Nunavut by-election turns into a four-way race

The by-election in Nunavut’s Uqqummiut riding appears to have become a four-way race, with two more candidates submitting papers to run.

Sandy Kautuq, a former mayor and teacher in Clyde River, and Pauloosie Keyootak, a former Qikiqtani Inuit Association president from Qikiqtarjuaq, each declared his candidacy Jan. 9.

They’ll run against two other confirmed candidates, former Uqqummiut MLA James Arreak and anti-seismic testing activist and photographer Niore Iqalukjuak.

Any candidate who wishes to withdraw may do so by 5 p.m. Jan. 9.

Voters from Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq, the two communities that make up Uqqummiut, will vote for a new MLA on Feb. 9, just 15 months after Nunavut’s last territorial election.

On Oct. 28, 2013, the riding election ended in a tie between Qikiqtarjuaq candidate Samuel Nuqingaq and Clyde River’s Iqalukjuak, who finished the night with 187 votes apiece.

A recount put Nuqingaq two votes ahead of Iqalukjuak.

But Nuqingaq’s short career in politics got off to a rocky start when he missed the orientation session for newly-elected MLAs.

In early 2014, Nuqingaq was charged with assault and later that year, he left Qikiqtarjuaq to attend a rehabilitation program to deal with substance abuse.

He was finally expelled from Nunavut’s legislative assembly in October 2014.

Uqqummiut’s voter turnout in the 2013 election was among the highest in Nunavut at 78 per cent.