Jack Danylchuk and Dez Loreen
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 13/06) - A crowd of 150 packed into Northern United Place to hear candidates in the Western Arctic put their best answers forward at a public forum on issues in the Jan. 23 federal election.

Clarification The three candidates who didn't attend an all-candidates forum on in Yellownife Sunday were involved in other campaign activities and unable to attend. Liberal incumbent Ethel Blondin-Andrew had prior commitments in the Beaufort-Delta region; Green party candidate Alex Beaudin was in Ottawa; and Conservative Party candidate Richard Ejericon was travelling from Hay River at the time. The Jan. 11 Yellowknifer story, "Two out of five candidates at forum," reported that NDP hopeful Dennis Bevington and independent Jan van der Veen attended the Land, Culture and Youth forum.

For two hours, four candidates offered their views on everything from the Kyoto protocol, resource revenue sharing, housing, and health care, to same-sex marriage and programs for aboriginal youth.

The format of the CBC-sponsored forum didn't allow for debate or dramatic confrontations, but it did allow candidates to underline differences in how they approach some issues.

Liberal supporter Matthew Spence tried to put Conservative candidate Richard Edjericon on the spot with a question about party approaches to aboriginal issues.

Liberal incumbent Ethel Blondin-Andrew jumped on Conservative finance critic Monte Solberg's dismissal of the federal pledge at Kelowna last fall to spend $5 billion on improving the lives of aboriginal people as something crafted at the last minute.

"What else is at risk, the residential school settlement," Blondin-Andrew said.

Edjericon said a Conservative government would honour promises made at Kelowna and then dismissed the federal pledge of $500 million for communities on the Mackenzie pipeline route as "a drop in the bucket. They're taking billions out."

NDP candidate Dennis Bevington hit an embarrassing blank spot and passed on a question about investment in aboriginal youth, which the other candidates endorsed.

It was the only question passed on during the entire night, by any candidate.

The Green Party's Alex Beaudin said aboriginal youth must be trained to take part in decision-making in their communities.

Blondin-Andrew noted the federal $40 million northern strategy fund is being used in some communities on youth facilities.

Edjericon said a Conservative government would scrap the gun registry and put more money into law enforcement, youth programs and crime prevention. "The gun law is costing us $400 million a year."

Edjericon was booed when he hewed to the party line on re-opening the same-sex marriage issue.

Putting the issue to a vote, and letting the people decide what they wanted for themselves, was Edjericon's response.

The audience cheered Blondin-Andrew, Beaudin and Bevington when they said that parliament should not re-visit the issue.

Doug Ritchie, from Ecology North, asked how they would meet the objectives of the Kyoto protocol.

Beaudin promised to reduce subsidies to oil and gas companies. Edjericon said the protocol needs to be honoured. Blondin-Andrew pointed to the recent Arctic leaders summit in Hay River that called for more money to deal with climate change in the North.

Bevington reminded them that he has been working on the issue for a decade and this year received an environmental award for his zero emissions office building in Fort Smith.

At the end of the forum, Bevington, Beaudin and Edjericon all agreed on one thing: it is time for a change.

Blondin-Andrew stressed that she has been producing results and that with her, the North could see real economic prosperity.