"It took a lot of courage and was the honorable thing to do," said Arlooktoo.

The justice minister went on to speak about solidarity among the Nunavut caucus, which includes both Arlooktoo and Barnabas, MLA for the High Arctic.

"It is important that Nunavut caucus members stay out of political games and focus on the issues that concern the people we represent," said Arlooktoo.

"These kinds of distractions lack credibility and take all of our energies away from the things that really matter," the Baffin South MLA said.

Barnabus's decision to come forward, despite the delay, was also praised this week by both Speaker Sam Gargan and Premier Don Morin.

Other MLAs have also accepted Barnabas's statement publicly, but privately they are questioning why it took so long for him to come forward and why, since making the statement, he has refused to provide any writing samples and avoided all media attempts to question him about the matter.

The deputy premier's statement came the day after Barnabas said he wrote the Jan. 27 note to Hay River MLA Jane Groenewegen.

The unsigned note asked Groenewegen how she got a large loan from the government. At the time, Groenewegen was questioning the government over the controversial Lahm Ridge Tower lease.

On Monday Groenewegen made public the report of a veteran handwriting expert she commissioned who compared the note with one written by Arlooktoo. The report concluded it is "highly probable" both were written by the same person.

Groenewegen said in the days following delivery of the note, she asked Barnabas about it at least twice.

"I told him, 'Look, Levi, coming from you, you're a friend of mine.... If you told me, that will be the end of it. He kept saying, 'No, no, no.'"

On another occasion, Groenewegen said she approached Barnabas in the presence of a colleague who had told her Barnabas had written the note.

"I said, 'Levi, this is what this individual is saying.' Levi got very upset with him and again denied it."

But Groenewegen said it is unfortunate the rookie MLA -- at 34 the youngest member of the 13th assembly -- was caught up in the dispute.

"Of all the members that are here, I would say Levi is certainly among the more honorable ones," said Groenewegen. "The guy is as transparent as can be."

"I don't want Levi to get hurt, personally or politically. Levi Barnabas is not a person who should in anyway be caught in the crossfire of this."