Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An open competition was held to staff this particular position, with ads appearing in newspapers in western Canada, and throughout the Northwest Territories. The competition closed on November 22, 1996 with 23 northern applicants, and 37 applicants for a total of 53 applicants. The screening criteria was consistent with the qualifications set out in the advertisement, and after interviewing northern applicants and southern applicants, we made an offer to this person because we felt he had the best qualifications for the job. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.