N.W.T. MP Dennis Bevington to run for re-election

Northwest Territories MP Dennis Bevington says he will seek the NDP nomination in this fall's federal election.

Bevington, who has held the seat for three terms since 2006, made the announcement Thursday morning at the Yellowknife airport before boarding a flight to Norman Wells.

He said he wanted to "dispel any doubts people may have had about my future as a candidate."

Bevington has recently led an NDP campaign to bring the federal government's Nutrition North program to 50 Northern communities where the program isn't currently available. He also wants a comprehensive review of the embattled program.

A motion calling for both changes was defeated in Parliament earlier this month but Bevington said he's hopeful a new NDP government will turn the table.

"I expect that, after the election, we'll ensure that those changes to that program are implemented, absolutely."

Bevington also cited health care, the Northern Residency Tax Deduction — which he says hasn't kept up with inflation and hasn't been raised since 2007 — and the proposed N.W.T. land and water superboard as issues on which he'll continue to focus.

He cited the Tlicho Government's legal opposition to the superboard as evidence that the idea is not popular.

"We can perhaps, after the election, ensure that that court case doesn't have to go ahead," he said.

The federal election is scheduled for Oct. 19.