Paul Quassa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Quassa
MLA
|
|
|---|---|
| 4th Premier of Nunavut | |
| In office November 21, 2017 – June 14, 2018 |
|
| Commissioner | Nellie Kusugak |
| Preceded by | Peter Taptuna |
| Succeeded by | Joe Savikataaq |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for Aggu |
|
| In office October 28, 2013 – August 13, 2021 |
|
| Preceded by | district created |
| Succeeded by | Joanna Quassa |
| 11th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut | |
| In office February 26, 2020 – August 13, 2021 |
|
| Preceded by | Simeon Mikkungwak |
| Succeeded by | Tony Akoak |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 12, 1952 Igloolik, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut) |
| Political party | non-partisan consensus government |
| Relatives | Joanna Quassa (sister in-law) |
| Occupation | Indigenous land claims negotiator, journalist and MLA in Nunavut |
Paul Aarulaaq Quassa (born January 12, 1952) is a Canadian politician. He was the fourth Premier of Nunavut, serving from November 2017 to June 2018. Before that, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut (MLA) for Aggu. He held this role from 2013 until 2021.
Paul Quassa is an Inuk person. He started working in Inuit politics when he was 20. He was a main negotiator for the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. This important agreement helped create the territory of Nunavut as we know it today.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paul Quassa was born on January 12, 1952. He was born in Manitok, which was a hunting camp near Igloolik. He was born in an igloo. For his first few years, he lived in the "traditional Inuit way of life." He was one of the last people to grow up this way.
When he was six years old, he went to a residential school in Churchill, Manitoba. These schools were for Indigenous children.
Working for Land Claims
In 1972, Paul Quassa went back to Igloolik. He started working on land claims. Land claims are about getting back traditional lands and rights for Indigenous people. In the early 1990s, he was the president of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut.
He was one of the key people who negotiated the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. He also signed the agreement. This agreement was very important because it led to the creation of Nunavut.
Paul Quassa also worked as a journalist. He worked for CBC North, the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, and Isuma Productions.
Political Career
Paul Quassa was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in 2013. He represented the area called Aggu. During the 4th Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, he was the Minister of Education. As Education Minister, he tried to start bilingual education in schools. This would have taught students in both English and Inuktitut. However, his attempt was not successful.
Becoming Premier
He was reelected in the 2017 election. After the election, he was chosen to be the Premier of Nunavut. This happened at the Nunavut Leadership Forum. Nunavut uses a special system called consensus government. In this system, leaders are chosen by the MLAs, not by political parties.
Vote of No Confidence
On June 14, 2018, Paul Quassa lost a "non-confidence vote." This means that most of the MLAs no longer supported him as Premier. The vote was 16 to 3 against him, with two MLAs not voting.
MLA John Main brought forward the motion for the vote. He said that Paul Quassa's leadership style was "autocratic," meaning he made decisions without much input from others. Other MLAs also criticized how his government spent money.
After the vote, Paul Quassa was replaced as Premier by Joe Savikataaq. Joe Savikataaq had been the deputy premier.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
On February 26, 2020, Paul Quassa was chosen for a new role. He became the new Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. This happened after the previous Speaker, Simeon Mikkungwak, left the legislature. Paul Quassa did not run for re-election in 2021.
