Without a doubt, the GNWT is one of the most vocal proponents of fur harvesting on the international stage.

Premier Stephen Kakfwi is on record chiding anti-fur lobbyists for their condescending attitude towards the mostly aboriginal trapping industry in the North.

This year, the GNWT will spend about $500,000 to assist community support programs for hunters and trappers, and another $15,000 to promote NWT furs.

Bearing all this in mind, we find it perplexing that the territorial government would take such a suddenly heavy-handed approach towards a group of seven wolf hunters from Northern Saskatchewan.

They were charged earlier this month with 468 hunting and trapping violations under the NWT Wildlife Act for using caribou carcasses to attract wolves and wolverines north of the border so they could lie in wait and shoot them.

According to Lawrence Adam -- a Dene man from Fond-du-Lac, Sask., and one of the hunters charged with the baiting offences -- he has been hunting wolves in this manner for more than 20 years. It's a method dating back centuries.

In all the years he's travelled to the NWT to hunt, he has never had a problem obtaining a cross-border permit to do so. The aboriginal community within the NWT appears to by and large support the Saskatchewan hunters.

While some may argue that such methods are cruel, few can argue that hunting and trapping is not part of our Northern heritage.

Regardless, wolf baiting is legal in the NWT, except you can only use caribou meat not "fit for human consumption" to do it.

We find this strange because it almost seems like the GNWT is suggesting that a caribou pot roast or tenderloin is too good for wolves. As long as both the populations of wolves and Barrenland caribou remain stable we don't see what the problem is in allowing hunters to present a more appetizing lure for their prey.

It doesn't matter anyway because what we find really objectionable is the almost certain astronomical expense to NWT taxpayers prosecuting these charges are going to cost.

As Adam's lawyer, Peter Abrametz, said, if this case goes to trial it will become an aboriginal hunting rights issue.

As we've seen from other examples, particularly the Metis court case currently before the Supreme Court of Canada, this could drag on for years if the Saskatchewan hunters choose to fight, and it appears they will.

We can only say that for a territorial government that claims to support trapping and aboriginal rights, we find their present stance awfully bewildering.

There were so many holes in Nunavut's proposed new education act (Bill 1) that when it finally came before the legislative assembly it had to be put on hold.

It's already been a long haul trying to get the legislation passed. The process to develop a Nunavut education act began four years ago. The purpose was to address the unique needs of Nunavut students and strengthen Inuit culture and language.

But the process to decide what should be in the new act has been flawed since the beginning.

Kathy Smith, president of the Iqaluit district education authority, said the government was more focused on creating the document than developing its content.

She added the review process was so badly handled that when the education authorities were asked to review it, they had no support to help them understand the changes.

She's right. In addition to Smith's concerns, there was also a lack of consultation with the public and educators on what should be in the act.

In the legislature, MLA Jobie Nutarak rattled off a list of problems with the proposed act. Of major concern are the potential legal problems because the act doesn't address the rights of the French and English minority.

The question is: Does the territory need its own education act? The GN will have to consider two points to find the right answer.

If a new act will truly improve education in the territory and address some of the unique needs of students, then we should pass it. However, if the goal is merely to get away from using the NWT Education Act, then the bureaucrats are not putting the students' needs first. And that's what's important. Smith made a good point when she asked if the needs of Nunavut educators and students are really that much different that those of the NWT?

It's a question the GN should ask itself before it puts in another four years pontificating about what should be in the act.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It has been interesting to watch reports of those who are protesting the U.S.A.-led invasion of Iraq.

The fact of the matter is, more than 70 per cent of American citizens support President Bush's decision to "liberate" the people of Iraq from Saddam Hussein's regime.

Moreover, more than 60 per cent of the world supports the forceful removal of Saddam from power.

Yet, the protesters get the majority of the publicity.

Of all I've heard on the subject, the most thought provoking message came from a family in Ontario that has taken down the Canadian flag from the front of their home.

They are embarrassed over the fact Canada is not part of the "liberation" force.

The family raises some valid points.

What a wonderful day for a peace rally -- gather by the Inukshuk, do a few chants, sing songs of freedom and make a few speeches about our war mongering, power mad neighbour to the South.

Then it's off for a little shopping at the Northern, maybe stop for a coffee in a local establishment and go home with a self-content feeling that you did your part against the atrocity of war.

A real feel good about yourself type of day.

But let's echo the question; where were these protesters when thousands of Iraqi citizens were being gassed by their own government?

War, we take it, is more of an atrocity than genocide?

Imagine, waking up tomorrow to find the mayor of Rankin Inlet has decreed all residents with bloodlines traced back to Coral Harbour or Baker Lake are to be deemed second-class citizens.

Or, worse yet, decreed as a drain on the Rankin economy and deemed expendable.

Imagine waking up next week to find Premier Paul Okalik has adopted the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche in attempting to lay the foundation to a perfect society in Nunavut.

From this day forward, the family name you're born with will dictate what position in society you are allowed to hold.

There can be no place in the world for dictators or regimes who put into practice such philosophies.

And, sing and chant idyllic notions all you want, you cannot reason with a man like Saddam Hussein.

No, George Bush is no Gandhi, but the Iraqi regime is no British government either.

If it were, Gandhi would, in all probability, be a tragic figure in the annals of history, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of his followers.

The songs of peace will only be heard in the hearts of the Iraqi population when Hussein is removed.

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

Dawson City will host the 2005 World Championship Dog Sledding Championships, due in large part to the work of their mayor and their MLA.

The championships will bring an estimated $10 million into the town of 2,200 and that's a lot of kibble for a town that needs all it can get right now.

Inuvik and the NWT could do a lot more for the sport of dog sledding than they do.

Outside of bingo, dog mushing is the only professional sport we have in the North and I really think it deserves more play than it gets.

The Delta dog mushing season is just beginning, as winter sets on the west and most mushers would love to come North if they could earn some real money in a world-class race.

Our cold weather could extend the season another month for mushers who otherwise head home after the Percy and with some big prize money waiting at the end of the road, most would be happy to point their rigs North.

The mushers, the town and the territory should get together with some big sponsors and see what they can do to bring some of that mushing money into the Delta.

It's nice to have the oil and gas money coming into town, but as Dawson is now realizing, what happens when the gold rush ends?

Silent smokers

I was quite surprised at the turnout at last Thursday's meeting concerning the smoking bylaw.

Outside of town representatives there were 11 people there and they were all in favour of butting out in public buildings.

I was fully prepared for a vociferous crowd of raspy-throated smokers shouting down the bylaw, but not even a cough came from the smoker's lobby.

As with anything else, people don't seem too motivated to say or do anything until after the fact.

Once the ashtrays are yanked off the tables we'll hear the complaints, I'm sure.

Home-grown heroes

The students at last week's career fair got their eyes and ears full of what can happen with a little luck and a lot of effort.

Cecil Hansen and Sharon Firth are great examples of how great you can be, even though you come from a small town.

It's tough for teenagers to say, "I'm gonna be this or that," but it sure helps having positive role models come home to show the possibilities are there. The possibilities are here and opportunity abounds for any Delta youth willing to apply themselves.

The jobs in this next boom are just the tip of the iceberg for our next generation. There is so much more available with grants and scholarships that any student from here could easily return with a diploma from any school in the world.

But it's as the mayor said, keep those doors open kids, because there is not much call in the real world for Grade 9 graduates.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum

A familiar refrain in the Deh Cho is that there aren't enough job opportunities.

It's something commonly heard in Fort Providence. Not surprisingly, the adult education class offered there by Aurora College is always full and usually there's a lengthy waiting list.

In Fort Simpson the complaint of too few jobs is repeated now and again. Yet registration for adult education at Aurora College has been inconsistent over the past few years.

Fort Liard offers a different set of circumstances. It's the one community with more than enough jobs to go around. Consequently, there isn't a great deal of demand for Aurora College's adult basic education program.

So what's the problem? Isn't full employment, or as close as one community will likely ever get, the ultimate aim?

Well, sort of.

Let's first acknowledge that some people are completely satisfied being labourers. There isn't anything dishonourable about the job, and the wages are decent. The only problem is that the jobs are often seasonal. Although that's not a real problem for those who earn enough to collect employment insurance and are happy doing so.

For the others, particularly those in their late teens or early 20s, they settle into a labourer position because it's all they see in front of them. Their potential remains untapped. Some of them possess the aptitude to become highly paid tradespersons, as technicians or as part of management, not to mention teachers, nurses, biologists, finance officers or any other profession. In order to make that a reality they must forsake the readily available labour wages. They must commit to a year or two of upgrading their education and then apply themselves to a college, university or an apprenticeship for another few years. It's a substantial sacrifice but it's one that pays off in the long run.

The question is one of motivation. As a side note, Joanne Deneron mentioned that in Fort Liard, before the advent of oil and gas, Aurora College used to be all the rage. However, the criticism at that time was that too many students were spending too many years in the program, essentially biding their time until a job became available. That kept others from getting into the adult education program.

It's sort of a catch-22.

Go with the flow

Although Deh Cho First Nations leaders apparently do not feel the approach or the timing is right for hydro projects, let's hope they do not dismiss outright any potential such projects might have. If large-scale hydro projects carry too great a risk of flooding sacred areas, then small-scale, hydro-driven turbines may present a viable alternative. However, there remains a question of whether small-scale projects would be cost effective. Surely if there's a will, there's a way. Even without big cost savings, hydro would be a welcome relief from the carbon-emitting, diesel-powered plants that currently provide energy to Deh Cho communities.