Long-time Yellowknife resident Gail Cyr has officially announced her bid to become the territory’s next MP.
Cyr, who’s lived in the capital for almost 41 years now, confirmed that she will seek the Liberal nomination for the Northwest Territories federal riding.
She joins Robert Hawkins and Kieron Testart, who previously announced their bids to stand as the Liberal nominee.
“It will be a busy summer, but I’m looking forward to it and I’m looking forward to meeting new people,” Cyr told Moose FM, shortly before filing her official papers.
“Fortunately with the work that I’ve done over the years, I’ve been able to travel into almost all of the communities in the Northwest Territories.”
Cyr is no stranger to politics. She’s spent time on Yellowknife City Council and served as Assistant Deputy Mayor before filling various roles within the GNWT.
Prior to her retirement last October, Cyr was a Special Advisor to Premier Bob McLeod, the Minister Responsible for Women.
“Having a background in politics is a good thing because you have to be knowledgeable about the issues that you’re dealing with and be prepared to speak to those issues.”
Cyr says her campaign will prioritize land claims and the environment.
“I’ve seen a lot of change in the 40 years that I’ve been here and certainly one of them has been the recognition of land claims and the treaty obligations that the government of Canada has with people here. I think it’s important that we recognize that these are international regulations that have been done.
“We also have to recognize that the environment is incredibly important to us here and governments can’t simply turn their back on it.”
The NDP’s Dennis Bevington, who has represented the territory in Parliament since 2006, has yet to confirm if he will seek re-election this year.
The federal election is tentatively scheduled for October 19, 2015.
