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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Dissatisfied with the way the Northwest Territories and its issues are represented in Ottawa, Joe Handley says he may seek the Liberal nomination for the Western Arctic.

"If there is support for me, I'm ready to consider it," the former premier said in an interview last week. "I'm not going to run a campaign to lose."

He'll spend the spring and summer canvassing opinion and make a decision by this fall.

Liberal candidate Gabrielle Mackenzie-Scott polled 1,858 votes in the last federal election and ran a distant third to incumbent NDP MP Dennis Bevington and Conservative challenger Brendan Bell, a former cabinet minister in the NWT government.

Lana Roeland, Western Arctic Liberal Association president, welcomed Handley's interest.

"I think it's great," Roeland said.

Mackenzie-Scott could not be reached for comment, but regardless of whether she decides to make another run for the Liberals, Roeland said "a nomination meeting will be held. That's the protocol, if there is one candidate or many."

Handley said he has talked to Liberal party officials in the NWT and Ottawa, but declined to name them.

He had a close relationship with former prime minister Paul Martin and said "in my heart, I guess I'm a Liberal, but I stand for good government that is going to help people.

"I'm interested in some change in the North. We've got a territory with a lot of potential and nothing is happening. I don't think the present arrangement with a Conservative government and an NDP MP who hasn't shown much interest in the development potential is working," Handley said.

"I'm as frustrated as any other Northerner."

Handley said his interest in the Liberal nomination was piqued when Michael Ignatieff took over the party leadership from Stephane Dion.

"I like Ignatieff; I'm disappointed with the Conservative record. There has been a lot promised but very little delivered over the years. Dennis Bevington is a nice guy, but we're not really getting anywhere. I see a lot of young people coming out of school without jobs. I see our economy going all to hell.

"I don't like what I see going on right now. I don't think it's good for the North. We've got to make some changes and I'm ready to help make those changes," Handley said.