Richard Pamak: ‘I did everything I could’

Richard Pamak’s term as ordinary member (OM) for Nain in the Nunatsiavut Assembly came to an end on April 3. 
When contacted by phone about his four-year term, Pamak said his time representing the people of Nain was both challenging and rewarding.
As an member elected by his community, he said, his role was to advocate for his constituents at all levels of government. The Nunatsiavut Assembly meets five or six times a year, he said, and during his term he never missed any of those meetings.
“This is a great time for information and to ask questions about what your government is doing. Outside of that, one of the biggest challenges is getting information as an elected official to share with your community,” he said.
When asked about his accomplishments over the years, Pamak said his work saw him helping his constituents with whatever issues they brought to him.
“Just about every day there was someone coming into my office looking for help, seeking assistance. Whether it’s about housing or issues related to Child, Youth and Family Services or working with Service Canada, the issues were broad and one of the rewarding things for me was knowing that I did everything I could to advocate for those people,” Pamak said.
When asked about the tuberculosis crisis that Nain has been dealing with, Pamak said there was an outbreak of the disease in 2009, 2015 and again recently.
The most recent death of a teenager due to complications of tuberculosis raises a lot of questions, he said, if whether enough was done in the past to contain the spread of the disease.
“That’s still a question out there, although I do have to say, that more is being done now to stop the spreading of TB and contain the disease as much as possible,” he said.
Pamak had planned to run as ordinary member again. However, after submitting the appropriate documents he was notified that he didn’t meet one of the qualifications needed to be an OM.
In a Facebook post on March 27, Pamak advised his constituents that the qualification was a tax-related issue.
Pamak said while he couldn’t help everyone, he did appreciate those who thanked him for work on their behalf. When he posted on his Facebook page about his term coming to an end, numerous people continued to offer Pamak their appreciation. 
“You served your constituents superbly and you should be very proud of the job you did. My sincere best wishes to you in all your future endeavours,” Edward Blake Rudkowski wrote in response to Pamak’s post.
Allen Pijogge wrote that, when he looked for help, Pamak never failed him. 
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Pijogge wrote.
Lovey Ford also commended Pamak for his hard work on behalf of his constituents. 
“I’m sure a lot of people in this riding will miss you... I will. Good luck with what lies ahead for you,” Ford wrote.
Pamak hasn’t yet decided what his future endeavours will be. 
“I’m taking time to see what may be out there that I might be interested in,” he said.
Pamak said he’d like to thank his constituents who have supported him over the last four years and wish the new candidates (Tony Andersen, Henry Broomfield, Jim Lyall) all the best in the upcoming May election.
“We have three great candidates running. I’m sure (the successful candidate) will do the same as I did to help the people who they represent,” he said.
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