Voters elect politicians, not bureaucrats.

That fact is obvious enough whenever there is a good thing to announce. Politicians will be found front and centre, with a smile, a handshake and bon mots all round.

Here in the Northwest Territories -- and elsewhere for that matter -- politicians tend to vanish when the going gets tough. Then it's a deputy or an aide who comes out of the woodwork to catch flak and dispense spin.

At such times, the politician is said to be "unavailable." That can mean that they are in transit, in meetings, or -- and this may be closer to the truth -- just keeping their head down until the storm passes and the next good thing comes along.

In the meantime, anonymous "spokespersons" meet questions with carefully-massaged answers that do more to obscure facts and deflect responsibility than illuminate public policy.

It's the sort of babble that a large corporation emits when one of its divisions runs amok and pollutes a trophy trout stream.

The most recent local example involves RWED Minister Joe Handley. The minister has been AWOL on the subject of a resource officer who was jailed for breaking the laws he was paid to uphold.

Still unanswered is whether the miscreant will remain on the government payroll.

This sort of behaviour is hardly consistent with Premier Stephen Kakfwi's promise of a more open and transparent government.

Voters have a right to answers. That's one of the fundamental principles of democracy. The issue here is ministerial responsibility. Voters elected Mr. Handley, not his handlers.

Corporations don't have to answer questions. They can hire expensive consultants to deal with embarrassing issues. Dissatisfied consumers have been known to turn away from corporations that offend them. The same goes for voters who don't like the service they get from their MLAs.

Women in the North must reconsider the inclusive nature of the Take Back The Night marches they host in their communities every fall.

If women decided to restrict the political march to participation by women and children only, it would force our leaders and our neighbours to take an actual stand and end the violence that is on the doorstep of every community.

The first Take Back The Night march was organized in Germany in 1973 in response to the physical assault, the rape and the murder of women.

The idea caught on quickly and within a few years, women in the United States, Latin America, Canada and Europe were demanding they be free to walk safe at night.

Original intent intact, women and their children walked without the assistance or the protection of men through the darkened streets of their communities. Their action demanded that the men perpetrating such acts of violence be held responsible for the crimes they committed.

We can no longer survive in Nunavut without a stand equally as strong.

Crimes against women and children are so pervasive in our hamlets and towns that we've even excused our leaders for committing these horrible crimes and we've allowed other elected representatives to take a soft stand when our bones and the law is broken.

Given that the rate of violence is so drastically high, drastic measures are called for.

In communities where Take Back The Night marches are already a tradition each September, the organizers must demand a return to the days when women protested shoulder to shoulder with other women.

In communities where the march is still just an idea, women must take the lead and force awareness of the issue to the foreground.

Indeed, if our fathers and brothers feel so compelled to be involved in the struggle to end violence, surely they can organize their own march and demonstrate to others how wrong violence against women is.

Nothing is as satisfying as seeing your hard work pay off and in the case of Pauktuutit -- did it ever.

After tireless work to create an awareness of HIV\AIDS in Nunavut, the Inuit women's organization saw the fruit of their labour on the day of the National AIDS Walk Canada.

Hundreds of Nunavummiut turned out to walk for the cause -- Taloyoak having a turnout as big as that of a southern city of more than 100,000.

Pangnirtung had an overwhelming turnout of more than 400 residents.

What all of this means is that more people are getting the message that HIV\AIDS kills and the only way to beat it is through safe sex and awareness.

As we look back upon Literacy Week, it must be noted that there are people who still can't read.

People need to be able to read the safety signs at BHP's Ekati diamond mine in the NWT and fill out gun registration forms in Nunavut.

The importance of literacy is recognized across the North. People like Iqaluit's Bobby Suwarak take advantage of Learning Centre programs and NWT Dene elder George Blondin who writes books containing traditional knowledge that appeal to young aboriginals are important role models.

In Fort Liard, two companies, Beaver Enterprises and Purcell Energy Ltd., pledged $100,000 toward a school/community literacy program. A Nunavut-wide writing contest attracted 228 entries and in Chesterfield Inlet school students are using newspapers to improve their reading skills and local knowledge at the same time.

Let's make sure we don't let up the effort.

Birthing babies has been a part of life in the North as long as there has been life in the North, but health officials in Fort Smith feel giving birth is far too risky to perform without a blood bank, a surgical suite and a team of skilled insurance agents.

Rankin Inlet now has a birthing centre thanks to support from the community and members of the health board. It took 10 years of public pressure before the board began to insure their midwives. That could just as easily happen in Fort Smith.

In times of doctor and nursing shortages throughout the country, why would health departments and legislators not be support dedicated midwives like Lesley Paulette?

Midwifery would not only provide a valuable complement to health care, but bring back the joy of the miracle of birth to the community where it belongs.