Fred Schell of Cape Dorset wins Nunavut cabinet seat

South Baffin MLA Fred Schell, shown here last year in the Nunavut assembly, is Nunavut’s newest cabinet minister after MLAs voted to fill a vacant cabinet seat in Iqaluit Sept. 28. (FILE PHOTO)

South Baffin MLA Fred Schell is Nunavut’s newest cabinet minister after MLAs voted to fill a vacant cabinet seat in Iqaluit Sept. 28.

Schell, an MLA since 2008, defeated Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk in a single-ballot vote.

In his speech to MLAs, Schell said the Nunavut government needs to prepare for tough financial times ahead, between the sputtering global economy and the lingering fallout from the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s $100-million overspending debacle.

“We have virtually no capital [spending] this year because of the issues of the past,” Schell told reporters.

The fluently bilingual Ugyuk, who was first elected in a 2010 by-election, said in her speech to MLAs, she’d focus on the need to improve Nunavut’s education, health and justice systems.

It’s the third time Schell has sought a cabinet seat. Last November, he and Ugyuk both lost out to James Arreak, Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, when Arreak resigned as speaker to seek the cabinet seat vacated by Amittuq MLA Louis Tapardjuk.

Some MLAs felt that the government shouldn’t add a seventh and final cabinet minister at all, citing Nunavut’s precarious financial position, but were overruled at a meeting of full caucus last week.

Schell’s frequent criticism of the housing corporation means he could seek the housing portfolio, but the decision is up to Premier Eva Aariak, who has to reshuffle some cabinet assignments after current speaker Hunter Tootoo left cabinet earlier this year.

“I’ll leave it entirely up to [Aariak],” Schell said. “I think she knows which ones I’d prefer to have.”

Aariak has been serving as interim education minister, while environment minister Dan Shewchuk has been covering the human resources department.

Speaking to reporters, Aariak welcomed Schell into cabinet, but declined to say what departments her new minister might end up in charge of.

“It was hard to decide, not knowing who would join us, what portfolios to assign (the new minister),” she said.

Aariak said she’d move quickly to assign Schell a cabinet role.