Levi Barnabas

Levi Barnabas
MLA for Quttiktuq, NT
In office 1995–1999
Preceded by	Ludy Pudluk
Succeeded by	riding dissolved
MLA for Quttiktuq, NU
In office 1999–2000
Preceded by	first member
Succeeded by	Rebekah Williams
MLA for Quttiktuq, NU
In office 2004–2008
Preceded by	Rebekah Williams
Succeeded by	Ron Elliott
Personal details
Born	January 24, 1964 (age 52) Igloolik
Political party	non-partisan consensus government

Levi Barnabas (born January 24, 1964 in Igloolik, Nunavut) is a Canadian politician. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories in 1995 and served until Nunavut was created in 1999. Barnabas served as the first Speaker in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.

In 1999 he was elected to the 1st Legislative Assembly of Nunavut but had to resign in August 2000 after being convicted of sexual assault.^[1] The conviction came at the same time as James Arvaluk was charged with assault against his girl friend. He pleaded guilty and resigned. The two scandals rocked the new government, and caused a substantial drop in positive public opinion. The resignation led to the first by-election in Nunavut history.

Barnabas ran in the December 2000 by-election but was defeated by Rebekah Williams. He ran again in the 2004 Nunavut election in a hotly contested race and defeated Williams by doubling her vote count.

References

1. Nunavut women's groups outraged by cabinet appointment: Human Resources Minister Levi Barnabas convicted of sexual assault in 2000 at CBC North

External links

• An Overwhelming Agenda? Nunatsiaq News 22 September 2000
• Levi Barnabas at the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
• Quttiktuq riding profile CBC