Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 02/99) - The rift between urban and non-urban Northerners can be healed if constitutional recommendations from a government committee are accepted.

That is the message from members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations.

It is also echoed by members of the Aboriginal Summit, an organization of Metis and Dene.

"Time and time again the committee heard that the passage of Bill 15 would create a rift among Northern peoples," said committee chair Roy Erasmus.

"We heard the Friends of Democracy referred to as the Fathers of Apartheid."

The Friends of Democracy are a Yellowknife-based group advocating equal voting clout for individuals.

Last week, Bill Erasmus, National Chief of the Dene Nation and co-chair of the summit, urged for the recommendations to be accepted.

"The committee members who sponsored this report did go out and listen to the people," he said in a press release issued last week. "Their report should be taken seriously."

The release reads that the NWT cabinet has already "rejected some proposed measures."

But later in the day, Premier Jim Antoine referred to the release during the clause by clause review of Bill 15.

He stressed the cabinet will consult with aboriginal leaders and others and "consider" all of the committee's recommendations and "if there is a buy-in we will also attempt to develop legislation. We will consider that."