Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Rae-Edzo (June 27/05) - A by-election for the vacant North Slave seat in the Legislative Assembly will be a race between three relatively untested political newcomers.

Probation officer Nora Doig, Jackson Lafferty and financial comptroller DeeDee Steinwand-Leblanc announced their candidacy before the Friday afternoon deadline.

The North Slave seat became vacant last month after the resignation of disgraced incumbent Henry Zoe. The former Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs was found guilty earlier this year of resisting arrest - his fifth conviction since the late 1970s.

Doig finished second to Zoe during the 2003 territorial election, her first campaign. Steinwand-Leblanc, who works for the Dogrib Community Services Board, is new to the political arena.

Lafferty was not available for comment Friday afternoon, though News/North files showed he ran unsuccessfully for chief of Rae-Edzo in 2002.

Both Doig and Steinwand-Leblanc believe the most pressing issue facing North Slave voters is the transition to self-government, which officially begins this August with the creation of the Tlicho Assembly.

While the Tlicho people will have nearly unprecedented control over their lands and resources under the fledgling government, the position of territorial MLA remains extremely important, Steinwand-Leblanc said. "My main goal is to ensure Tlicho have access to services like health care and education."

"I see my role as MLA to ensure the communities are not forgotten," Steinwand-Leblanc said.

Stable leadership will be an important part of that transition, said Doig who has been a front-line social service worker for several years.

"I think voters are looking for someone with a relatively healthy lifestyle," she said. "And someone who understands the needs of all of the Tlicho communities."

Steinwand-Leblanc, 34, and Doig, 42, both live in Rae-Edzo, while Lafferty is listed only in the Yellowkinfe phone book.

Election guidelines allow candidates to live outside their constituency, but Doig said that could affect their grasp of the issues.

"I think you need to live in the community to understand its needs," she said.

The by-election is set for July 18. Voters can cast advanced ballots at advance polls, beginning July 6, said chief electoral officer Glen McLean.