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'I disagreed with the decision to remove Premier Quassa'

Following the June 14 Nunavut legislative assembly vote to oust Premier Paul Quassa, this is the view of Matt Teed, the candidate who finished second, by 10 votes, to Quassa in the Aggu riding in the 2017 territorial election: 

"I feel Premier Quassa was on the right path with regards to language requirements and other decisions," says Matt Teed, who was the runner-up in the Aggu riding in the 2017 territorial election.
photo courtesy of Matt Teed

I disagreed with the decision to remove Premier Quassa. I think only seven months into a mandate is not enough time to judge someone's performance. If there were other reasons then I feel they should be made public.

My opinion is that MLA Quassa can and will be very effective in advocating for issues directly affecting Igloolikmiut. He cares about his people and I am sure he will continue to serve us well.

As far as regional issues, I am curious whether the Grays Bay road and port project issue didn't play a larger role than is being discussed. I wish the issues that led to this decision were made public.

I feel Premier Quassa was on the right path with regards to language requirements and other decisions.

With regards to the three candidates who ran for premier (Savikataaq, Netser and Kusugak), I was OK with that as they were nominated. I have met with two of them previously while on council and felt either would do a good job.