Ability and experience should be the most important factors when it comes to hiring the right person for the job.

Heritage or gender should have no bearing.

Unfortunately that would put many Northerners, especially aboriginals, at the bottom of the list for government jobs.

Southern university grads and middle-aged bureaucrats looking to pad their resumes or bank accounts would be at the top.

It's no way to develop a home-grown civil service.

The territorial government recognized this when it established its affirmative action policy in 1989. It set lofty goals and created bitterness.

Non-aboriginals saw the policy as putting where you were born ahead of ability. Aboriginal people were angered when they were passed over.

And the government didn't come close to meeting its goal of a 46 per cent indigenous civil service. Up to 1999, the highest it ever came was 33 per cent. The regions did better, 47 per cent in Fort Smith and 42 per cent in Inuvik. The capital was always at the bottom -- 20 per cent.

It has everything to do with what jobs go where. In Yellowknife, GNWT's 'HQ', top-level jobs require top-level skills.

"Aboriginal people are... over-represented in jobs requiring less than a high school education." Just six per cent of jobs that require university degrees were held by aboriginal employees.

Changing direction

That wasn't about to change as long as Northern education levels remain low.

The government appears to have recognized that and has shifted course on affirmative action.

Its new policy -- Employment Equity -- may seem like just a name change, but it represents a shift in approach.

While still pushing the goal of a civil service representative of the population, the plan is to provide training that will allow aboriginal employees to improve their skills and move up the ranks.

It will take commitment by the government and employees, but over time Northern aboriginals will take their place atop the civil service.

Until, of course, self-governing First Nations call them home again. But that's another issue for the future.

Controversy may not always be welcome but it sure grabs people's attention.

During last year's Caribou Carnival, caribou cops patrolled streets and offices, playfully harassing people who didn't have a button. Co-queens Christiane Boyd and Gisele Forget made a few headlines and sold thousands of tickets.

Maybe some feel that kind of drama is not welcome at a family carnival.

But the surplus raised last year will be used to pay off this year's debt.

Carnival organizers blame bad weather for low turnout and sales and it may well have been a factor. But no one living North of 60 has ever let cold weather stop them from doing something they wanted.

Creating a calm atmosphere at carnival is not going to draw crowds or challenge imaginations.

Thousands flock to festivals like the New Orleans Mardi Gras and Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous because they encourage people to be colourful and outrageous. The more the merrier.

Right now, the most outrageous aspect of Caribou Carnival is the little thanks the volunteers receive for serving on the board and running the events.

We as a community not only owe them a great debt for this year, but we should contribute new ideas and energy to make next year's carnival the most colorful on record.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

It's a rare occurrence when we dedicate this space to the same individual two weeks in a row. However, this case warrants the tribute, and we're willing to make an exception.

If there were a special ulu at the Arctic Winter Games awarded to the athlete who best exemplifies the true spirit of fair play and sportsmanship, this year's memento would have gone to Coral Harbour wrestler Joseph Nakoolak.

The Coral grappler was beating Alaskan Colten Goracke with a mere five seconds remaining in their match. As they lined up at the centre of the circle, the Alaskan rushed at Nakoolak and delivered a deliberate head butt to his face.

Nakoolak finished the match before being rushed to the hospital and stitched up.

The Alaskan was disqualified from the team competition, but reinstated for the individual medal event, in which he met Nakoolak once again.

Nakoolak did not retaliate when he received the head-butt, refusing to let his personal pride get in the way of his team's performance.

In the rematch, there was no hint of retaliation from Nakoolak, despite the mounting tension as he and the Alaskan squared off in the centre of the ring.

Nakoolak let his ability do the talking and defeated Goracke 10-0 in a scant 95 seconds on his way to winning Nunavut's first freestyle gold medal. The Coral wrestler further demonstrated his outstanding sportsmanship and role-model demeanour during the AWG's closing ceremonies. Nakoolak searched out the Alaskan, shook hands and exchanged AWG jackets with him.

All of Nunavut should be proud of the way Nakoolak handled himself during this unpleasant and unnecessary situation.

Not only did his actions embody the true spirit of sportsmanship, they sent a wonderful example to the rest of the nation of the pride, honour, class and determination exhibited by the vast majority of our athletes.

Nakoolak was honoured by his community this past week, along with the rest of Coral's athletes who competed at the AWG.

This corner says the good folks at Sport Nunavut should review the chain of efforts between Nakoolak and the Alaskan at the AWG. And, if we may be so bold, we would like to suggest Nakoolak be publicly acknowledged for his display of sportsmanship and fair play. His actions have set a standard of behaviour for all our athletes to aspire to.

Editorial Comment
Terry Halifax
Inuvik Drum

Students could have learned a good lesson in democracy at last week's town council meeting.

Five angry townsfolk arrived for the meeting armed with a petition to oppose a zoning bylaw that would allow developers to build a three-storey apartment building across the street from them.

Rather than just complain about the proposed bylaw and the process, the group offered alternatives to the zoning and suggested the bylaw be re-vamped to differentiate between duplexes and apartment buildings.

Council listened to their concerns and, on the strength of the argument, decided against rezoning the neighbourhood -- at least for now.

The mayor and council also considered that perhaps an R-3 zone is needed in Inuvik.

As towns become cities, they often encounter such growing pains and an open mind is needed -- as well as open ears.

We often get cynical about the way governance operates, but last Wednesday's meeting was a pleasant reminder that democracy can work.

Kudos to the townsfolk for voicing their concerns to council and the same to council for listening.

Ministerial support

Good to see a federal minister of any kind make his way to the third coast, but it was a real surprise to see an agriculture minister up here.

We're often over-looked by the big guns in Ottawa, but the visit from Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief gave some reassurance that we're getting some attention out of Ottawa.

The muskox program will certainly benefit from the boost to research and development as well as the improvements to harvesting and meat processing techniques.

The consumer of muskox meat stands to gain from this research too. With this product sold around the world, they can feel confident they'll be buying a consistently tender and uniform.

The Sachs Harbour Hunters and Trappers stand to gain a great deal of knowledge from the program, but the over-all economy will also benefit.

The harvest is a great addition to an economy and in an area where agriculture is so limited, people need to diversify any way they can.

Muskrat jammin'

I'm really looking forward to attending my very first Muskrat Jamboree.

Looking through the list of events, I can see there are some events I've never watched before.

It will be a blast watching and photographing all the usual events like the sack and toboggan races, but I can't wait to see the Muskrat skinning contest.

See you all out there!

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

The Acho Dene Koe still want their own land claim. They're seeking something on the order of what has already been done by the Nisgaa First Nation in British Columbia.

Harry Deneron made a case for the Acho Dene Koe three years ago, but the federal government balked at that time.

Judy Kotchea followed Deneron's lead. At a Deh Cho First Nations leadership meeting last May, she fought for and attained a controversial resolution that contained a clause giving the ADK "sole ownership, authority and jurisdiction over its territory during and after negotiations." Kotchea noted, at that time, that the ADK want land selections for economic development purposes, unlike the rest of the Deh Cho's First Nations. The ADK face a monumental task in trying to convince the federal government to create a separate process. Complicating matters all the more is the ADK's claim to traditional lands in B.C. and the Yukon.

Kotchea has a legitimate point when she argues that her people never agreed to the existing provincial and territorial boundaries created by the federal government. Yet those rather arbitrary lines profoundly affected the Fort Liard band's domain.

She said she's hopeful that the Liberal government will continue to show flexibility as it has with two interim agreements pertaining to the Deh Cho Process.

While her request may be reasonable, the odds are stacked against her. Trans-boundary claims are messy, involving provincial and territorial governments as well as neighbouring First Nations.

It will be an uphill battle, for certain.

What a rush

From talking to Paul Guyot, it's apparent he feels honoured to be part of the Rangers' 60th anniversary patrol to the Magnetic North Pole. He's obviously deserving of the expedition, having been elected by his fellow Fort Simpson Rangers.

As an example of what the excursion party may have to contend with, Guyot mentioned a friend of his who travelled from Churchill, Man., to Arviat. During one stretch, his friend logged 22 kilometres on his odometer going around crevasses and pressure ridges, but according to his global positioning system (GPS), he had only advanced three kilometres towards his destination. That may be an extreme illustration of the zig-zagging the Rangers have in store, but it's an idea of what they may encounter. Godspeed.

Days get longer

This is the weekend when we set our clocks ahead one hour. It's a shame to lose an hour of sleep (or productivity), but the trade-off is sunshine later into the evening. We'll take it.