Kevin O'Brien (Nunavut politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kevin O'Brien

MLA for Kiviallivik, NT
In office 1995 – 1999
Preceded by	Silas Arngn'naaq
Succeeded by	riding dissolved
MLA for Arviat, NU
In office 1999 – 2004
Preceded by	first member
Succeeded by	David Alagalak

Political party	non-partisan consensus government

This article is about Nunavut politician. For Newfoundland and Labrador politician, see Kevin O'Brien (Newfoundland and Labrador politician).

Kevin O'Brien is a Canadian union negotiator, former civil servant and a former municipal and territorial level politician who has served as a Member of both the Northwest Territories Legislature and the Nunavut Legislature. He also briefly served as Speaker.

O'Brien was first elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the 1995 Northwest Territories general election. He defeated incumbent MLA Silas Arngn'naaq to win the Kivallivik electoral district. He served a single term in the Legislature before Northwest Territories and Nunavut were split and his electoral district was abolished.

O'Brien ran for a seat in the first Nunavut general election held in 1999. He won the Arviat electoral district and became it's first member. O'Brien was elected Speaker of the House in 2000 and held it until his defeat in the 2004 Nunavut general election. He was defeated by David Alagalak in a hotly contested race finishing a distant fourth.^[1]

O'Brien got into legal trouble when he was convicted of illegal possession of liquor in Arviat, Nunavut. He plead guilty to the charge but it was not publicized until after the 2004 election.^[2]