2017 Nunavut general election
{{Short description|Canadian territorial election}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2017 Nunavut general election
| country = Nunavut
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 2013 Nunavut general election
| previous_year = 2013
| election_date = October 30, 2017
| next_election = 2021 Nunavut general election
| next_year = 2021
| seats_for_election = 22 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
| turnout = 63.3%{{Cite web|url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/6567463.3_per_cent_of_nunavut_voters_cast_ballots_in_2017_election/|title = 63.3 per cent of Nunavut voters cast ballots in 2017 election|date = 8 November 2017}}({{decrease}}7.0pp)
| map = {{Switcher
| 400px
| Results by electoral district, shaded by winners' vote share. As Nunavut elections are on a non-partisan basis, all candidates run as independents.
| 400px
| Results by electoral district, showing whether the incumbent candidate was re-elected, defeated, or didn’t run again. }}
| title = Premier
| before_election = Peter Taptuna
| posttitle = Premier after election
| after_election = Paul Quassa
| map_siz =
}}
The 2017 Nunavut general election was held on October 30, 2017 to return the members of the 5th Nunavut Legislature.[http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_approve_money_to_be_spent_by_next_legislature/ "Nunavut MLAs approve money to be spent by next legislature"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107021827/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_approve_money_to_be_spent_by_next_legislature/ |date=2017-11-07 }}. Nunatsiaq News, June 8, 2017. The fifth general election held since the creation of the territory in 1999, it was the first election held under Nunavut's new fixed election dates law, which requires elections to be held no more than four years after the prior election.[http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_opt_for_fixed_election_dates_code_of_conduct/ "Nunavut MLAs opt for fixed election dates, code of conduct"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212232318/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_mlas_opt_for_fixed_election_dates_code_of_conduct/ |date=2018-02-12 }}. Nunatsiaq News, February 24, 2014.
Unlike most federal or provincial elections in Canada, elections to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut are conducted on a non-partisan consensus government model, in which all candidates run as independents rather than being nominated by political parties. The premier and executive council are then selected internally by the MLAs at the first special sitting of the legislature.
Candidates
As of the close of nominations on September 29, 2017, three MLAs, Steve Mapsalak, Keith Peterson and Premier Peter Taptuna were the only incumbents not running again.{{Cite web |url=http://www.elections.nu.ca/en/declared-candidates |title=Elections Nunavut Declared candidates |access-date=2017-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929232243/http://www.elections.nu.ca/en/declared-candidates |archive-date=2017-09-29 |url-status=dead }} One district, Kugluktuk, saw only one candidate register by the close of nominations; that candidate, Mila Adjukak Kamingoak, was immediately declared as acclaimed to office.[http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavuts_first_new_mla_eager_to_engage_with_her_constituents/ "The fifth Nunavut assembly’s first MLA: ready to engage with constituents"]. Nunatsiaq News, October 2, 2017.
In one district, Cambridge Bay, formal declaration of the winner was not made until November 5, with the initial results undergoing an automatic recount due to a margin of less than two per cent between the top two finishers.[http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674close_race_in_western_nunavut_hub_triggers_recount_for_cambay_riding/ "Close race in western Nunavut hub triggers recount"]. Nunatsiaq News, October 31, 2017. The recount confirmed that the original count was correct.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/jeannie-ehaloak-election-recount-cambridge-bay-1.4388346 "'I'm finally feeling rested': Recount confirms Jeannie Ehaloak's election in Cambridge Bay"]. CBC North, November 5, 2017.
Followup
A record number of women were elected to the legislature;[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-election-2017-1.4379183 "New faces, and a record number of women, will make up Nunavut's next legislature"]. CBC North, October 30, 2017. in addition to Kamingoak's acclamation, four more women were declared elected on election night, and a woman won the recount in Cambridge Bay. These six women, representing 27 per cent of the legislature, represent the first time in the territory's history that it has ranked higher than last or second-last among Canada's provinces and territories for female membership in the legislature.
Following the election, only three of the eight incumbent cabinet ministers had been reelected: three were defeated and two, including Premier Peter Taptuna, chose not to run again. Overall, half of the legislature's 22 incumbents were reelected.
On November 17, 2017, the Nunavut Leadership Forum convened in Iqaluit to choose the next premier. MLAs Joe Savikataaq, Cathy Towtongie, Patterk Netser, and Paul Quassa put their names forward; ultimately, Quassa was elected premier, and Joe Enook was chosen as Speaker. The Executive Council was to consist of David Akeeagok, Pat Angnakak, Jeannie Ehaloak, David Joanasie, Lorne Kusugak, Savikataaq, and Elisapee Sheutiapik.{{cite news|title=Paul Quassa will be Nunavut's next premier|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-leadership-forum-2017-1.4406369|access-date=17 November 2017|work=CBC News|date=17 November 2017}}
In 2018, however, Quassa lost a confidence vote in the legislature, and was succeeded as premier by Savikataaq.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/after-paul-quassa-ejected-nunavut-chooses-deputy-as-new-premier-1.3972943|title=After Paul Quassa ejected, Nunavut chooses deputy as new premier|website=CTV News|date=June 14, 2018|access-date=August 2, 2019}}
Results
The Legislative Assembly is run on a consensus government system, in which all MLAs sit as independents and are not organized into political parties. Note, accordingly, that colours in the following charts are used solely to indicate candidate status, not political party affiliations.
=Statistics=
| class=wikitable
!colspan=5 align=center|Reelection statistics |
| !Seats
|bgcolor="CCCCFF" |Did not run again |bgcolor="FFBBBB" |Defeated |bgcolor="AAFFAA" |Reelected |
|---|
| All MLAs
| 22 | 3 (13.6%) | 8 (36.3%) | 11 (50.0%) |
| Cabinet ministers
| 8 | 2 (25.0%) | 3 (37.5%) | 3 (37.5%) |
=Candidates=
As of November 1, all results are unofficial.[https://www.elections.nu.ca/en/election/2017-general-election 2017 General Election] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013543/https://www.elections.nu.ca/en/election/2017-general-election |date=2017-11-07 }} from Elections Nunavut.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Nunavut elections}}
{{Canada Elections}}
Category:2017 elections in Canada