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Nunavut leaders: Bare bones design in place by '99

Politicians mulling over Interim Commissioner Jack Anawak's implementation plan will seek more 'realistic' goals for the first Nunavut government.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT - After two days of compromises, political leaders emerged from behind closed doors Wednesday to report agreement on the basic design of Nunavut's first government.

Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Jose Kusugak and GNWT Deputy Premier Goo Arlooktoo, along with Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Nunavut MLAs and NTI executive members met for a two day in-camera session this week in Iqaluit.

The leaders gathered primarily to hear Interim Commissioner Jack Anawak's implementation plan for the Nunavut government.

It was the first chance most delegates got for a detailed look at the plan, which only reached the hands of officials late last week.

"There are some areas we need to study a bit more, but it's basically what we wanted," Deputy Premier Goo Arlooktoo said during a press conference following the meeting Wednesday.

"We have a much clearer vision of what's required to have a basic, functioning government in 1999."

Functional staffing level

Leaders agreed that the goal is not to have a fully staffed Nunavut government by April 1, 1999, but instead to have a bare-bones, functional version. In fact, staffing of the headquarters positions will extend into the year 2002.

They accepted Anawak's recommendation to boost the number of Nunavut headquarters positions from 624, as recommended by the Nunavut Implementation Commission in its Footprints 2 report, to 675.5.

Stewart also agreed to forward $8 million to the interim commissioner's office so Anawak can proceed with putting core information systems in place prior to division of the territories.

"We recognize that by April, 1999, the full government will not be in place, but there are some very good reasons for that that are reflective of the intentions of the original commissioners," Minister Stewart said, citing the need to take full advantage of the training opportunities decentralization provides.

It was decided that Nunavut will have 19 MLAs in the first legislative assembly and operate with a unified justice system.

"It's a very unique approach," Stewart said of the court set-up. "It's very reflective of what we're trying to do here in Nunavut."

That recommendation will now go into the hands of the federal minister of justice for review.

Transition funding

Financial commitments from the federal government were expected but not forthcoming. Stewart wouldn't comment further than to say that $150 million has already been set aside for the creation of Nunavut and other one-time costs, some of which were identified by the GNWT in a report last fall, will be considered.

"Those will be identified during implementation," Stewart said.

Officials will meet again in Yellowknife on Jan 27 to continue financial discussions. Leaders are expected to make a final decision on Anawak's plan March 15.

They also expect a comprehensive Inuit employment and staffing plan from the interim commissioner by the end of March.

What they

agreed upon

* There will be 19 MLAs in the first Legislative Assembly;

* Nunavut will have a single-level trial court system, combining superior and territorial courts;

* 675.5 headquarters positions must be filled by the year 2002;

* The process of choosing Nunavut's premier will be decided by members of the first Legislative Assembly;

* Regional health and education boards will remain unchanged for the time being, pending further review by yet-to-be appointed deputy ministers.

Leaders delay school board merger for the present

Nunavut leaders have agreed to delay making a decision on one of the NIC's most controversial recommendations.

DWANE WILKIN
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ A proposed merger of Nunavut's three regional school boards won't be looked at until after a Nunavut deputy minister of education is recruited.

The three parties to the Nunavut Political Accord agreed this week in Iqaluit to retain Nunavut's three divisional boards of education for now, in what Nunavut Tunngavik President Jose Kusugak conceded was a compromise.

The Office of the Interim Commissioner had also proposed to maintain the three existing regional school boards, at least until after division of the territories in 1999.

The creation of a single Nunavut Education Board was a recommendation contained in the Nunavut Implementation Commission's Footprints 2 report.

Health boards will stay for time being

Nunavut leaders agreed to other modifications to the Footprints model, as well, including maintaining Nunavut's three regional health boards.

The NIC suggested that administration costs could be trimmed by shrinking the number of education boards in Nunavut from three to one, with 10 to 12 elected board members from across the territory.

The reorganization of health and education boards in Nunavut will be reviewed upon the appointment of deputy ministers.

Boards worried about uncertainty

District education authorities have recently deplored the lack of certainty about the future organization of school boards in the new territory and requested, in vain, a chance to express their concern in person at this week's leaders' meeting in Iqaluit.

"It really has to be discussed, but I don't know if it's going to be on the agenda," Joe Attagutaluk, the chairman of the Baffin Divisional Education Council, said earlier this week.

Under the Footprints 2 model, regional education councils would have been merged into a single territorial board, with headquarters in Rankin Inlet and regional offices in Pangnirtung, Baker Lake and Kugluktuk.

In a comprehensive implementation plan delivered to Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Jane Stewart this week, the Office of the Interim Commissioner recommended against amalgamating three existing regional education boards.

Chairpersons from the Kivalliq, Baffin and Kitikmeot education boards have noted that with just 15 months to go before the new territory is created, any major reorganization of school boards would likely further delay crucial planning decisions.

"Can we afford to wait until we get the Nunavut government in order for them to decide what kind of education board we're going to have?" Attagutaluk asked prior to this week's leaders' meeting.

Concerns about class sizes, morale

As division of the NWT draws nearer, regional school authorities are increasingly concerned about such issues as classroom size, curriculum development, education funding and staff morale.

Deputy Premier Goo Arlooktoo said he met recently with Attagutaluk and will continue to meet with district education authorities to keep them apprised of the GNWT's plans.

Lazarus Arreak, the president of the Qiqiktani Inuit Association, has also begun working with school boards to develop a Nunavut education strategy.

Inuit abuse survivors welcome the healing money

Inuit survivors of Chesterfield Inlet's Joseph Bernier school welcome the prospect of new funding for healing projects in Nunavut. But no one yet knows how the money will be distributed and managed.

DWANE WILKIN
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ They've been called the "walking wounded" ­ abused children who masked their suffering and grew to adulthood in shame and anger.

Crippled by low self-esteem, unable to confront the memory of the past, some turned to booze and drugs to cope with the pain.

Though he's one of Canada's most prominent Inuit political leaders today, as a nine-year-old child, Jack Anawak trembled in the corridors of a church-run residential school. He wasn't alone.

Anawak satisfied

In the early 1990s, while he was a member of Parliament for the Nunatsiaq riding, Anawak joined other former students of the Joseph Bernier school in Chesterfield Inlet to disclose and denounce abuses they suffered at the hands of Catholic brothers and teachers there more than 30 years ago.

So it was with a sense of personal satisfaction last week that Nunavut's interim commissioner accepted the federal government's long-awaited apology to victims of sexual and physical abuse at Canada's residential schools.

"I look at it from the point of view that the government recognizes we went through a lot of hardship and is making a genuine effort to help those of us who went to residential schools," Anawak said at the opening of a two-day-long Nunavut leaders' summit in Iqaluit.

"I think I speak on behalf of many of us who worked hard to do something about the abuse."

Community-based healing

As part of the government's new Aboriginal Action Plan, federal Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart also announced that Ottawa has committed $350 million for "community-based healing" to deal with the legacy of abuse in the residential school system.

Former students who have already come forward with tales of abuse now hope that the government's apology will move others to open up and begin their own healing process.

Exactly how the fund will be set up remains to be worked out between aboriginal organizations, victims' groups and the federal government. Already though, some former Chesterfield Inlet students say they plan to meet to discuss how the money can be best spent in Nunavut.

"It's going to be important, first of all, to have a united force of Inuit, and I think ITC (Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) is the perfect vehicle for that," said Marius Tungilik, whose 1991 testimony before the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples first brought to light abuses at the school.

"We know, for instance, with the remoteness of the many communities and because former students are scattered all over Nunavut and outside Nunavut, it's going to be a challenge."

Allegations of sexual and physical abuse in Chesterfield Inlet between 1957 and 1969 became the focus of an RCMP criminal investigation and a territorial government inquiry in 1994-95, though formal charges against the perpetrators were never laid.

The revelations did, however, prompt the Bishop of the Churchill-Hudson Bay diocese to issue a formal apology to Inuit students in 1995, and the church eventually offered some compensation to abuse victims.

But not all former students who were abused have come to terms with their experience, Tungilik said. And the psychological problems associated with denial typically manifest in a range of dysfunctional "coping" behaviors, including substance abuse.

Money used at existing facilities?

Tungilik speculated that money from the healing fund might be used to expand therapeutic services at existing drug and alcohol treatment facilities in the North.

"If we can make use of existing facilities and existing programs and services, by all means we should probably be looking at those," Tungilik said.

Dorthe Kunuk, director of the Inuusiqsiurvik treatment centre in Apex, said she would welcome a proposal for services tailored to meet the needs of abuse victims.

"The thing is right now we don't have enough qualified people, or counsellors who are able to deal with those kind of issues in the North," Kunuk said.

Will ITC manage the money?

Okalik Eegeesiak, ITC president, said she understands the money will be shared among three national aboriginal organizations ­ ITC, the Assembly of First Nations and the Métis National Council, and that it will be used to design a strategy for helping individuals, families and communities through the healing process.

"Strategy, to me, that implies that there will be more moneys later on for the implementation of community-based healing. That's how I understand it," Eegesiak said.

Jack Anawak estimates that a third of the 300 students who attended the Joseph Bernier School suffered some form of physical or sexual abuse. He hopes the bulk of the $350 million earmarked for community healing under the government's Action Plan will go directly into treatment for the effects of that abuse.

Inuit, furthermore, are entitled to at least 10 per cent of the healing funds, he said.

"Chesterfield would be a good place to set up a new treatment facility," he added.

Inuit leaders praise Stewart's statement

Most Inuit leaders have nothing but praise for Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart's statement of reconciliation last week.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT - Northern leaders have generally accepted the olive branch offered to them last week by Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart in her statement of reconciliation.

Speaking in response to the November, 1996 report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in Ottawa, Stewart apologized for the federal government's past mistreatment of aboriginal Canadians.

"Our purpose is not to rewrite history but, rather, to learn from our past and to find ways to deal with the negative impacts that certain historical decisions continue to have in our society today," Stewart said in a "statement of reconciliation."

Stewart was in Iqaluit early this week for a Nunavut leaders' summit.

Okalik Eegeesiak, the president of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, said the federal government's apology, though a long time in coming, didn't go far enough in addressing the hardships endured by Inuit as a result of federal policy.

"It has been the Inuit presence in the North that has given this country its greatest claim to sovereignty to that one-third of Canada's land mass in Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit region of the western Arctic that Inuit call their home," Eegeesiak said in her speech responding to the minister's statement.

No mention of High Arctic exiles

She expressed disappointment that the "arbitrary" movement of Inuit to achieve this sovereignty was ignored in the apology.

"We are sorry that the statement of reconciliation makes no reference to those aspects of the Inuit contribution to Canada."

William Barbour, the president of the Labrador Inuit Association, though not on hand for the minister's speech, also expressed some disappointment in the exclusion of an apology for specific trials endured by Inuit in Labrador.

"I would like to think there is one required, even if it's not by the federal government, but at least by the provincial government, where there was the relocation of two major communities north of Nain in northern Labrador. That's never really been publicized before."

The communities of Hebron and Nutaq were relocated in the late 1950s in a Newfoundland government centralization initiative.

Praise for Stewart

Barbour said, though, that Stewart has moved the land claims process forward since taking over the job from Ron Irwin.

"When I look at some of the movement this minister has made in terms of where we want to go, this minister has moved, not only on some of the recommendations on the Royal Commission of Aboriginal Peoples, but under her ministership, there has been real movement at the land claims table."

Nunavut leaders who gathered in Iqaluit this week had nothing but praise for Stewart's statement.

Interim Commissioner Jack Anawak praised Stewart for taking steps her predecessors failed to take. Anawak was a student of the infamous Joseph Bernier school in Chesterfield Inlet during the 1950s.

Jane Stewart admitted to Inuit gathered for the opening ceremonies of the leaders' summit that the apology was a long time in coming.

"Some people said Hell would freeze over before the federal government would offer an apology," she told the Iqaluit crowd, referring to the freak ice storm that forced Ottawa into a state of emergency last week.

Nunavut Tunngavik president Jose Kusugak discredited early commentators who said Inuit were not satisfied with Stewart's gesture.

"I can assure you there were other discussions outside of TV," he said. "We as Inuit, we've got to take a step forward. We, as Inuit, look at this as a positive step."

Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell joined in heaping praise upon the minister.

"It was near and dear to my heart," she said of the statement of reconciliation. "Inuit and aboriginal people had to go through hard times and the federal government apologized for its actions in the past."

Statement of Reconciliation: Learning from the Past

Here's the text of Indian Affair's Minister Jane Stewart's statement of reconciliation to Canada's aboriginal people, delivered last week at a ceremony held Jan. 7 in Ottawa.

As Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians seek to move forward together in a process of renewal, it is essential that we deal with the legacies of the past affecting the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, including the First Nations, Inuit and Metis. Our purpose is not to rewrite history but, rather, to learn from our past and to find ways to deal with the negative impacts that certain historical decisions continue to have in our society today.

The ancestors of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples lived on this continent long before explorers from other continents first came to North America. For thousands of years before this country was founded, they enjoyed their own forms of government. Diverse, vibrant Aboriginal nations had ways of life rooted in fundamental values concerning their relationships to the Creator, the environment, and each other, in the role of Elders as the living memory of their ancestors, and in their responsibilities as custodians of the lands, waters and resources of their homelands.

The assistance and spiritual values of the Aboriginal peoples who welcomed the newcomers to this continent too often have been forgotten. The contributions made by all Aboriginal peoples to Canada's development, and the contributions that they continue to make to our society today, have not been properly acknowledged. The Government of Canada today, on behalf of all Canadians, acknowledges those contributions.

Sadly, our history with respect to the treatment of Aboriginal people is not something in which we can take pride. Attitudes of racial and cultural superiority led to a suppression of Aboriginal culture and values. As a country; we are burdened by past actions that resulted in weakening the identity of Aboriginal peoples, suppressing their languages and cultures, and outlawing spiritual practices. We must recognize the impact of these actions on the once self-sustaining nations that were disaggregated, disrupted, limited or even destroyed by the dispossession of traditional territory, by the relocation of Aboriginal people, and by some provisions of the Indian Act. We must acknowledge that the result of these actions was the erosion of the political, economic and social systems of Aboriginal people and nations.

Against the backdrop of these historical legacies, it is a remarkable tribute to the strength and endurance of Aboriginal people that they have maintained their historic diversity and identity. The Government of Canada today formally expresses to all Aboriginal people in Canada our profound regret for past actions of the federal government which have contributed to these difficult pages in the history of our relationship together.

One aspect of our relationship with Aboriginal people over this period that requires particular attention is the Residential School system. This system separated many children from their families and communities and prevented them from speaking their own languages and from learning about their heritage and cultures. In the worst cases, it left legacies of personal pain and distress that continue to reverberate in Aboriginal communities to this day. Tragically, some children were the victims of physical and sexual abuse.

The Government of Canada acknowledges the role it played in the development and administration of these schools. Particularly to those individuals who experienced the tragedy of sexual and physical abuse at residential schools, and who have carried this burden believing that in some way they must be responsible, we wish to emphasize that what you experienced was not your fault and should never have happened. To those of you who suffered this tragedy at residential schools, we are deeply sorry.

In dealing with the legacies of the Residential School system, the Government of Canada proposes to work with First Nations, Inuit and Metis people, the Churches and other interested parties to resolve the longstanding issues that must be addressed. We need to work together on a healing strategy to assist individuals and communities in dealing with the consequences of this sad era of our history.

No attempt at reconciliation with Aboriginal people can be complete without reference to the sad events culminating in the death of Metis leader Louis Riel. These events cannot be undone; however, we can and will continue to look for ways of affirming the contributions of Metis people in Canada and of reflecting Louis Riel's proper place in Canada's history.

Reconciliation is an ongoing process. In renewing our partnership, we must ensure that the mistakes which marked our past relationship are not repeated. The Government of Canada recognizes that policies that sought to assimilate Aboriginal people, women and men, were not the way to build a strong country. We must instead continue to find ways in which Aboriginal people can participate fully in the economic, political, cultural and social life of Canada in a manner which preserves and enhances the collective identities of Aboriginal communities, and allows them to evolve and flourish in the future. Working together to achieve our shared goals will benefit all Canadians, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike.

Déclaration de réconciliation: Les leçons à tirer du passé

Voici le texte complet de la parole livré à Ottawa le 7 janvier auprès des peuples autochtones par la ministre des Affaires indiennes et du Nord canadien, Mme Jane Stewart.

Dans cette quête d'un renouveau entreprise ensemble par les Canadiens autochtones et non autochtones, il est essentiel de guérir les séquelles que le passé a laissées aux peuples autochtones du Canada, y compris les Premières nations, les Inuits et les Métis.

Notre but n'est pas de réinventer l'histoire, mais plutôt d'apprendre de nos expériences antérieures et de trouver des façons d'éliminer les influences négatives que certaines décisions historiques continuent d'avoir sur notre société contemporaine.

Les ancêtres des Premières nations, des Inuits et des Métis, habitaient ce continent bien avant l'arrivée en Amérique du Nord des explorateurs en provenance d'autres continents. Pendant des millénaires avant la fondation du pays, ces peuples possédaient leurs propres formes de gouvernement. Ces nations autochtones vibrantes et pleines de diversité avaient, depuis la nuit des temps, adopté des modes de vie ancrés dans des valeurs fondamentales qui concernaient leurs relations avec le Créateur, l'environnement et leurs rapports mutuels, dans le rôle des aînés à titre de mémoire vivante de leurs ancêtres, et dans leurs responsabilités en tant que gardiens des terres, des eaux et des ressources de leur mère patrie.

L'aide et les valeurs spirituelles des peuples autochtones, qui ont accueilli les nouveaux arrivants sur ce continent, ont trop souvent été oubliées. L'apport de tous les peuples autochtones au développement du Canada ainsi que les contributions qu'ils continuent d'apporter à notre société contemporaine n'ont pas été reconnus suffisamment. Au nom de tous les Canadiens, le gouvernement du Canada veut aujourd'hui rendre hommage à ces contributions.

Malheureusement, notre histoire en ce qui concerne le traitement des peuples autochtones est bien loin de nous inspirer de la fierté.

Des attitudes empreintes de sentiments de supériorité raciale et culturelle ont mené à une répression de la culture et des valeurs autochtones. En tant que pays, nous sommes hantés par nos actions passées qui ont mené à l'affaiblissement de l'identité des peuples autochtones, à la disparition de leurs langues et de leurs cultures et à l'interdiction de leurs pratiques spirituelles. Nous devons reconnaître les conséquences de ces actes sur les nations qui ont été fragmentées, perturbées, limitées ou même anéanties par la dépossession de leurs territoires traditionnels, par la relocalisation des peuples autochtones et par certaines dispositions de la Loi sur les Indiens. Nous devons reconnaître que ces actions ont eu pour effet d'éroder les régimes politiques, économiques et sociaux des peuples et des nations autochtones.

Avec ce passé comme toile de fond, on ne peut que rendre hommage à la force et à l'endurance remarquables des peuples autochtones qui ont préservé leur diversité et leur identité historique.

Le gouvernement du Canada adresse aujourd'hui officiellement ses plus profonds regrets à tous les peuples autochtones du Canada à propos des gestes passés du gouvernement fédéral, qui ont contribué aux difficiles passages de l'histoire de nos relations.

Un des aspects de nos rapports avec les peuples autochtones durant cette période, le système des écoles résidentielles, mérite une attention particulière. Ce système a séparé de nombreux enfants de leur famille et de leur collectivité et les a empêchés de parler leur propre langue, ainsi que d'apprendre leurs coutumes et leurs cultures. Dans les pires cas, il a laissé des douleurs et des souffrances personnelles qui se font encore sentir aujourd'hui dans les collectivités autochtones. Tragiquement, certains enfants ont été victimes de sévices physiques et sexuels.

Le gouvernement reconnaît le rôle qu'il a joué dans l'instauration et l'administration de ces écoles. Particulièrement pour les personnes qui ont subi la tragédie des sévices physiques et sexuels dans des pensionnats, et pour celles qui ont porté ce fardeau en pensant, en quelque sorte, en être responsables, nous devons insister sur le fait que ce qui s'est passé n'était pas de leur faute et que cette situation n'aurait jamais dû se produire. À tous ceux d'entre vous qui ont subi cette tragédie dans les pensionnats, nous exprimons nos regrets les plus sincères.

Afin de panser les blessures laissées par le régime des pensionnats, le gouvernement du Canada propose de travailler avec les Premières nations, les Inuits, les Métis, les communautés religieuses et les autres parties concernées pour résoudre les problèmes de longue date auxquels ils ont à faire face. Nous devons travailler ensemble pour trouver une stratégie de guérison en vue d'aider les personnes et les collectivités à affronter les conséquences de cette triste période de notre histoire.

Aucune réconciliation avec les peuples autochtones ne peut être faite sans évoquer les tristes événements qui ont entraîné la mort de Louis Riel, chef métis. Ces événements se sont produits, et nous ne pouvons retourner en arrière. Néanmoins, nous pouvons chercher, et nous continuons de chercher, des moyens de reconnaître les contributions des Métis au Canada et de refléter la place qu'occupe Louis Riel dans l'histoire de notre pays.

La réconciliation est un processus continu. Pour renouveler notre partenariat, nous devons veiller à ce que les erreurs ayant marqué notre relation passée ne se répètent pas. Le gouvernement du Canada reconnaît que les politiques qui cherchent à assimiler les Autochtones, tant les femmes que les hommes, n'étaient pas la meilleure façon de bâtir un pays fort. Nous devons plutôt continuer à trouver des solutions qui permettront aux peuples autochtones de participer pleinement à la vie économique, politique, culturelle et sociale du Canada tout en préservant et en améliorant les identités des collectivités autochtones et en assurant leur évolution et leur épanouissement futurs. C'est en travaillant ensemble à atteindre des buts communs que nous réalisons des bénéfices pour tous les Canadiens, tant autochtones que non autochtones.

Todd unveils business-government partnership policy

The GNWT says the only way to build most capital projects in the future will be through creative partnerships between government and business.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ The NWT's finance minister says the territorial government must seek partnerships with private businesses to avoid falling even further behind in infrastructure construction in the Northwest Territories.

"It's not a panacea for all our economic ills," John Todd said, anxious to quell any suggestion that public-private partnership, or P-3 as it's being touted, is the solution to all capital building needs in the territories.

Todd proposes to introduce partnership agreements with the private sector in areas that have traditionally been carried out by government alone.

Some of those areas might include the construction of a community learning centre in Cape Dorset or a young offenders facility in Hay River.

Policy used in new hospital construction

The policy will also be essential in the construction of new hospitals in Iqaluit and Inuvik, and new "health centres" in Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet.

But Todd pointed out that need alone is driving the initiative.

"It is not a policy that is being brought into place for any other reason than to try to keep up with the infrastructure needs that we have," he said as he released details about the policy last Friday in Yellowknife.

During the past two years, as part of its deficit-reduction strategy, the GNWT cut its capital spending budget from about $180-200 million to $120-130 million a year.

Todd said partnering with the private sector, something the GNWT is already doing on a limited basis, is the best way government can begin to close the gap in the demand for infrastructure.

Richard Coles, of the Maritime-based consulting firm Coles Associates Ltd, prepared the discussion paper Todd presented for cabinet approval.

Policy needed now?

"If you want to put it off another three or four years, then you fall fifty, sixty, seventy million behind every year in capital infrastructure needs," Coles said. "And the social need doesn't go away. The population continues to go up."

Coles said public-private partnerships aren't new. One well-known example of such an undertaking was the construction of the $1 billion Confederation Bridge between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Coles said the partnerships work best when they're transparent.

"It has to be open," he said. "The public has to understand what's going on just as they do with other aspects of government activity. Coles added fair competition and public and staff information sessions are also vital for success.

"You'd want to partner with people who are committed to the North," he added, "People who live and work here and have a real commitment to the future development, future success."

It must also be affordable, Todd said.

"You don't spend the last two years balancing the budget, with everybody being on your back, to bring a policy in that's going to put us back in that position," he said.

"We just can't be out there building projects for projects' sake."

UNW condemns privatization

The Union of Northern Workers, however, in its Eye on the Ledge publication, condemns the policy as a further move by government into privatisation.

"It's another pork-barrel," said UNW president Jackie Simpson. "But this trough is deeper and wider than any that has be conceived before. P3 is nothing more than the wholesale transfer of our public assets ­ our public legacy ­ into private hands."

Todd admitted he wasn't surprised by the reaction.

"I find it intriguing that the union would make a comment about the policy when they haven't really taken the time to ask for the briefing to fully understand it.

"That's what they've been saying for years ­ they don't like anything John Todd does."

No legislative changes will have to take place to incorporate the policy, however it will go to the Government Operations committee for discussion.

Kitikmeot in search of jobs for laid-off Lupin workers

A regional committee is helping to find jobs for about 50 laid-off Kitikmeot workers.

DWANE WILKIN
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk will try to mitigate the worst effects of recent layoffs at the Lupin gold mine by setting up an ad hoc placement agency for unemployed miners.

Following an emergency meeting last Friday between government representatives, hamlet officials and Inuit leaders, a group called the Lupin Employment Strategy Committee was formed to compile data and skills profiles on affected workers.

The information will be used to market the workers' skills to other mining companies in the region, says Wilf Wilcox, the mayor of Cambridge Bay.

"We're also looking within our own municipalities for opportunities that might be there to keep these guys part of the workforce," Wilcox said.

Fifty Kitikmeot workers lose jobs

The layoffs at Lupin, announced last week, will affect about 30 experienced drillers, electricians, apprentices, operators and laborers from Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk.

Echo Bay Mines Ltd. has said it's suspending operations at the Lupin mine effective April 1 until world gold prices improve. Predictions are that won't happen for at least several months.

The suspension of operations also spelled layoffs for at least one supplier, Kitikmeot Caterers, owned by the Kitikmeot Development Corporation.

Low gold prices had already prompted Echo Bay to mothball its Ulu mine project, a decision that resulted in eight fewer jobs this winter for ice-road workers.

Wilcox said a total of more than 50 employees in the Kitikmeot region have been touched by the downturn in gold prices.

Taking the families of the affected workers into consideration, Wilcox estimated the layoffs would be felt by as many as 250 people in the two communities.

"We've struck a working committee that will do the hands-on stuff and they're going to report back to this group with data and recommendations. Then it'll be our responsibility to find them jobs, one by one."

Possible diamond project?

In the meantime there is reason for optimism, according to Charlie Evalik, president of the Kitikmeot Inuit Corporation. Lytton Minerals Ltd. will visit Cambridge Bay next week with news about the status of their Jericho diamond project near Contwoyto Lake.

"It's not too far from Lupin. They might be able to take some of these people on," Evalik said.

"I think with the experience they have, I'm optimistic that they're going to get placements."

Gold prices sinking

World gold prices, which are at an 18-year low, were also cited last week as the reason behind the decision to lay off employees at Yellowknife's Con Mine, owned by Miramar.

Recent job losses in the gold mining sector have GNWT officials concerned particularly about their impact on families, but a spokeswoman for the NWT's finance department said they would not greatly affect preparations for the government's upcoming budget.

"Corporate income tax is paid on profits and the mines have been sort of hurting for a while," said April Taylor, executive assistant to Finance Minister John Todd. "So I don't think there's been a lot of expectation on behalf of the GNWT that we'll see large corporate income tax revenues.

"But the biggest significant factor that minimizes the impact of these mine shutdowns on the GNWT's revenues is the fact that... our formula financing is constructed in such a way that when our revenues decline the formula increases. Any reductions in our revenues are largely offset by increase in the grant from the federal government."

My Little Corner of Canada

It's wrong to seek revenge

Now that Nunavut is just around the corner, there are some who would seek revenge by excluding non-lnuit in employment and other areas. This is small mindedness and does not reflect Inuit values of sharing and co-operation.

It is sometimes very tempting to get even if one feels that he or she has been treated unfairly in the past. Some want to dish out the same as what they got. But two wrongs never make a right.

It is also wrong for a practical reason. Non-Inuit make up a good chunk of skilled and experienced people who we will need to help us make sure that the machinery of government functions well.

The work force in Nunavut will eventually reflect the population. How long that takes will be determined by how hard we are prepared to work. It would be wrong to put Inuit into positions when they are not properly qualified. To be fair though, some qualifications will have to be altered.

One of the reasons why the drive for Nunavut has been so successful is because the non-lnuit population of Nunavut have always supported it. We appreciate this very much. We want you to feel welcome as members of our families, our friends, and our co-workers.

Things will be different, that is sure. How that difference turns bad or good will depend on us. We have a wonderful opportunity to make a change that is good for everyone, not just us. We should start by doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.

This corner quotes

"The time has come to state formally that the days of paternalism and disrespect are behind us and that we are committed to changing the nature of the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada."

­ Jane Stewart, Minister of Indian Affairs.

Editorial

Use the money well

Being politicians, several of Canada's aboriginal leaders have found much to pick at in the statement of reconciliation that Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart delivered in Ottawa last week.

But ordinary aboriginal people are far more likely to simply accept Stewart's words for what they are: an earnest attempt to admit the terrible wrongs that non-aboriginal Canadians have inflicted upon aboriginal people in the past, and a commitment to make amends for them.

Given the lingering bitterness and hostility that many aboriginal people feel towards non-aboriginal governments, that, all by itself, is a major accomplishment.

Stewart also backed up her talk with solid commitments. As most of us have already heard, Ottawa will spend $350 million on treatment and healing programs for those who have been abused in residential schools, and other commitments to spend smaller amounts of money on housing and language training.

Notwithstanding all that, it's obvious that there are groups of aboriginal people who have good reasons of their own for finding faults in Stewart's statement.

For example, ITC President Okalik Eegeesiak said she's disappointed that Stewart did not specifically mention the relocation of Inukjuak Inuit to the High Arctic, and the contribution that all Inuit have made to maintaining Canadian sovereignty over one-third of Canada's land mass.

These are valid points, as far as they go.

But Stewart's responsibility was to respond to the all of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' report. That report contains a lengthy section that details many arbitrary relocations of aboriginal people.

For example, the report documents the relocation of Manitoba Metis whose farm houses were burned to the ground, the relocation of Nova Scotia Micmacs from communities where they had lived for generations, the relocation of Carrier Dene in British Columbia whose lands were flooded by a hydro-electric project, the relocation of Labrador Inuit from northern Labrador, various relocations of Keewatin and Netsilik Inuit, and many, many others.

That's likely why, in her statement, Stewart referrred to the "relocation of aboriginal people" within a general list of wrongs that have been committed.

And though Stewart did not mention the specific contributions that Inuit have made to Canadian sovereignty, she did say this: "The contributions made by all Aborginal peoples to Canada's development, and the contributions they continue to make to our society today, have not been properly acknowledged."

That, surely, includes the contributions that Inuit have made.

As for the future, it's clear what the responsibilities of Canada's Inuit leaders ought to be.

And that is to ensure that the Inuit share of Ottawa's treatment and healing money benefits the greatest possible numbers of people. Stewart said the money is intended for "community-based" programs ­ and that is where it should go.

That means that grant-hungry Ottawa-based Inuit organizations like ITC and Pauktuutit should not be allowed to use the money for the construction of new bureaucratic empires of the type that not so long ago nearly drove ITC into bankruptcy.

That money must be regarded as an investment in people ­ and not an investment in consultants or committees or strategies or studies or any other abstract bureaucratic constructions.

Regional organizations such as the Nunavut Social Development Council could be asked for advice on how and where to direct the money. As well, existing organizations, such as the government-run Inuit treatment centres in Iqaluit and Kuujjuaq should be consulted to find out if their facilities might be used to host future treatment and healing activities.

In the Arctic, the survivors of the Joseph Bernier school in Chesterfield Inlet will, of course, want to organize their own activities, which must be given high priority in the allocation of money.

Leaders must remember, however, that there are many, many Inuit who never attended a residential school but whose need for treatment is just as great. They, too, must not be ignored. JB

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