IAt a luncheon last week, held in the Northern head quarters of the Canadian Armed Forces, United States Ambassador David Wilkins spoke of the deep friendship and trade connections between Canadians and Americans.

Wilkins really understated the truth. He didn't mention the American oil companies in the Beaufort Delta and down the Mackenzie Valley. Without them and their American dollars, there would be no pipeline debate, no oil and gas exploration. No glorious business opportunities, no royalties, no jobs. American capital is needed to help develop the North.

So Canadian and Americans are the staunchest of allies, with one big difference: Canadians want to live in Canada and Americans want to live in the United States.

After the speech, News/North asked Wilkins if it made sense for the United States to block Canada's claim to the Northwest Passage. To do so, it was pointed out, was to open up the passage to international drug runners, international navies, international polluters.

Would not America be better served with Canadian sovereignty and defence partnerships (NORAD)? Would that not greatly heighten security for North America?

Ambassador Wilkins is far too bright to get caught in a debate. He simply repeated U.S. foreign policy - the Northwest Passage is a strait, and therefore international waters. That has been U.S. foreign policy for more than 40 years and remains so.

But that dusty foreign policy is not logical in the age of 9/11 and global warming.

Canada needs to sell the U.S. on the wisdom of Canadian sovereignty just as Canada needs to invest in Arctic defence.

The Canadian Armed Forces, mindful of their extreme Arctic vulnerability, have already begun organizational changes to emphasize Canada's Northern border.

Stephen Harper's government has announced plans for Northern bases and deepwater ports. This is encouraging evidence the Conservatives will bring new urgency to a national duty to establish sovereignty and military alliances with our closest neighbour and biggest customer.

Inuit, Dene, Inuvialuit and Metis all understand what it is like to lose sovereignty. That's why military Rangers are easily recruited in small Northern communities. They know the value of the land and the value of knowing the land.

The territorial governments should have the vision to understand the importance of controlling what shipping enters the hearts of our land. Draw up position papers, put them on the desks of federal bureaucrats. Encourage the federal politicians.

Sell America on Canadian sovereignty of the Northwest Passage.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

A huge thumbs up to both Nunavut Justice Minister Paul Okalik and Qulliit Status of Women Council executive director Joyce Aylward for voicing their support of the Conservative government's plan to eliminate conditional sentences for crimes carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years or more incarceration.

Basically, should the proposal become law, those convicted of crimes such as sexual and aggravated assault would not be able to do time in their home community.

We would see vicious offenders in Nunavut serve hard time for their crimes.

More importantly, their victims will be able to try and put their shattered lives back together.

They will no longer have to hide away or constantly be looking over their shoulder in fear of retaliation for having the courage to speak out against their aggressor.

Should the proposal become law, we may see more people willing to speak out against those who commit violent acts, knowing that person will no longer be free to roam their community.

Hopefully, Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell will lay party politics aside and support the proposal.

Her support would counter Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington's stance that it's not the way to go in the North.

According to the liberal thinkers in the North, being jailed away from home hurts the chances for these criminals to be rehabilitated.

According to them, having a sexual or violent offender sent off to jail also hurts their community.

Okalik was right in pointing out should this proposal become law, it would only affect those among us who commit serious offenses.

These are people who cause severe pain, rob others of their dignity and destroy lives.

While we are hesitant to worry about the rights of those who commit such crimes, we can't help but wonder what kinds of support those who oppose this law think are in place in Nunavut, especially in our smaller hamlets.

Do they believe time at a land camp is going to change a person capable of sexually assaulting or beating senseless someone's daughter?

We're not talking about first-time offenders here who made a stupid mistake by trying to sneak a T-shirt out of a local store, or kicked someone in the rear-end for denting their machine.

We're talking about serious offenders who cause serious pain.

Hopefully, the day will come when Nunavut has the facilities to house - and proper support networks to attempt to rehabilitate - these offenders closer to home.

Until then, those who commit such crimes should pay the price for their actions.

And if that price includes time in a southern facility, so be it.

We can't speak for violent offenders, but, for their victims, the time the offenders spend in jail is time well spent.

Editorial Comment
Dez Loreen
Inuvik Drum

There is talk of an upcoming reunion for residential school survivors here in Inuvik.

This event will no doubt serve as a great vessel for those who are willing to share their experiences with others. Some who will reunite have not seen each other in more than 40 years.

Emotions are quite peculiar things. Nobody can control their feelings, and this gathering will bring about a flurry of different emotions.

Residential schools were before my time and I cannot imagine the pain and anguish felt by the survivors of such terrible abuse.

This sharing opportunity is part of the necessary process of healing. Some people may seem strong on the outside, but that may only be due to their ability to mask their pain.

I am sure that not everyone who attended those schools had bad experiences, and I know they all made life-long friends.

Those of you who are strong and fortunate enough to have moved on with your lives will need to be there for those who need your support.

The organizers of this reunion will need to brace themselves for the impact that this gathering will bring. Some of the students who attended residential schools are now nearing the age of 80.

I believe now is the time for those who have been affected by the dogmatic ruling of those institutions to release their emotions, good or bad, and try to move on.

This will be the first gathering of students in the Beaufort Delta, and hopefully not the last.

The Stats Canada people are out and about in the community looking to complete the 2006 census, so answer your door if they come knocking.

Each person counted is worth $18,000 in community funding.

That’s money that could go towards early childhood development, new playground equipment, a detox centre or another service that would be beneficial to the town.

It may seem like too much trouble, and you may be concerned that if you give your information to the surveyors, that your security has been breached. But remember, all of the information gathered for the census count is confidential.

That means you don't have to worry about Revenue Canada knocking at your door asking about this and that. The RCMP isn't even permitted to see the information, so don’t hold back.

The more people count in this year's survey, the better off our community will be.

The inaccurate results of the 2001 census were a shame. At least 1,000 people were not counted. Let’s not allow that to happen again.

Editorial Comment
Roxanna Thompson
Deh Cho Drum

As the Joint Review Panel and its entourage has wound its way around the Deh Cho, a common theme has been voiced again and again throughout presentations.

The theme is balance.

Sometimes the theme is present within a single presentation and sometimes it can only be observed by looking at all the presentations in a community as a whole.

Regardless of whether the presentations were for, against or ambivalent about the pipeline, they all touched upon balance.

What it comes down to is that the Deh Cho seems to be in the middle of a giant balancing act. Everyone is trying to weigh the costs and benefits regarding various aspects of the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline and then put all these figures together to reach a final conclusion.

Some people are trying to figure out if a balance can be reached between possible job opportunities and the desire to ensure the land and the animals are not harmed.

Questions include how many jobs will the pipeline actually create in the Deh Cho and how long they will they last. Will the jobs be easily available for residents of the North? Is the pipeline necessary to build an economic base for the area?

On the other side are concerns about the impact the pipeline will have on the wildlife and land. Will the pipeline cause irreversible damage? Will caribou and moose move away? Do beavers and fish really avoid streams that pipelines have crossed under?

Other people are trying to balance in their minds the desire to preserve a way of life and the fear of possible social impacts versus the need to open the area to development opportunities.

The questions in this area are also very weighty. Will social ills such as alcohol and drug abuse rise because of the pipeline? Will the influx of people water down the culture and traditions of the residents in the Deh Cho?

Can these possible effects be balanced out by benefits, including jobs and future long-term developments that the pipeline might bring?

In all the communities, people are struggling to weigh these measurements.

Some people have already come to their own decisions by weighing out the factors that are important to them.

But when everyone is placed on either end of a scale or perched in the middle, which way will it finally tip?

There is a final important balance that will require the close attention of the people.

The balance is that between the desires of the majority of the people and the positions put forward by their represented leaders.

It will be up to the people to make sure the balance is kept. Everyone will have a responsibility to check often to insure the scales haven't been tampered with so that the issues people feel strongly about are given the right weight by their leaders.

If not, how will the right decision for the Deh Cho ever be reached?