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Cece Hodgson-McCauley
Guest comment
Monday, February 18, 2008
The one day meeting in Yellowknife on Tuesday, Feb, 19, wasn't what I expected. It was a very small, closed meeting. The presenters were the mayor of Yellowknife, MLAs, Bureaucrats, Status of Women, anti-poverty organizations, council for the disabled, SideDoor, French Federation, women shelters, native women and me, to push the highway.
I was very disappointed. I expected a huge crowd to question what senators were all about. After all, nothing passes parliament without these senator's stamps of approval. The meeting was poorly advertised, about a five by five piece in the paper and printed so small almost invisible to the naked eye.
Anyhow, a few days before they arrived the media on TV and radio were blasting senators for spending so much money travelling the world fact-finding. They came to the three territories to study rural poverty.
The meeting was boring and repetitious and long winded. Government bureaucrats and MLAs, of course, said good things about all the development.
The mayor from Yellowknife, I think said they need an international airport. I was surprised. I thought Yellowknife had an international airport? If not, why haven't they got one by now, for heaven's sake. Hell we need one in Norman Wells. We are in the centre of the territory and huge international planes fly over us every day.
The social problems dominated the meeting - housing, shelters, violence, disabled people, day care, homelessness, racism, sexual abuse, etc.
You have to finally wonder with all the different programs and organizations that cover and work with all the ills in the territories why are social problems never-ending?
The presentation by Spencer Heslep, from the SideDoor Youth Centre was great. We need a SideDoor 24 hours a day in every town in the NWT - start a franchise. A one stop place for the youth, where they can receive advice, nurturing, information, help with problems etc. Until we use the people at the grassroots in the communities and come down to people's level we will never end the social problems.
You don't need people with degrees in the ivory towers of the GNWT. Give the money to the communities to solve their own problems. The GNWT must put some faith in the people at local levels by trusting them to help their own people.
Anyhow, I was the last speaker and I think I went overboard? Of course, the highway was my number one argument. I told these good senators the only solution to all the problems in the North is for them to support the extension of the Mackenzie Highway to Tuk, especially since they have the last word over anything parliament decides.
I told them I am going to save the Feds for lying to us in the late 1950s when they promised us a good government. I'm calling it a truth commission, like the one they are doing in Nunavut and Labrador about the time the Feds moved Inuk families up to the High Arctic, to Grise Fiord, etc.
These senators are also on a standing committee on agriculture and forestry. I told them a road will open doors to manufacturing and farming. We have more renewable resources this will open doors to self sufficiency and put us on the road to a decent, prosperous, affordable, challenging life.
Give us the tools to help ourselves and forget rural poor.
Re: my comment on the bureaucrats - many agree. No more ex-bureaucrats on boards. They enjoyed the gravy train long enough.
Give the average Joe a break. When it comes to knowledge of the land, water and environment, guys like Charlie Snowshoe have that knowledge. Put him on a board.
- 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.