We are looking for a person who can be responsive to the needs of a constituency. The successful candidate will not take advantage of the position to further the careers of selected friends.

The successful candidate will be familiar with conflict of interest legislation. Previous experience has taught us that ignorance of the law and misguided loyalties are not acceptable substitutes for responsible leadership.

Candidates' previous legislative records will be thoroughly scrutinized for prior involvement in the granting of funds or contracts to friends or those with privileged information and influence.

The records will also be examined for consistency of speech and action. Windbags, con artists, braggarts and daydreamers need not apply.

Leading candidates will understand the nature of responsible leadership and will be prepared to guide the legislature through the division of assets.

We are looking for someone who can accept responsibility for their actions rather than turn the responsibility back to the civil service. The capacity to publicly acknowledge your errors will be regarded as a strength.

Potential candidates are requested to declare their intentions immediately so as to allow the people of the NWT to communicate their choice to their MLAs.

May the most honourable person win.

The Nunavut Construction Corp.'s shareholders are considering pushing the firm into the competitive market. This is a great idea as long as the Inuit-owned corporation can come in with bids that will truly compete against those offered by southern businesses.

Tagak Curley, the president of the Inuit-owned construction corporation, says the decision won't be made until the new year, when the company's four shareholders have fully reviewed NCC's record.

We at News/North would like to take a moment to join in on that review.

First off, despite widespread rumours about financial difficulties and southern hiring practices, NCC's most significant project -- the Nunavut legislative assembly -- is still on schedule and still within its $11 million budget. Yes, there are still four more months to go but, so far, they're succeeding where countless other southern and Northern businesses have failed.

Secondly, in the last season alone, 20 apprentices in various trades have signed on with the corporation and of a total 270 workers employed across Nunavut, 170 of them were locally hired Inuit labourers and tradespeople. Very few other construction firms can claim to have taken such a proactive stance on training workers.

Lastly, if a Northern firm were to win a contract to build a school or some kind of major government facility, think of the spin-off potential to Inuit and non-Inuit owned businesses. Several other Nunavut companies have already greatly benefitted from holding valuable sub-contracts with NCC and, if the local contracts increase, more of the little guys around the territory will reap the profits.

All that being said, the people that put out the tenders aren't necessarily looking for anything other than the lowest bid. Curley and his boys need to figure out how to get their costs down so their proposals can beat out the southern folks.

This perhaps will be their most difficult task, but, if they can accomplish it, the presence of a locally-owned competitive Inuit corporation will most certainly change the face of construction in the North.

The education department halted religious instruction in Hay River and Inuvik schools last fall, on the grounds that such classes violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

But with a Catholic school board in Yellowknife offering religious instruction, the restriction seems to rest more on student numbers than any conflict with the charter.

While it may not be financially feasible to set up a separate board, why not craft legislation to allow for religious instruction where there is a demonstrated need? Would not the Dene and Inuit cultural component of Northern curriculum be a model?

After all, the idea is a well rounded education. The more flexible the system, the more inclusive the education. What harm can come from it if academic standards are maintained?

Many Northerners believe some form of closure is needed by those who survived abuse in Northern residential schools.

The West could learn much from the way the East helped to bring at least some semblance of healing to abuse survivors in that region.

If not a public inquiry, then some form of public event should be held to allow people to speak and commiserate with each other, much like Catholic Bishop Rouleau's apology at the Igloolik gathering we witnessed in 1996.

While the healing process is a tremendously personal process, no one can dispute the benefits of sharing with those who understand.