There's no question that past government practises toward First Nations and Inuit were racist and discriminatory.

We have the power of hindsight and can all agree that European immigrants to this land didn't see aboriginal people as equals.

Politicians will say it's different today, that racism no longer exists. Many Canadians would argue the government is overly generous. But they'd be wrong.

It's not out in the open, but it's there nonetheless through paternalistic policies and in the government refusal to accept responsibility for the past.

Only with lawsuits pending did the federal government agree to compensation for residential school survivors. But even political promises to rush payments for elders can't move the bureaucracy any faster. Each day, elders die without ever seeing the compensation they're due.

Government pays lip service to aboriginal title, all the while continuing to overrule First Nations objections with the stroke of a pen.

Even more troubling is government treatment of First Nations war veterans. In 2002, the federal government promised $20,000 to veterans and their surviving spouses, but that cash came with no acknowledgement of past wrongdoing.

A simply apology would be worth so much.

Instead, apologies to Japanese, Italians, Ukrainians and Chinese come first.

It's time to resolve these past injustices by getting residential school cheques to elders and acknowledging that past policies were racist.

Only with that can new relationship between government and First Nations be forged in equality.

Related: We won't be held to ransom

Comments Industry Minister Brendan Bell recently made to Canadian Press proves he thinks hard bargaining with oil companies is bad.

He said the cancellation of a multibillion-dollar deal to develop oil wells offshore of Newfoundland should be taken as a warning to Northerners.

Apparently, he agrees with oil company executives that Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams wanted too much.

With benefit agreements being hammered out in many communities in the Mackenzie River Valley, we wonder who Bell is cheering for - the oil companies or Northerners?

Considering Bell's impotence when it comes to dealing with multi-national diamond companies on getting rough diamonds for Northern manufacturers, he is over challenged in the industry portfolio.

Perhaps he would be more comfortable as Minister of Travel and Meals with Big Important Executives. Those things he does very well.

But the question remains: Who is going to protect the interests of Northerners in resource development?

When four youth in Baker Lake started cheering for the opposing Rankin Inlet team during a recent hockey tournament, they were doing what any sports fan does: root for your favourite team.

The Baker Lake Youth Athletics Association, though, says they went too far, and that their cheering was "a contravention of our fair play code."

The association asked the youth to apologize for their actions.

The youth cheered whenever Rankin scored a goal, whenever a Rankin player bodychecked a Baker player, and whenever they perceived the referee made an unfavourable call against Baker.

We don't know what was said in those cheers, but was it any different than what the Baker Lake fans were doing?

Does that mean the association will ask any Baker Lake fans to apologize for cheering when a Baker player checked a Rankin player or when they perceived the referee made an unfavourable call against Rankin?

A hockey game, especially one involving two talented rivals, always garners cheers from the fans. It's easy to get involved in the action, and that's what the youth did.

To publicly reprimand them was an overzealous reaction by the association. The incident has boiled over into the school, where the parents of the youth involved say their kids have been harassed.

It's the Baker Lake Youth Athletics Association that should be apologizing.

The report from Thomas Berger on the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement lays bare all the problems the territory faces.

The language is fading, unemployment is rife and housing is inadequate.

But the report also proposes solutions to the problems.

More money for Inuktitut teaching, a change in curriculum and more hands-on training like internships and summer student programs are but a few samples of his ideas.

But having these on paper isn't enough. It's up to all levels of government to take this report and actually do something with it, rather than just reading it.

Government shelves are already jammed full of dusty reports that contain plenty of good ideas. Now we need action and money to solve our problems.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

Most of the information contained in the report done by former B.C. Supreme Court Justice Thomas Berger on the Nunavut Lands Claim Agreement came as no surprise to the majority of us who call Nunavut home.

Yet we applaud Berger for not sugar-coating many of the points he raised, especially Nunavut's 75 per cent school dropout rate and the territory's high unemployment.

Berger was bang on with his contention that teaching students entirely in Inuktitut until Grade 4 or 5 and then switching to English does not work.

We strongly endorse his suggestion that both languages should be taught throughout elementary and secondary school.

The fact Inuit only have about 45 per cent of the jobs in the Nunavut government is old news.

However, Berger effectively ties in the need for a revamped education system if that number is going to rise.

The report points out that the well is dry when it comes to Inuit possessing the necessary skills to be hired by the government, especially for above-entry-level positions.

The problem is further convoluted by the fact the government invariably weakens a birthright corporation, badly needed private sector or Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. when it's successful in luring away a skilled Inuit employee from his or her current job.

As we have stated in the past, there is nothing to be gained by the Nunavut government hiring unqualified workers to meet quotas.

At the end of the day, it still has to be a working government to meet the needs of the people.

Berger also correctly points out that while it's bad enough only 25 per cent of our students finish high school, the number who attend post-secondary education is significantly lower.

However, Nunavut's educators and community leaders have been working extremely hard the past few years to show our students there's a big world out there.

And it's a world ripe with opportunity for those with a good education.

Some may think it unfair to dump so much of Nunavut's woes on education.

However, in a territory where the government is the only mega-employer, an effective education system is paramount to success.

It is, without a doubt, the key to Nunavut's future.

As enamoured with Berger's report as we are, the exact opposite is true with Northern Affairs Minister Jim Prentice's response.

As we predicted, Prentice has been lukewarm to the North, at best, since being appointed.

In his initial response to the report, he was quick to lay education at the feet of the Nunavut government.

Nor was he thrilled about putting more money into Nunavut's education system.

If Prentice decides the feds aren't willing to spend the money necessary for proper education in Nunavut, Berger's report won't be worth the paper it's printed on.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

I have gained even more respect for the people who settled in this region all those years ago.

I spent the better part of my Monday afternoon walking down a ski-doo trail out past Bar C.

When I say walking, I mean that in the most basic sense, because really I was stumbling (no, I hadn't been drinking).

For all of you who have tried to walk on a fading ski-doo trail, you might know what I'm getting at. Granted I am on the heavier side of the scale, and I was not wearing snowshoes.

For those who do not know, Bar C is an old camp that is located half-way to Tuktoyaktuk.

I was out on the land that day in search of reindeer.

I was not hunting. I just wanted to snap some photos of the herd.

So there I was, almost a kilometre away from the ice road, falling in snow every two steps or so and trying not to get too much of it into my hiking boots.

I think it was at that point that I almost snapped.

I got to thinking about how much more difficult my journey would have been if there was no snowmobile trail at all, as narrow as it was.

Almost an hour later, I was back in the warmth of the truck and on my way home.

Unfortunately, because of ski-doo failure, I did not get to see any reindeer.

The trip was not a total loss though, because I am sure the physical activity endured on that walk was enough to warrant the deep fried chicken and poutine I devoured at my apartment.

The Canadian Armed Forces were back in Inuvik last week on a training exercise.

I thought it was pretty cool to be right up next to one of those Hercules airplanes because I had never seen one before.

Again, for those who have not had the privilege of being close to one of those behemoths of the sky, I suggest you take the next opportunity.

I also got to talk to a few of the military brass that came along on the trip and found out a little about the lifestyle. The whole experience was almost enough to make me enlist!

Well, maybe I wouldn't go that far, but I was still pretty impressed with the crew.

The people involved in the patrol exercise were all co-ordinated and seemed to work well as a team.

I guess it reminded me of all those war movies I have seen.

I guess the point I am trying to convey here is that we can all learn something from these brave men and women.

They work tirelessly every day so we can all enjoy the freedoms of everyday life.

Enjoy your weekend, and don't be shy to give me a call if you have anything you want to see in this paper.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

Often in classrooms or presentations, teachers and facilitators state that there is no such thing as a stupid question.

The only bad question is one that remains unanswered.

Students are constantly told that if they have a question, it's very likely that half a dozen other people have the same question, but just haven't asked.

On April 12, residents in Fort Simpson had a chance to have their questions about the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project answered. For anyone with niggling pieces of information they were unsure about concerning the pipeline, Wednesday evening provided the chance to find answers.

In all honesty, everyone, if they think hard enough, has to have at least one question about the pipeline. It covers a wide variety of topics, so it would raise eyebrows if someone said they knew everything there is to know.

But only about 30 people came out to the open forum and fewer still asked questions. What does this say?

As discussed above, it's unlikely the low turnout points to a complete knowledge about the pipeline on the part of Simpson residents.

It's equally unlikely that the low turnout means people don't care about the pipeline and how it could change the Deh Cho as it's currently known. The pipeline has become a topic that can spark a conversation between anyone, even strangers. Everyone has some sort of view on the pipeline.

What the turnout might mean is that people are resigned to the fact that whatever is going to happen will go ahead and happen, whether or not they raise their voice or have their questions answered.

This is surely a dangerous thing. The true voices and opinions of the people will not be heeded if no one takes advantage of the chances they are given to make themselves heard.

While the open forum in Fort Simpson may have seen a lacklustre response, another chance is coming.

The Joint Review Panel hearings are just weeks away from hitting the Deh Cho. They will reach Fort Simpson on May 8 before spreading out to Wrigley, Trout Lake, Jean Marie River and Fort Liard that month, and come back to Kakisa and Fort Providence in June.

If there was ever a time to find your voice, it's now. During the community hearings, regular people will have a chance to make a presentation about their feelings and insight on the project.

Each presentation can only be 15 minutes, which is not a lot of time, but if similar messages are repeated again and again in 15 minute blocks, the message, whatever it may be, will stick.

If you are not the sort of person to stand up in public and speak, the next best thing is to ensure that someone else will be presenting an opinion that is close to your own.

Because if anyone has any reason why the pipeline should or shouldn't go forward, the time to speak is close at hand, or forever hold your peace.

The decision to lay criminal charges against a member of the RCMP in the Northwest Territories rests with the officer in charge of criminal operations for G Division, Supt. Rick Roy. As well, the Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP is an independent organization. Incorrect information was reported in Yellowknifer April 14 (Complaint filed against RCMP officer).

In the article "The world at her fingertips" in the April 13 issue of the Deh Cho Drum, Ramona's last name was wrong. She is using the last name Menicoche. The Drum apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.

In the April 13 edition of the Inuvik Drum, the story "Reduce energy usage" contained an error. The Public Utilities Board did not increase natural gas rates. It changed diesel fuel rates. Our apologies to Inuvik Gas Ltd. for any concerns they may have had about this error.