Following his retirement from federal politics, he also served a term in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut after that territory was created in 1999.
Re-elected in the 1993 election, which was won by the Liberals, he was named parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in the government of Jean Chrétien.
In 1999, he was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for the seat of Rankin Inlet North.
He tried to return to the Assembly in the 2008 Nunavut general election, filing nomination papers to run in the electoral district of Akulliq.
[8] Anawak served as Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs from January 2004 until 2006 when the position was discontinued by the Harper government.