Peter Freuchen K. Ittinuar (

Inuktitut Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...

: ᐲᑎᕐ ᐃᑦᑎᓄᐊᕐ; born January 19, 1950) is a Canadian politician. He was the first

Inuk Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...

in Canada to be elected as an MP, and represented the

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

of Nunatsiaq in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

from 1979 to 1984.

Biography

Early life

Ittinuar, the grandson of Danish explorer, Peter Freuchen, was born in

Chesterfield Inlet Chesterfield Inlet (Inuit: ''Igluligaarjuk'')Issenman, Betty. ''Sinews of Survival: The living legacy of Inuit clothing''. UBC Press, 1997. pp252-254 is an inlet in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is an arm of northwestern Hudson Bay, and the ...

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

(now

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

). He spent part of his youth and adolescence being educated in Ottawa, Ontario, with two childhood friends,

Zebedee Nungak Zebedee Nungak ( iu, ᔭᐃᐱᑎ ᓄᓐᖓᖅ; ; born 23 April 1951) is a Canadian Inuit author, actor, essayist, journalist, and politician. As a child, Nungak was taken from his home in the community of Saputiligait, along with two other chi ...

and Eric Tagoona. All three later were important figures in advocating for the rights of the Inuit. Unbeknownst to them, they had been relocated to Ottawa by federal government authorities, as part of an experiment in cultural assimilation. These actions and their consequences form the subject of the documentary '' The Experimental Eskimos'' (2009).

Political career

Ittinuar was originally elected as a member of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

, but on November 26, 1982, he

crossed the floor Crossed may refer to: * ''Crossed'' (comics), a 2008 comic book series by Garth Ennis * ''Crossed'' (novel), a 2010 young adult novel by Ally Condie * "Crossed" (''The Walking Dead''), an episode of the television series ''The Walking Dead'' S ...

to sit with the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

caucus shortly after

Indian Affairs and Northern Development Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

minister John Munro announced plans to improve

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

self-government by dividing the Northwest Territories into two (see

). In 1984 Ittinuar was charged with breach of trust, theft and forgery for allegedly using his parliamentary budget to purchase a boat motor. As a result of the court case he was suspended from the Liberal Party caucus, and he became an independent for the final few months of his term in office. Ittinuar ran for re-election in the 1984 federal election, but was defeated by the Progressive Conservative candidate

Thomas Suluk Thomas Suluk (Inuktitut: ᑖᒪᔅ ᓱᓗᒃ, March 14, 1950 – October 13, 2018) is a Canadian former politician. He represented the electoral district of Nunatsiaq in the House of Commons of Canada from 1984 to 1988 as a member of the ...

. Ittinuar was later found not guilty on the 1984 breach of trust, theft and forgery charges. However, Ittinuar had earlier, in 1979, been convicted of possession of a small amount of cocaine. In addition, in 1986, he was convicted of assaulting his then wife, Susan Munro, daughter of former Liberal Cabinet Minister John Munro, and was fined. In 1993, Ittinuar again sought the NDP nomination in Nunatsiaq, but was unable to do so, due to then NDP leader

Audrey McLaughlin Audrey Marlene McLaughlin (née Brown; born November 8, 1936) is a Canadian politician and former leader of the New Democratic Party from 1989 to 1995. She was the first female leader of a political party with representation in the House of Co ...

refusing to endorse his candidacy. In 2008, while living in southern Ontario, Ittinuar ran unsuccessfully for the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

in the

riding in the federal election. He had previously sought and lost the Green Party nomination in the southern Ontario riding of Brant.Ittinuar 'seriously considering' Green party run
''CBC News'', 2007-08-01. Government of Canada website

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ittinuar, Peter 1950 births Inuit from the Northwest Territories Canadian people of Danish descent Inuit politicians Liberal Party of Canada MPs Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from the Northwest Territories New Democratic Party MPs People from Chesterfield Inlet Green Party of Canada candidates in the 2008 Canadian federal election Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada Canadian politicians convicted of crimes Inuit from Nunavut Nunavut candidates for Member of Parliament