As life in political Ottawa returns to normal after the ice storm, it's time to get back to work.

First up, helicopters. By now, most Canadians know of the duplicity in canceling the EH-101 in 1993 at a cost of $500 million and now buying the same machine but trying to convince Canadians it's different.!

However, the Liberal spin on this whole fiasco is even more troubling. Defence Minister Art Eggleton calls the EH-101 Cormorant an "off-the-shelf-product." The facts should never get in the way of good political spin, but let's look at them anyway.

In the UK, the EH101 program is $ 1 billion (U.S.) over budget and 5 years behind schedule. Two proto- type choppers have crashed and a pre-production aircraft has also been lost. Off-the-shelf means ready to be sold or bought, today! Windows-95 software is off-the-shelf, Bell Telephones are off-the-shelf, and Campbell's Soup is off-the-shelf.

To say the Cormorant is an off-the-shelf product is misleading and 100% less than truthful. The Defence Minister should say SORRY for this pathetic spin attempt.

Next, the government's response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People (RCAP). The abuse suffered by First Nations peoples in residential schools is tragic. The government's statement of regret is a good start.

But to spend $58 million on the RCAP process and then respond in such a timid and contradictory fashion is puzzling to say the least.

The CTF has long called for fiscal accountability on reserves. At first glance, it seems the government is finally listening. Their response speaks of a "system of public accounts and consolidated audits" and a "National Association of First Nations Financial Officers" among other good ideas. On the other hand, timeframes and performance measurement indicators are missing.

The government promised $350 million dollars for a "healing fund" with absolutely no idea how it will be spent by the native leadership or if it will even reach the victims of residential school abuse. What about accountability Or value for money

Minister Stewart should say SORRY to Canadian taxpayers for continuing to give away money with no guarantees it will be put to the uses it was intended for. And more importantly, she should say SORRY to all Aboriginal peoples (Indians, Inuit and Metis) for perpetuating a system where 80% of expenditures are disbursed to Indian governments rather than individuals.

As the Auditor General noted in 1992, "- there is no formal redress at the Band level for Band members. There is no way for them to appeal when they believe they are being treated unfairly or are not receiving what they are entitled to receive."

Finally, Foreign Affairs Minister Axworthy appointed Chief Blaine Favel as Counsellor on International Indigenous Issues. In this role, Mr. Favel will provide "policy advice on indigenous issues at the UN, OAS, and other international fora."

SORRY Lloyd, but we question this appointment. When the CTF had the courage to question band finance issues in Saskatchewan last fall; Mr. Favel hurled allegations that we were "pandering to racism" and promoting "hate literature". We demanded a retraction of his remarks and offered to work with him in the common interests of taxpayers and First Nations peoples. We are still awaiting his response -

Hopefully his past performance will not be repeated on the international stage.