Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Nov 19/04) - Grand Chief Herb Norwegian is now earning the $85,000 annually afforded to those in his position.

Upon being elected in June 2003, Norwegian continued to earn an assistant negotiator's salary from Dehcho First Nations (DFN). The organization's policy at the time was to have its executive committee evaluate the grand chief's performance.

However, at the fall leadership meeting in Fort Simpson late last month, members of the executive committee recommended that an evaluation no longer be required and that the grand chief's salary automatically be adopted upon election.

Delegates agreed that Norwegian's salary should be retroactive to the day he was chosen as grand chief.

Alison de Pelham, executive director for DFN, pointed out that the executive committee broached the issue without any prompting from the grand chief.

Norwegian told the Drum that he cannot put a value on the work he does.

"I'm quite comfortable with the amount I'm getting," he said.

"Even if the federal government cut our funds off, I'd still be doing what I'm doing."

Suspended funding

That's precisely what happened during the 1970s, when the federal government suspended funding to the Dene Nation for several months. Norwegian, who was the Dene Nation's vice-president at the time, stopped receiving pay cheques, as did other staff, he said.

"Everybody survived," he recalled. "We took a massive blow... but it didn't kill the spirit."

Norwegian is also a certified heavy equipment mechanic.

He said if money were his first priority, he could be earning more working at one of the diamond mines.