Jackson Lafferty facts for kids

Jackson Lafferty, born on October 9, 1969, is an important leader from Canada's Northwest Territories. He used to be a politician at the territorial level. Now, he is the Grand Chief of the Tłı̨chǫ Government, which is a self-governing group of the Tłı̨chǫ people.

Growing Up and Education

Jackson Lafferty went to high school in Yellowknife, a city in the Northwest Territories. After high school, he continued his studies at Red Deer College and the University of Lethbridge. He also earned a Management Degree from Athabasca University. To further his leadership skills, he completed a special program at the Banff School of Management.

Serving the People: Jackson Lafferty's Political Journey

Jackson Lafferty began his political career by running for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. This happened in a special election called a by-election on July 15, 2005. He ran in the North Slave area and won a close race against two other people.

First Term in the Legislature

In the 2007 Northwest Territories general election, Jackson Lafferty won again. He defeated Henry Zoe, who had been the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for North Slave before. After this election, his fellow MLAs chose him to be part of the cabinet. The Premier, Floyd Roland, then appointed him to lead two important government departments. He became the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and also the Minister of Justice.

Continuing to Lead

Jackson Lafferty was re-elected to the 17th Assembly in 2011. During this time, he took on even more responsibilities. He served as the Deputy Premier, which is like a second-in-command to the Premier. He continued as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. He also became the Minister Responsible for Official Languages and the Minister Responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.

Speaker of the Assembly

In November 2015, Jackson Lafferty was re-elected to the 18th Legislative Assembly without anyone running against him. This is called being "acclaimed." His peers, the other MLAs, then chose him to be the Speaker of the 18th Legislative Assembly. The Speaker is like the referee in the Assembly, making sure debates follow the rules. He was again acclaimed to the 19th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in October 2019, representing the area of Monfwi.

Becoming Grand Chief

Jackson Lafferty resigned from his position as an MLA on June 4, 2021. He announced that he planned to run for Tłı̨chǫ Grand Chief later that year. He was successfully elected to this important leadership role for the Tłı̨chǫ people.