Nellie Cournoyea

Nellie Cournoyea OC ONWT (born March 4, 1940[1] in Aklavik, Northwest Territories) is a Canadian politician, who served as the sixth premier of the Northwest Territories from 1991 to 1995. She was the first female premier of a Canadian territory and the second female premier in Canadian history after Rita Johnston of British Columbia.

Nellie Cournoyea
Nellie Cournoyea in Inuvik, 2006
6th Premier of the Northwest Territories
In office
November 14, 1991 – November 22, 1995
CommissionerDaniel L. Norris
Helen Maksagak
Preceded byDennis Patterson
Succeeded byDon Morin
MLA for Western Arctic
In office
October 1, 1979 – November 21, 1983
Preceded byJohn Steen
Succeeded byriding dissolved
MLA for Nunakput
In office
November 21, 1983 – October 16, 1995
Preceded bynew district
Succeeded byVince Steen
Personal details
Born (1940-03-04) March 4, 1940
Aklavik, Northwest Territories, Canada
Political partynon-partisan consensus government

Cournoyea is of mixed Norwegian and Inupiaq heritage.

Before entering politics, Cournoyea was an announcer and station manager for CBC North in Inuvik, and a land claims worker for the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada.

She was first elected to the territorial Legislative Assembly in 1979, representing the electoral district of Western Arctic until it was dissolved in 1983, and then the new district of Nunakput for the remainder of her career in politics. She served the government in a variety of cabinet positions.

On November 14, 1991, she was chosen as premier under the territory's consensus government system, in which the premier is chosen by elected members following the general election. Cournoyea served as premier until 1995, and subsequently chose not to stand for reelection to the Legislative Assembly. She currently serves as chair and CEO of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.

She was a winner of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now the Indspire Awards, in 1994, and has been awarded honorary doctorates in law from Lakehead University, Carleton University and the University of Toronto.

In 2008, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada[2] as well as inducted into the Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame.[3] In 2016, Cournoyea received the Order of the Northwest Territories.

As a child, Cournoyea attended an aboriginal residential school. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report described how she was sheltered by Aboriginal families along her route when she ran away from an Anglican hostel in the Northwest Territories after a confrontation with a teacher.[4]

In 2023, Canada Post announced that Cournoyea will be one of three people, alongside George Manuel and Thelma Chalifoux, honoured as Indigenous pioneers on new postage stamps.[5]

See also

References
  1. Nellie J. Cournoyea Archived 2013-12-24 at the Wayback Machine at Collections Canada]
  2. "Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada".
  3. "Inuit Congratulate Nellie Cournoyea For Induction into Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame". Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. February 19, 2008. Archived from the original on May 4, 2013. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  4. "Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Executive Summary" (PDF). p. 121. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  5. "New Canada Post stamp honours first Indigenous woman to lead a Canadian government". Toronto Star, June 11, 2023.


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