Paul Okalik

Greg Farries — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:34:20 -0600

Paul Okalik is the first premier of the Northwest Territories. He was elected to the first Nunavut Legislative Assembly in February 1999 and elected premier in March 1999. After being re-elected to a second term as MLA for Iqaluit West in 2004, Okalik was chosen to continue serving as Nunavut’s Premier.

Nunavut, like the Northwest Territories, is built on a consensus model of government and operates within the principles of Canadian parliamentary democracy. All Members of the Legislative Assembly in Nunavut are elected as independent members. Okalik’s selection at the 2004 leadership forum in the Nunavut Legislature marked the first time a sitting premier received a second term in the non-partisan consensus government system.

This type of government is a key to Nunavut’s development. The system fuses the principles of Parliamentary democracy with Aboriginal values. Okalik is committed to Nunavut and its people, and furthering the role Nunavut plays both within Canada and worldwide. His responsibilities as premier have a highly significant impact on the residents and growth of Nunavut. He holds the portfolios of Justice, Aboriginal Affairs and Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Before his election, Okalik worked as the Deputy Chief Negotiator and Special Assistant to the President of Tungavik, Federation of Nunavut. He participated as a member of the negotiating team for the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement, which advocated for a settlement agreement that had been evolving for generations. The Nunavut Land Claim Agreement was signed in 1993, becoming the largest land claim in Canadian history. Okalik proceeded to lay the groundwork for the creation of the Inuit Heritage Trust, an organization that deals with Inuit ethnographic objects and archives; Nunavut Wildlife Management Board; Nunavut Implementation Training Committee, an organization that supports training for organizations involved in land claims; and Nunavut Social Development Council.

Okalik was born in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, on May 26, 1964. He graduated from Carleton University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and Canadian studies. He also earned a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1997, and was called to the Bar in 1999. In 2005, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws from Carleton University.

He has three children, Shasta, Jordan, and Béatrice. In his spare time, Okalik enjoys hunting, fishing, and golfing. He is fluent in Inuktitut and English, and also studies French.