Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 04/02) - The chief negotiator proposed by the federal government for devolution talks says he has never been to the NWT.

But David Peterson said he is well-versed in "quasi-constitutional" questions and is "quite aware" of issues facing the NWT.

A final announcement on the chief negotiator should come in the next few days.

The federal government has posted the position for 15 days to see if there is any interest from other parties. So far, no one else has applied.

In an interview with Yellowknifer, Peterson, the former premier of Ontario, said he finds the devolution question "extraordinarily interesting and of high moral purpose. If we can find a solution here we will make a tremendous contribution to the constitutional development of Canada -- to aboriginal peoples and new forms of governance. It's interesting, complex and very worthwhile."

If he gets the job, Peterson said he hopes to be in the NWT by the end of the month. So far, he has not been in contact with either Premier Stephen Kakfwi or negotiators for territorial and aboriginal interests.

Peterson said the pricetag on the $668,750 12-month contract for him and his legal team "is so far below our regular rates as a law firm it's unbelievable. This is nowhere near it. We regard this, frankly, as trying to do public service. A worthwhile cause."

Peterson was Ontario premier to 1985-1990. He is currently a partner in Cassels Brock and Blackwell, a major firm in Toronto.

He said his experience as a first minister allowed him to be "deeply immersed in all these discussions (of constitutional questions)."

"I lecture in constitutional history, so it's something that's going to be very exciting for me personally to be involved in," he said.

He would not comment on specifics of the upcoming devolution talks.

"It's not smart for anyone to jump out and say, 'Here's where it's going to end up.' We don't know for sure," he said.

"There's going to be a lot of give and take, and a lot of issues and there's a lot of money at stake.

"And we're in many ways breaking new ground -- solving problems for which there's no easy or known answer. And there's no guarantee of success, either."