Editorial page

Wednesday, June 16, 1999

Setting a place at the table

Exactly what is the role of the territorial government when it comes to land claims?

That is the question that hangs in the air after the representatives of the Akaitcho Treaty 8 people declared a moratorium on development on their land.

In a conversation last March, a DIAND representative assured the staff at this newspaper that land claims agreements were three-party affairs and that an agreement wasn't an agreement until "all three parties agreed."

The Akaitcho Treaty 8 chiefs, on the other hand, don't want the GNWT at the table for the negotiations; their deal, they maintain, is between themselves and the feds.

Dangling in mid-air is the GNWT.

As the drive for self-government goes forward, the role of the territorial government must be established. After all, it is the territorial government that is going to have to abide by what ever is decided. That alone would seem reason enough to have them at the table.

The GNWT is also the only voice for all those in the Western Arctic that aren't represented by land claims groups. That is a sizable group -- about half the population.

When the chiefs called for a halt to development, they were expressing their frustration with a process that isn't working. Negotiations with the federal government have dragged on for years and the parties are still arguing about the framework in which serious talks can proceed.

Now, the presence of the territorial government is a sticking point. If the federal government thinks the GNWT deserves a place at the negotiations, they could start conceding to the territorial government some responsibilities that would give them some weight.

The talks are all transference of power. The GNWT doesn't have much. It is up to the federal government to change that. Then the GNWT will have to be at the table.


Here we go again

The public school teachers have walked away from the bargaining table and yesterday they announced a fall strike vote.

Veiled threats are flying from both sides, but we will probably see this coming to a non-event conclusion, just as we've seen a dozen times before. Both sides are saying they won't budge and are willing to fight a battle over what amounts to a few dollars.

There are no winners in such negotiations, but we always seem to have to go through the motions.

There are always clear losers, however: the ratepayers and the students.

If the GNWT offers a paltry few dollars and a pat on the back, perhaps the educators will get on with the business of educating, both sides can save some face, the taxpayers can save some money and this newspaper can save some ink.


A simple courtesy

There comes a point when who is right and who is wrong is almost unimportant in the face of the questions of common courtesy and doing things the right way.

The recent 30-day suspension of Superintendent Ken Woodley by the Yellowknife School Board is such a case.

Woodley was suspended, with pay, while he was out of town: no real reason given, no explanation forthcoming.

The only reason given by the board was that it required time to conduct a performance review on Woodley.

Regardless of the rationales or reasons, anyone being suspended deserves to know about it before he hears it through the grapevine. The problem with common courtesy today is that it's not nearly common enough.


Bright future for first Nunavut graduates
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

With high school graduations taking place across the Keewatin this week and next, many of our youth are about to enter the next phase of their lives and the future has never been brighter.

With Nunavut now a reality, many programs and initiatives have started, or are in the works, to encourage further training and post-secondary education in an attempt to keep more of our youth studying in Nunavut.

Incentives for home ownership, more and more job opportunities opening up at the territorial and municipal levels, and technological advances and modern equipment becoming evident across the Keewatin all add extra incentives for our youth to remain at home.

It can be quite a scary time for teenagers at this stage in their lives. All too quickly the joy of graduation wears off and the uncertainty of what lay ahead begins to take hold.

We hope that our Class of '99 grads across the Keewatin will not bend to the spectre of apprehension, but, will look upon their futures as one of growth, tremendous opportunity and almost unlimited potential.

Today's grads have opportunities which none who came before them experienced, all tied to finally having a land they can call their own.

With the need for young, bright minds to chart Nunavut's course during the coming decades comes the dawn of a rebirth, a renewed sense of purpose and a strengthened commitment to improving our quality of life.

With more than half of Nunavut's population being under the age of 25, there can be no doubt our greatest resource is our youth and one of our greatest strengths may well prove to be our territory's brash confidence and youthful exuberance as we tackle the challenges awaiting us.

There is more and more emphasis being placed on education across the Keewatin. With the NTEP starting to churn out a string of educators native to our territory with a solid understanding of the things that are indigenous to our land, the impetus for our youth to continue with their educations can only grow.

This June sees the first graduates of Nunavut. Hopefully, our first wave will prove itself to be a strong one and their future success will help pave the way for those who will follow behind them.

Good luck to all our grads across the Kivalliq and a resounding job well done. Everyone should be truly proud of their accomplishments.