Levinia Nuqaalaq Brown | |
---|---|
MLA for Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove | |
In office 2004–2008 | |
Preceded by | Manitok Thompson |
Succeeded by | Lorne Kusugak |
Personal details | |
Born | 1947 Dawson Inlet,Nunavut |
Political party | non-partisan consensus government |
Residence | Rankin Inlet |
Levinia Nuqaalaq Brown (born in 1947 at Dawson Inlet,south of Whale Cove,Nunavut) is a Canadian Inuk politician who served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the electoral district of Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut from 2004 to 2008. She was elected as a MLA on February 16,2004,and further elected by other MLAs to serve on the Executive Council of Nunavut. Premier Paul Okalik named her as the Deputy Premier on March 9,2004. She also served as the territory's Minister of Community and Government Services.
Prior to becoming an MLA,Brown was the first female mayor of Rankin Inlet,served on the hamlet's council,and helped set up the Eastern Arctic Teacher Education Program,now the Nunavut Teacher Education Program. Outside of politics,she has worked as a Northwest Territories Classroom Assistant and a Certified Nursing Assistant,as well as local housing and education agencies. She speaks Inuktitut.
Beginning at least in 1995,Brown was on the hamlet council for Rankin Inlet. [1] She made a comment that voters needed more information before voting on sale of lands vs. continuing to lease lands from the hamlet,a sentiment echoed by nearby leaders. [1] During the creation of Nunavut in 1999,she gave an interview to CBC Radio to give southern listeners an idea into the event's importance. [2] In 2000,after an election season that saw 15 women serving on Kivalliq Region councils as opposed to a previous 3 total,she stated that she was happy to see women seek office and that it was important to have representation for women,elders,and youth,at all levels in the government. [3]
Brown was the first female mayor of Rankin Inlet. On one occasion,she spoke with the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation about "the damage that has been done by the mining industry in" the hamlet. [4]
On February 16,2004,Brown was elected to represent Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. She was further elected by other MLAs to serve on the Executive Council of Nunavut,and was then named as Deputy Premier by Premier Paul Okalik on March 9. [5] During her term,she emphasized "the need to combine social reform,economic development and community empowerment to improve the overall health and well-being of" the territory and was the Minister of Health and Social Services. [6]
In 2006,Premier Okalik,Education Minister Ed Picco,and Brown made an announcement in Rankin Island that the area would soon receive funding to create a trade school as part of the Nunavut Arctic College to provide more career training opportunities for the area. [7] It is now known as Sanatuliqsarvik,or the Nunavut Trades Training Centre.
In 2008,Brown lost re-election to Rankin Inlet mayor Lorne Kusugak,who won with 62% of the popular vote vs. Brown's 38%,in an election that saw 10 out of 15 of the Legislative Assembly's open seats go to newcomers over incumbents. [8]
In 2016,Brown ran for president of the Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) with a platform emphasizing the elderly,food prices,financial transparency,and employment. [9] [10] Low NTI beneficiary voter turnout and beneficiary questions about the closure of benefits programs were two other concerns she named. [10] She described a problem with a lack of elderly care services in the region,with elders instead being sent to southern territories where there were more services but non-traditional diets and no nearby family members. For the youth,she suggested meeting with the local government,federal government,and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami to see options,as well as getting the youth involved. [9] For unemployment,she proposed training for NTI beneficiaries at higher levels,not just service staff like kitchen workers and janitors, [10] and also proposed looking into a road from Manitoba to Nunavut to create jobs and lower food prices. [9]
Brown admitted in 2019 that she originally did not support the creation of Nunavut for various reasons,but "admired the determination of those who were in favour of division" and eventually became glad the territory had its own government. [2] She also stated that poverty in housing was a continuing problem for the area,especially considering overcrowding and mould. She also noted that the region needed more range in medical equipment and facilities,as medical travel and emergency medical evacuation were considerably expensive. She stated that she would like to see proportional Inuit representation in government in the future (85% vs. the current 50%). [2]
In 2020,Brown was appointed a member of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's (NCTR) Governing Circle. [11]
Brown was delivered by her father in 1947 at Dawson Inlet,south of Whale Cove,Nunavut,since "there were no nurses,doctors,or government services in that area." [5] As a child,she celebrated Christmas with gifts from relatives,southern made or Inuit clothing (often kamiks from Inuit relatives),and would attend mass at the local mission church,joined by others who traveled there by dog sled from local camps. After the church's dinner,they participated in "games and races outdoors,with coveted prizes including big 10-pound bags of flour and sugar,packaged in white-and-red or burlap bags" that would be repurposed as household items such as tea towels after they were emptied. [12]
Brown attended the Sir Joseph Bernier federal school Chesterfield Inlet as a day student and was not allowed to speak Inuktitut. [12] She also attended school in Churchill,Manitoba,before working as Rankin Inlet's first teaching aid and then graduating from The Pas's St. Anthony Hospital in as a Certified Nursing Assistant and working as one in several territories. [5]
In 1978,Brown became certified as a Northwest Territories Classroom Assistant and played an important role in creating an Eastern Arctic Teacher Education Program in Iqaluit. Two years later,she became the first chair of the Keewatin Regional Education Authority. At some point before she became the first female mayor of Rankin Inlet,she also chaired the local housing authority,worked as an information officer,and served as deputy mayor. [5]
Brown is married to Ron Brown and has 10 children,3 of whom are custom adopted. [5]
Paul Okalik 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.
Rankin Inlet is an Inuit hamlet on the Kudlulik Peninsula in Nunavut,Canada. It is the largest hamlet and second-largest settlement in Nunavut,after the territorial capital,Iqaluit. On the northwestern Hudson Bay,between Chesterfield Inlet and Arviat,it is the regional centre for the Kivalliq Region.
The Kivalliq Region is an administrative region of Nunavut,Canada. It consists of the portion of the mainland to the west of Hudson Bay together with Southampton Island and Coats Island. The regional centre is Rankin Inlet. The population was 11,045 in the 2021 Canadian census,an increase of 6.1% from the 2016 Census.
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Same-sex marriage has been legal in Nunavut since 20 July 2005. The Canadian territory began granting marriage licences to same-sex couples upon the granting of royal assent to the federal Civil Marriage Act. Previously,in October 2003,Premier Paul Okalik had announced that same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions would be legally recognized in Nunavut.
Jack Iyerak Anawak 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 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.
Whale Cove,is a hamlet located 74 km (46 mi) south southwest of Rankin Inlet,145 km (90 mi) northeast of Arviat,in the Kivalliq Region,Nunavut,Canada,on the western shore of Hudson Bay.
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Nunavut is the largest,easternmost,and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1,1999,via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act,which provided this territory to the Inuit for self-government. The boundaries had been drawn in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's political map in half a century since the province of Newfoundland was admitted in 1949.
Lorne Kusugak is a Canadian politician who is the member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for the electoral district of Rankin Inlet South. Prior to becoming an MLA,Kusugak was the mayor of Rankin Inlet. Kusugak served as the Nunavut Minister for Community and Government Services,Minister for Energy and the Minister responsible for the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
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