So you’re thinking of running for Nunavut MLA?
Arctic Matters | Former N.W.T. premier shares advice for would-be territorial leaders ahead of Oct. 27 election
If you’re running for a seat in Nunavut’s legislative assembly, you must be prepared for the demands that public service will make on your life, writes Dennis Patterson. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Dennis Patterson
First of all, you have to be well if you run for office.
By this, I mean you must not be dealing with personal problems. You must understand that you will be treated by many as “public property” if you should win the election.
You will be in the public eye, watched closely by people who will (understandably) treat you as if you are working for them, which is actually true.
And you will be on duty as the servant of your constituents in your every waking hour.
That’s especially true because all Nunavut MLAs, even those from Iqaluit, live in what are essentially small communities; you must be prepared to be in the public eye. Don’t run for office if you are not willing to surrender some of your privacy to the people who elected you. They will stop you in the grocery store, at the airport or on the beach when you are getting ready to go boating. They will watch what you do and how you conduct yourself at all times.
So don’t put yourself in the position of being visible and being watched at all times — including by those who did NOT support you — if you are also dealing with personal issues, including addictions or depression. I have seen too many MLAs “crash and burn” who were not personally well and ready for what is a very privileged job but which can also be very demanding.
We don’t have to look far to remember well-known and tragic examples of people who experienced personal loss from the pressures of being unwell while trying to hold public office.
And by the way, everyone takes ownership of the winner as “my MLA,” whether they voted for you or not. One thing you will learn is that after an election, thanks to the secret ballot, almost everyone will say afterward that they voted for you and that you owe them in return.
Having your personal act together does not just require that you are well mentally and physically. It also means that you must have strong support from your nuclear family in particular. If you do not have that strong family support, beginning with your partner, then do NOT run for office.
The job requires long hours and travel. You will have to make sacrifices and miss important events with family and friends. I have seen too many marriages and political careers falter under the strain of public life.
You have to like people if you are going into politics. The attitude you should have going into a campaign is that people are interesting and can be fun. Some people are carrying problems and issues, and can lash out. They just want to vent. You must be tolerant of that. And it usually does not help if you are the type of person who will always want to push back.
Being a good listener is probably the single most important quality voters expect from someone who runs for public office. They’d rather not hear someone at their door tell them what you will do for them. They’d rather be asked what is important to them — what would they like to see different in their lives.
In the process of applying to be their representative in the upcoming Oct. 27 territorial election, you will learn what matters to your constituents and you will be motivated to work hard to help them improve their lives.
Running for MLA is like a job interview. Yes, you talk about your background and your education and experience. But most important, you learn what your employer wants from you.
You will learn what people most care about. They will vent and express their disappointments and expectations. They will express their anger. And they will express their hopes and dreams.
When you are applying for the job of MLA, all you can do is give them your time to hear what they think. Once elected, you will have plenty of opportunities to speak and express your thoughts and beliefs.
The Hon. Dennis Patterson represented Nunavut in the Senate from 2008 to 2023. He was premier of the Northwest Territories from 1987 to 1991, and played a key role in the Nunavut land claim agreement.
If your aways getting kicked out of bars in Iqaluit, maybe re-think your decision to run for MLA to
Become , a closet boozer !!
Maybe our current MP should take notes.
Patterson says that running for MLA is like a job interview, and the most important part is learning what your employer wants from you. That sounds nice, but in practice it’s a completely meaningless statement. Unless you make it to Premier, you are in no position as a regular independent MLA to accomplish anything you learned that your employer wants from you. Even as Premier, It’s unlikely because you have to keep all of the other MLAs happy.
Let’s say for example that your employer wants more police on the ground to make communities safer. As a regular MLA acting independently from the others, there is no chance that you will come close to achieving that. Let’s say for example that your employer is shocked with mismanagement at the Department of Family Services and would like to see an independent review done of the agency. As a regular MLA acting on your own and independently from the others, there is no chance of that happening either.
So to all you would be MLA’s, I wouldn’t worry too much about what your employer wants from you because you employer is wise and experienced enough to know that the political system in Nunavut never does what the people ( or “employer”) actually want. Instead, the political system here is designed to implement what the senior bureaucracy thinks is in the best interests of the territory. It is the senior bureaucracy who drafts the mandate for the government. The mandate comes from them and not from the people who Patterson affectionately refers to as the “Employer”.
Until would be MLAs get organized and run on platforms that the “employer” can vote on and hold MLAs accountable for, it will never matter what the employer wants, and the bureaucrats will keep running the show.
Think about that Dennis!!!
You’re not wrong, but you’re not completely right either. A sufficiently experienced and motivated regular MLA can make enormous changes via creative use of the Rules of the House. Unfortunately, we’ve only had a handful of very effective regular MLA’s. Maybe we’ll have more in the upcoming assembly.
That’s interesting and you could be right. I’m not familiar with the details of the rules of the legislative assembly so perhaps there are things an independent MLA could do that might make a big difference.
I also want to applaud you on a fair, substantive and even handed response to my comment that avoided anything personal in nature. Cheers.
Aha MAGA has found a new educated professional to beat up on in his anonymous fashion. It isn’t his Honour Judge Bychok anymore. It is now our retired Senator Dennis Patterson.. Both of whom are clearly more educated and polite than MAGA can ever expect to be. Obviously, you are in a minority in your opinion of your intellectual superiors, as your insistence on personal anonymity indicates (i.e. no balls)s. Give us all a break MAGA, you aren’t even funny anymore. You are nothing more than a fake bully.
Correction
NOT MAGA but, MIGA
Both equally arrogant bullies
I get a kick out of your response. I really do. If you read my comment, you’ll see that it’s all about ideas. You can agree with those ideas or not. No where in the comment do I descend into the mud of personality by talking about who’s educated or who’s not, who’s arrogant or who’s not, who’s funny or who’s not, who’s a bully or who’s not.
Now let’s contrast my comment with your’s. Your comment is all about descending into the mud of personality attack and I couldn’t find one substantive idea regarding the substance of Patterson’s article. If you disagree with my ideas, great. But you would be better served by responding to my ideas with ideas of your own. Just responding with a personal swipe is being intellectually lazy I think…..
And you are who? What gives you any credence to opine and attempt to bully a senior judge in our justice system or to tell a past Premier. One of the supporters of our territory
A Senator of our great country.that he doesn’t know what he is talking about when he advises our potential leaders
Who are you and what experience do you have to think your “ideas” are worth the public consideration when we don’t know who you are.
Part of our consideration is knowing where the ideas are coming from. Otherwise you come across as a behind the curtain bully..
So we live in a medieval, feudal society where only the perceived Kings and Lords like Patterson and Bychok are entitled to publicly express opinions and ideas, and the rest of us peasants should remain silent?? Is that what you’re saying??
It’s like I always say “everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if they’re wrong”
I don’t think Mr. Murphy is saying you’re not entitled to your opinion, he’s just saying you’re wrong.
The whole is only as great as the sum of its parts and how well it is working as a team. A society/community is a collection of individuals who determine the wellness and success of itself; An MLA is a mini-centre, they can rally and negotiate and do as well as they do but in the end it is us that make or break the governance o’er the land and its people. And with that good luck and a brighter future for all. Things such as saying No to unnecessary conflict which only serves more pork belly to a few corporations and their heads and their paid for officials need be repeated and not be a passing story in the news cycle. A more peaceful world is their worst possible scenario! We have the means to end our life on earth that would be the logical result should geo-political affairs continue as is.