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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Former territorial health minister Sandy Lee, who failed to win the Western Arctic for the Conservatives in the May federal election, has a landed a political job with the Harper government.

Sandy Lee

Lee was appointed in July as director of regional affairs in the Northwest Territories for Leona Aglukkaq, health minister and minister responsible for CanNor, the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.

Lee is paid at the "executive 2" level, which entitles her to $131,400 a year - a step down from her $145,695 salary as health minister, and the $157,731 she would have received had she bumped Dennis Bevington off the Western Arctic seat. Lee is also currently collecting around $90,000 in transition allowance for almost 12 years serving as an MLA.

"It's great," Lee said, nearing the end of her first month on the job.

She got a taste of what her job requires, escorting Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq in July, and Ted Menzies, minister of state for finance, who was in Yellowknife last week to announce $1.2 million in federal funds for the homeless.

"I'm the point of contact for all ministers' visits: I'm responsible for that. It's part of my job as director of the ministers' regional office in the Western Arctic."

Lee said her experience as a cabinet minister and MLA in the territorial government helped land her the job.

"My experience is something they were interested in," Lee said.

"They wanted someone on the ground who could help them, with background information. "I'll be spending lots of time talking to people here to get more details on things they need to work through the federal government. I think it works well."

Lee will open a storefront office in Yellowknife this fall, probably in a federal building, "to keep costs down. But it has to be big enough to accommodate visiting ministers and their staff."

Lee won't discount another bid for the Western Arctic.

"I don't know that; I've got four years. That's a long time," she said.

Bevington said Wednesday that he "looked forward to her providing a good input and liaison for the minister.

"There are many challenging issues here and many will need to have a careful input from a variety of constituents, but I trust she will respect the relationship established through the electoral process between constituents and the elected member of parliament," Bevington said.

First elected as MLA for Range Lake in 1999, Lee was a prominent member of the Liberal party executive in the Western Arctic before the Conservative national office chose her as the party's candidate in the May election.

The choice upset some Conservative supporters in Yellowknife and she was soundly defeated in city polls. After the election, Lee mused about resuming her career as a lawyer.

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