- Tagak Curley
Infobox_Politician
imagesize = 150px
name = Tagak Curley
small| caption =
birth_date = 1944
birth_place = Coral Harbour
residence =
office1 = MLA forKeewatin South , NT
term_start1 = 1979
term_end1 = 1983
predecessor1 = new district
successor1 = riding dissolved
office2 = MLA forAivilik , NT
term_start2 = 1983
term_end2 = 1987
predecessor2 = first member
successor2 =Peter Irniq
office3 = MLA forRankin Inlet North , NU
term_start3 = 2004
term_end3 =
predecessor3 =Jack Anawak
successor3 = incumbent
party = non-partisanconsensus government
religion =
occupation =Tagak Curley (born 1944) is an
Inuit leader, politician and businessman fromNunavut .Tagak is considered a living father of confederation in
Canada .He was born in a hunting camp at Coral Harbour,
Northwest Territories (now Nunavut).From 1966 to 1970, he worked as a development officer with the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Based on his experiences, Curley became politicaly active and took on leadership roles at the local level to promote better living conditions for Inuit in local communities across Nunavut.
From 1970-71, Curley served as the Repulse Bay settlement manager. He also acted as editor of the Keewatin Echo, the first English-
Inuktitut newspaper in Canada.He was a founding member and the first president of the
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) in 1971. ITK was formed to represent Nunavut Inuit by their own organization.Curley held leaderhips positions with the Nunavut land claim negotiating team, the Inuit Cultural Institute, the group that first initiated the process to recognize Nunavut as a formal terriroty in Canada.
Curley held leadership roles in Nunasi Corporation, an Inuit economic development organization, and in Nunavut Construction.
At the territorial level, Curley served as a member of the
Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1979 to 1987; at the time, Nunavut was under the Northwest Territories. While in government, he held several cabinet posts, including the minister of economic development, minister of Mines and Resources Secretariat, and minister of public utilities from 1984 to 1987, and minister of government services in 1986-87.He ran as a federal Liberal candidate in the 1979 election for the Nunatsiaq (now Nunavut) riding, coming in second to
Peter Ittinuar .In the years following the passage of the Nunavut Act, Curley acted as business manager for
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), the organization responsible for representing the Nunavut Inuit under the Nunavut land claim agreement.In 1998, Curley was awarded the Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement award for his contribution and leadership in Business.
In October of 2003, Curley received the Order of Canada.
In the 2004 Nunavut general election, Curley was acclaimed for the Nunavut riding of
Rankin Inlet North .He re-entered politics to improve local government for his people and community. After the election, Curley challenged
Paul Okalik for premiership of Nunuavt but was not elected by the Legislative Assembly. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/03/05/nunavut_premier040305.html Okalik re-elected as Nunavut premier] ]References
External links
* [http://www.assembly.nu.ca/english/members/bios/curley.html Tagak Curley at the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut]
* [http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/023001-2319-e.html Biography of Tagak Curley]
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