Monday, March 13, 2000
Metis Nation President George Morin is caught in the middle of a feud between the Northern and southern members.
Morin has come out in support of the South Slave locals, who need to define their membership numbers as they enter into framework agreement talks for a land claim.
When a resolution excluding Treaty Indians from the Metis membership was passed at the Nation's last AGA, five members from Northern locals stormed out of the meeting and promptly formed the Mackenzie Metis Nation.
Without consulting their membership, the newly-formed Mackenzie Metis Nation called for the head of the just-elected Morin and requested the dissolution of the Metis Nation and the distribution of assts.
No vote took place; just five angry members took it upon themselves to split the Nation. The five leaders of the new Nation side-stepped the democratic process for no other reason than what may have been a last-ditch attempt to hang on to the perks, per diems and administration fees that go with running a local.
The federal government has fueled this debate with their own muddy thinking.
There has never been a clear definition of who is Metis and who is Indian within the Indian Act, as the federal government has ignored the existence of the Metis as an aboriginal group since the 1800s.
The government has left the definition up to the population to fight it out among themselves. With that, they can put the Metis on the backburner for another hundred years while they deal with their long list of broken promises.
The Metis will, in time, define themselves as the proud nation they once were, gaining the recognition of their heritage from governments that have spurned them since Riel led his ill-fated rebellion.
For the sake of the forgotten people, we hope it happens sooner, rather than later.
At first glance, the reaction of the Workers' Compensation Board to four men diving for clams in Qikiqtarjuaq seems a bit heavy-handed, to say the least.
After seeing a series of photographs in News/North, the board sent a safety officer to the community. The safety officer issued a stop-work order because the divers did not have commercial diving licences.
It seems that the divers were selling the clams they had harvested to Papiruq Fisheries and therefore were engaging in diving for commercial purposes.
While it would be easy to say that the actions of the board were excessive, the affair brings to light some of the shortcomings of training and regulations in the North.
In fairness, the WCB officer was no doubt acting within the definitions and regulations of the board he represents.
In order to obtain commercial licences, the divers would have to take training programs that are only available in the south.
The incident is reminiscent of gun-control legislation, which addresses concerns about the possession and use of firearms in the south, without taking into consideration the needs of a society that, in part, lives off the land.
If training in underwater diving is to be available in the North (and it is a good idea) then the programs should be designed with the needs of the people in mind.
The North is a practical place. What those in the south might consider recreations: hunting, fishing, boating, snowmobiling, are all essentials for many people in the North.
Diving isn't a Northern recreation, it is another way of harvesting food from the land, or, in this case, the sea.
It makes more sense to design training programs for the North that incorporate the necessary skills so that Northerners can put their new skills to work without fear of regulators and inspectors.
After all, we miss eating clams for supper.
NTI remains committed to helping beneficiaries in as many ways as they can.
With the recent allotment of $120,000 to boost the process of helping survivors of residential school abuse, the birthright corporation is letting Nunavummiut know that they are dedicated to helping the people.
The fact remains that healing the many abuses suffered by pupils at residential schools and the subsequent effects are wounds that can take years to heal.
It is because of generous contributions and continuous work and dedication by people and organizations such as NTI that the healing can begin.
NTI's gesture reminds victims that they are not alone with their pain.
This year, International Women's Day was about women who make a difference.
In the North, we have long recognized those who contribute to their communities with presentation of the Wise Women Award. This year, five women from throughout the NWT have been honoured for their efforts -- Violet Doolittle of Inuvik, Florence Barnaby of Fort Good Hope, Margaret Thom of Fort Providence, Ingrid Kritsch of Yellowknife and Dorothy Beaulieu of Fort Resolution.
We have no doubt they would humbly downplay the importance of what they do, but the truth is they do make a difference in their communities.
Making a difference -- no matter how small -- is what we should all aspire to.
The women who participate in the Healthy Start program in Taloyoak are turning thousands of Health Canada's dollars into profit.
While those benefits might not be realized right away in financial terms, no doubt the community's long-term outlook will improve because of it.
Including counselling and exercise programs as well as nutritional cooking classes and a baby club, Healthy Start gives mothers in the Kitikmeot hamlet the chance to socialize while they learn to better care for themselves and their children.
As those children grow up and take their place in Nunavut society, their healthy start will likely mean the country's already ailing health-care system will be less taxed.
All in all, it's money well spent.
Canada has a sorrowful record of abandoning its own history.
So it comes as no surprise to find that the St. Roch, the RCMP vessel that was the first to sail the deep water Northwest Passage, lies languishing at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.
To create public awareness of the fate of the St. Roch, the RCMP's new vessel, the St. Roch II, will recreate its namesake's voyage through the Northwest Passage this summer.
So far, according to organizers, corporate Canada has not forthcoming with donations to preserve the St. Roch. The planned expedition hopes to change all that.
The St. Roch is part of the North's colourful past, and it would be a shame to see the past decay in a drydock somewhere.