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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It was a night of little controversy at the all-Yellowknife candidates forum hosted by the Status of Women Council of the NWT Monday.

Family violence, poverty and gender inequality were the topics of the night but, except for one audience question directed at Yellowknife Centre incumbent Robert Hawkins, the tone was civil and candidate-friendly.

"Mr. Hawkins if it's proven that the briefing note on the finances of the Centre for Northern Families came from your office, taking advantage of government resources that you had access to prior to this election, are you prepared to resign if elected?" asked Julie Green, YWCA director of community relations.

"Well first of all, no I didn't and second of all, we're here to talk about the issues ... regarding families, women, violence, housing, etc. and that's why I'm here. Thank you," he responded.

Following the event, murmurs from some audience members indicated they thought the question had been unfair and misplaced, but that Hawkins had dealt with it well.

The event was well-attended by both candidates and community members, who filled the seats and even stood in the corners at Northern United Place for over two hours, from 7 p.m. onward.

Notable among the participants was Bob McLeod, even though he has been acclaimed in Yellowknife South. Bryan Sutherland, Vic Mercredi and Darwin Rudkevitch were absent, leaving Dave Ramsay as the only representative from Kam Lake. The three, along with Bernard Leblanc, who is running in Frame Lake were also absent from the all-candidates arts forum held at the Artist Run Community Centre Sept. 18.

Monday's forum, moderated by Lydia Bardak, operated smoothly and efficiently, with the 15 candidates present restricted to 30 seconds for opening and closing remarks and one minute to answer each question.

McLeod said he rather enjoyed the succinct responses and joked about applying the time constraints to the legislative assembly's question period.

The four formal questions were posed by representatives from the Status of Women Council, Coalition Against Family Violence, Alternatives North and the YWCA.

Asked what they thought to be the most urgent gender inequality issue affecting NWT residents today, most of the candidates cited either poverty or family violence, although Patrick Scott (Great Slave) and Wendy Bisaro (Frame Lake) both said it was a toss-up between the two. The responses, however, indicated that the majority of candidates appreciated that the two issues were largely intertwined.

The second question, could the GNWT be doing a better job addressing family violence, was largely answered by candidates voicing their support for the Coalition Against Family Violence and its 19 recommendations to address multi-generational violence and abuse. Several candidates suggested the need for multi-year funding for non-governmental organizations. "The process of applying every year is a waste of time," said Duff Spence, who is running in Frame Lake. "If we believe in the program, we should fund it."

Then Aggie Brockman of Alternatives North asked the candidates what they would do to help eliminate poverty and inequality in the North. The responses ranged from emphasizing economic development - Leblanc, McLeod, Spence and Ramsay - to identifying stakeholders - Norman Smith (Range Lake), Darryl Dolynny (Range Lake) - to establishing a steering committee - Bob Bromley (Weledeh), Arlene Hache (Yk Centre) and Wendy Bisaro (Frame Lake).

Housing was the final issue and many candidates said the question was the toughest yet.

"Hundreds live in public housing and many pay just $32 a month for rent. How do you make housing more affordable for all families, not just those living in public housing?" asked Yasmin Heyck on behalf of the YWCA.

"$1,400 a month for a one-bedroom plus utilities is outrageous," said Leblanc. "I think maybe some regulations are needed to help the people and keep the housing owners, the landlords and whatnot in line with the cost of living here."

"We need to re-evaluate the rents that we charge to people in public housing in particular," added Bisaro. "We need to provide a better continuum of housing for everybody across the territory ... I think we need to consider rent control in the larger communities, particularly Yellowknife."

Organizer Lorraine Phaneuf, executive director of the Status of Women Council of the NWT, said she was pleased with the turnout and the responses.

"This is how we hold them to task once they're elected." Phaneuf said, adding that the next assembly has to act quickly on the recommendations in the NWT Family Violence Action Plan.

"I think David Wasylciw (Range Lake) actually spoke to it best in that we gotta stop planning and have some action," said Frank Walsh, president of the Union of Northern Workers local 11 (Stanton Hospital) and one of a minority of male audience members.

Over the course of the evening and in his closing remarks, Wasylciw had expressed some frustration at the way bureaucracy has hindered progress.

"We spend years and years coming up with strategies and don't get anything done," he said.

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