During his time in Ottawa as Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, Wally Firth used to carry a compass in his pocket. Every so often during a political discussion, he would take it out and stare at it. When challenged to explain what he was doing, Firth would say, “Just checking to see which way is north.” That love of his northern homeland, that deep sense of the North’s distinctiveness, was something Firth never failed to communicate.