Jack Anawak named as Nunavut's NDP candidate

Jack Anawak, a former Liberal MP for the Eastern Arctic and Nunavut MLA, will run as Nunavut's NDP candidate in the upcoming federal election.

The NDP made the announcement on Sunday evening.

"As I'm sure everybody knows, I was a Liberal member of Parliament, but prior to that I was a member of the New Democratic Party when we elected our first Inuk member of Parliament," Anawak told CBC before the announcement.

He saidthe Conservatives have been funding infrastructure without creating the necessary programs and education to ensure people in Nunavut can be hired onto certain projects.

"There needs to be more money put toward education whether it's elementary or post-secondary, so that we can have people competing on the same level as southerners with the kind of education they have."

Mental health and suicide prevention are high on Anawak's list of priorities.

"I've lost three brothers. I've lost relatives to suicide. I myself have been under a lot of things where I have gone through some real heavy stuff in terms of abuse of alcohol and drugs," he said.

Anawakhas beenpreviously charged with driving while impaired.

"I really have done as much as I can in terms of going to programs in terms of things that I did," hesaid.

Hunter Tootoo is Nunavut's Liberal candidateandSpencer Rocchiis running for the Green Party.Conservative candidateLeona Aglukkaqis the incumbentintheOctober 19th election.