Northern candidates line up for impending election

Across Canada's threenorthern territories, political parties are getting their candidates ready to hit the ground runningshould a federal election be called for October.

In the Western Arctic riding, which covers the Northwest Territories, New Democrat MP Dennis Bevington plans to wage his fourth federal election campaign in eight years but his first as the incumbent, having won the seat in the last election in 2006.

"As member of Parliament, you know, I'm going to be judged on what I've accomplished in the two and a half years I've been there," Bevington told CBC News in an interview.

"I look on my work record as being the most important thing going into the election campaign."

Bevington will be defending his seat from former N.W.T. cabinet minister Brendan Bell, who been running under the Conservative banner since heleft territorial politics in September 2007.

Bell said that with community visits and recent appearances alongside Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the North, his campaign is already well underway, with or without an election call.

"There just isn't enough time when the election writ is dropped in what ends up being a 37- or 45-day campaign to do all this work," Bell said in a Yellowknife coffee shop.

"To be quite frank, it's been 20-some years since we have been competitive and have won the seat. We were playing some catch-up but I think we're getting there."

Tories out of N.W.T. since 1988

The last Conservative MP in the N.W.T. was Dave Nickerson, a mining engineer who represented what was then the newly-created Western Arctic riding from 1979 to 1988, when he was defeated by Ethel Blondin-Andrew, a Liberal.

Blondin-Andrew, who became the first native woman elected to the House of Commons, held the riding fornearly 18years until Bevington unseated her in 2006.

Liberal Party officials in the N.W.T. say they plan to call an emergency meeting later this week to officially select their candidate.

Gabrielle Mackenzie-Scott, a former chairwoman of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board, has been the only person to date to file nomination papers.

Mackenzie-Scott said she jumped at the chance when the Liberals contacted her and encouraged her to run.

"When I come across opportunities ... I will go for it because they're there for a reason. And each step of the way that I've taken those types of opportunities, they've always been very good," she said.

"I didn't think twice about it."

Greens start early with summer campaigning

N.W.T. Green Party candidate Sam Gamble has had a running start to his campaign, having gained some exposure at the Folk on the Rocks music festival in Yellowknife in July.

The Greens' Yukon candidate, engineer John Streicker, also took his campaign to the streets this summer, introducing himself to people on Whitehorse's Main Street. Supporters have also been going door-to-door across the territory, he added.

"In terms of canvassing, we've had teams out canvassing for over a month now," Streicker said. "It's great because the teams are getting really positive feedback."

Streicker will be running against Liberal MP Larry Bagnell, who has heldthe Yukon riding since 2000, and against Conservative candidate Darrell Pasloski.

"Since I've been getting into this, I've really, really enjoyed it," Pasloski said of his work so far in raising his profile. "I've had the opportunity to listen to Yukoners and meet so many people."

Bagnellsaid neither he nor Yukoners want an early election, but added that his constituents tell him they're ready to speak out on the Conservative government's record.

"We have the worst economy now, close to recession in 17 years, and various scandals with the government," Bagnell said.

The New Democrats have not yet nominated a candidate in the Yukon.

Nunavut up for grabs as Liberal MP steps down

But the NDP hopesto take over the Nunavut riding, which has been in Liberal hands since 1988.

Liberal MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell has represented Nunavummiut since 1997, but announced in December 2006 that she would not be seeking another term.

The Liberals hope to hang onto power in Nunavut with Kirt Ejesiak, a Harvard graduate who lives in Iqaluit.

"If you look at the Liberal brand, I believe the Liberal party's values meshes perfectly with Inuit values: fairness, equality, support for aboriginal people," Ejesiak said.

Meanwhile, the NDP has lined up Paul Irngaut, a former journalist who has been working with Inuit land-claims organization Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. since 2000.

Irngaut has said he would not make any public statements as an NDP candidate until the election is called, when he would then take a leave of absence from his job at NTI.

But Paul Quassa, the NDP's riding association president in Nunavut, told CBC News that Irngaut will campaign for more jobs in the territory.

The Conservatives and the Greens say they are waiting until the election writ drops before they announce their candidates in Nunavut.

And despite widespread speculation, a spokesperson for Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik says Okalik is not seeking the federal Conservative nomination in the territory.