Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Monday, April 02, 2007

IQALUIT - Nancy Karetak-Lindell's successor as Nunavut's Liberal party representative will be Kirt Ejesiak of Iqaluit.

On March 28, Liberal party members from across the territory chose Ejesiak, a former deputy mayor of Iqaluit and once principal secretary to Premier Paul Okalik, as the candidate they want to represent the Liberals going into the next federal election.

He defeated Rankin Inlet Mayor Lorne Kusugak in a close race, said Liberal party president Alain Carriere, but the vote count was not made public. More than 350 votes were cast.

Jack Anawak, a former Nunavut MLA now living in Ottawa, was the first person to publicly declare his candidacy, but he failed to file his nomination papers before deadline, according to Carriere.

In an interview with Nunavut News/North following his victory, Ejesiak, 37, emphasized that he is striving to get young voters to the polls and active in politics. He said he hopes his involvement motivates them.

"My thought has always been, well, perhaps the younger generation should start stepping up to the plate and getting themselves groomed because our current and past leaders aren't going to be around forever," he said.

A graduate of Harvard University with a master's degree in public administration, Ejesiak said his priorities include fighting for more resources for education and Inuktitut language instruction.

"Canada puts a lot of money into (its) official languages, specifically the Francophone language - it's thriving in Nunavut for good reason because there's actually dollars put into programs that make it work," he said. "I think we need to look at something equal for Inuktitut."

He's also advocating more money for a territorial day care strategy and better health services across the territory to reduce the amount spent on medical travel.

As well, he said it's essential that Nunavummiut are educated on resource development as the mining and fishing industries are looking to exploit local resources.

"We're a hunter/gatherer culture. We need to ensure that people are informed when they're making decisions regarding the environment," he said.

Carriere said he thinks Ejesiak represents the next generation of Canadian leaders who embody new, fresh ideas. He described Ejesiak as a common sense team player with a strong education, an active community member who has lived in the North most of his life.