The 2013 Nunavut general election was held October 28, 2013, to elect 22 members to the 4th Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. In November 2012 the assembly passed the Nunavut Elections Act 2012, stating that the writs for election drop September 23, 2013, and an election be held October 28, 2013, the proclamation was registered November 9, 2012. At the 2013 forum, held on November 15, 2013,
Peter Taptuna
Peter Taptuna (born ) is a Canadian politician who served as the third premier of Nunavut from 2013 to 2017.
He was first elected in the general election held on October 27, 2008, to represent Nunavut’s most western riding of Kugluktuk, in the ...
was selected as the new Premier of Nunavut.
Election summary
Redistribution
The number of electoral districts were increased to 22 from 19. This is the first redistribution of boundaries since the territory was created in 1999.
New premier and MLAs
On September 5, 2013, Premier
Eva Aariak
Eva Qamaniq Aariak ( iu, ᐄᕙ ᐋᕆᐊᒃ, ; born January 10, 1955) is a Canadian Inuk politician, who was elected in the 2008 territorial election to represent the electoral district of Iqaluit East in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut ...
announced that she would stand for reelection but would not run for the position of premier after the election, paving the way for the 3rd
Premier of Nunavut
The premier of Nunavut ( iu, ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ; Inuinnaqtun: ''Hivuliqti Nunavunmi''; french: premier ministre du Nunavut) is the first minister for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The premier is the territory's head of governme ...
to be chosen. Despite wanting to seek a new position in the Legislature she was defeated in the general election marking the fourth provincial / territorial election in a row that an incumbent Premier has been defeated in his or her riding. (She was preceded by
Darrell Dexter
Darrell Elvin Dexter (born 1957) is a Canadian lawyer, journalist and former naval officer who served as the 27th premier of Nova Scotia from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party, he served as party leader from 2001 t ...
in Nova Scotia,
Christy Clark
Christina Joan Clark (born October 29, 1965) is a former Canadian politician who was the 35th premier of British Columbia (BC), from 2011 to 2017. Clark was the second woman to be premier of BC, after Rita Johnston in 1991, and the first female ...
in B.C. and
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest (; born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012 and the fifth deputy prime minister of Canada in 1993. Charest was elected to the House of ...
in Quebec). A total of seven incumbents did not run for re-election.
In total 73 people registered with
Elections Nunavut
Elections Nunavut is an independent agency that oversees elections and plebiscites in Nunavut, including:
* all general elections and by-elections for the 22 Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, according to the Nunavut Elections Act.
...
as candidates. Of these 73 candidates, 12 were incumbents hoping for reelection, and five have been elected in previous territorial elections, four to Nunavut and one to the
Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, or Legislative Council of the Northwest Territories (with Northwest hyphenated as North-West until 1906), is the legislature and the seat of government of Northwest Territories in Canada. It is a uni ...
and 56 have not been elected in a territorial election before.
Two ridings were won by
acclamation
An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts.
Voting Voice vot ...
and both of these were returning MLAs. A total of eight ridings were contested solely by candidates who have not been elected in a previous territorial election.
Of the seven incumbent cabinet ministers, two chose not to re-offer, two were defeated (one in a by-election following a tie), and three were reelected (one by acclamation).
Candidates
Following is a list of candidates that had filed with Elections Nunavut by 2:00 pm (local time), September 27, 2013. Bold represents winning candidate. All results from Elections Nunavut.
There were ties in two districts. In Rankin Inlet South, incumbent MLA
Lorne Kusugak
Lorne Kusugak is a Canadian politician, who is Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for the electoral district of Rankin Inlet South. Prior to becoming an MLA, Kusugak was the mayor of Rankin Inlet. Kusugak served as the Nunavut Minist ...
Nunatsiaq News
''Nunatsiaq News'' ( iu, ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒥ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᑦ, italic=no) is a Canadian weekly newspaper in operation since 1973 based in Iqaluit, serving Nunavut and Nunavik, in Kativik, Quebec, Kativik, Nord-du-Québec. The paper is publ ...
'', November 14, 2013. which was won by Sammurtok. In Uqqummiut, Niore Iqalukjuak and
Samuel Nuqingaq
Samuel Nuqingaq is a Canadian, Inuk politician from Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in the 2013 election. He was expelled from the legislature in 2014.
Political career Election
Nuqinqaq ran for e ...
were tied with 197 votes. After the official recount held November 5 Nuqingaq was found to have two more votes than Iqalukjuak.
Amittuq
Amittuq ( iu, ᐊᒥᑦᑐᕐᒃ) is a territorial electoral district ( riding) for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada.
The riding consists of the communities of Hall Beach and part of Igloolik
Igloolik ( Inuktitut syllabics: , ''Iglu ...
)
: Repulse Bay was represented by
John Ningark
John Ningark (17 March 1944 – 17 November 2016) was a territorial level politician in Nunavut Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories and Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
Political history
Ningark, wh ...
(
Akulliq Akulliq () was a territorial electoral district ( riding) for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada.
The riding consisted of the communities of Kugaaruk and Repulse Bay. Kugaaruk is now a part of the Netsilik riding and Repulse Bay (which ha ...
)
: Coral Harbour was represented by Johnny Ningeongan (Nanulik)
: Arviat was represented by
Arviat
Arviat (, syllabics: ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ; formerly called Eskimo Point until 1 June 1989) is a predominantly Inuit hamlet located on the western shore of Hudson Bay in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada. Arviat ("place of the bowhead whale") is ...
)
: Whale Cove was represented by Lorne Kusugak (Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove)
: Gjoa Haven was represented by
Jeannie Ugyuk
Jeannie Ugyuk is a Canadian politician, who was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the electoral district of Nattilik in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in the 2010 by-election. At that time the riding of Nattilik encompa ...
( Nattilik)
: Iqaluit was represented by Eva Aariak (
Iqaluit East Iqaluit East was a territorial electoral district ( riding) for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada.
The riding consisted of the easterly portions of Iqaluit and the community of Apex.
Its most recent Member of the Legislative Assembly wa ...
), Monica Ell (
Iqaluit West
Iqaluit West was a territorial electoral district ( riding) for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada.
The riding consists of the community of Iqaluit.
Its most recent Member of the Legislative Assembly was Paul Okalik who resigned to run ...
) and Hunter Tootoo (Iqaluit Centre)
: Taloyoak was represented by Jeannie Ugyuk (Nattilik)
: Kugaaruk was represented by John Ningark (Akulliq)
: Rankin Inlet was represented by
Tagak Curley
Tagak Curley (born 1944) is an Inuit leader, politician and businessman from Nunavut. As a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut, Tagak is considered a living father of confederation in Canada. He was born i ...
( Rankin Inlet North) and Lorne Kusugak (Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove)
: Chesterfield Inlet was represented by Johnny Ningeongan (Nanulik)
: Not running in 2013
Fate of incumbents
Bold indicates a cabinet member.
Retiring incumbents
The following incumbents have announced that they will not be running in the 2013 election.
By-election
With the tie in Rankin Inlet South confirmed by a judicial recount, a new by-election was scheduled on February 10, 2014.
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...