John Amagoalik

Amagoalik was born on November 26, 1947, near Inukjuaq in Nunavik in northern Québec.[2] In 1953, his family was relocated to Resolute Bay by the Canadian Government and he was educated in residential schools in Resolute Bay, Churchill and Iqaluit.[3] However, Amagoalik stopped his formal education after grade 9 to support his father who had fallen ill with tuberculosis.[4] His families living conditions after their forced relocation to Resolute was poor, with no vegetation or fish.[5] Years later, Amagoalik and other relocated Inuit identifying themselves as "High Arctic exiles" petitioned for Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper to apologize for the relocation.[6]

Amagoalik began his political career as the Baffin Regional Information Officer with the Northwest Territories territorial government from 1971 to 1974.[2] In 1974, Amagoalik was appointed executive director of Nunavut Land Claims Project to claim Inuit land.[7] The following year, he succeeded Tagak E.C. Curley as director of Land Claims for the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.[8]

Amagoalik served two terms as President of the Inuit Tapiriit of Canada before becoming a political adviser to the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut.[7] He was also a member of the Executive Council of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference from 1980 to 1983.[3]

After the ratification of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and Nunavut Act in 1993, Amagoalik led the land-claims settlement process with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.[9] From 1993 to 1999, Amagoalik served as chair of the Nunavut Implementation Commission, which was a 10-member body that designed Nunavut's public government.[10] He recommend Nunavut elect a "public government with democratically elected Legislative Assembly [which] will respect individual and collective rights as defined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms."[11] He was given the nickname "Father of Nunavut" for his efforts in founding the Canadian territory of Nunavut.[12][13]

In 2014, Amagoalik was honoured with the Order of Nunavut.[14] He later received the Order of Canada for his “leadership in Canada’s North, notably for his integral role in the creation of Nunavut.”[15]