Hicks joins Nunavut election race for NDP

Jack Hicks, the NDP's new federal candidate in Nunavut, says he will focus his campaign on major northern issues such as the need for affordable housing and mental health programs.

Hicks, a longtime northern social researcher based in Iqaluit, said NDP members in the territory confirmed his candidacy at a nomination meeting over the weekend.

He becomes the second federal candidate in Nunavut, where Conservative Leona Aglukkaq is the incumbent.

While Hicks said he is not running against Aglukkaq personally, he said he does not want another Conservative government in Canada.

"A majority Stephen Harper government would not allocate resources on what people in Nunavut need to build a better future, given all the social challenges that we face. That money is needed to buy fighter planes and provide more tax breaks for rich people in the South," Hicks told CBC News on Monday.

"I think people should be really scared of what Nunavut could look like in 10 or 20 years if there's a Stephen Harper majority government."

Involved in suicide prevention work

Hicks has been working primarily on suicide prevention research since 2004. Data from a suicide follow-back study he has been working on are expected to be released later this year, according to Hicks's NDP biography.

He helped form a joint working group that developed Nunavut's suicide prevention strategy, and last year helped the government deliver a suicide prevention training program across the territory.

Hicks has also worked for the Nunavut Implementation Commission and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, according to his biography.

Hicks said Nunavut has serious issues that need immediate attention, such as a shortage of affordable housing and a need for more mental health and suicide prevention programs.

The federal government would be leaping into action if southern Canada had suicide rates as high as they are in Nunavut, he added.

Meanwhile, Aglukkaq kicked off her tour of Nunavut communities this week. Hicks said he will do a limited amount of campaign travel.

Officials with the Liberal Party told CBC News they expect to announce a candidate by the end of this week.

Green Party officials are scrambling to find a new candidate in Nunavut, after that party's original candidate decided not to run.

Voters across Canada, including those in Nunavut, will go to the polls on May 2.