Issues
As a Senator, I work on a wide variety of issues affecting the Northwest Territories. Legislation is, of course, one of the most important of my responsibilities and I deal with it in both Senate committees on which I sit and in the Chamber itself. Some of this work can be seen in the speeches I give in the Senate. Other work is done in committee and have led to a number of amendments to government Bills over the years. Of interest to me was legislation dealing with the Nisga'a Treaty, Species at Risk, the Kimberly process (the international regulation of diamonds), specific claims resolution, marine parks, Yukon environmental assessment and various land claims and self-government agreements, including Westbank, Labrador Inuit and, most importantly, the T'licho. One development I have been particularly interested in was the number of Bills that provided alternatives to the Indian Act for many First Nations, including the First Nations Fiscal Institution Act, the FN Oil, Gas and money Management Act and the FN Commercial and Industrial Undertakings Act. All of these Bills have allowed First Nations to take greater control over their lives and to prosper economically. The most recent of these transferred authority over education to a group of First Nations in British Columbia.
However, I also work on projects that affect broader areas of government policy. I meet with many individuals and groups, read reports and have my staff prepare position papers. I lobby Ministers, work with other Senators, and produce public documents and press releases.
Among the projects (and their results) that I've worked on over the last few years are:
 | changes to the way Northern Parks are managed (Senate sub-committee report and changes in Federal policy); |
| an analysis of aboriginal-owned businesses in the NWT (a widely-distributed report prepared by Lutra and Associates); |
| non-derogation clauses in federal legislation (change in Federal policy); |
| Nahanni Park expansion (on-going); |
| guaranteed aboriginal representation in Parliament (on-going); |
| the MacKenzie Valley Pipeline (on-going); |
| Urban Aboriginal Youth (Senate Committee Report); |
| Specific Claims (Senate Committee Report); |
| Northern Infrastructure (on-going lobby effort) |
| Aboriginal languages such as input into the NWT Review of their aboriginal languages policy and support for the First Peoples Cultural Institute in BC (on-going) |
| promoting the NWT (visits by Senators, speeches and press releases, on-going lobby efforts) |
| Aboriginal involvement in economic development activities in Canada (Special Study by the Aboriginal Peoples Committee) |
| Residential Schools (on-going) |
| Impacts of Climate Change on the North (special study) |
Much of my work is behind the scenes including letters and meetings with Ministers and assisting northern delegations during their visits to Ottawa. Over the years, I've also had the opportunity to speak at a number of northern conferences and meetings as well as assist several projects by hosting meals or commissioning small research projects. I've been active with the Fort Providence Residential School Society and have helped individual Northerners with problems.
Follow the links below to learn more about some of the issues I'm working on now.
Legislation Non-derogation Northern Parks Aboriginal Representation Aboriginal Economic Development