Trio of women will appear on federal ballot in Nunavut
Liberals, Conservatives, NDP all pick women to represent them in Sept. 20 election; Green party yet to name candidate
Laura Mackenzie (left) is running for MP in the Sept. 20 federal election as the Conservative party’s candidate. Pat Angnakak (centre) is running for the Liberals and Lori Idlout (right) is the NDP’s candidate. (File photos)
Updated on Aug., 18, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.
The Conservative and Liberal parties in Nunavut have chosen their candidates for the federal election, following the NDP’s lead last week.
The Conservatives have named Rankin Inlet’s Laura Mackenzie while the Liberals selected Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu MLA Pat Angnakak.
The announcements come on the first full day of the campaign and about a week after Iqaluit lawyer Lori Idlout was named the candidate for the New Democratic Party, following a coin toss.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the election on Sunday for Sept. 20.
Mackenzie’s name was listed on the Conservative party’s website Sunday evening.
Paul Murphy, the president of the Conservative electoral district association in Nunavut said an announcement with more information on her candidacy is planned for Thursday.
In 2018, Mackenzie spearheaded efforts to bring the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to Rankin Inlet and testified herself.
She is also formerly the president of Rankin Inlet’s women’s shelter.
Angnakak, who was raised in Cape Dorset and Pangnirtung, was identified as the Liberal’s candidate for the territory in an email sent to members on Monday morning.
Cody Dean, a spokesperson for the party’s riding association in Nunavut later said “I’m happy to confirm Pat is our candidate,” in an email.
Angnakak has served as an MLA since 2013 and was the minister responsible for health, suicide prevention, and senior advocacy from 2017 until 2018.
Before that, Angnakak was sworn in as Nunavut’s first deputy commissioner in 2001.
For the NDP, Idlout is an Iqaluit-based lawyer who is represents a group who call themselves the Nuluujaat Land Guardians. The group opposes a proposed expansion of Mary River iron mine, on north Baffin Island.
Earlier this year, NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq announced she would not seek re-election to the post she won in 2019.
Before Qaqqaq, Liberal Hunter Tootoo held the position, and before him, Leona Aglukkaq represented Nunavut on Parliament Hill with the Conservatives.
The Green party has not yet announced its candidate in Nunavut.
Correction: This article has been updated from an earlier version to correct the year that Pat Angnakak was elected MLA.
Very good picks on all sides, should be an interesting campaign!
This is gonna be a tough choice…
It is a shame that Pat Angnakak is not running as a Conservative.
It takes a lot of dedication to run in any election, I wish all of these strong Candidates the best and may you serve well.
Considering who’s running for PC, I will for once “X” liberals this time round. she is the only logical choice for old joe. But I must admit Liberals made a wise choice, wishing you were PC. Lori, good luck, God speed. Goodness I hate it when I wake up on election days whom to vote for depends on coffee brand, it would be good day if I had a right coffee brand for that day because we have different brands at the house, who ever get up first make coffee. This is how unstable Nunavut politics are…
It’ll Be interesting to hear who will be the Green Party’s candidate.
While I have previously supported the Green party, in general, their candidates in Nunavut have never been very known, local or impressive- it’s always last minute for them.
Not realy. it will probably be some random white guy that has lived in Nunavut for about a year… like most of the other times in the past.
I’ll do it!
Good, we will out you finally
Awesome!
Maybe we should listen to their campaign platforms and make a informed decision on how we vote, that would be different for a change ,capable people here.
Listening to their platforms annd making an informed decision.
.
That would be a good idea, if they were all running as independents. But they are no. They are running as member of a party. As such, they will be saying what their party tells hem to say. In the House of Commons the elected one will continue to say what she has been told to say and to vote the way she has been told to vote.
.
Our only chance is if they can influence party decisions. But they will be one out of very many, all trying to influence the decisions of the Party.
All good candidates! Now what are the polls saying? Which party will win? Vote strategically.
All the best to the candidates.
I will vote for the most educated of the group. A lawyer who will be able to take part in legislative debates. An Inuk woman who will be able to convey a lived experience in my language to the leaders of any government. Thank you all for offering your names and Lori I can not wait for you to give us our point of view in Parliament.
I wonder what the difference is between a “lived experience” and an ‘experience’? This phrase seems redundant, even tautological (needlessly repetitive) to me. Would you agree?
If N.D.P. wins, Nunavummiut workers at Baffinland Iron Mines will be out of jobs. I for 1 will NOT vote N.D.P., as it is against the phase 2 expansion. I don’t want to live off of $1500.00 a month collecting income support. Don’t forget, most Nunavummiut are struggling being on income support.
About 90 percent of Baffinland workers are non Nunavut residents, so no sympathy for a company who don’t give a damn about us. Will be great to have them replaced with a nicer company.
B.I.M. is training Inuit. There are lots of Inuit getting new trades like Electrician, Housing maintainers, etc. Managerial positions will be filled by Inuit after they get their training. Educating Nunavummiut thru work experience and getting paid for it is a plus. (No income support). I’d rather see my fellow Inuit working and getting the training they need. Go forward. Not backwards like N.D.P..
Good selection of candidates to choose from.
Where were you in the last election?
A debate between Lori and Pattikuluk will be one for the ages… It may be time to hold my nose and vote Conservative!
No thank you, we learned how the Cons are, not going down that road again, especially with a Tool for their leader.
We need the NDP to win this one badly. No more conservatives. Vote NDP!
Politicians put on the pants one leg at a time, just like the rest of us.
No they don’t
They do a summersault first thing in the morning and put their pants on in mid air.
waah, I didn’t know that, one leg at a time eh? usually I just flip up the leg parts and put the two feet into pants at once while sitting on bed or chair. You learn new things everyday. It’s just too bad PCs are taking in unproven name, wonder who she is and where she is from.
With the humdrum of an unwanted election well upon us, it is fitting that we are presented with a field of candidates wholly lacking in vitality and acumen.
We wait for the debates with baited breath. Surely one of these contestants will rise above this sea of mediocrity.
The so called “reconciliation party” is having a non-indigenous person run, where over 80 percent of the people are indigenous. This is one riding where the liberal party could have picked an indigenous person to help them with more indigenous members to reconcile with them. Were the Inuit not good enough for you Mr. Trudeau? Go NDP Go!
What a poor remark you just wrote. Pat is just as Nunavummiut as the guy next door, speak more fluently than most eskimos I know. I wish these GN brasses who rake-in 200K plus would make an effort to speak the language, on the other hand, someone who make the same amount should also make an effort to speak enough English to construct a good statement. For instant me; but I am at the bottom of pay scale where I work and I do not care, good eh?
I’ve been hammering on this topic for some time, and here is an example too good to ignore. With regards to the comment above you might notice that it is the modern left that is home to the most overt and insidious strains of racism in our culture today. While some might argue that the right is the true home to racists, those forms have for the most part been openly identified and widely subverted within our culture.
Racism on the left, by contrast, remains shrouded behind gaslight and is rarely identified within our culture in largely because much of our media leans toward this end of the ‘idea-sphere’. In their imaginations this is not racism at all, but “justice”. It is a perverse form of self delusion that we are subjected to. All this takes place against the backdrop of an ongoing moral panic that, like the eye of Sauron is on the constant look out for the omni-present forces of racism, which it identifies everywhere but within itself. This functions, in part at least, to make discussion of these issues completely out of bounds.
Racism in Nunavut? It here and has been for many years. 6% of the Nunavut populations controls tops jobs, $$$, who’s in and who’s out. 6% of the nunavut population controls where the money goes, to which province 6% of the population decides if my children will go hungry tomorrow if he or she will attend a good school down south. Even the funds that finance students for assistance are control for use of a child whom the parents rake in combine $$$ of over 400K per year…. Ever wonder why the school system is never vamped up here? poor education creates dependency, just the 6% wants…and you talk of racism de Klerk? segregation on razor thin line, almost invisible but working for the 6%
Come on Boris, you need to do better than this.
Do you really believe there is a conspiracy among the top 6% (clearly non-Inuit) to keep Inuit down and deprive them of advancement, to quite literally deprive your children of food? This is paranoid non-sense and it is not true.
Yes I do, but in reality; it’s about 4% of that %6 really taking in the $$$ and power. Look around, if your in Iqaluit, it’s very much in evidence. Wake up. I’ll take your money but can’t have coffee with you.
Though I may not vote Liberal the point made on a above comment on the issue of a Non-Indigenous Person running for Public Office is simply a racist view. Remember the Government of Nunavut is a Public Government and all in Nunavut have Voting Rights as well as Ability to Run for Public Office. Nunavut is Majority Inuit on Inuit Lands and is, but anyone who runs for Public Office represents what is to be the best interests of all Nunavummiut. Please appreciate that.
It hard to run for Public Office. A lot of responsibilities, open to and can and should be held accountable with hopefully be given scrutiny in a progressing intended way that can be leading to obtaining and attaining objective(s), and to invest all human elements of self to do it takes effort and sacrifice. No matter who runs for Office are exercising their participation in trying progress and have best interests in the for Nunavut.
You have the right to freedom of expression and it can be any view as a reality but if a negative view as racism then there is a line not to cross.
From what have read this Candidate has experience locally, regionally and territorially. She is Bilingual which includes Inuktitut, grew up in the North and has Inuit family. So…why the pointed view of a Non-Indigenous running? I can certainly understand and do support your views as feel the same of the failed Liberals Reconciliation. Voice it all you can. But please don’t be using what can and does view your comment as unkind.
Congratulations on all who came forward and submitted their names. Third times a charm fo get that Nunavut Voice Heard in Parliament. Good luck.
Kudos to all 3 women!
All are accomplished. My vote is going to Lori as I am afraid of the Conservatives and I can’t trust the Liberals. I know Lori will bring my actual concerns to Ottawa, and not just say what the party Press Secretary tells her to say.
What if the polls are right and the Liberals win a majority p, we would have another NDP MP whole will be fighting the governing party.
Wouldn’t it be better to have a MP from the same governing party, easier access to the PM and their colleagues?
No way I’m voting Cons and the Tool. He’s already talking about cutting programs and we don’t need that again.
I’m leaning towards Pat as the Liberals seem to be in a good place for a majority government.
Ok us keyboard warriors and trolls the polls are out cons 1 percent behind libs and ndp up 1.5 points week one liberal majority slipping away could end up with a liberal/cons minority with the ndp controlling the gov again real campaign starts next week and Libs/ndp extended cerb till oct
Kudos as much as I like lori but you are wrong in what you said, she will have to tow the party line if elected so will the other two if either is elected, period… there is no such a thing as independent MP, they all push and row together, the leader of any party have a whip to ensure one follows the grand wizard…good or bad for the country.
I’ve never voted anything closer than two stops to the right of NDP but I think I will actually vote that way this time. While I fundamentally disagree with their ideology for Canada as a whole, their message is the right one for this territory. Sure it is a strategic vote as I am hopeful that our failed drama teacher / snowboard instructor ends up with less seats than he has now, but she also seems like a very good candidate. Accomplished and educated and her smile looks very honest and genuine
Just another crackpot, just to be clear Justin was never a drama teacher, he was a French and Math teacher, at least he was a civil servant, remember Harpers job, mailroom boy was it?
35 days and counting down for us keyboard warriors and trolls, nobody up here is good enough for MP.
Then you should have ran in it. Next time ok?
I would have love to see Quassa run the Federal Election, This time around I will vote for Pat , She seems to have more sense and the right experience for the job…
I really hope Nunavutmuit do some serious thinking in who to vote for in this election. We are all run by the decisions made in Ottawa.. who is best going to advocate for your needs, and the needs of the future of Nunavut?
Kudos to All 3 Women and Good luck! It’s be a hard decision and know, whom ever gets voted, will have A Voice for Nunavut. Good luck again Ladies!