Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 08/99) - NWT Premier Jim Antoine says a deal reached Thursday between Ottawa and the territories -- minus Quebec -- over the Social Union is a positive development all Northerners will benefit from.

"I think there's some good developments here for the Northwest Territories," he said Thursday afternoon, shortly after leaving a four-hour First Minister's meeting at 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of Prime Minister Jean Chretien. "I think the federal government has committed (to a) three-month lead time before new (programs and policies in areas of provincial and territorial jurisdiction are announced by the federal government) developments."

"The type of program that is developed by the federal government and then imposed on people (in the provinces and territories) will not happen again."

The Social Union will also respect aboriginal treaty and self-government processes, Antoine said. He also pointed out that the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Canada's aboriginal leadership as a whole had been shut out of Social Union discussions. The AFN's national chief, Phil Fontaine, had contacted him earlier with his concerns.

"There is a commitment by the premiers to have a meeting with aboriginal leaders," Antoine said when asked what effect his intervention had.

The First Minister's meeting also reconfirmed an earlier agreement concerning health-care dollars from Ottawa. Under its terms, the provinces and territories have agreed to spend increases in health dollars from Ottawa only in that area. Ottawa has traditionally been reluctant to provide money for health without a guarantee the provinces and territories won't spend it in other areas.

Recent polling showed an increasing uneasiness among Canadians over the country's much-vaunted medicare system. Observers have expected the Chretien government to respond to this by offering more federal funds -- after five years of cuts -- to the cash-strapped system in the government's upcoming budget.

Thursday's talks confirmed this cash infusion, though Antoine said an exact figure has yet to be announced. It will become public at the release of Finance Minister Paul Martin's budget later this month.

On the personal side, Antoine said he felt a sense of history upon entering 24 Sussex Drive, which has been the home of Canadian prime ministers since Louis St. Laurent served in the 1950s.

"I'm going to tell them it's a nice old place," he said with a chuckle when asked what stories he'll tell in future years about the visit. He also chuckled and offered a diplomatic answer when asked which of the provincial premiers he liked the best.

"I think they all have their own special characteristics," he said.

As to the prime minister, Antoine said he and Chretien had a few minutes of private talks. He said Chretien reminisced about his years as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in the 1970s.