Domestic Developments

In a purely Canadian context, important developments also took place. The year began in January on a positive note. Viewers of CBC's The National were able to witness Inuit and Dene leaders toasting each other with champagne on the signing of an agreement to divide the Northwest Territories and create two new territorial constitutions by 1991. The symbolism was rivetting: a dozen years after the dismissal of the Dene Declaration by a federal minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development as "gobbledegook", an Inuit leader and Dene leader were heading up delegations having the moral authority to effect a major restructuring of the northern body politic. In March, excitement turned to disappointment as the process intended to bring about a territory-wide plebiscite foundered over last-minute boundary hitches. The outcome of the issue now seems more uncertain than ever.

 The set-back on division was followed in short order by the failure of the fourth and final First Ministers' Conference on Aboriginal Constitutional Matters. Aboriginal representatives sought to secure a general right to self-government capable of being recognized and defended through the courts, even in the absence of more specific agreements. Government representatives offered only a right to the principle of self-government, with "best-effort" commitments from federal and provincial governments to work out details at the regional and local levels. As a result, the conference deadlocked.

 It is unlikely that the disappearance of this cumbersome, legalistic, and, ultimately, unproductive process will be missed in any sentimental way; at the same time, the lack of concrete achievements has left a legacy of frustration and bitterness. These feelings have been amplified by the unwillingness of the federal government to negotiate self-government through ongoing processes, such as land claims negotiations, and by a phrase now current in the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development: "downsizing expectations". With this kind of International Monetary Fund phraseology, it is hardly surprising that some aboriginal groups view their plight in Third World terms.

 In the wake of the collapse of the first ministers' conference process, CARC, in conjunction with the Inuit Committee on National Issues, organized a national conference to assess what might be learned from the effort and, perhaps more importantly, to determine what unique opportunities for aboriginal self-determination might exist in the North. Chaired by former CARC executive director, Murray Coolican, the conference attracted considerable interest; proceedings will be published by CARC early in 1988.

 The other major constitutional issue confronting the North in 1987 was the Meech Lake accord. Redefinition of the amending formula to require unanimity for the admission of new provinces has excited near-universal opposition in the North. Northern politicians have talked of "revolution", and have followed up with lawsuits. A particularly disturbing aspect of development has been the lack of territorial participation in the discussions leading to the Meech Lake deal, and the lack of any assurance that territorial peoples will be represented in future discussions contemplated by the accord. Equally disturbing is the lack of demonstrated will on the part of the federal government to accommodate northern constitutional aspirations above and beyond the Meech Lake pact. For example, it would be appropriate for the Prime Minister to visit the North and to indicate that the northern desire for provincial status is a legitimate long-term objective, that the lack of provincial status is not an impediment to the transfer of major financial and national resource powers (balanced with aboriginal interest), and that the federal government will insist on territorial participation in all intergovernmental discussions. The Prime Minister might also consider the kind of solemn undertakings that Parliament could be invited to endorse contemporaneously with any formal resolution on constitutional amendments, be they Meech Lake amendments or modified ones.

 Other events in the past year having significance for the North included the following: the emergence of methylmercury poisoning as a problem in northern Quebec; the development of the first working paper toward a Lancaster Sound Region official plan; further conferences and research associated with Yukon 2000; the gearing up of development plans based on the Amauligak discovery in the Beaufort Sea; the election of a new Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly and the selection of Dennis Patterson as government leader; and the election of Audrey McLaughlin as the new Member of Parliament for Yukon.

John Merritt