It would be naive to suggest that anything more altruistic than power drives politics in this country.

As skeptical as that may seem, the antics of the federal Liberals these days makes it clear that maintaining their firm grip on the House of Commons is far more important than the development of coherent policies to serve Canadians.

The campaign by Minister of Finance Paul Martin to force a leadership review has little to do with the health of the Liberal party and everything to do with a battle between two ambitious political veterans.

The last thing we need is another election. The Liberals have a solid majority, the Prime Minister is in apparent good health and has only served six years as prime minister. He has two years left in his mandate.

The last federal election cost the taxpayers about $210 million. By means of comparison, the recent federal budget only committed $150 million to highway infrastructure.

We should learn a lesson from the United States, where the federal government drifts for almost two years out of every four while presidential candidates slug it out for the privilege of leading the country. Despite what Ottawa's pundits would have us believe, Canadians are less concerned about intra-cabinet feuds than they are about getting on with solving the problems that affect their lives. Here in the hinterland, questions remain about health-care funding, building roads, settling land claims and the allocation of resource royalties. Watching two dinosaurs struggle for the top of the heap would be an amusing diversion if it weren't for the fact that their job is to provide leadership.

So gentlemen, put your ambitions back in your pockets, and get on with the jobs you were elected to do. The issues await.

Lurking over the luggage carousel at the Yellowknife Airport is a massive polar bear stalking a seal.

As a piece of taxidermy, it is magnificent. As a decoration, however, it begs a few questions. Can the polar bear population sustain being made into ornaments for public buildings, for instance.

Another question might be what does that animal have to do with Yellowknife? Behind the polar bear is a monumental and beautiful painting of an Inukshuk. Suspended from the ceiling are whalebone sculptures. None of these works reflect either Dene or Metis culture. Yellowknife is the gateway to the North, but it is also home to a sizable indigenous population. You wouldn't know it at the airport.

The infamous Aurora Fund is closing, having played a significant role in NWT history.

Part of a national program, the fund was created in 1996 for immigrants who wanted a fast way into the country and had $250,000 to invest in Northern business. Having delivered almost $40 million in loans to Northern businesses, the fund was a success. Not so successful were the politics involved.

At the fund's startup, the government tried to keep secret the fund recipients. Yellowknifer reporters began digging for names. Their questions led to Lahm Ridge Tower which eventually led to the downfall of Premier Don Morin as well as the rise of now Deputy-Premier Jane Groenewegen. Former finance minister John Todd wasn't exaggerating when he said the Aurora fund would pay big dividends for the North. He just didn't know how big.

It's early days yet, but public meetings have been held and more are planned. And council is now looking at new bylaws to clarify standards and make enforcement easier.

Private business, particularly in the form of the ever-growing Mackenzie Delta Hotel Group, is demonstrating interest and while that company remains loathe to give details of its development intentions, it has been praised for its willingness to participate in the town's beautification program.

The public is divided over the issue, though, of how much responsibility for the clean-up effort lies with the town and how much with individual businesses and property owners. So far, the town has taken a conciliatory approach -- talked of enforcement but extended a hand to help the private sector clean up its own act and develop a common strategy.

In a community this size, such a conciliatory policy appears to make the most sense. We should all be working together. I'm told, on the other hand, that the problems being addressed now have been around for a long time. As the snow melts, time will soon tell how effective the town's latest efforts will be.

Assessing the cost

Monday's announcement by Sport Canada of an additional $6.9 million in federal funding for the country's amateur athletes was placed in context for me at the Inuvik town council meeting later that day.

I understand Ottawa's announcement was welcomed by our Olympic hopefuls (though many say more spending is needed) and I understand the positive spin-offs produced when Canada excels on the international stage.

The council meeting reminded me, however, of the fact that Inuvik will not soon see funding for something as basically necessary and as genuinely positive as a year-round swimming pool, which could be used and enjoyed by residents of all ages and host swim camps and meets for the region at large.

The North continues to suffer a disproportionately large percentage of the country's social problems, including substance abuse and suicide, while facilities like swimming pools -- that can provide the population with a positive alternative -- remain underdeveloped.

Canada's amateur athletes deserve our support, but it's hard to accept Monday's announcement when issues of education, health and recreation in the North have not been properly addressed.

It's just mind-boggling as to why it's human nature to frequently disregard the very things intended to keep us free from harm. How many times do we jump in our vehicles and take off without reaching over for the seat-belt, especially while driving in the community at a lower rate of speed? Sure they may seem to be somewhat of an inconvenience, but the protection from seat-belts is only appreciated when they prevent serious injury or when, in hindsight, we regret the fact that we didn't make the effort to buckle up. By then it is too late.

The community carnivals in Fort Simpson and Fort Providence were a pleasure for practically everyone involved. Both events featured snowmobile races that drew a great deal of interest. One thing the spectators saw, whether they were conscious of it or not, was that each racer was wearing a helmet.

Unfortunately, a significant number of the racers and spectators were not wearing helmets otherwise. Even between the actual drags, while the racers were putting their machines through their paces, many of them didn't bother to don their helmets. They would accelerate to reckless speeds without any protection for their craniums. Children were watching all the while. This sends two messages -- speed is cool, and safety isn't really necessary (only when regulated at the starting line).

Helmets aren't an option in the races, they're mandatory. Equally, they should be required at all times, during every ride.

The issue of safety in sports, like most things in life, comes to a head during a flashpoint -- a gruesome incident occurs that really shocks people, makes them think twice. Such is the case with Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Bryan Berard. He was accidentally sticked in the face last week, doing serious if not irreparable damage to his right eye.

Despite the best surgical efforts, it's unknown whether he will ever be able to see out of that eye again. The incident was shown repeatedly on television. The subsequent talk was whether or not visors or cages should be made compulsory on hockey helmets.

Some players argue that they are a nuisance, and only obscure their vision. Others didn't waste any time debating the point, they quickly added a visor to their gear before the next game.

There was no flashpoint in Fort Providence or in Fort Simpson among snowmobile riders over the past few weeks. However, a teenage girl who wasn't wearing a helmet died as a result of a snowmobile accident in Nahanni Butte in December. Hopefully it doesn't take another tragic accident before the need for snowmobile safety is taken more seriously.

Maybe it's a case of not understanding their responsibilities to the media and the public it serves.

Maybe it's a way of saying we're going to conduct business as we see fit and nothing in the way of public perception is going change that.

The problem is that as a fledgling, new territory, we have to understand our obligations in providing the public with information it has a right to know.

In this particular case, we have a day care in Baker Lake hanging on by a thread while it waits for a clearer response from Kivalliq Partners in Development concerning future funding.

Comments from front-line staff workers that they are being told not to talk to the media are unsettling in their own right, especially when these comments are coming from the most knowledgable people involved with the project.

Also unsettling is the position of Kivalliq Partners in Development that they could handle any questions directly with the parties involved and saw no reason to answer funding questions in public.

And even more unsettling is the admission in the press release that an organization responsible for administering new funding still has no idea of what role its funding plays in respect to government subsidies.

This, despite the fact that Kivalliq Partners in Development was first notified of the program it would be administering more than six months ago.

As a development firm in charge of administrating huge amounts of money annually, surely it has the wherewithal to find out for itself what subsidies are being applied to what programs by the Nunavut Government without asking for the public's help.

It is our understanding that a co-ordinator with experience in the Pauktuutit organization has been hired to oversee the child-care funding program.

This is as good news.

Hopefully, this will bring some order to what has become a chaotic situation. Maybe now when the media has questions someone will be able to answer.

After all, it is the way the system is supposed to work in this great nation.

No exceptions!