RANKIN INLET - It's been a long, often frustrating, ride for Lorne (Quassa) Kusugak since being elected to the Nunavut government on Oct. 27, 2008.

Community and Government Services Minister Lorne Kusugak gets ready to play a little pool on vacation in Rankin Inlet this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The cellphone is a necessary evil for the Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove MLA and Community and Government Services (CGS) minister, as he tries to recharge his personal batteries while on vacation at home in Rankin.

Kusugak served six years as mayor of Rankin and another two as deputy mayor before winning his territorial riding in 2008.

He went to Iqaluit determined to take things one step at a time, but had his career fast-tracked when he was named CGS minister.

He said once he realized he had support for a cabinet portfolio, he decided to seize the opportunity after getting the OK from his family.

"Being a minister is everything I expected and then some," said Kusugak.

"It's a very steep learning curve, and I took the time to meet with department heads and immerse myself in reading everything I could about my department.

"It took a lot of study to get a good grasp on the department I was about to become responsible for."

Political ministers often encounter difficulty in balancing the needs of their own riding with those of the territory or province they serve.

Kusugak said perception often becomes the enemy when any project is granted to his home riding.

"It's hard for politicians at any level of government to honestly accept a minister isn't putting his or her community first.

"But I'm aware of the line there and I always try my damnedest not to mix the two.

"We're here for the betterment of the entire territory, and sometimes something goes into your riding and sometimes it doesn't.

"I'd never say something is going into my riding for no other reason other than I'm the minister."

No politician would ever say there's no project they work extra hard on to achieve. To do so would be viewed as an instant loss of credibility in most quarters.

Kusugak names a new arena and community complex in Rankin as a project he wants to come to fruition.

Kusugak said the project is the wish of the community and has been on its top priority list for many years.

He said he keeps the lines of communication open with his deputy ministers to ensure his department is going about things the right way.

"I'm far more prudent about something like this than I would be if it were for another riding.

"When I was mayor in Rankin, I always made sure a project was fine from other people's perspectives so the wrong perception wasn't put out there.

"I always told people in charge a Kusugak is the last person you hire and the first to be let go when the time comes.

"I approach it the same way when a project is going to Rankin or Whale Cove, in terms of making sure it truly belongs in either of those two communities."

With a new jail and trade school set to open in Rankin, and the prospect of the Meliadine mine becoming a reality, the hamlet is about to take a large growth spurt in a relatively short period of time.

Kusugak said the most pressing issue that comes with growth is being able to have the resources to properly maintain the community.

He said every effort has to be made to ensure there's enough water in the community and all waste is properly disposed of.

"Rankin will go from 3,000 to 5,000 people during the next five years if Meliadine becomes a reality.

"The correctional facility is going to bring in a lot of jobs, and there's going to be a lot of people coming to Rankin for training.

"So it's going to be very important for our water supply to be adequate, our waste water to be kept up properly, and for us to have enough fuel and other products to keep everything running."

Kusugak said the most frustrating part of his job as CGS minister is the speed at which everything moves.

He said it's incredibly frustrating when there's so much you want to do, but the amount of money you have to work with is so small.

"Housing is such an issue in Nunavut and the time delay is maddening when you want to bring houses into, say, Repulse or Resolute Bay, and the material isn't going to get there until September.

"And, in a lot of cases, construction can't even start until the following year.

"It becomes very frustrating when you have infrastructure that needs to get to a community, but there's no better way to get it there.

"Everything always seems to be a year or two behind, and that irritates me beyond the words I have to describe it."

We welcome your opinions. Click to e-mail a letter to the editor.