Coral Harbour (Mar 08/06) - The Kivalliq will have a third voice in the territorial cabinet.

Nanulik MLA Patterk Netser was voted to replace Pangnirtung MLA Peter Kilabuk at the end of February after he resigned his cabinet post in January.

Patterk Netser, MLA for Nanulik, is the newest member of the Nunavut cabinet. He doesn't have a portfolio yet, but he will soon have a new office once he's sworn in and replaces Peter Kilabuk, who stepped down last month. - Kent Driscoll/NNSL photo

Netser joins fellow Kivalliq MLAs Levinia Brown and David Simailak on cabinet.

The new minister said he wants to bring government jobs to locations that haven't received any, referring to these as "non-decentralized communities."

"I've observed the cabinet, and there is nobody who represents the non-decentralized communities," he said. "Those of us who represent those communities, we are usually the first ones to suffer."

Netser represents two hamlets - Chesterfield Inlet and Coral Harbour - and he hopes he can bring jobs and opportunities to those communities, as well as others.

"The new trade school (in Rankin Inlet), I think we can make provisions for it to be spread out.

"You don't have to have it all based in Rankin Inlet. It wouldn't take too long to fix that," said Netser.

He may be new to cabinet, but Netser doesn't have to move his desk in the legislature very far.

With 18 seats and eight ministers, Netser was already sitting on the cabinet side as deputy speaker in order to balance the house.

Now he hopes to be able to balance the cabinet as well.

"I've been getting a warm reception from everybody, but we will see what happens," he said. "I talked with the premier and we had a frank discussion. He was happy with it."

Netser won't receive his cabinet portfolio until the next sitting of the assembly, and declined to say which portfolio he was most interested in. "I can keep a secret, so I will," said Netser, with a chuckle.

For his swearing-in ceremony on March 3, he expects friends and family from both communities to be in attendance.