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ConocoPhillipswontfundSahtuwinterdrillingConocoPhillipshasdecidednottoallocatecapitalfundingforanyexploratorydrillingintheSahturegionforthe2014-15winterseason.Seepage3.ResidentialschoolslegacytobetaughtacrossAlta.TheAlbertagovernmentan-nouncedtheadditionofresi-dentialschoollessonsintoallofitsclassroomsoverthenextseveralyears.Seepage15.HeritageMomentCulturalprideshinesbrightatDeninuSchoolsheritagefair.Seepage10.NorthernaviationtoreshapewithmergerMakivikCorp.andNorTerraannouncedlastweekairlinecarriersCanadianNorthandFirstAircouldpotentiallymerge.Seepage9.MoremininginvestmentinNWTwithdevolutionMiningadvocatesareopti-misticdevolutionwillmeanmoremineralinvestmentintheterritoryafteryearsoflan-guishedpotential.Seepage7.Visitwww.norj.caAnationalawardwinningindependentnewspaperservingnorthernAlbertaandtheNorthwestTerritoriessince19771.00April152014Vol.37No.48HAPPYEASTERFairElectionsActcouldhurtNWTvotersByMEAGANWOHLBERGProposedamendmentstothefederalelectionsprocesscontainedwithintheConser-vativesFairElectionsActcouldhaveanadverseeffectonelectorsintheNorthwestTerritoriesaccordingtoNWTschiefelectoralofcerCEODavidBrock.TheCEOaddressedthefederalcommitteerespon-sibleforreviewingBillC-23lastweekinOttawastatingthatseveralchangesproposedwithintheacthavethepoten-tialtomakevotingmoredif-cultforpeopleintheNWTespeciallythoseinsmallercommunities.Thosechangesincludetheeliminationofvouchingtheenablementofallpoliticalcan-didatesortheirrepresentativestoexaminevoteridenticationatpollingstationsandthemovetolimitthecommuni-cationsoftheChiefElectoralOfcerofCanada.Inthe2011territorialelectionBrocksaid15outofevery1000votersre-quiredtheuseofvouchingwherebyanotherregisteredelectoratteststothevotersclaimtoresidencyinaspe-cicriding.Whilethatnumberisrela-tivelylowBrocksaidvouch-ingistwiceaslikelytohap-peninacommunityoutsideofYellowknife.InmyviewremovingvouchingfromtheCanadaElectionsActwouldatleastintheshorttermcauseabar-riertoaccessforsomeelec-torsespeciallyinoursmallercommunitieshetoldthecommittee.Hecalledthevoteriden-ticationrequirementspro-posedintheFairElectionsActsomewhatexcessiveparticularlyinoursmallcom-munitieswhereweallknoweachother.VoterfraudrationaleunfoundedCEOWhiletheConservativegovernmenthastoutedtheactasanattempttocurbvoterfraudithasbeenwidelycrit-icizedbyoppositionpartiesandnon-governmentalor-ganizationsasanattempttolimittheelectoralpowerofdemographicslesslikelytovoteConservativelikestu-dentslow-incomeandAb-originalpeople.WesternArcticMPDen-nisBevingtonNDPsaidheabsolutelybelievesthattobetheunderlyingrationalebe-hindtheact.Theyvelookedatthesit-uationandrealizedmostoftheirvotersaregoingtofallwithintheseruleshetoldTheJournal.Brocksaidlinkingvouch-ingtoincreasedvoterfraudisunfoundedandthattheprovisionstoeliminatethepracticeshouldberemovedfromthebillnotingthattheNWTisactuallycontem-platingexpandingtheuseofvouchingbyincreasingtheamountoftimesanelectormayvouchforsomeoneelse.RulesriskvoterintimidationHavingpoliticalrepre-sentativesexamininganelectorsidenticationatapollingstationcouldfurtherdeterelectorsfromvotingBrockadded.Itisimportanttohavepar-tisansmonitoractivityatpoll-ingstationstoensurethattheelectoralprocessesarecarriedoutinaccordancewiththelaw.Howeveritisequallyifnotmoreimportantthatballotsbecastfreefromintimida-tionorunduedelayhesaid.PartoftheissueconcernscondentialityBrocksaidasin27of33NWTcommunitiesfewerthanhalfofresidentsholdgovernment-issuedphotoIDmeaningthedocumentsusedtoprovideproofofresi-dencelikelycontainpersonalnancialinformation.Theriskofunveilingper-sonalnancialinformationtoapollingofcialespeciallyinsmallcommunitiesisal-readyapossibledeterrenttovoting.ImconcernedthatthisdeterrentwillbeexacerbatedifthesedocumentsmayalsobeexaminedbypartisansBrocksaid.HesaidheworriesthechangescouldworsenwhatisalreadyalowvoterturnoutintheNWTwhichfallsnearorbelowthebottom10thper-centileforfederalelections.FurtherchangestolimittheabilitiesoftheCanadianChiefElectoralOfficertoprovideinformationtothepublicwouldbeanotherblowBrocksaidespeciallytoen-gaginggroupsmostlikelytoexperiencedifcultiesinexercisingtheirdemocraticrightswhichincludesAb-originalpeoples-51percentoftheNWTpopulation.Withdecliningparticipa-tionratesitisnotclearwhyitwouldbeapolicyobjectivetohavefewerelection-relatedmessageshesaid.Iamcon-cernedthatlimitingtheinfor-mationprovidedbytheChiefElectoralOfcermayhaveadisproportionateeffectonAb-originalelectorsinCanadaagroupofpeoplewhocompriseamajorityintheNorthwestTerritories.Bevingtonexpectstherewillbethousandsofincidentsdeterringordelayingvoterpar-ticipationacrossthecountryifthisbillpassesasis.Hesaidhehasreceivedasteadystreamofemailsfromconcernedconstituentsop-posingthechangesmanyofwhomonlyhavedocumentedP.O.boxaddressesratherthanresidentialones.Thisopensupmassivecon-fusionatthepollsBevingtonsaid.Supposesomebodywenttothelastpollandgotvouchedinandsotheybelievetheycandoitagainthistime.HowmanypeoplearenotgoingtoknowBillC-23hasalreadyunder-gonerstandsecondreadingintheHouseofCommonsandisnowunderreviewbyparlia-mentarycommitteeaswellasapre-studybytheSenatecommittee.AsnowcrossracercatchessomeaironSundayafternoonatLastDockinFortMcPhersonduringthe56thannualPeelRiverJamboreeheldovertheweekend.Winnerstookhomeasmuchas1000.Seepage12formore.PhotoNathalieHeiberg-Harrison