Alfred Moses is third NWT minister to announce they’ll step down

Minister Alfred Moses will not seek re-election in this fall’s territorial election.

Although Moses has yet to make a public statement, the news was confirmed by his constituency assistant on Thursday and he is understood to have conveyed the message privately to friends.

Moses is the third member of the present seven-person cabinet to announce they are stepping down, following health minister Glen Abernethy and finance minister Robert C McLeod.

Premier Bob McLeod has not indicated whether he will attempt to defend his Yellowknife South seat. If he chooses not to do so, more than half of the cabinet will be leaving territorial politics at this election.

Remaining cabinet members Louis Sebert, Wally Schumann, and Caroline Cochrane have all confirmed they will seek re-election.

The MLA for Inuvik Boot Lake, Alfred Moses is the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) and also holds responsibility for the NWT Housing Corporation, WSCC, homelessness, and youth.

Born in Fort McPherson in 1977, Moses was first elected to the legislative assembly in October 2011, then re-elected in 2015. He was previously an Inuvik town councillor and held health-related positions with the Inuvik Health Authority, Department of Health and Social Services, Diavik Diamond Mines, and MACA.

After his 2015 re-election he held the role of Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment before an April 2018 cabinet shuffle saw him effectively switch places with Caroline Cochrane.

He oversaw the education ministry during the rollout of junior kindergarten and at an uncertain time for Aurora College, which faced a budget cut ahead of a foundational review’s recommendation that the college become a polytechnic university.

In his current capacity, Moses is in charge of high-profile projects such as the implementation of a 9-1-1 emergency service across the territory, which is to appear in every NWT community in November. As housing minister, Moses has overseen the building of seniors’ homes in Northern NWT communities and opening of affordable housing complexes in Behchokǫ̀ and Inuvik this year.

Moses faced criticism for the appointment of longtime aide Maia Lepage to a $130,000-per-year advisory position at the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission last year. Kam Lake MLA Kieron Testart asked to have the hiring decision reviewed by the conflict of interest commissioner, though Moses said the decision was within his authority.

Moses’ decision not to run leaves land claims negotiator Diane Thom as the only candidate to have declared their intention to run in the Inuvik Boot Lake riding.

Cabin Radio will feature extensive interviews with NWT election candidates beginning at the start of September, when nominations officially open. Bookmark our NWT Election 2019 homepage to follow our coverage.