Nunavut votes: Learn more about who wants to run the territorial government
Your source for information on candidates in the Oct. 25 Nunavut election
This sign in Iqaluit marks the spot in where Nunavummiut marked their ballots during advanced polling leading up to Nunavut’s territorial election on Monday, Oct. 25. Voters will pick their MLAs for the next four years. (File photo by Mélanie Ritchot)
When Nunavummiut go to the polls on Monday, they’ll be picking their members of the legislative assembly who will be responsible for decisions that affect some of the most important aspects of their lives — health care, education, the environment and how elders are cared for — just to name a few.
To help readers understand their options, Nunatsiaq News reporters have prepared snapshots of each of the ridings where a contest is taking place.
Five ridings have been decided by acclamation. In other words, there was only one candidate. So, they’ve been left off this list. Nunatsiaq News will tell readers more about those returning MLAs after the election.
Here are links to snapshots of the races where voters have choices to make on Monday, Oct. 25.
Links to published riding snapshots
Aggu
Aivilik
Amittuq
Baker Lake
Cambridge Bay
Gjoa Haven
Hudson Bay
Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu
Iqaluit-Tasiluk
Iqaluit-Manirajak
Iqaluit-Sinaa
Kugluktuk
Netsilik
Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet
Rankin Inlet South
Tununiq
Uqqummiut
Ridings won by acclamation
Five members of the previous legislative assembly didn’t face any challengers:
Arviat North-Whale Cove — John Main
Arviat South — Joe Savikataaq
Pangnirtung — Margaret Nakashuk
Quttiktuq — David Akeeagok
South Baffin — David Joanisie
Common theme: ‘I want to continue what I started’ man, it shouldn’t take 4 years, not even 8 years to finish something.
That sentiment is often present amongst voters, and understandably so, although it demonstrates a major lack of understanding on how long it takes to get things done.
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Is it possible for a government with all highly motivated new MLAs to build anything in 4 years? Absolutely not.
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When these new MLAs are elected, the budgets for 2022-23 are pretty much already done. Sure, they will vote on the Capital and O&M budgets, but they are pretty much just voting yes/no on proposed new spending. At the point they jump in, it’s impossible to get something new in to be considered because you wouldn’t have a valid business case prepared, nor would you have time to get proper estimates that would actually be approved in a vote.
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So there goes getting anything “new” done until at least April 2023, almost a year and a half into their 4 year tenure. And to start getting anything done beginning in April 2023, they’ll have to get to work, because they’ll have to start putting together new 3 and 5 year operating and capital plans, which will be based off the government’s mandate, which they won’t know right away until they elect a Premier and do their “retreat”.
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Let’s say they want to build a mental health facility. Well, they’ll have to get some dollars approved for the 2023-24 fiscal year in order to hire a consulting firm to do some research into how it should be built, how many people it should serve, how many staff, and most importantly, good estimates on the cost to build and run, which they need in order to get the funding approved in the votes.
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So once April 2023 hits, the department can put out a tender or RFP for this consulting firm, wait for the results, and then the firm will be hired. But the firm won’t be able to complete the work in time for the department to hit the Fall vote for Capital Estimates for the 2024/25 fiscal year.
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So the department will get their results, put together a business case and try to get some huge capital dollars approved for the 2025/26 fiscal year. Maybe they get lucky and get it approved first time around. Great. Now wait until April 2025 for those dollars.
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April 2025, time to put out the tender for the new facility. Tender stays out for a while, because it’s a big tender and you have to give companies time to price out their bid. By the time the tender closes and the bids are ranked, oh, it’s too late for 2025 sealift. Going to have to wait for 2026 sealift to ship in materials for the construction season of 2027.
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Ohhhh but wait. The MLA’s term is up in October 2025, almost a year before the construction materials even arrive.
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And that’s about as much as a Cabinet Minister can get done in a 4 year term, from a capital perspective. Operations can move a little faster, but you’re still on a really tight timeline for major change in 4 years.
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Honestly, if somebody could convince the government to change their fiscal year so that it started in like… September, I bet you could shave an entire year off Capital Projects due to sealift timing.