Kaludjak sweeps NTI election Three-time

DENISE RIDEOUT

Paul Kaludjak swept the Baffin, Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions in the Nunavut Tunngavik election, winning the vice-president of finance position by a landslide.

From the first poll result, Kaludjak, of Rankin Inlet, was ahead of the game. For the next 40 poll results, he had a powerful lead over his two opponents.

He finished the election with 3,986 votes, or 63.29 per cent of the vote.

Kaludjak won more than twice the votes as runner-up, Goo Arlooktoo. Raymond Kaslak finished well behind with 679 votes.

“It’s great stuff,” Kaludjak said in a phone interview from his home in Rankin Inlet. “I’m pretty happy. It was a pretty big win.”

Kaludjak, who is president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association, took a leave of absence to run in the NTI election.

He was sure he’d be victorious in the race. He just didn’t think the win would be so significant, he said.

“I didn’t expect a large margin like that because of the competition I was with. Goo Arlooktoo, he has lots of experience and I figured I’d be up for tougher competition,” he said.

Kaludjak, three-time president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association, said his track record as a leader contributed to his win.

“I have a very good record here in the Kivalliq for leadership and consistency and experience with our Inuit organization. I have back-to-back re-elections. And each year the numbers go up. So that’s an indication that people trust me to lead them.”

Kaludjak hunkered down at the election station in Rankin Inlet to watch the results. When there were just three polls left to be tabulated, Kaludjak left the party to celebrate at home with his family.

Runner-up not giving up on politics

Arlooktoo called off his family’s celebration party the minute he saw the first vote results.

He had only 372 votes, while Kaludjak had 703. What hit Arlooktoo was the fact that those votes came from the Baffin region — his own turf.

Arlooktoo was counting on his Baffin connections. He’s originally from Kimmirut, lives and works in Iqaluit and was an MLA representing Cape Dorset, Sanikiluaq and Kimmirut in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.

He won in Iqaluit, but lost Cape Dorset and Sanikiluaq to Kaludjak.

“Right away I saw the writing on the wall and accepted the fact that this time was not my turn,” Arlooktoo said. “For me to do well across Nunavut, I knew that I should have won many of the Baffin communities. It turned out right away that wasn’t going to be the case.”

Arlooktoo said while he had a poor showing in this election, his political career isn’t over.

“This is just one of many opportunities. I still think I have the ideas and energy to make changes. Tomorrow is another day. I think once politics is in your blood, it kind of stays with you,” Arlooktoo said.

Kaludjak figures a major task he’ll tackle in his new position is the direct compensation issue: whether and how NTI could give Inuit beneficiaries some of the $1.1 billion NTI is getting under the Nunavut land claim.

“There are a lot of challenges to look forward to,” Kaludjak said.