Jim Lyall (1945 – 13 May 2022) was a Canadian politician and Inuit advocate who served as the first President of

Nunatsiavut Nunatsiavut (; iu, italics=no, ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᑦ) is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous area claimed by the Inuit in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The settlement area includes territory in Labrador extending to the Quebe ...

Life

Lyall was born to Samuel Lyall and Isabella Lyall (née Metcalfe) in Nutak, a community in northern

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

that was controversially resettled alongside

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...

in the 1950s. Following the resettlement of Nutak, Lyall's family moved to Nain. He served as the Mayor of Nain as well as the town's postmaster. Lyall was educated at the residential schools in Nain and

North West River North West River is a small town located in central Labrador. Established in 1743 as a trading post by French Fur Trader Louis Fornel, the community later went on to become a hub for the Hudson's Bay Company and home to a hospital and school se ...

and also completed high school in St. John's. He worked for government-run stores in Labrador after completing his education.

Nunatsiavut

Lyall served as the executive director of Labrador Inuit Association from 1977 to 1981 and again from 2002 until Nunatsiavut's creation in 2005. In 2008,

held its first presidential election nearly 2 years after its first general election. Lyall defeated

Natan Obed Natan Obed is a Canadian politician who has served as president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) since September 2015. Early life Although born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Obed considers Nain, Nunatsiavut,where he was raised, as his h ...

and

Johannes Lampe Johannes Lampe is a Canadian politician who is the current President of Nunatsiavut, an autonomous Inuit region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Career Lampe was sworn in as president in May 2016 after being the only candi ...

for the position. In 2011, Lyall oversaw the return of the remains of Inuit bodies from St. John's to Nunatsiavut. These bodies were excavated from Rose Island and

Upernavik Island Upernavik Island is an island of Greenland. It is located in Baffin Bay in the Upernavik Archipelago. The town of Upernavik Upernavik (Kalaallisut: "Springtime Place") is a small town in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, locat ...

and brought to Newfoundland in the 1970s. Lyall did not seek re-election in 2012 and was succeeded by

Sarah Leo Sarah Leo is a Canadians, Canadian politician. Leo served as President of Nunatsiavut, an autonomous Inuit region of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Along with the Nunatsiavut government, she has been critical of the Lower Churchill Project. ...

. In 2017, Lyall was acclaimed Ordinary Member for Nain in a by-election. He was defeated in the 2022 election, coming in third behind

Anthony Andersen Anthony (Tony) Andersen is a Labrador Inuit politician who serves on the Nunatsiavut Assembly. Personal life He was born to Edgar Andersen and Muriel Andersen. His brother Wally Andersen is also currently a member of the Nunatsiavut Assembly ...

and Roxanne Barbour. Lyall died in May 2022, days after his election defeat. He died only a few hours after his wife Jean.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyall, Jim 1945 births 2022 deaths Inuit from Newfoundland and Labrador Indigenous leaders in Atlantic Canada Mayors of places in Newfoundland and Labrador Inuit politicians People from Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador