Yellowknife (Dec 03/04) - With the U.S. president making a long-awaited visit to Ottawa, a group of Yellowknifers took to the street on Wednesday to make their own voices heard.

Iraq, Kyoto, ballistic missile defence and exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) were all hot topics at the rally outside Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew's office.

Pastoral assistant Linda Jardine of St. Patrick's Parish addresses protesters outside Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew's office, Wednesday. The protesters convened while the U.S. president was visiting Canada. - Alex Glancy/NNSL photo

Organized by Alternatives North, the protest drew about 30 people to hear speakers and show that Northerners do care about world politics. At one point a rousing chorus of "All we are saying, is give peace a chance" broke out.

"Canada wants to stay on the side of peace," said Linda Jardine of St Patrick's Parish, who spoke at the protest.

"We should be listening to each other."

Peace and the environment brought Elise Maltin out on her lunch hour.

"Now that (George W.) Bush has been re-elected, we need to speak up," she said.

"ANWR is going to disrupt the caribou and it will affect the Gwich'in and their entire culture.

"And I really oppose missile defence," she added. "I want (Prime Minister) Paul Martin to stop this idiotic return to the arms race. It's like being dinosaurs."

Doug Ritchie, who also spoke to the gathering, offered a different perspective on the environmental issue: an utter lack of credibility on Canada's part.

"It's hypocritical to ask people to reduce greenhouse gases when in the NWT we're increasing them," he said after the protest.

Since 1990 Canada's greenhouse gas emissions have risen 20 per cent, while in the U.S. the rise is 14 per cent, he said.

"We have to start doing something about it before we can complain," he said.

As for ANWR, Ritchie was equally resolute in saying that Canada doesn't have a leg to stand on.

"For us to complain about ANWR when we're doing the same thing (in the North), things that affect the environment, is hypocritical," he said.

"We have no credibility on environmental issues."