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Cece Hodgson-McCauley
Guest comment
Monday, November 26, 2007
My deepest respect and condolence to the family of Willy Laserich.
I had the pleasure of meeting him through the years and always held him in awe. He was a real frontier gentleman.
In the early days, when deals were made on a handshake and you did whatever you had to do, he was a real legend. Let's hope someone writes his history. The young generation must read about him and the early years in the NWT
We are now soon entering 2008 and our new government, making their own plans - hear them on CBC radio - and people phoning in, airing their problems - and they are always the same problems and we all know nothing will change. GNWT rules and regulations seem to be set in stone.
The GNWT must have the will and guts to tackle the job of finally doing some development north of their capital region of Yellowknife and Hay River. Sure there is an all-weather road to Liard and Simpson region, but to be located at the end of a road is just as bad as not having a road. Their region is just as stagnant as the rest of the Mackenzie Valley to the Beaufort sea.
The new government is talking about the pipe line and renewed sharing - like their predecessors. Well, in the paper yesterday, the West Coast LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) terminals may offset the Mackenzie Pipeline, ultimately, short circuiting the controversial $16.2 billion pipeline!
They are also planning four nuclear power plants in Northern Alberta which could mean they won't need our gas for the oil sands in Fort McMurray. The world is moving fast. Russia has pipe line arteries going throughout most of Europe.
There seems to be no stopping Russia, China and India and they hold most of the world's population! What is scary is that our continent is (almost) connected to their continent. They are just a stone throw across the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, and don't forget, there is a plan in the works right now to build a tunnel under the strait to connect Russia and Alaska.
It will happen, and sooner than you think! Don't think that they are not eyeing us with the U.S.A. We have these two huge countries. The U.S.A has over 300 million people. Canada has a little over 30 or so million.
Plus our land is so rich with minerals - petrol, water, renewable resources - and we are their neighbours. When you look at the big picture it's scary. Our Arctic ocean is wide open.
I think Canada must wake up! The GNWT must start acting like a government - develop the North and start educating the people. The NWT is pathetic, really! Thanks to the system set up the biggest sin they committed was turning this rich territory into a welfare state.
They are spoon feeding people. There is no incentive to work or get educated to reach the highest level in professions. After 47 years half of professionals should be aboriginals. Things should change.
The rich are getting richer in the south end of our territory while three-quarters of our territory is being spoon fed to pacify and not rock the boat. I have lost faith in GNWT and I'm not the only one.
Things can change for the better but you must use the grassroots people. They know they can make things happen in a simple way. GNWT is constipated with an overload of paper, reports (that no one reads) right from the RCMP, doctors, nurses, teachers etc.
They spend precious time filling out papers. All their departments must, or should, be investigated by some people with common sense. Spend more money in small communities.
Help people to help themselves. Get the young people interested in world affairs and in their local politics.
The new government should downsize the bureaucracy in Yk and spend the money in the Northern part of the territory.
Tomorrow is another day, and it is as good as we make it, right?
- Cece Hodgson-McCauley is the founding chief of the Inuvik Dene band and will remain honourary chief for life. She can be reached at fax (867) 587-3003 or by phone (867) 587-3037.