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Liberal leader rallies for support

Tim Edwards
Northern News Services
Published Friday, August 19, 2011

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The interim Liberal leader came to Yellowknife last week to enjoy some roast pig and red wine, with a stance on self-government he hopes will ring true with NWT voters.

NNSL photo/graphic

Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, left, chats with longtime northern Liberal Ruth Spence on Aug. 11 at Robert Hawkins' Matonabee Drive house. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

Speaking with Yellowknifer at an informal meet-greet-and-eat at Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins' Matonabee Street home, Bob Rae's two main issues for the North were devolution, under the larger umbrella term of self-government, and finding a way to make the Mackenzie Valley pipeline a reality.

"There is no room for paternalistic-type solutions," said Rae. "There's no point in saying, 'we're transferring power and not transferring resources.'"

The "paternalistic" actions Rae refers to have to do with devolution. Premier Floyd Roland signed an agreement-in-principle with the federal government in January which committed the territorial government to move forward in finalizing a deal which would give the GNWT 50 per cent of all the territory's resource revenue, up to five per cent of its own budget. In 2010, that would have given the government about $60 million. One quarter of the amount would be then divided up into sevenths, with each of the seven regional aboriginal groups - the Sahtu, Dehcho, Akaitcho, Tlicho, Gwich'in, Inuvialuit and Metis Nation - who sign on to the agreement. Those who don't sign on don't get a share, but that unclaimed shares are not given to the other groups.

This deal doesn't seem great to Rae - nor did it seem great to the five Dene groups who refused to sign on - and he said he's also heard frustration from the Dene over lagging land claim negotiations. The Dene Nation supported the Liberals in the last election, and Rae said he hopes to maintain those ties.

Western Arctic Liberal candidate Joe Handley - who confirmed he will remain the candidate of record for the foreseeable future - spoke out against the deal during the spring election that saw the Liberals face their worst defeat since Confederation, winning only 34 seats in the House of Commons.

That defeat was mirrored in the North, where Handley only took 18.4 per cent of the vote, putting him behind the second-place Conservative candidate Sandy Lee and the victorious NDP candidate Dennis Bevington.

The Liberals once viewed the NWT as a stronghold. Liberal Ethel Blondin-Andrew had the seat from 1988 until 2006, but Bevington wrested it from her, taking 42 per cent of the vote to her 35, and the Liberals have been slipping here ever since.

Rae said he came to Yellowknife to listen, and he met with Ndilo Chief Ted Tsetta, Mayor Gord Van Tighem and Yellowknife South MLA Bob McLeod.

"The more we can talk to Northerners, the better chance we'll be successful," he said.

However, when he addressed the crowd of Liberal supporters, other motives for Rae's trip north became clear - the Liberal party needs money, and will need it even more when the Conservatives cut per-vote subsidies to political parties.

"I know you're all getting edgy because I'm talking about money, but I have to do it," said Rae. "We have to have a fighting machine that's every bit as effective as the Tory machine - in fact, more effective."

The around 50 people in attendance clapped and cheered him on, and he seemed to give everyone who wanted to talk to him time to do so candidly, as he casually walked around Hawkins' open event enjoying a few glasses of red wine.

Handley said he hopes to bring Rae back up again in the future - and hopefully, he added in jest, next time Rae will be able to make a stop in Rae, that is Behchoko.

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