Nattilik by-election likely on April 26

The Nunavut cabinet announced in a news release March 4 that they favour a by-election date of April 26 for the Nattilik seat, made vacant recently by the resignation of Enuk Pauloosie of Gjoa Haven.

Nattilik takes in the communities of Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak, and was previously held by Leona Aglukkaq, now the MP for Nunavut and national health minister.

Pauloosie, who won the seat in the Oct. 27, 2008 territorial election, resigned his job Feb. 22.

On June 4, 2009, MLAs voted to suspend Pauloosie from the spring session of the Nunavut assembly, without pay, for being “persistently absent without reasonable explanation from meetings of the Legislative Assembly’s committees and caucuses.” Pauloosie then returned to Iqaluit for the fall session of the assembly.

His letter to the speaker last month did not state any reason for his resignation.

If the assembly agrees to the proposed date of April 26, the writ of election would be issued March 26, the GN news release said.