New crop of Kivalliq MLAs hope to pack a punch in the next legislature

Newly elected Rankin Inlet South MLA Lorne Kusugak sits at home on election night in 2013, when he lost his seat to Alex Sammurtok. Kusugak won the seat back on Oct. 30, joining a group of veteran MLAs who will return to the legislature. (FILE PHOTO)

Nunavummiut in the territory’s Kivalliq region chose a mix of new and returning members of the legislative assembly Oct. 30, but incoming MLAs all share one thing in common—political experience.

And at least one of the region’s new crop of MLAs has expressed interest in the territory’s top political job.

On Oct. 30, Kivallirmiut re-elected incumbent MLAs Joe Savikataaq in Arviat South and Simeon Mikkungwak in Baker Lake.

Voters also returned former MLAs to a new term in the legislature: former cabinet minister Patterk Netser in Aivilik and Lorne Kusugak in Rankin Inlet South.

But the legislature will see some new faces from western Hudson Bay too.

John Main, an economic development consultant, took Arviat North-Whale Cove from outgoing MLA George Kuksuk, while former Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Cathy Towtongie won in Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet.

The youngest of the group, Main, 37, took the Arviat North-Whale Cove seat from Kuksuk, who served as minister of culture and heritage under the last government.

Main was one of three non-Inuk MLAs elected this week, though the Arviat native has always called Nunavut home and speaks fluent Inuktitut.

“It’s very humbling,” said Main, who took 408 votes to Kuksuk’s 115. “[Kuksuk] contributed a lot over the last four years—I have big shoes to fill.”

Main described election night in Arviat as “agonizing”—results were slow to trickle in and Main had to shut down a gathering of supporters at the local Padlei Hotel around 1 a.m. before Elections Nunavut could report all the community’s polls.

But once his win was made official, Main said he was buoyed even further by the high voter turnout in Arviat—78 per cent in Arviat North-Whale Cove and 81 per cent in Arviat South—the highest turnout in all of Nunavut.

“It was evident in the voter turnout that people were definitely engaged, and that’s something we can be proud of,” he said.

As a newcomer to the legislature, Main said he’s not interested in a cabinet position just yet.

But with the breadth of experience among the MLAs elected in the Kivalliq, one Rankin Inlet voter posed this question on Twitter election night: “Will we finally have a premier from the Kivalliq?”

Patterk Netser says he’s interested.

One of the most anticipated races this election was in neighbouring Aivilik, where two veteran politicians faced off, Netser versus Jack Anawak.

Netser won the seat with 318 votes; Anawak finished with 218.

“I think Nunavummiut need a new leader that doesn’t have connections with the current government,” Netser said. “So I’ve definitely thought a lot about the premiership.”

Netser said his constituents have complained that the Government of Nunavut’s bureaucracy and senior management have too much sway in decision-making, and only fresh leadership can help shift that culture.

But it’s not about having a Kivalliq-based premier, Netser said.

“It’s about having a premier that governs the whole territory,” he said. “Someone who has a vision; Nunavut is all about running our own affairs and deciding our own future.”

Though newly elected as an MLA in Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet, veteran Nunavut politician Cathy Towtongie touts her decades-long experience working for both the region and territory.

She was one of six women MLAs elected Oct. 30, and will serve as the only woman MLA from the Kivalliq.

“In my region, I have experience,” Towtongie said. “I’ve paved the way for other Inuit women to get into these positions.”

Towtongie said she ran a campaign focused on the needs of residents in both Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet.

As MLA, Towtongie said she’s prepared to advocate for local elder care at home, jobs for local youth, and mental health and addictions support—particularly ahead of new federal legislation that will legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

Asked if she would consider a run as premier, Towtongie said that will ultimately be up to those who voted for her.

“I have to consult with my constituents … to see where I can best serve them,” she said. “If I stop doing what I’m supposed to be doing, I’ve told them to let me know.”

In Rankin Inlet South, voters returned Lorne Kusugak to the seat he held prior to 2013.

In that year’s general election, Kusugak and contender Alex Sammurtok finished in a dead heat, with Sammurtok winning the seat months later in a byelection.

As a former minister, it’s expected Kusugak will seek a cabinet position again this term, though he hasn’t committed to it publicly.

“I have a lot of work ahead of me,” Kusugak told Nunatsiaq News on election night.

“I really hope the electorate in Rankin South, and the whole community, will be able to tell me what I need to do and let me know when I need to do more.”