Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 31/99) - Sheila Purdy is taking her love of the North to her new role at the Indian Claims Commission.

She was appointed as one of six Indian Claims commissioners on May 13, and is just now starting to settle into her new role.

"In terms of working with the Indian Claims Commission, if I look back at my former experience I'd have to say nothing is accidental," Purdy said.

"I've always looked for work that deals with human rights and issues that deal with fairness and justice."

The Indian Claims Commission was established in 1991 to help First Nations settle specific land claims with the federal government. Since then, the commission has looked into 46 claims, 23 of which have either been settled or accepted for further negotiation.

Although Purdy says the commission's recommendations are non-binding, they do influence the outcome of land claims in Canada.

"I think (the reports) we produce are taken very seriously. They are very public and the federal government must revisit issues based on our findings," Purdy said.

"Often, the information we're presented with has been prepared by experts from both the First Nations and the federal government. Sometimes they do joint research and I think, more and more, there's the view that both sides need to co-operate."

Besides taking holiday adventures to places like Arctic Bay, Purdy's experience with the North include being a GNWT advisor on justice, territorial division and the creation of Nunavut.

Purdy said working with the GNWT, the federal Justice Department and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. on forming a single court system was a proud moment for her. In Nunavut, the Supreme Court and territorial court have been moulded into one system.

"A lot of my involvement was in advancing the policy of having a single court and a much greater role for justices of the peace in the communities. Nunavut is working on various alterations to the justice system that are more sensitive to community and culture," Purdy said.

"The advantage of a single court is you don't have two judges travelling through the communities. There is one judge who will get to know the communities better and, more importantly, the communities will get to know the judge."

"I think it was a very brave move and the rest of Canada will be looking at the single court system that was created in Nunavut as a model," she added.

Purdy said the North will always have a special place in her heart and that she will be bringing the experience she has on Northern issues to the commission.

"I think my work with the GNWT and Nunavut, where there's a combination of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people focusing on working together and maintaining culture identities, will be a great help," Purdy said.

"In the North, there are treaty First Nations, so there are claims that we may have to deal with in the future."