Jobie Nutarak facts for kids

Jobie Nutarak (born May 10, 1947 – died April 22, 2006) was an important politician from Nunavut, a large territory in northern Canada. He worked to represent the people of his community and helped make decisions for the region.

Jobie Nutarak's Life and Work

Jobie Nutarak was born in a place called Pond Inlet on Baffin Island. This is a large island in the Arctic part of Canada.

Starting His Political Journey

Nutarak was first chosen to be a politician in 1999. He represented the area of Tununiq in Nunavut. He was chosen again by the people in 2004. This meant he continued to work for his community.

Becoming Speaker of the Assembly

In 2004, Jobie Nutarak was chosen for a very important job: the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. The Legislative Assembly is like a parliament or a big meeting place where elected leaders make laws for Nunavut. The Speaker's job is to make sure meetings run smoothly and fairly.

What made this special was that Jobie Nutarak was the first person to hold this job who only spoke Inuktitut. Inuktitut is the language of the Inuit people. This showed how important it was to respect and use Indigenous languages in government.

Before Territorial Politics

Before he became a politician for the whole territory, Nutarak was very active in his local community. He worked in education, helping with schools and learning programs in his area. He also worked with groups that dealt with Inuit land claims. Land claims are about getting back rights to land and resources that traditionally belonged to Indigenous peoples.

His Passing

Jobie Nutarak sadly passed away on April 22, 2006. He was on a snowmobile trip for hunting at the time. He left behind his wife, five children, and five grandchildren.