Kakfwi main speaker at Liberal fund-raiser
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 01/00) - Two weeks after his chief of staff was criticized for her involvement in the federal Liberal campaign, Premier Stephen Kakfwi has left no doubt about what party he supports.
 Premier Stephen Kakfwi |
The event, called "An Evening with Stephen Kakfwi, Premier of the Northwest Territories and Friends," is being held in the Edmonton West riding where incumbent Liberal Justice Minister Anne McLellan is fighting for her political life.
Among the 'friends' at the $150-a-plate dinner are McLellan, Liberal senator Thelma Chalifoux and aboriginal Liberal candidates Sue Olsen and Harold Cardinal.
The Aboriginal People's Commission of the Liberal Party of Canada is organizing the dinner. Commission vice-president Robert Coulter said he hopes the event will raise $12,000 for the Olsen and Cardinal campaigns.
Kakfwi said he became a member of the Liberal Party on Jan. 1 and that this will be the first federal fundraiser he has spoken at.
The premier said the engagement flowed from a conversation he had with the Prime Minister at the Sept. 11 first ministers' conference in Ottawa.
"I said, 'I've worked over 25 years to achieve recognition and acceptance of the place of aboriginal people in Canada,'" recalled the premier. "'It's been a long tough fight, and I want to have a chance to speak to it..."
Kakfwi said this fundraiser was identified by the Party as such an opportunity. Costs are being covered by the Party, the premier said.
The engagement is not sitting well with all MLAs.
"I don't have any problem at all with Mr. Kakfwi on a personal basis supporting a candidate," said Frame Lake MLA Charles Dent.
"But if he's doing it as premier, to help raise money for a partisan campaign, I think that is absolutely wrong."
Great Slave MLA Bill Braden said the premier is simply exercising the freedom every citizen is entitled to.
"If one line of thinking is that because we're a consensus government we should restrict ourselves from participating in the federal democratic process, that's not on," said Braden.
"We've got a responsibility to help advance causes and positions that we believe in."
Braden, a member of the Western Arctic Liberal association, is helping with policy and communications in Ethel Blondin-Andrew's campaign.
Two weeks ago Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger said Kakfwi's chief of staff, Lynda Sorensen, should not be working as campaign chair for Western Arctic Liberal campaign.
"It begs the question, if the most senior civil servant in the land is running the Liberal campaign, is that the official position of cabinet?" said Miltenberger.
"If anybody goes to the executive is that going to be the criteria -- show us your party card? Liberals first, everybody else second?"
Miltenberger broached the subject again yesterday in the legislative assembly.
"I do want to acknowledge the chief of staff did take a leave of absence (without pay), though cabinet had to be pushed into it, doing the right thing."
Kakfwi said the leave of absence, which runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 28, was made at the request of Sorensen, "not because we feared the wrath and political mischief of this particular member."
On Monday the Western Arctic Liberal association announced Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee would be co-chairing their Yellowknife campaign with Metis Local 66 president Bill Enge.
