Editorial page

Monday, April 8, 2002


Preach what you practise

Once again, Southern animal rights activists have proven their ignorance. The Humane Society of Canada is wearing the dunce cap this time around.

The executive director of that organization, a Toronto resident named Michael O'Sullivan, has harsh words for seal hunters in Nunavut.

During a campaign he launched -- perilously close to April Fool's Day -- from a city thousands of kilometres away from where the harvest actually takes place, O'Sullivan called the hunt in Nunavut cruel and said it does nothing to improve living conditions in the territory.

He and his organization oppose Nunavut's seal industry on both a commercial and non-commercial level even though the animals feed and clothe thousands of Inuit and non-Inuit. The industry puts money into households clamouring for income, but O'Sullivan is adamant the hunt must come to an end, at least in the form it now takes.

The most ridiculous aspect of his campaign is that O'Sullivan has never participated in a seal hunt with Inuit. Nor does he ever intend to. He feels secure enough in his opinions that it's valid. Research, it would seem, is unnecessary.

It's time for hunters, sewers and politicians involved in all aspects of the seal harvest and industry in Nunavut to react to O'Sullivan. It is crucial that we pay attention to these words and actions, rather than ignoring the spread of misinformation.

For the first time in decades, seal skins did well at the 2001 fur auction. If we let O'Sullivan get away with his nonsense, the burgeoning industry could once again be destroyed.

Nunavummiut need to tell the world about their sealing industry and illustrate it to those liable to take O'Sullivan at his word. We must let them know the hunt is sustainable, economically feasible and done with respect for the animals.


Sometimes the status quo makes sense

There's an old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

As a guiding principle, it's not one governments are inclined to follow. Most politicians see themselves as fixers more than conservators of the status quo.

Occasionally, common sense prevails against all odds; witness the relatively quick retreat by MLAs earlier this year on the ill-advised repeat effort to re-name the Northwest Territories.

But no sooner than you can say, "Bob's your uncle," we have the Special Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act rolling through Yellowknife.

MLAs and bureaucrats, talking among themselves, concluded the NWT's Official Languages Act is failing to serve the people it was created to protect. We don't know what the public thinks because no one aside from special interest groups showed up at the two-day hearing.

That's too bad, because we know what the agenda of the politicians and bureaucrats is -- more is better.

Why else would our tax dollars go to pay for the NWT's office of the language commissioner's recent four-page newspaper insert advertisement claiming there are 11 official languages here, when the Official Languages Act clearly lists eight?

The discrepancy results from the language commissioner insisting Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun be recognized as distinct from Inuktitut, as well as distinguishing between North and South Slavey; the law to the contrary be damned.

And why else would no one challenge committee deputy chairman David Krutko's assertion that the 1988 Official Languages Act needs reform because "in order to enhance these languages, you have use them. If you don't use them, you lose them." Really? Does the law really need to be reformed to accomplish that?

Language is not something static best preserved by legislation like a museum relic (think Latin). Chipewyan, Cree, Dogrib, Gwich'in, Inuktitut and Slavey must be vital, living and evolving, with elders taking responsibility for the transmission of language to the young.

That is how language flourishes. Otherwise, it deserves to die.


Can Erasmus do the job?

The Indian Brotherhood of the 1970s, which became the Dene Nation of the 1980s, was a strong political voice for Dene.

Throughout those early decades, the organization of Dene chiefs tackled the federal government on land claims, self-government, social and health issues. They even took on the animal rights groups.

That all came to a screeching halt in 1992 with the collapse of the Dene-Metis comprehensive land claim. Bill Erasmus was national chief at the time and he was powerless to stop the fragmentation of the once unified organization.

Nor was Erasmus able to keep proper funding levels in the following years. Programs were cut, meetings poorly attended. Last year a trial in which two Dene Nation employees were acquitted of breach of trust highlighted poor financial controls in the administration.

Now Dene chiefs are calling for a new mandate. They want the new Dene Nation to rival the legislative authority of the territorial government. They want Erasmus to find the money and public support to get the job started. He's got until this summer to show progress.

The Dene Nation can be doing so much more than it has been. On almost every front, from health, education, economic development to self-government, the various tribal regions of the NWT have common issues the Dene Nation could take on.

Most of the roadblocks to getting control of the solutions involve resistance from either the territorial bureaucracy or the political direction given at the land claim tables by cabinet.

Will the Dene Nation, with its handful of employees, ever be in a position to replace the government of the Northwest Territories with its bureaucratic army of thousands?

Perhaps not. But a well-funded and focused Dene Nation would be a valuable watchdog agency protecting Dene rights, much the same as Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. does in Nunavut so effectively.

The real question is: Does Erasmus have the vision required to rebuild the Dene Nation to what it once was and should be again?


Building a safe, profitable mining industry

Nunavut, now in the process of building the foundation of a future mining industry, is in a good position to learn from the past.

It all starts with a realization that exploration and mining can benefit both small community businesses and large corporations, and those benefits can translate into jobs which in turn enriches the economy of the communities involved.

In today's business section of News/North, the story about Kitikmeot Development and Expediting illustrates the type of committment and timing it takes for entrepreneurs to get involved.

These days, if services can be found locally, Southern companies will take advantage of them. Otherwise, it's back to the fly-in, fly-out operations of the past which really do nothing for local people.

That goes for skilled labor and trades and it's up to government and development corporations to work with private industry to get provide the right kind of training and have people ready for when they are needed.

Of equal priority is the need prevent environmental destruction. There are too many examples of the hidden environmental costs that don't surface until after the ore and profits are gone.

The NWT has a number of such glaring examples with the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of arsenic trioxide stored near Yellowknife that no one knows what to do with. There is also the abandoned Colomac mine outside Rae and the uranium tailings under Great Bear Lake.

Nunavut's environmental regulators will be cutting their teeth on the closure of the Polaris and Nanisivik mines. Lessons learned there will be valuable when considering the new projects coming in the future.

Nunavut has enormous mining potential and events such as last weekend's Nunavut Mining Symposium in Cambridge Bay and the International Symposium on Mining in the Arctic set for Iqaluit next spring, will set the stage for doing it right.


Wrestler set example for all athletes

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It's a rare occurrence when we dedicate this space to the same individual two weeks in a row. However, this case warrants the tribute, and we're willing to make an exception.

If there were a special ulu at the Arctic Winter Games awarded to the athlete who best exemplifies the true spirit of fair play and sportsmanship, this year's memento would have gone to Coral Harbour wrestler Joseph Nakoolak.

The Coral grappler was beating Alaskan Colten Goracke with a mere five seconds remaining in their match. As they lined up at the centre of the circle, the Alaskan rushed at Nakoolak and delivered a deliberate head butt to his face.

Nakoolak finished the match before being rushed to the hospital and stitched up.

The Alaskan was disqualified from the team competition, but reinstated for the individual medal event, in which he met Nakoolak once again.

Nakoolak did not retaliate when he received the head-butt, refusing to let his personal pride get in the way of his team's performance.

In the rematch, there was no hint of retaliation from Nakoolak, despite the mounting tension as he and the Alaskan squared off in the centre of the ring.

Nakoolak let his ability do the talking and defeated Goracke 10-0 in a scant 95 seconds on his way to winning Nunavut's first freestyle gold medal. The Coral wrestler further demonstrated his outstanding sportsmanship and role-model demeanour during the AWG's closing ceremonies. Nakoolak searched out the Alaskan, shook hands and exchanged AWG jackets with him.

All of Nunavut should be proud of the way Nakoolak handled himself during this unpleasant and unnecessary situation.

Not only did his actions embody the true spirit of sportsmanship, they sent a wonderful example to the rest of the nation of the pride, honour, class and determination exhibited by the vast majority of our athletes.

Nakoolak was honoured by his community this past week, along with the rest of Coral's athletes who competed at the AWG.

This corner says the good folks at Sport Nunavut should review the chain of efforts between Nakoolak and the Alaskan at the AWG. And, if we may be so bold, we would like to suggest Nakoolak be publicly acknowledged for his display of sportsmanship and fair play. His actions have set a standard of behaviour for all our athletes to aspire to.


Civics 101

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

Students could have learned a good lesson in democracy at last week's town council meeting.

Five angry townsfolk arrived for the meeting armed with a petition to oppose a zoning bylaw that would allow developers to build a three-storey apartment building across the street from them.

Rather than just complain about the proposed bylaw and the process, the group offered alternatives to the zoning and suggested the bylaw be re-vamped to differentiate between duplexes and apartment buildings.

Council listened to their concerns and, on the strength of the argument, decided against rezoning the neighbourhood -- at least for now.

The mayor and council also considered that perhaps an R-3 zone is needed in Inuvik.

As towns become cities, they often encounter such growing pains and an open mind is needed -- as well as open ears.

We often get cynical about the way governance operates, but last Wednesday's meeting was a pleasant reminder that democracy can work.

Kudos to the townsfolk for voicing their concerns to council and the same to council for listening.

Ministerial support

Good to see a federal minister of any kind make his way to the third coast, but it was a real surprise to see an agriculture minister up here.

We're often over-looked by the big guns in Ottawa, but the visit from Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief gave some reassurance that we're getting some attention out of Ottawa.

The muskox program will certainly benefit from the boost to research and development as well as the improvements to harvesting and meat processing techniques.

The consumer of muskox meat stands to gain from this research too. With this product sold around the world, they can feel confident they'll be buying a consistently tender and uniform.

The Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers stand to gain a great deal of knowledge from the program, but the over-all economy will also benefit.

The harvest is a great addition to an economy and in an area where agriculture is so limited, people need to diversify any way they can.

Muskrat jammin'

I'm really looking forward to attending my very first Muskrat Jamboree.

Looking through the list of events, I can see there are some events I've never watched before.

It will be a blast watching and photographing all the usual events like the sack and toboggan races, but I can't wait to see the Muskrat skinning contest.

See you all out there!


Their own deal

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

The Acho Dene Koe still want their own land claim. They're seeking something on the order of what has already been done by the Nisgaa First Nation in British Columbia.

Harry Deneron made a case for the Acho Dene Koe three years ago, but the federal government balked at that time.

Judy Kotchea followed Deneron's lead. At a Deh Cho First Nations leadership meeting last May, she fought for and attained a controversial resolution that contained a clause giving the ADK "sole ownership, authority and jurisdiction over its territory during and after negotiations." Kotchea noted, at that time, that the ADK want land selections for economic development purposes, unlike the rest of the Deh Cho's First Nations. The ADK face a monumental task in trying to convince the federal government to create a separate process. Complicating matters all the more is the ADK's claim to traditional lands in B.C. and the Yukon.

Kotchea has a legitimate point when she argues that her people never agreed to the existing provincial and territorial boundaries created by the federal government. Yet those rather arbitrary lines profoundly affected the Fort Liard band's domain.

She said she's hopeful that the Liberal government will continue to show flexibility as it has with two interim agreements pertaining to the Deh Cho Process.

While her request may be reasonable, the odds are stacked against her. Trans-boundary claims are messy, involving provincial and territorial governments as well as neighbouring First Nations.

It will be an uphill battle, for certain.

What a rush

From talking to Paul Guyot, it's apparent he feels honoured to be part of the Rangers' 60th anniversary patrol to the Magnetic North Pole. He's obviously deserving of the expedition, having been elected by his fellow Fort Simpson Rangers.

As an example of what the excursion party may have to contend with, Guyot mentioned a friend of his who travelled from Churchill, Man., to Arviat. During one stretch, his friend logged 22 kilometres on his odometer going around crevasses and pressure ridges, but according to his global positioning system (GPS), he had only advanced three kilometres towards his destination. That may be an extreme illustration of the zig-zagging the Rangers have in store, but it's an idea of what they may encounter. Godspeed.

Days get longer

This is the weekend when we set our clocks ahead one hour. It's a shame to lose an hour of sleep (or productivity), but the trade-off is sunshine later into the evening. We'll take it.