SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - To kick off our federal election coverage, News/North spoke to the five candidates vying for the seat in the Western Arctic.

This week we get a sense of who the candidates are and where they stand on three issues affecting the North. Our election coverage will continue each week until the May 2 vote.

Future articles will tackle candidates' positions on the new Nutrition North Canada program and the Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

We we will also be asking Northerners what they would like to see from their next federal representative.

Questions for candidates:

1: Where do you stand on devolution? How can we ensure we negotiate the best deal possible?

2: How do you feel about the construction of highways connecting Wrigley to Inuvik, and Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk?

3: What can be done to attract more health care professionals to stay in the North?

Name: Eli Purchase

Work experience: conservation technician at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.

Background: Purchase was born in Yellowknife and spent much of his younger years in what is now Nunavut. He spent his teenage years in Fort Smith and left to Ontario to complete high school. After pursuing post secondary education in Ontario and Alberta, he returned to the NWT where he worked in Fort Smith and Yellowknife most recently.

Answers:

1: He said a devolution deal in the North would only be effective if the proper leaderships were included in discussions. "The people of the NWT should be the ones making decisions for themselves. I think it's great and it's important that all people be involved in the conversation about how the land is used," said Purchase.

2: As the Green Party candidate, he emphasized the importance of environmental impacts and economic feasibility. "I think that kind of infrastructure spending is critically important to reducing the high cost of living in the North. It should be a priority for an MP going to Ottawa," he said.

3: Purchase said the solution to getting more doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners in the North is to give financial aide. "There was a good start proposed in the budget that was defeated for the election, that is forgiving student loans for medical professionals who want to live and work in the North. It's a great start, but we also need to provide competitive packages to entice southern professionals to live here," he said.

Name: Dennis Bevington

Work experience: MP Western Arctic, formerly special adviser to premier on energy

Background: Bevington was born and raised in Fort Smith. He has spent the majority of his life living in the North. He is the incumbent, having spent the last five years travelling between Ottawa and the NWT. He said he has spent that time pushing for Northern issues such as the cost of living and promoting renewable energy strategies.

Answers:

1: "The best deal is one that recognizes the direction of the constitutional future of the North. We have to find a working relationship that will be the nature of Government in the North," said Bevington.

He said once community, aboriginal and the territorial governments can find a working relationship, they will better serve the needs of the North.

2: Bevington said he worked to promote infrastructure projects in the North during his time in office. "I've promoted this highway for five years, it's a great project. It will change cost structures and lower the cost to the communities giving them many positive changes. I've lived in Fort Smith before and after road access and I can say it was positive for the community."

3: Bevington believes the professionals need to come from Northern communities. "We have to train more people from the North. The NDP approach is we need to give more resources to schools. We also need to improve the cost of living so all people will be more inclined to live here."

Name: Joe Handley

Work experience: Fourteen years as deputy minister, Four years as minister of finance, Four years as Premier of Northwest Territories

Background: Handley has been a resident of Yellowknife since 1985. He started his life in the North as deputy minister of education and has spent the rest of his working years in many levels of government. He says it was during his time as Premier that the communications between community, aboriginal and territorial governments greatly improved. "I'm proud of my achievements in the North," said Handley.

Answers:

1: Handley said he wants a good devolution deal for the North, and during his time as Premier, that was not available.

"We worked very close to a devolution deal," said Handley.

In the end, he said the Harper Government of the time was not co-operating. "No deal is better than a bad deal," he said.

"The best deal is one that is negotiated with all three governments involved."

2: "I want to work with all the communities down the Mackenzie Valley to do an overall plan for the whole highway." said Handley. He believes the highways connecting the Northern communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk to the rest of the territories will greatly improve the quality of life in the North.

3: Handley said the federal government needs to put more on the table to entice health care professionals to the North. "We need to provide more financial assistance for medical professionals on the condition that they spend time in the North. We also need to encourage and train our own people," he said.

"Too many people are too far from a doctor. We need to take steps to change that."

Name: Sandy Lee

Work Experience: MLA Yellowknife Range Lake for 12 years, one term as minister of Health and Social Services

Background: Sandy Lee has been a resident of the Northwest Territories since she was a young girl who moved to Canada with her mother and sister from Seoul, South Korea. Lee was brought up in Yellowknife where she did her junior and senior high schooling. After going south for university, Lee returned to Yellowknife to sit in the legislative assembly as MLA.

"I am proud of everything I have done in Yellowknife and in the NWT," she said.

Answers:

1: Lee said the issue of devolution has been a hot topic for decades. "We have always talked about the importance of getting provincial-like powers to make decisions here," she said.

With the agreement-in-principle set in place, Lee said there is a great opportunity to keep discussions going with the federal government about a final agreement in the future.

2: Lee said the federal commitment to the highway connecting Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk is important on many levels. "It completely expresses the Prime Minister's commitment to the North," she said.

She said the highway would be a great economic project for the territory, creating jobs and opening up Northern communities to the southern regions.

3: A commitment by the federal government to forgive up to $40,000 in loans for medical professionals in the North is great for the territory, said Lee. She said Yellowknife and Inuvik are the only communities in the NWT with full-time doctors.

"It's also good news that nurse and nurse practitioners are also added to that list of forgivable loans," said Lee.

She said most communities depend on nurse practitioners because they can provide more services than a nurse.

Name: Bonnie Dawson

Work experience: Financial administrator for the Ptarmigan Inn and volunteers as secretary for the Beaufort Delta Regional SPCA.

Background and platform: Dawson was born and raised in Ottawa. She moved to Fort Smith in 2005 and a year later relocated to Hay River.

As it stands, the animal rights activist in Hay River is realistic about her chances representing the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada in the coming federal election.

"I mean it would take a lightning bolt from hell and a miracle from God for me to get a seat in Parliament," she said.

However, that is not lessening her commitment to spreading the party's message.

"We basically speak out for the voiceless," said the 57-year-old Dawson. "We speak out against the animal violence that is a continuing issue. It reflects and is recognized as a precursor and indicator of future violence towards humans."

She feels it is important for the party to have a candidate in the NWT because of the region's high rate of violent crime.

The party is also active in preserving animal habitat.

It was founded in 2005 and has run candidates elsewhere in Canada.

Dawson lobbied territorial politicians for over four years to get a new Dog Act in the NWT.

As a federal candidate, she said she will continue to focus on animal rights issues.

For example, she would like to see some federal money received by the GNWT used to establish more animal shelters and veterinary services.

That could include travelling veterinarians from the south visiting NWT communities, she said. "I would like to see a program set up similar to locums for humans."

In addition, she would like to see more spay/neuter programs, humane euthanasia and an expansion of the Sahtu program in which veterinary students visit from Alberta.

As for other issues, Dawson said devolution would mean more federal funding for services for NWT residents and animals.

She also supports construction of the Mackenzie Valley highway.

However, Dawson said she will have to confer with her party about talking about issues not involving animal welfare and the environment.

If elected, she said, "I would have to cover all issues, definitely."

Dawson said she has been concerned about the health and welfare of animals since she was a child, and even now takes strays off the street.

"It's just who I am," she said.

Dawson has never before run for elected office.

- with files from Paul Bickford

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.