Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am going to join my honourable colleagues today and question the recent appointments of non-northerners to senior posts in the civil service. We have been dealing with this issue at various levels for some time. Ordinary MLAs fear that qualified northerners are losing opportunities to imported talent. First, let me make one thing clear. I do not want to question the capabilities of individuals who have moved north to take senior positions with the territorial government. I am sure their qualifications and references are first rate.

My problems lie with the decisions of the people doing the hiring. This government must make a commitment to the northern work force, and I do not believe that recent decisions reflect that commitment.

Mr. Speaker, when we negotiated a development agreement with BHP Diamonds, we demanded the company set a target of 60 percent northern hires. Likewise, we apply a strict affirmative action policy throughout the lower levels of the civil service. I think we should try harder to enforce similar targets and policies at the senior management level where appointments are most visible and influential. If we do not, I fear we will lose all credibility, especially, when we ask outside employers to hire northerners and promote them to management positions.

I wonder what kind of image we project when we hire the bulk of our senior managers from the south. I suspect it is not a good one. The fact that the government has dragged its feet in replying to last year's report on affirmative action makes matters even worse. I have been asking for a reply since I got here in 1995.