Goo "Mosa" Arlooktoo was a politician and former cabinet minister from Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He briefly served as acting premier of the territory.

Political career

Arlooktoo was first elected to the Northwest Territories legislature in the 1995 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 1995

The Northwest Territories general election, 1995 was the 18th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 16, 1995. This was the last election before the Northwest Territories was split in two with the creation of Nunavut.The big issue this election was...

. He won the electoral district of Baffin South. In his first term in office he was appointed to the cabinet becoming Minister of Justice and Housing and Deputy Premier.

Arlooktoo became Acting Premier after the sudden resignation of Premier Don Morin

Don Morin

Don Albert Morin was the seventh Premier of Northwest Territories, Canada.-Scandal:The initial complaints that led to the investigations by the ethics commissioner were filed with the Northwest Territories ethics commissioner by MLAs Jane Groenewegen and Jeannie Marie-Jewell...

 who resigned over conflict of interest allegations. He served in this capacity from November 26, 1998 until December 10, 1998 when then Legislative Assembly chose Jim Antoine

Jim Antoine

James L. "Jim" Antoine is a former politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1991 to 2003. During his time in office he lead the Northwest Territories government as the eighth Premier from 1998 to 2000...

 to lead the government.

Arlooktoo left the Northwest Territories legislature when the territory of Nunavut

Nunavut

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

 was created to run in the 1999 Nunavut general election

Nunavut general election, 1999

Nunavut, Canada conducted its first general election on 15 February 1999, to elect the members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.Although Nunavut did not become a territory until 1 April 1999 the election was held early to enable the members to assume their duties on that date.The territory...

. He was considered very likely to become Premier in the new territory, however he was defeated by Olayuk Akesuk

Olayuk Akesuk

Olayuk Akesuk is a politician from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada. Akesuk was the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the electoral district of South Baffin from 1999 to 2008, having won the seat in the 1999 Nunavut election...

 in an upset. Arlooktoo himself finished a close second.

Late life

After his defeat for the Nunavut Legislature he became assisted the fledgling government by holding orientations to help train newly elected members in the territory to assist them in performing their duties. He then became Executive Director of the Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board which he held until his death on April 30, 2002.

Arlooktoo's father Joe Arlooktoo

Joe Arlooktoo

Joe Arlooktoo is a northern Canadian artist, adept at soapstone and ivory carving, and a municipal and territorial level politician who was a Member of the Northwest Territories Legislature from 1979 until 1991...

 also served as a Member of the Northwest Territories Legislature.

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