Skip to content

Fort Resolution ’60s Scoop survivor seeks Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh seat

With the Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh byelection nomination deadline fast approaching, one Fort Resolution resident is taking to the campaign trail.
27716737_web1_220105-YEL-NadineMLA-Nadine_1
Nadine Delorme-Simon, left, and her husband, Richard Simon, a former mayor of Fort Resolution. Photo courtesy of Nadine Delorme-Simon

With the Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh byelection nomination deadline fast approaching, one Fort Resolution resident is taking to the campaign trail.

Nadine Delorme-Simon is pursuing the seat vacated when Steve Norn was removed from the Legislative Assembly in November due to his conduct.

This isn’t the first time Delorme-Simon has pursued the position of MLA, having run in 2019.

Among the issues she wants to address is the ever-present concern over NWT housing. She also plans to bring more attention to the ’60s Scoop, to which she has a significant connection.

“Having the ’60s Scoop inquiry in the NWT and an apology to ’60s Scoop survivors,” Delorme-Simon said of her goals in relation to the historical separation of Indigenous children from their families.

Born and raised in Toronto, Delorme-Simon was adopted by a former Roman Catholic priest and nun. She would embark on a journey to locate her birth mother and brother, eventually finding family in Fort Resolution after a call from Richard Simon in 2012. A couple of years later, after meeting a cousin in Ottawa, she would be invited to wedding where was introduced to those she had missed for many years.

She also mentioned having the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) implemented is another of her priorities.

“There’s also restorative justice and gender equality that I would like to also put on my platform,” she added.

As for other items Delorme-Simon wishes to address on the campaign trail, she said she’ll reveal those as she visits eligible voters in N’Dilo, Lutsel K’e, Fort Resolution and Dettah.

Because of Covid-19 and its surge in the NWT, Delorme-Simon understands that the campaign is going to be a significant change from the norm. To help adjust for this, she will be bringing a honey bag/bucket along with her to assist in avoiding public places.

“I have a little Porta Potty commode and I’m going to put it around a little trailer and take it with me on my trail,” she said. “If I’m contaminated or someone else is contaminated (with Covid), social distancing and so forth.”

Delorme-Simon may drop by Yellowknife, but that’s uncertain.

“With Covid issues, I probably won’t be able to unless some kind of accommodations can be made for me to be on the radio or on the TV in order to get into people’s houses to have conversations,” she said.

Overall, she hopes that people take away the significance of truth and reconciliation from her campaign, she said.

Due to the Omicron variant in the territory, Elections NWT changed the Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh MLA byelection format to mail-in ballots only.

The nomination deadline for candidates in the riding is Jan. 14 at 2 p.m.