Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 11/99) - Jack Anawak resigned from his position as Nunavut's Interim Commissioner last Friday afternoon and announced that he was planning to seek election as the Member of Legislative Assembly for Rankin Inlet North.

Anawak (left) said that he had been thinking about his role in the upcoming Nunavut government for some time but didn't decide to take the plunge back into elected politics until last month.

"It was with some soul searching over the summer months and the fall and (I) finally came to the conclusion that I would like to keep my involvement," said Anawak.

He notified the federal government of his decision in December and said that Prime Minister Jean Chretien was supportive of the announcement.

"It was the expectation. I had a brief conversation with the prime minister and I mentioned to him that I would leave my position before the end of my term to seek political office," said Anawak, asserting that it had not always been his intention to resign early.

With about two-and-a-half months left to go before the Office of the Interim Commissioner is absorbed into the new government, federal Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Jane Stewart has the responsibility of appointing someone else to fill the lead position. Anawak said that he had made some recommendations for suitable candidates to Stewart but he declined to comment on who those people were. It is expected that Stewart will make the announcement sometime this week.

With the exception of finalizing the cost and arrangements of contracting services back to the GNWT and settling the remaining lease agreements, Anawak said that he had already put in place most of the framework for the new government.

"It's on automatic pilot now until April 1. There might be a few changes here and there, but by and large, the stage has been set."

In terms of the issue of the division of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and the Worker's Compensation Board, if the matter hasn't been settled prior to April 1, Anawak said that the legislature would take over and lend a firm hand to the negotiations.

Overall, the former interim commissioner said he was satisfied with the job he had done over the past several months and felt that Nunavut's 19 MLAs would be able to step in with relative ease and take up where he left off.

"I don't think they need to re-invent the wheel. For what we have put together, they can quite well move along," said Anawak.

He left Iqaluit for Rankin Inlet on Friday and was expected to file his candidacy in the riding where he has made his home for the last 20 years.

Campaigning on issues both of local and territorial relevance, Anawak said he hoped he would be elected but was just looking forward to the opportunity to run in such an historic election.

As for any plans he may have to seek a cabinet portfolio or run for premier, the MLA candidate said he didn't want to jump the gun.

"I would prefer not to count my chickens before they are even hatched. To me, the priority is to get elected and we'll see from there."