An all-party subcommittee created by the Members' Services Board of the Yukon legislature will recommend to the territorial cabinet that local lawyer Tracy-Anne McPhee be named the next Yukon ombudsman.

The legislative assembly made the announcement this morning.

McPhee, currently in Miami, was unavailable for comment.

McPhee is a barrister and solicitor with her own private practice in Whitehorse.

She has earned a Bachelor of Arts and an L.L.B. from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Education from St. Mary's University.

McPhee is also a consultant and an educator.

She is also actively involved with her community, having served as a volunteer with the Yukon Law Foundation, the Maddison Chair in Northern Justice, the MacBride Museum Society Board and the local and national Canadian Bar Association.

She was the first female president of the Law Society of Yukon, serving in that position from 2002 to 2006.

In 2006, McPhee became the first northerner elected to serve as president of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. The federation is an umbrella organization of the 14 Canadian law societies that govern and regulate almost 90,000 lawyers and notaries.

Hank Moorlag, the current ombudsman, will be leaving the position on April 7, when his second five-year term expires.

The Ombudsman Act requires that the ombudsman be appointed by the Yukon cabinet after it receives the recommendation of the legislative assembly made by at least two-thirds of the assembly's members.

It's expected that the required motion will be debated soon after the House reconvenes for the 2007 spring sitting.

The all-party subcommittee created by the Members' Services Board consists of Justice Minister Marian Horne, Liberal MLA Don Inverarity and NDP MLA John Edzerza.

This subcommittee was given responsibility for recruiting a nominee to be placed before the assembly for its consideration.

It placed advertisements inviting applications in local newspapers in January. A total of 29 applications were received. Following shortlisting, the subcommittee conducted interviews Feb. 21-22.

The ombudsman is an independent officer of the assembly who, in accordance with the provisions of the Ombudsman Act, reviews administrative directions of the government.

He or she does so by investigating complaints against departments, agencies, boards and commissions and submitting reports or taking other appropriate action in response to those complaints.

The ombudsman also serves as the Yukon's Information and Privacy Commissioner and, as such, is charged with fulfilling the duties of that position in accordance with the provisions of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

These duties include conducting reviews into decisions respecting access to records of the government's departments and agencies.