Thomas Suluk (Inuktitut: ᑖᒪᔅ ᓱᓗᒃ, March 14, 1950 – October 13, 2018) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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
Progressive Conservatives.
Biography
Thomas Suluk was born on March 14, 1950, in
Arviat
Arviat (, syllabics: ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ; formerly called Eskimo Point until 1 June 1989) is a predominantly Inuit hamlet located on the western shore of Hudson Bay in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada. Arviat ("place of the bowhead whale") is ...
, then part of the
Northwest Territories.
After graduating from Arthur Turner Anglican Theological School in
Pangnirtung
Pangnirtung (or Pang, also Pangniqtuuq, in syllabics: ᐸᖕᓂᖅᑑᖅ ) is an Inuit hamlet, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, located on Baffin Island. Pangnirtung is situated on a coastal plain at the coast of P ...
, on
Baffin Island, Suluk was posted to
Apex, Iqaluit. However, at age 22, he was one year too young to go through the process of
ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...
. Instead of waiting, Suluk chose to enter politics, during a time when
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 ...
were beginning to learn of land claims and their civil rights. He began in his local council office, but moved on to working for
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, (Inuktitut syllabics: , meaning "Inuit are united in Canada") previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Eskimo Brotherhood of Canada), is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit acro ...
, as he had an interest in broader community issues.
[
After working as a ]Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
radio announcer for a short period, Suluk won an election to the House of Commons of Canada at the 1984 federal election, representing the electoral district of Nunatsiaq (now Nunavut). His election was close - his Progressive Conservative candidacy narrowly defeated 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 ...
candidate, Robert Kuptana, by just 247 votes.[ During his time in Parliament, Suluk focused on land claims issues in Nunavut, and was also involved with the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut (now ]Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI; , ) is the legal representative of the Inuit of Nunavut for the purposes of native treaty rights and treaty negotiation. The presidents of NTI, Makivik Corporation, Nunatsiavut, and the Inuvialuit Regional Corp ...
), which was at the time the peak organisation tasked with negotiating land claims and treaties for Inuit.[
]
Electoral record
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suluk, Thomas
1950 births
Living people
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from the Northwest Territories
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs
Inuit politicians
People from Arviat
Inuit from the Northwest Territories
Indigenous Members of the House of Commons of Canada
Inuit from Nunavut