Mr. Speaker, honourable Members, before I get into my statement, I would like to say hello to my children back home and wish my wife, Shawna, a Happy Valentine's Day.

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Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a comment about the affirmative action policy. If the government is to have a policy, it should be applied across the board evenly and should be fair to all people. If you call the North your home and you have the qualifications and show the initiative, you should be given the opportunity to prove yourself. I believe when the Government of the Northwest Territories is looking for employees it should be looking from within, not from outside sources.

Mr. Speaker, I say this because it has been brought to my attention that good people are being passed over when employment opportunities arise within the Government of the Northwest Territories. Once again, Mr. Speaker, if this government is to have a policy in place, it must be applied evenly across the Territories. If it cannot accomplish this, then it should seriously look at removing it.

Mr. Speaker, I do not think that we, as a government, should be creating barriers for the people of the Northwest Territories. Instead, Mr. Speaker, I think we should be trying to encourage people to make the North a better place to live. Thank you.

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