Yellowknife (Aug 25/03) - John Munro, 72, former federal minister of indian and northern affairs, has died in Hamilton, Ont.

"It's sad to see someone go who played such a significant role in the North," said MLA Bill Braden.

Munro worked in prime minister Pierre Trudeau's cabinet and was an MP for Hamilton East from 1962-1984.

"He was special to the Northwest Territories. He was the guy in the office who got the ball rolling for the creation of Nunavut and."

Braden worked on Munro's campaign in a bid for the Liberal leadership in the 1980s, won by John Turner.

"He had a sense of stewardship for aboriginals. He didn't get in the way of what they wanted to do, which enabled them to progress," Braden said.

"I liked his style."