SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A letter decrying the military for allowing reservists with weapons to wander the Long John Jamboree has the president of the Northern Frontier Visitors Association facing the boot.

Colin Dempsey, president of the Northern Frontier Visitors Association, has been asked to resign after he wrote a letter to the editor critical of Canadian Forces reservists appearing at the Long John Jamboree with fake but realistic firearms. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo

The weapons carried by members of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment turned out to be fake but the request for the immediate resignation of Colin Dempsey is real, according to the association's vice-president Ian Henderson.

Henderson said the board met without Dempsey last Thursday to discuss disciplinary action in light of a letter to the editor ("Don't wear uniforms downtown,") from the president published in Yellowknifer on Wednesday. He said Dempsey did not mention his letter during the board's meeting on Tuesday, so they were shocked when they began receiving phone calls the following day asking why the association had taken a stance against having soldiers with what appeared to be assault rifles at the event.

"You can't go representing positions that you aren't authorized to represent," said Henderson. "We were getting calls from individuals, from board members and from members saying, 'Why is this the position of the (association)?' We had to say 'We don't know anything about this,'" said Henderson.

He added Dempsey was warned last year he needs to consult with board members before making comments on their behalf, after he criticized NWT Tourism for overspending on a website redesign.

A letter sent to Dempsey on Friday, signed by Henderson, asked for his resignation, citing that he'd been warned about making comments on behalf of the visitors association without consulting the board.

Dempsey said he feels hurt the board met without him and that he's been asked to resign based on his comments and not on his performance as president.

"It's stomach-churning that I'm being booted purely because of what people's sensitivities are about guns and the military," he said. "Not because of performance, not because of results."

Dempsey said during his three terms in the volunteer position he's taken the association from having a deficit of $50,000 to boasting surpluses between $50,000 and $100,000. He said his success came from being direct and that the association needs to allow their president to speak frankly.

"I was elected three times to speak for membership and the association," he said. "I feel like if I don't have that purview then what's the point of the association or what's the point of the position?"

He said his letter to the editor - which was also critical of allowing Canadian Forces members downtown in camouflage uniforms - was meant to address the first impressions a tourist might have after seeing guns and combat attire in the city. He said while touring abroad he felt seeing soldiers wearing combat attire and touting firearms gave the impression of an occupied state - not something he wants Yellowknife to be known for.

"I felt I was commenting not so we can shut down the military but so that in the future we can exercise a little more restraint," he said. "Maybe we should have some accounting for those weapons and not just let people go play with them. I know nobody else related to tourism would say anything. Everybody else just wants to kiss butt with the government."

Dempsey said he has not decided if he will resign, and that he's heard from at least one MLA who has urged him not to step down.

"If they want to boot me that's fine but let's go through the proper process," he said.

"Let's sit down and do it in front of my face ... I'm still deciding what I'm going to do. I feel kind of compelled to not resign over a speech issue."

Henderson said the board had to meet without Dempsey because the matter needed to be addressed at once.

"We had to take immediate action for damage control," said Henderson.

"The board met, and we had a vote and we got back to him based on the vote. When someone is going to be discussed in a meeting you don't have them in the meeting when you're discussing disciplinary actions."

A spokesperson for NWT Tourism could not be reached for comment by press time.

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