Friday, January 13, 2006
Women, who retain their undisputed position as mothers and homemakers, already have a strong track record in Northern politics and business.
Already, women have taken up the blades and stick in hockey, and are getting their hands dirty in the trades.
Now, with the introduction of super featherweight boxer Jelena Mrdjenovich, Northern women are moving into the one area where a thick skull and fast fists are an advantage in a game which men have always been allowed to keep to themselves.
Seems there's not much else for women to conquer on the equality front, apart from changing sexist male attitudes and equal pay for work of equal value.
Talk to long-in-the-tooth newspaper editors and they'll tell you how much they dread the Christmas season.
Just when most citizens are singing carols of peace and joy, a fire burns a family's house and maybe takes a life. A driving drunk crashes his truck, taking his own life and that of his two passengers.
It's a helluva way to keep things cheery in a newspaper at a time when cheeriness is supposed to be the order of the day.
But not, it seems, this past holiday season.
For Yellowknife, the Dec. 23 to Jan. 2 period was noticeably peaceful. No fires. No mayhem on frosty sidewalks outside bars. No car crashes.
The Mounties - supported by police auxiliaries and Citizens on Patrol - conducted their annual road-side check for drinking drivers, but found there were few on the mean streets of Yellowknife.
The anti-drinking/driving message appears to be getting through.
Firefighters were kept in their beds, too. The unseasonably warm temperatures may have had something to do with this. No space heater or chimney fires were reported of the kind that occur when people fight to keep warm against an onslaught of - 35C weather.
But as winter gets back to "normal," improper use of space heaters will still fry a wall, and maybe you, too.
Drinking and driving is always a stupid idea, no matter what the season.
We can knock on wood that the quiet trend continues, but ultimately it's up to you to make it so.
Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News
I stopped going to church a good many years ago when, in my opinion, it started getting far too involved with politics.
To me, the church overstepped its bounds in trying to impose its will on people, rather than passing on the Word as it was intended.
In fact, the greatest gift the Lord bestowed upon humanity is free will.
The laws were etched in stone, the Word is told and the consequences of not following the rules during your time in this life are well documented.
Yet, when all is said and done, the choice for how you live your life is yours and yours alone.
All that being said, I still consider myself a good Christian and am not the least bit ashamed to admit it.
I am also a proud Canadian, and take every opportunity to trumpet the fact we live in the greatest country on Earth.
Why then, were there times this past month when I felt guilty over wishing someone a merry Christmas or celebrating the birth of our Lord?
The answer, unfortunately, is all too clear.
I fell into the trap of being overly conscious of being politically correct at the cost of my own true beliefs.
Yes, I've been told so often that I have to be so sensitive to the beliefs of others that I put their beliefs ahead of my own.
What's even worse, I put those beliefs ahead of those who gave their lives for my country and my sins.
I've been wishing people a Merry Christmas for 47 years with a smile on my face and now, suddenly, I'm told I've been wrong all these years and should be saying happy holidays in case there's someone within earshot who gets offended because they don't believe in the birth of our Saviour.
Hey, in my line of work, being sensitive to the beliefs of others is second nature, but enough is enough.
I would hazard a guess I'm like most Canadians, or Christians, in that I scratch my head and wonder how did we ever let it reach the point where we're made to feel guilty in our own country for expressing our pride and beliefs.
Well, I've made a New Year resolution: I'm not going to pay attention to such silliness anymore.
I believe in God and I believe in the birth of the Saviour Jesus Christ.
I believe Canada is the greatest nation on Earth, and I know it was built on the fundamental foundation of Christianity.
I often get upset with those who confuse the difference between religious beliefs and human rights.
However, I've never been as upset with anyone as I was with myself for feeling guilt over wishing people a Merry Christmas this past month.
I was ashamed deep within myself for feeling that way, however fleeting it may have been.
I am Canadian and I am a Christian - and I will never allow anyone to make me feel guilty about my values or beliefs again.
That's one New Year's resolution you can take to the bank will never be broken.
Editorial Comment
Jason Unrau
Inuvik Drum
After watching federal party leaders duke it out in the nationally televised debates, I couldn't help but envy Quebec's position within the federation.
Here's a province that gets sound representation in the House of Commons by the Bloc Quebecois and its leader Gilles Duceppe.
For a long time, Canadians have been hearing about the distinctiveness of Quebec's society and how the rest of the country needs to recognize it as such. This song and dance has been going on so long now that the rest of the country has seemed to accept this 'distinct society' notion as gospel.
Meanwhile, the distinct society that is the Northwest Territories carries on in relative obscurity. For most Canadians, the expression "heading North" means packing up the minivan and driving to Uncle Buck's cabin somewhere way south of 60, yet situated in dense enough forest and beyond the glow of city lights as to lull visitors into thinking they really have come to the land of White Fang and wildcats.
The idea that Quebec is more distinct than anywhere else in the country, the North in particular, is just a load of hogwash. Yet, Quebec has its own federal party that lobbies for its needs and no one else's. It's difficult not to envy those in Quebec come federal election time. If I were living there, I'd probably vote for Duceppe too. So here we are in the Northwest Territories, a landmass on par with Quebec's, but considered a constituency all by itself. Campaigning in this place is not a simple matter of going door-to-door and great expense must be taken by those wishing to make a serious go at winning that single seat. (Quebec has 75 seats).
At the end of the day, we can yell from the tallest building in Yellowknife about how distinct we are here in the North and how Ottawa should listen to us, but the reality is that Ottawa will listen when it wants to and will employ selective hearing when it doesn't.
The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board chair appointment by the feds earlier in the year which ruffled so many feathers was a perfect example of Ottawa taking the selective hearing approach.
So when politicians talk about devolution and how important it is for the NWT and how close it seems we are getting to a deal, one must wonder how close the territory really is if its federal masters won't even consider the territories' chair choices for an environmental review board. The fact that the Western Arctic Liberal incumbent claimed we were days away from a deal just goes to show how gullible the current government thinks residents here are.
But there's natural gas under our feet, which is something the feds are very interested in, what with all the royalties to be had. All the candidates vying for the Western Arctic riding Jan. 23 will make assurances that those revenues will go towards benefitting the North, but it's something we've all heard before.
Talk about the same old song and dance.
Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum
In Fort Simpson the debate surrounding the upcoming liquor plebiscite has raised a timely issue.
One of Chief Keyna Norwegian's concerns with the plebiscite is that it won't reflect the wishes of First Nations' people because many don't vote in village elections. Norwegian even admitted that she hasn't taken part in village elections in the past.
Revelations like this about voters choosing not to participate are not as shocking as they should be. Across the country people have become complacent with low voter turnout at elections, federal or otherwise.
While voting to remove or keep liquor restrictions at a local level and choosing a person to represent the Northwest Territories in Ottawa are two very different things, on Jan. 23 they will coincide.
Village council purposefully chose to hold the liquor plebiscite on the same day as the federal election to take advantage of voters who would already be out.
Maybe the reasoning should have been the other way around.
People in the community clearly have some strong views on the current liquor restrictions. While individuals might never feel the effects of changes made by a new federal government, changes to liquor rationing would be visible daily in the community.
If there are already signs that people won't be turning out to have their say on an issue that could affect them directly, what hope does the federal election have?
In our society there seems to be a growing number of people who feel that the outcome of an election is already fated and their vote won't do anything to change it.
This attitude remains despite recent elections that were closely matched. Take the American election campaign between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000. Or closer to home, remember the 53 votes that separated Ethel Blondin-Andrew from Dennis Bevington in the last federal election.
Imagine how different the past years would have been if more people had exercised their rights to vote in those elections.
People are getting killed for the right to vote in other countries, Fort Simpson Mayor Raymond Michaud pointed out. People in communities across the North should come out to vote, if only for the right to say that they tried to make a difference.
At the risk of sounding like the television ads that run during every election, on Jan. 23 go out and vote. Ensure your voice is heard.
Coun. Kevin O'Reilly voted against rezoning a potential WCB office site last October. Incorrect information was printed in Yellowknifer Wednesday ("Council Nixes WCB plans").
As well, due to incorrect information received from the City of Yellowknife, Joanne Sigurdson and Russell Mercredi were incorrectly identified in a brief about the city's Christmas lights contest ("Lighting up Yk," Jan. 6), and John Oldfield, owner of Kavanaugh Bros. Waste Removal was incorrectly identified ("Yellowknifers trash litterers," Jan. 11).
Yellowknifer apologizes for any embarrassment or inconvenience.