be the end of it. The NWT has far more important issues on its plate than how to accommodate Quebec's cultural and national aspirations. For starters, there's the matter of a constitution for the western NWT and the advent of Nunavut. In neither case are we ready for what lies ahead.

Let's get back to what matters to Northerners.


Taxi rules

Last week's story on the unfortunate lack of licensed taxi drivers in many of the NWT's smaller communities should not be cause for alarm. Arviat is not New York City, after all.

Though the danger of traffic accidents in such places is remote, the danger that an insurance company would use the lack of a proper license to wiggle out of paying a claim in the event of an accident is anything but remote.

The priority for our legislators and regulators should be ensuring the law is flexible enough to guarantee proper insurance for cab drivers throughout the North. To that end, requirements for a taxi license should not be beyond the reach of an Arviat cabbie. Let's show a little flexibility.