Things that make you go “hmm”

On Friday, March 7, 2001, Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo read a statement in the legislative assembly to have Jack Anawak removed from cabinet. In that statement, Tootoo used the following two quotes from Jack’s comments on March 5, 1999, during the leadership debate:

“We have to give our ongoing support to our Premier, because the Premier is not only representing us, but also the people of Nunavut.”

“We each have our own constituents, but we all have to keep in mind that our first priority will be the people of Nunavut as a whole.”

I also note that in your March 7 paper the story “Anawak’s future in cabinet lies with fellow MLAs” written by Patricia D’Souza with files from Jim Bell in Iqaluit, uses the exact same quotes.

I know that you will argue that these are public records and that you did interview Tootoo but I personally think it is really ironic that quotes read in the assembly would appear in a local newspaper on the same day they are both released.

Hmm!
Mike Courtney
Iqaluit

Editor’s note: There’s no conspiracy. The written transcript of the March 1999 leadership forum is available to any member of the public through Nunavut’s legislative library. And in the interest of full disclosure, readers should know that Mike Courtney is Jack Anawak’s former executive assistant.