Monday, January 24, 2000
Many Northerners agree Stephen Kakfwi's time has come to be premier.
Over a long career, he has always been practical. As Dene Nation president, he labelled the territorial government an illegitimate creation. Soon after, as an MLA, he saw the practical advantages of a large bureaucracy, and embraced it as his vehicle to bring the Dene out of the political wilderness.
On his single-minded climb to the premier's chair, he made enemies among Dene leaders in the territories who hated the GNWT, and among non-aboriginal leaders who did not share his straightforward brand of politics.
During Kakfwi's tenure in many portfolios, he proved to be a competent manager rather than a dynamic force for change.
He won battles over the secondary diamond industry, which were delivered by former finance minister John Todd, who set the stage for compromise by leaping into the fray with sword and tongue.
So Kakfwi's in the driver's seat now. What's he going to do?
Is he going to listen to DIAND minister Bob Nault's sweet words on devolution and resource royalty sharing and work shoulder to shoulder with the feds? This means making do with what the feds give without complaint. It means sitting at the self-government table with the Dene leadership, knowing the feds really make the deal that the GNWT will have to administer.
And when money gets tight and timelines get snarled, the GNWT will be blamed and the Dene territories will try to carve off more of the territorial bureaucracy, believing they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Or Kakfwi could become an ally of the Dene territories. Send former premier Jim Antoine to the Deh Cho and Akaitcho Treaty 8 chiefs with the mandate to help them get exactly they want from the federal government, using the formidable resources of the territorial bureaucracy.
Dispense with the charade of the "third party at the table." Make it two parties -- Northerners and feds. This will signal self-government leaders across the NWT that working together brings results and results bring economic prosperity.
The territorial government is as fragile as the once-united Dene Nation. Fragmentation may take longer but it can happen and indeed will if the centre does not serve the diverse politics of the whole.
Nunavut, which may be a triumph for Inuit, is a living example of what happens when a government fails to serve.
Let it be a lesson for our new premier as he ponders his agenda for a new North.
The federal government learned a fundamental lesson in democracy this week.
Ottawa announced a financial support program for National Hockey League teams in Canada. The program required the participation of the provinces as well.
The outcry from the public was enormous.
Advocates for the homeless, representatives of agriculture, educators, healthcare workers and thousands of ordinary voters howled in protest over giving the well-heeled operators of a professional sports league a break.
Putting the merits of the plan aside, it goes to show that people who get involved in the political process can make a difference. That is the engine that drives a democracy.
Nunavut is in need of trade schools in the territory. Repeatedly, potential tradespeople have told News\North that they want to study a trade, but can't their homes and families -- sometimes the reasons are financial, but there are other considerations.
Understanding that trades are a priority in a developing territory, the Department of Education is working towards their own apprenticeship branch, scheduled to open sometime this year.
With the interest running high among men and women alike and the clear need for skilled hands, it won't take long for a full-fledged school to get off the ground and successfully running in Nunavut.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) took a step in the right direction when it purchased 58 sewing machines and gave them to women's groups across the territory.
By following through on suggestions to improve the Nunavut Harvesters Support Program, the land claim organization showed they were open to financially and morally recognizing that women are an integral part of the hunting culture of the Inuit.
Let's hope, however, that such recognition wasn't a one-time offer.
What's needed, and what will boost Nunavut's fledgling economy, is to provide the other half of the population with the tools and material they need to produce extremely marketable goods.
This then, is an open challenge to NTI president Paul Quassa to rise to the occasion and provide women with the equal opportunities they need and deserve.
Quassa, as NTI's leader, is in the perfect -- not to mention obligatory -- position to do this. Not only does he represent both sexes of beneficiaries in all matters, but he controls the purse strings and has the money to assist women in their business endeavours.
As stated, that step has already been taken. What Quassa has to do now is make available the funds women need to purchase their own sewing machines so they can work towards heightened financial independence.
Quassa needs to provide the money women need to purchase skins and materials to make products to sell and to clothe their families.
And Quassa needs to make available the funds women need to continue to provide the support they have given for centuries to the hunters in their culture.
It's not fair that the role of one sex be raised or celebrated above that of the other. Both men and women bring very important skills to harvesting and until that is recognized by the powers that be, the harvesting economy will not flourish as it could or should.
So, Quassa. You're back on top. Let's see what you can do.