Phil Fontaine, the big chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is going to step down. Before he leaves, he should advise them that they should dismantle that huge conglomeration called on office to service the 600 or so Indian bands. The only thing it did in the last few years is: it made Phil famous, especially because he used the residential school story and marched around in that huge head gear.

They should dismantle the AFN office and open offices in each province and territory. We in the NWT already have an office in Yellowknife - the Dene Nation Office.

I hear Bill Erasmus is running for the job. He is the sub-chief to Fontaine so he must realize by now just how useless that AFN office is. The last time I was in Ottawa Bill was there.

I tried to get in touch with him. I phoned the office and they gave me his cell number. I left messages and he never returned my call. I really needed some help in all my years as chief at the beginning. I used to go to their office for help and all you always got was the run around. So I quit trying and did my own thing.

When you go to an AFN assembly all you hear is the cry for help from the smaller scattered little bands spread across Canada. They can't afford to travel to Ottawa to see big daddy, Fontaine and his people. The 600 or so bands can't go on the way they are set up, and they need business minded people to run their offices. There are a lot of great doers in the aboriginal world. You just have to find them and entice them to come and run your band's organizations.

You won't believe it, but Fontaine was in the Senate chambers about a week ago for the anniversary of the apology to residential school survivors to discuss any progress since the apology by the Prime Minister. Anyhow, he left the chambers very unhappy because of the questions put to him from one First Nation Senator, Patrick Brazeau.

Something else to look into - what is the office of the Congress of Aboriginal People - Mr. Brazeau was chief of that office.

By the way, on this whole business of residential school it is time to do some soul searching because a lot of people are very unhappy about the one-sided stories of abuse by people.

Well, there are people who want to tell the good side, the good care that they received in the residential school. I have had many phone calls from people who are afraid to talk about the good care in the residential schools because the people who cried abuse saw the money and if you said anything good about them, you caught hell. So they kept their mouths shut.

So, I'm going to start collecting the good side of residential schools. A lot of money has been spent on the abuse side. So it is only fair to hear the good side. So keep phoning me or faxing me your good stories. You will be able to stare the good Lord in the eye when you meet him at the gate of Heaven if you tell the truth.

I know my sister and brother and I were orphaned and shipped off to the convent at Fort Providence - the best years of my life! And this garbage of losing my language that people keep blaming residential schools - that's another article I'm going to write about.

It's time to wake up and do some soul searching. You're not going to live forever, you know!