Columns

Martin's 90-minute brag-fest makes no mention of North

JIM BELL
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ After heaping praise upon his Liberal government for nearly 90 minutes, Federal Finance Minister Paul Martin wrapped up his longest budget speech ever this Tuesday without saying a word about northern Canada.

Paul Martin: Heaping praise upon his balanced budget

---

Ebullient Liberal MPs clapped and shouted as Martin announced in the House of Commons that the federal government will bring in its first balanced budget in nearly 30 years.

"What I am about to say is something no Canadian government has been able to say for almost 30 years," Martin said. "We will balance the budget next year, we will balance the budget the year after that, and, Mr. Speaker, we will balance the budget this year."

But Nunavut and other Canadian taxpayers will have to cool their heels for at least another year before they too will have anything to clap and shout about.

Except for a few cuts aimed at certain specific groups, Martin announced no general cuts to basic income tax rates.

Five of the measures he did announce may, however, provide a little bit of extra cash to those Nunavut residents who submit income tax returns next year.

They are:

• Effective July 1, a 3 per cent general surtax imposed in the 1980's by Brian Mulroney's Tory government will be eliminated for those earning $50,000 a year or less. The tax will be reduced for those earning between $50,000 and $65,000 a year.
  
  
• The basic personal exemption will be increased by $500. This means that if you make under $20,000 a year, you may get an extra $500 in tax-free income. If your family makes less than $40,000 a year, you may get $1,000 in tax-free income.
  
  
• Martin has raised the child care expense deduction from $5,000 to $7,000 for children under the age of 7, and from $3,000 to $4,000 for children aged 7 to 16.
  
  
• Martin also said his government will put more money into the National Child Benefit System, the program that in 1996 replaced the family allowance system : $850 million in July, 1998, and by $425 million in July of 1999 and July of 2000.
  
  However, you must fill out an income tax form to get money from the child benefit system.
  
  
• Family members who care for an elderly parent or a disabled person, may, if the provinces and territories agree, get a $600 tax credit.

Martin also announced numerous tax credits and financial benefits for college and university students.

Saying that it's "the largest single investment ever made by a federal government to support access to post-secondary education for all Canadians," Martin bragged at length about a new private fund called the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.

Building upon a $2.5 billion endowment from Ottawa, the foundation will hand out more than 100,000 scholarships to low- and middle-income students over the next 10 years.

The federal budget at a glance

Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ Here are some highlights taken from information tabled in the House of Commons after federal Finance Minister's budget speech this Tuesday.

How much is Ottawa spending?

• In 1997-98, Ottawa spent $147.5 billion.
• In the same year, Ottawa spent $106 million on government programs. The rest went to interest payments on the federal government's long-term debt.
• The federal government's 1997-98 budget is its first balanced budget since 1968-69.
• In the 1998-99 fiscal year, Ottawa will spend $151 billion. Of that, $104.5 billion will be spent on programs.
• Starting in 1997-98, and for each year thereafter, Ottawa will set aside $3 billion as a "contingency reserve fund." If that fund's not needed, Martin said it will be used to make payments on Canada's huge accumulated debt ­ now estimated at $583.2 billion.

Will Ottawa give more to territorial governments?

• Not yet. Transfers to the territories are pegged at 1996-97 levels until the 1999-2000 fiscal year. But Ottawa says that could change after formula financing talks for Canada's three territories are finished.
• DIAND's program spending will go up a little bit, from $4 billion in 1997-98 to $4.1 billion in 1988-99.

What's in it for the little people?

• Lower income Canadians will be able to claim another $500 of tax-free income next year.
• The 3 per cent general surtax will be eliminated for those earning less than $50,000 a year, and reduced for those earning between $50,000 and $65,000 a year.
• The child care expense deduction will be increased from $5,000 to $7,000 for each child under the age of 7, and from $3,000 to $4,000 for each child aged 7-16.
• Ottawa will put $850 million into the National Child Tax Benefit System this year, and another $850 million over the following two years.
• Ottawa is creating a $600 family caregiver tax credit for people who look after elderly or disabled family members.
• Ottawa will put $2.5 billion in start-up funds into the Canada Millenium Scholarship Foundation, a privately-managed fund that will hand out 100,000 scholarships in each of the next 10 years to low and middle income post-secondary students.

What does the Quebec government think about it?

• Quebec Finance Minister Bernard Landry has already denounced the Millenium Fund as an intrusion into the jurisdiction of the provinces.

"A good news budget," northern leaders say

Finance Minister John Todd and Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell are praising fellow Liberal Paul Martin's federal budget.

DWANE WILKIN
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ Federal Finance Minister Paul Martin's balanced budget is producing near giddy expectations in the North this week.

In Yellowknife, GNWT Finance Minister John Todd welcomed the fiscal forecast as a sign that more generous transfer payments to the territories are just around the corner.

For now, though, budget documents released Tuesday say transfers to the territories will stay at 1996-97 levels.

In Ottawa, Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell applauded the budget's increased support for low-income families and special tax credits for Canadians who care for elderly or disabled family members at home.

"Overall, in my opinion, this has been a good news budget," said Todd, who delivered his own second consecutive balanced budget for the NWT last month.

New money for higher education

Todd also praised the promise of new money for post-secondary education programs contained in the budget's Canadian Opportunities Strategy also drew praise.

In particular, the establishment of a national $2.5 billion endowment fund for post-secondary education could make it easier for many northern students to attend universities and colleges in the South, Todd predicted.

That's because one of the eligibility criteria for the new Canada Millenium Foundation Scholarships will be mobility as well as merit and financial need.

"It sounds like a small issue, but that mobility issue is an important one for northern people. I'm hoping that when we get to the fine print that will be a bit of assistance to our student population," Todd said.

Help for young people?

Karetak-Lindell said young northeners stand to benefit indirectly from the budget's employment incentives.

First, the budget proposes to exempt employers from making employment insurance contributions for each new employee between the ages of 18 and 24.

"I hope that will give some incentives to hire young people," Karetak-Lindell said.

Karetak-Lindell also urged caregivers in Nunavut to apply for the new caregiver credit, which can reduce taxes by up to $400 for persons who are looking after elderly disabled family members.

"I always think people up north don't take advantage of these deductions," she said.

Educators hopeful about new money

Northern educators also welcomed the budget's emphasis on post-secondary education and expect the Millenium Fund will have a positive effect on the enrolment of adult students closer to home.

"One of the main impacts of the scholarship fund will be to encourage people to continue their education," said Greg Welch, campus director of Nunavut Arctic College, where the average age of first-year students is 28.

The college also stands to benefit from the extension of the federal education credit to part-time students.

Some $400 million in new funding for three of the country's major research councils may also generate spin-offs for the Nunavut Research Institute, a division of the college.

"If there are increased funds through the various councils there would probably be more field work here in Nunavut and the North, and that means we will have more activity, more activities to co-ordinate, more researchers in the field hiring staff," Welch said.

"That's heading in the right direction."

Tax cuts insignificant

Though the federal budget does eliminate the 3 per cent federal surtax for lower and middle-income Canadians, Ottawa resisted pressure to slash taxes across the board.

That means taxpayers earning up to $50,000 will save about $238 a year, which Finance Minister Todd acknowledged would not make a whole lot of difference to Canadians living in high-cost northern regions.

But if the size of the tax cut is insignificant, the fact that it's in the budget at all should be cause for optimism.

"What's important in this initiative is that at least it's on the table, and in our future discussions we can, if you want, widen that tax relief," Todd said.

This week's budget confirmed funding for the federal government's aboriginal action plan, Gathering Strength, including a $350 million healing fund to address the legacy of abuse in residential schools.

The action plan, Ottawa's response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, was announced last month by Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister Jane Stewart, and includes $126 million for new and expanded aboriginal programs.

Martin also announced $850 million in further spending on the Canada Child Tax Benefit system, details of which will be worked out with the provinces and the territories.

"It will mean more benefits to those who need it the most. And that's definitely an encouraging sign," said Todd, who added $2 million to the northern child tax benefit in his own territorial budget last month.

Revenue Canada to help Nunavummiut

If you don't submit an income tax return, you can't take advantage of many federal government benefits. For the first time, Revenue Canada officials will come to Nunavut to help people understand the tax system.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ Income tax experts will visit nine Nunavut communities next month to answers questions about how to file their tax returns.

All Canadian residents must fill out annual tax returns each year before March 31. They must also file income tax forms to take advantage of GST rebates and child tax benefits.

Iqaluit MLA Ed Picco has been pushing for Revenue Canada's experts to hold tax clinics in Iqaluit.

"People have problems with the forms and they're getting more complicated, especially with the northern deductions," he said. "A lot of people haven't filed an income tax because they don't know how to fill out the form."

The federal tax department holds annual tax clinics in Yellowknife, but it'll be the first time Revenue Canada's officials will help Nunavut residents.

In March, experts will visit Iqaluit, Cape Dorset, Pangnirtung, Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Pelly Bay, Arviat and Rankin Inlet.

People shouldn't arrive at the tax clinics expecting to have their income tax forms completed for free, but they can come to ask questions.

"They're basically going to have their experts in Iqaluit do the clinic with all the necessary forms," Picco said. "This means that people in these communities will be able to get help in understanding and filing their income tax forms."

Many residents who speak only Inuktitut also struggle with documents that are unavailable in Inuktitut.

Picco says he will continue to press Revenue Canada to translate documents into the Inuit language.

Makivik lawyers: Inuit have right to choose

Makivik Corporation lawyers urged the Supreme Court of Canada last week to acknowledge aborginal and treaty rights when they decide on Quebec's right to secede from Canada.

DWANE WILKIN
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ Inuit have a constitutional right to decide whether or not they would join a future independent Quebec, lawyers for the Makivik Corporation told the Supreme Court of Canada last week.

By doing so, Nunavik's regional Inuit organization has pressed the highest court in the land to balance the legitimacy of a slowly emerging Inuit homeland against a sovereign Quebec's own territorial interests.

"Contrary to what [Canada's attorney-general] appears to suggest, any restructuring of Canada that affects aboriginal peoples must involve not only the federal government and the provinces, but also the affected aboriginal peoples in Canada," the Makivik's written submission to the court says.

Ottawa has asked the Supreme Court to decide if Quebec has the right, under the Constitution and in international law, to secede unilaterally from the Canadian federation.

In the event of a conflict between domestic and international law, the court has also been asked to determine which law would prevail.

UDI would violate rights

Though the federal governmnent had asked the court not to consider aboriginal and treaty rights in their deliberations, the Makivik Corp. and other aboriginal groups say a unilateral declaration of independence would violate such rights under the Constitution.

Makivik lawyers said that affected aboriginal peoples, such as the Inuit and Cree, must be involved in any secession of Quebec from Canada.

"We wanted to say to the court, not matter how it happens, it cannot affect Inuit rights, Inuit territory, without the consent of the Inuit," Makivik lawyer Carol Hilling said.

Makivik also used its intervenor status to urge the court to broaden its definition of the Constitution to include the Royal Proclamation of 1763, existing treaties between aboriginals and the Crown, the treaty process itself and Ottawa's fiduciary responsibility toward aboriginals.

Pre-existing and independent rights of Canada's aboriginal peoples are elements of constitutional law, their lawyers argued.

"We felt it was more important than ever to remind the court that the Constitution of Canada is not limited to the Constitution Act of 1982," Hilling said.

Treaties part of Constitution

Referring to similar opinons expressed by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Makivik's lawyer said treaties such as the James Bay agreement and the treaty process itself are also part of the Constitution.

In his own brief, Canada's attorney general took the position that all the court had to do to answer the questions was to look at the Constitution Act of 1982.

"They were saying all you had to do was look at the amending formula and see there's nothing in the amending formula to allow provinces to secede unilaterally," Hilling said. "We said, 'Wait a minute, the question is not about the amending formula only. It's about the Constitution of Canada.' "

The specific treaty right of Nunavik Inuit, Makivik argues, is to be able to deal with both Ottawa and Quebec ­ the right "to have a treaty relationship with two governments, federally associated."

Since Ottawa and Quebec are both parties to the James Bay agreement, the forced withdrawal of a government party to that agreement would violate Canada's treaty obligations, Makivik's lawyer said.

International law

In international law, a sovereign Quebec would have no legitimate claim to the 660,000 square-kilometre territory of Nunavik, Makivik Corp. argued. This is a direct challenge to the sovereignist argument that Quebec could secede from Canada with its current borders intact.

"International law does not recognize in Quebec the right to secede from Canada; nor does it recognize in Quebec the right to sever Nunavik Inuit territory from Canada without the consent of Nunavik Inuit," the Makivik brief reads.

Without their consent, Makivik argued, Quebec's unilateral secession from Canada, taking Nunavik with it, would contravene the Inuit right to self-determination.

Ottawa therefore also has a constitutional obligation to preserve the "integrity of the Nunavik territory," Makivik submitted.

Lawyers for the James Bay Crees have similarily argued that the federal government has a responsibility to prevent a sovereign Quebec from taking control of Cree territory against their will.

"If Quebec is claiming a right to self-determination, then the right to self-determination has to respect the right to self-determination of Nunavik Inuit as well as other aboriginal people in Quebec," Hilling said.

Court may not consider aboriginal rights

There is no guarantee that the court will even consider aboriginal rights in its reply.

Canada's fiduciary obligations toward Nunavik Inuit are part of the Constitution, too, and Makivik Corp. told the court they would be severed by the removal of Quebec and Nunavik from Canadian territory.

"Section 35 of the Constitution Act 1982, achieved after a long and difficult struggle, and whose purpose as stated by this court is to reconcile aboriginal rights with Crown sovereignty, should not now be found by this court to tolerate the severing of the Crown-aboriginal relationship by the unilateral act of a province," Makivik's lawyers said.

Pay equity battle clouds collective agreement talks

NWT Finance Minister John Todd says neither the UNW nor the GNWT can legally sign a new collective agreement unless they first agree on a new job classification system based on pay equity.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT - Whack! Thump. Whack!

Much like tennis, the pay equity dispute between the GNWT and the union representing its employees is an endless series of volleys and returns.

The sides have been engaged in a battle over pay equity for a decade, most of that time in court.

The GNWT had argued the federal Human Rights Act didn't apply to it in the matter of pay equity among its employees because it has its own "human rights" legislation, the Fair Practices Act.

Volley.

The Union of Northern Workers disagreed, arguing that the GNWT legislation was subordinate to the federal Human Rights Act, and took the government to court.

Return.

Last fall, the GNWT lost its final appeal at the federal level, exhausting its avenues through the court system.

Point, union.

Todd invokes human rights law

Yet Finance Minister John Todd continues to seek legal arguments to pressure the UNW into a settlement. In his latest volley, he's invoking clauses from Human Right Act ­ the same one the GNWT fought against for so long ­ to sustain his argument.

Last week Todd told members of the legislative assembly that, according to the act, the GNWT cannot knowingly sign a contract containing pay inequities.

"The UNW is faced with the same dilemma since the Canadian Human Rights Act applies equally to the union as the representative of unionized employees," he said.

Because he's linked the pay equity dispute for retroactive pay with the collective bargaining process now underway with the union, Todd says both parties must agree on a settlement before a contract can be finalized.

Earlier this year, UNW President Jackie Simpson used the human rights law to defend the union's stand on the government's offer when the sides were trying to negotiate a mediated settlement. Those talks broke down late last month.

Simpson said the act prohibits any settlement that would result in wage cuts to employees who were paid properly under the discriminatory plan.

New job plan in dispute

There's now a battle within a battle being waged about the equity of the government's proposed new job evaluation system, the Hay plan.

This plan is the basis of the government's $25 million retroactive pay offer to employees, mostly women, who were discriminated against in pay and benefits during the past decade. The GNWT proposes to spend an additional $9 million annually to maintain pay equity.

Last month, the union rejected this offer, unsatisfied, Simpson said, with the GNWT's response to questions about how the Hay plan evaluated jobs.

"They're not prepared to give us the answer to that and that makes us wonder is it truly a plan considerate of pay equity law," Simpson said during an interview Tuesday.

Simpson argues neither the Canadian Human Rights Commission, nor the union were involved in developing the Hay plan. The union, instead, is sticking to a joint equal pay study conducted with the GNWT under the supervision of the commission in the late 1980s.

"The government was an equal partner in that process, but did they implement the results? No. All they did was start to delay things with spurious legal challenges which the courts have thrown out one after the other," Simpson said in the union's Eye on the Ledge newsletter.

"Neither the commission nor the union is going to let them just dream up a solution to the pay equity complaint on their own."

The GNWT can implement the Hay plan, but the commission would have the final say about whether it's gender neutral. In order for the commission to rule, however, the union would have to file another complaint.

Simpson added the union has the right to negotiate rates of pay associated with any new job classifications.

Settlement before division?

The second round of contract negotiations are set to begin Monday. Despite the decade-long battle and the union's position not to discuss a retroactive pay equity settlement with collective bargaining, Simpson is hopeful the dispute can be settled before the NWT divides in 1999.

She said the union hasn't felt pressure from its membership to accept the government's offer, despite an ambitious government ad campaign throughout the NWT.

"They want to put this kind of thing out as a pressure tool for the membership to say 'you'd have money in your pocket if you do it right now,'" Simpson said.

She added the membership's message to her is it's not ready to settle.

"Nobody wants to call it square."

Anglican church leader faces eight sex charges

A prominent Iqaluit elder will appear in court April 9 for a prelimnary inquiry on eight sexual assault charges.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ An Anglican lay minister appeared in an Iqaluit court-room last week to face eight charges of sexual assault.

Akeeshoo Joamie, 71, a long-time Apex resident, faces charges relating to incidents said to have occurred between June, 1979 and November, 1997.

The charges involve three complainants, at least of whom is a minor. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, names of complainants in sexual assault cases may not be published or broadcast.

The RCMP charged Joamie with four counts of sexual assault on Dec. 4.

Seven more sexual assault charges against him were laid later, but the Crown withdrew three of them in court Wednesday, bringing the total to eight.

Joamie elected trial by judge and jury, and will appear in territorial court April 9 for a preliminary hearing, at which time a judge will determine if there's enough evidence to deal with the charges in a trial.

Joamie and his wife, Alicee, managed an open custody home for young offenders in Iqaluit under a contract from the GNWT until 1995.

Phony psychologist gets four months in jail

Judge Beverley Browne said the full impact of having a woman with "serious personal problems" counselling prison inmates may never been known.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ A woman posing as a clinical psychologist at the Baffin Correctional Centre was sentenced to four months in jail last week and ordered to pay back $46,623 in wages paid to her by the territorial government.

Janice Bannerman forged her husband's university transcript and used a high school friend's undergraduate degree to convince GNWT department of justice officials she was qualified to work as a psychologist.

Bannerman used the false credentials to gain employment as a clinical psychologist, and had been counselling inmates at BCC and the Iqaluit young offenders' closed custody centre from last September until her arrest Jan. 30.

Co-workers had become suspicious of Bannerman's academic credentials, and GNWT justice department officials alerted the RCMP.

Police discovered that Bannerman has neither a Master of Psychology degree from the University of New Brunswick, nor an undergraduate degree from the University of Guelph, claims she had made when applying for the job.

Posed as psychologist for 10 years

It was also revealed that Bannerman had posed as a psychologist for nearly a decade in Ontario before moving to New Brunswick with her husband in October, 1996.

Bannerman, who has been held in custody since her arrest, pleaded guilty last Thursday in an Iqaluit courtroom to one count of fraud. Charges of impersonating a living person and false pretenses were dropped.

The Crown had asked the judge to impose a one-year jail sentence on Bannerman, who, the Crown prosecutor argued, breached the trust of a position of "great sensitivity and extreme responsibility."

"She had a key role in who would be released," the Crown argued. "Justice officials made decisions relying on the opinions and credentials of this person."

Bannerman's lawyer, Sue Cooper, said her client's crime shouldn't be judged as harshly as one of simple theft from an employer.

Judge Beverly Browne, however, disagreed.

"In this case, the breach of trust is more serious than the theft of money from an employer," Browne said Friday, after taking the night to think over her judgement.

"Fall from grace"

Cooper argued that her client has suffered a "tremendous fall from grace" and asked the judge to consider the 21 days she's already served in RCMP cells and impose a conditional sentence.

"It's difficult to imagine how she can be trusted," Judge Browne said in denying the defense's request. She also refused to impose a community service order.

"I hesitate to let her do community service if that would put her in contact with vulnerable people until she does some serious personal work on her own issues," Judge Browne said.

Judge Browne will recommend that Bannerman be allowed to serve her four-month jail sentence in New Brunswick, closer to her family.

Bannerman will be on probation for two years following her release and must undergo any life skills training or other programs as ordered by her probation officer.

Judge Brown also ordered Bannerman to repay the GNWT $46,623, the amount of salary and benefits she received since being hired.

No rent hikes this year for social housing tenants

If you're a social housing tenant, your rent will stay the same until at least April 1, 1999.

ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT ­ Nunavut's social housing tenants have been spared a rent hike for the second consecutive year.

Goo Arlooktoo, the minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, has frozen scheduled rent increases for social housing tenants.

He told MLAs last week that there will be no changes to social housing rents before division.

Social housing tenants were told in 1995 to expect their rents to gradually increase over three years according to a sliding scale.

The GNWT made those rent hikes in response to pressure from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Last year was expected to be the third and final year for social housing rent increases, but the GNWT announced a freeze to give thmselves to study how higher rents were affecting income support recipients.

Integration of welfare and housing

The government is also looking at ways to "integrate" its social housing and income support programs.

Since last year's freeze, government staff have found a number of problems between the programs, including the inconsistency of the definition of "income."

"We have determined it will take at least nine months to analyze these issues and develop a framework for integrating these two vital social programs," Arlooktoo said.

To integrate the programs, staff will develop an appeal process to look at cases where rent increases may be causing hardships for families.

Department officials will also establish a consistent cost of living indicator that will be used to determine both rent and income support payments.

Stafff within the NWT Housing Corporation and the department of education, culture and employment, which delivers income support, will set guidelines for next year's new territorial governments.

My Little Corner of Canada

Out of their league

JOHN AMAGOALIK

My column last week: Unfortunately, my optimism about Canada winning the gold medal in men's hockey in Nagano was an example of counting one's chicks before they're hatched.

At the time of writing this column (Monday morning, February 23), I still have not bothered to find out who won the gold medal. I haven't asked anyone and no one seems to be anxious to talk about it. The only thing that matters, at the moment, is that Canada didn't win the gold. Not even the bronze. The only consolation was that we lasted longer than the Americans and our players didn't demonstrate their frustrations by wrecking rooms in the Olympic village like they did.

This was not 1972. Back then, driven by sheer determination and pride, Canada was able to score in the dying minutes of the game and rescue Canada's standing as the best in hockey. This time, it looked for awhile that Canada might pull it out again after Trevor Linden scored with about a minute left in regulation time to tie the score. It was not to be.

Patrick Roy stood on his head to keep Canada in the game. At the other end, Dominik Hasek lived up to his nickname, The Dominator, and proved that he is, without a doubt, the best goaltender in the world.

Canada's players (as well as the Americans) were out of their league. This was not the NHL. The rink was much bigger. Not the tight quarters in the NHL where players like Eric Lindros are in their element.

Clutching and grabbing are not part of Olympic hockey and our players couldn't quite adjust to the more free-wheeling tempo to the game. The neutral zone trap (whatever it is) that we hear so much about in the NHL was never mentioned. Intimidation and fighting, still very much a part of the North American game, could not be used this time.

Perhaps by losing, we have learned a very important lesson. Without the clutching and grabbing and the trap, when the finese players are allowed to demonstrate their great skills, this is still the greatest game in the world.

We lost, but we saw what we have been missing in the NHL for the last decade. The game, when it is played according to the rules, is beautiful.

We must adjust our game accordingly. We must allow speed, finese, and talent back into the game. We didn't have Mario Lemieux because the clutching and grabbing and cross-checking ended his great career prematurely. We didn't have Paul Karlya because of the goon tactics of NHL players. We also could have used the determination personified by Claude Lemieux.

I guess I should find out who won the gold.

Guest Editorial

TODD PHILLIPS
Special to Nunatsiaq News

Anne Crawford, a fiercely intelligent, and equally passionate lawyer, with a young family and an equally intelligent lawyer husband, has just become, ready or not, the Kenneth Starr of the Northwest Territories.

How far she digs, and where she pokes her nose into the affairs of our premier, Don Morin, may well determine whether the people of the territories are about to witness the uncovering of a major scandal, or just another partisan mud-slinging episode.

It will be the toughest assignment in her career as the NWT's conflict of interest commissioner. She now has to decide whether the GNWT's most senior elected official is in a conflict of interest.

In undertaking the investigation, Crawford, will now find herself at the middle of a maelstrom of confusion, possible deception, and perhaps a few falsehoods. That won't necessarily come from the highest ranks of office, but through her telephone receiver each time some crank calls up to pass on the "goods" on the premier and his associates.

For the next little while, she'll feel just like a newspaper editor. Her job, will be to sort out the wheat from the chaff, and her credibility will hinge on her ability to decide who to listen to, who to trust, and who to reject.

If she does uncover evidence of wrongdoing, her job becomes even harder, because she will then have the tough job of recommending a course of action to the Legislative Assembly.

Having said that, we felt it only right to offer Anne Crawford some friendly advice on what she might consider if she wants to satisfy the people of the Northwest Territories that she has done a thorough and fair job in investigating the complaint against the Premier.

• Crawford must ask for, and get, full disclosure from Morin about the financial agreements, and transactions between him and Mike Mrdjenovic with respect to the house that Morin rents in Yellowknife .
  
  
• In reviewing that information, Crawford must ask for and review, the Premier's personal and business bank records, to see if there is any evidence of a pattern of unexplained payments or transactions.
  
  
• If the Premier has continued business dealings outside of his political sphere, those activities should also be examined and detailed.
  
  
• Crawford must construct a timeline, and to the best of her ability, recreate the past by matching dates with events and with people. That timeline will form the skeleton of her investigation.
  
  
• Crawford must also have access to the full lease signed between the GNWT and the numbered company that ended up buying the Lahm Ridge building.
  
  
• Crawford must also get statements from the bureaucrats who were involved in those leasing arrangements.

Unless the people of the Northwest Territories know the questions that were asked, the depth of the probe, and the evidence, or lack of evidence uncovered, public mistrust of elected leaders will cast a dark shadow over the new beginnings of both territories on April 1, 1999. TP

Editor's note: As most readers will remember, Todd Phillips is a former editor of Nunatsiaq News. From his home in Dundas, Ontario, Phillips is still a keen observer of life and politics in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

These materials are Copyright (C) 1998 Nortext Publishing Corporation (Iqaluit), and may be freely distributed throughout the Internet, or other electronic computer networks or bulletin boards, as long as this notice remains intact and the articles are reproduced in their entirety. These materials may not be reprinted for commercial publication in print or other media without the permission of the publisher.