Fort Simpson (July 18/03) - Many existing GNWT employees will one day face the prospect of transferring to a Deh Cho public government.

So says Herb Norwegian, grand chief of the Deh Cho First Nations. Non-aboriginals who don't meet the yet to be determined Deh Cho citizenship requirements -- possibly five to 20 years residency in the region -- may not be granted a transfer, however.

"If they become a resident of the Deh Cho territory, then of course we would have to cater to them also," said Norwegian. "If we (take) that route... we need to look at the constitutionality of that... we don't want to be throwing anybody out of the Deh Cho house right at the outset."

Norwegian said there will be no need for transferring civil servants to panic over reductions in pay or losses of benefits. He assured that there would be a "high level of comfort" in terms of job security.

Whether Deh Cho government employees would be unionized is uncertain. DCFN chief negotiator, Chris Reid, said the Deh Cho proposal does recognize the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter protects the right to collective bargaining, he noted.

Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers (UNW), said he expects the UNW will continue to represent civil servants even under a Deh Cho public government. He added that the UNW has already struck a committee to examine the impacts of Deh Cho self-government on UNW members.

Fred Talen, the territorial negotiator, added that employees belonging to a collective bargaining unit already have a contract with the territorial or federal governments.

"My initial reaction would be that that type of contract would apply on a new employer," said Talen. "The people in the Deh Cho delivering the programs are certainly a valuable asset."

Some positions

already coveted

Reid pointed out that a position paper adopted at the Deh Cho Assembly in Kakisa last month commits to hiring existing territorial and federal government employees who work in the resource management field.

As for village employees, Norwegian said there will be one community "authority" in Fort Simpson in the coming years. That authority will blend municipal, First Nation and Metis interests to serve the entire community under one banner, he said. However, duplication will need to be eliminated, he added.

Neither Norwegian nor Reid would predict how soon the first government employees could be notified of a pending transfer. Because the DCFN's objective will be to improve upon existing levels of government programs and services in the 10 Deh Cho communities, rounds of public consultation will be held, Norwegian noted.

"I think there will be adequate notice," he said.

"It's not that we're going to be coming into those (government) offices and start throwing all their goodies into a box and moving them across the street."