Jack Iyerak Anawak (born September 26, 1950) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Nunatsiaq in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1997. He sat in the house as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. Following his retirement from federal politics, he also served a term in the

Legislative Assembly of Nunavut The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is the legislative assembly for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The seat of the Assembly is the Legislative Building of Nunavut in Iqaluit. Prior to the creation of Nunavut as a Canadian territory on Apr ...

after that territory was created in 1999. He ran as the New Democratic Party's candidate for his old riding, now renamed Nunavut, in the 2015 election, but was defeated by Liberal candidate

Hunter Tootoo Hunter A. Tootoo ( Inuktitut: Hᐊᓐᑕ ᑐᑐ; born August 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Nunavut from 2015 to 2019. Elected as a Liberal to the House of Commons, he was appointed Minister o ...

Political career

Federal politics

Anawak was first elected in the 1988 election, and served as the Liberal Party's opposition critic for Northern Affairs in the

34th Canadian Parliament The 34th Canadian Parliament was in session from December 12, 1988, until September 8, 1993. The membership was set by the 1988 federal election on November 21, 1988, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it wa ...

. Re-elected in the 1993 election, which was won by the Liberals, he was named parliamentary secretary to the

Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

in the government of Jean Chrétien.

Territorial politics

In 1999 he was elected as a member of the

for the seat of Rankin Inlet North. He was widely favoured to be the new territory's first Premier. However, he was perceived as the choice of the Chrétien government. The Assembly, which operates on a nonpartisan consensus model, selected

Paul Okalik Paul Okalik ( iu, ᐹᓪ ᐅᑲᓕᖅ, ; born May 26, 1964) is a Canadian politician. He is the first Inuk to have been called to the Nunavut Bar. He was also the first premier of Nunavut. On November 4, 2010, he was elected Speaker of the Leg ...

instead. Anawak did not run for re-election in 2004. He tried to return to the Assembly in the

2008 Nunavut general election The 2008 Nunavut General Election was held on October 27, 2008, to return members to the 3rd Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. The election was contested across 15 of Nunavut's 19 electoral districts under the first past the post system of voting. ...

, filing nomination papers to run in the electoral district of

Akulliq Akulliq () was a territorial electoral district ( riding) for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada. The riding consisted of the communities of Kugaaruk and Repulse Bay. Kugaaruk is now a part of the Netsilik riding and Repulse Bay (which ...

Elections Nunavut Elections Nunavut is an independent agency that oversees elections and plebiscites in Nunavut, including: * all general elections and by-elections for the 22 Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, according to the Nunavut Elections Act. ...

Chief Electoral Officer Sandy Kusugak rejected his candidacy, as he was not a full-time resident of Nunavut at the time his nomination papers were filed. Anawak took Elections Nunavut to court and managed to halt the election in that district pending his appeal, but on November 6, the Nunavut Court of Justice threw out the election challenge. Anawak ran again in the 2013 territorial election, but finished fourth in the

Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu ( iu, ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ−ᓂᐊᖁᙴ) is a territorial electoral district ( riding) for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada. The riding consists of part of what was Iqaluit East Iqaluit East was a territorial elector ...

riding.

Return to federal politics

In 2015, Anawak announced his intent to take back his old riding, now renamed Nunavut, in the 2015 election. This time, he ran as the candidate of the New Democratic Party. He came second in the race.

Popular culture

When the Canadian two-dollar coin was introduced, a number of nicknames were suggested. Jack Anawak proposed the name " Nanuq" anook,_polar_bear.html" ;"title="polar_bear.html" ;"title="anook, polar bear">anook, polar bear">polar_bear.html" ;"title="anook, polar bear">anook, polar bearin honour of Canadian Inuit and their northern culture; however, this culturally meaningful proposal went largely unnoticed beside the simple, mass-appeal "Canadian 2 dollar coin, Twonie/Toonie".

Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs

Anawak served as Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs from January 2004 until 2006 when the position was discontinued by the Harper government. Its functions were transferred to the bureaucratic level.

Electoral history

References

External links

*
Jack Iyerak Anawak on Two-Dollar Coin - Hansard April 26th, 1996Inuktitut Living Dictionary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anawak, Jack Members of the House of Commons of Canada from the Northwest Territories Liberal Party of Canada MPs Inuit politicians Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut 21st-century Canadian politicians 1950 births Living people Inuit from the Northwest Territories People from Rankin Inlet Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Inuit from Nunavut