Eva Aariak

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Ambassador David L. Cohen Travel to Nunavut (53122707267) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Aariak in 2023

| honorific-suffix ={{post-nominals|country=CAN|size=100%|CM|ONu}}

| name = Eva Aariak

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|1|10}}E-mail from the Office of Premier Eva Aariak (OTRS #2012082010009087){{Better source needed|date=September 2023}}

| birth_place = Arctic Bay, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut), Canada{{cite news |date=September 24, 2008 |publisher=CBC News North |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/former-nunavut-languages-commissioner-joins-iqaluit-east-race-1.751355 |title=Former Nunavut languages commissioner joins Iqaluit East race |access-date=May 1, 2020}}

| residence = Iqaluit, Nunavut

| office1 = 6th Commissioner of Nunavut

| term_start1 = {{start date|2021|01|14}}{{Cite web|url=https://orders-in-council.canada.ca/attachment.php?attach=40165&lang=en|title = Orders in Council - Search}}

| term_end1 =

| primeminister1 = Justin Trudeau

Mark Carney

| premier1 = Joe Savikataaq
P. J. Akeeagok

| predecessor1 = Rebekah Williams (acting)

| successor1 =

| office2 = 2nd Premier of Nunavut

| term_start2 = {{start date|2008|11|19}}{{citation |url=http://www.assembly.nu.ca/honourable-eva-aariak |title=The Honourable Eva Aariak |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707073952/http://www.assembly.nu.ca/honourable-eva-aariak |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=22 September 2013}}

| term_end2 = {{end date|2013|11|19}}{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=David|title=MLAs choose Peter Taptuna to serve as Nunavut premier |url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674mlas_choose_xxxxxx_to_serve_as_nunavut_premier/ |publisher=Nunatsiaq News |access-date=January 27, 2024|date=November 15, 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119234357/http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674mlas_choose_xxxxxx_to_serve_as_nunavut_premier/|archivedate=November 19, 2013}}

| 1blankname2 = Commissioner

| 1namedata2 = Ann Meekitjuk Hanson
Edna Elias

| predecessor2 = Paul Okalik

| successor2 = Peter Taptuna

| office3 = Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut

| constituency3 = Iqaluit East

| term_start3 = {{start date|2008|10|27}}

| term_end3 = {{end date|2013|10|28}}

| predecessor3 = Ed Picco

| successor3 = riding redistributed

| party = Independent

| religion =

|birth_name = Eva Qamaniq Aarik

| spouse =

| children =

| occupation = CBC reporter, teacher, Languages Commissioner of Nunavut}}

Eva Qamaniq Aariak{{ref|1|a}} {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|ONu}} ({{langx|iu|ᐄᕙ ᐋᕆᐊᒃ}}, {{IPA|iu|iːva aːʁiak|IPA}}; born January 10, 1955) is a Canadian Inuk politician, who was elected in the 2008 territorial election to represent the electoral district of Iqaluit East in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. She was subsequently chosen as the second premier of Nunavut, under the territory's consensus government system, on November 14, 2008.{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081114.wnunavutpremier1115/BNStory/National/home |title=Nunavut names new premier |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=November 14, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115010639/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081114.wnunavutpremier1115/BNStory/National/home |archive-date=November 15, 2008}} Aariak was the fifth woman to serve as a premier in Canada.

In January 2021, Aariak became the sixth commissioner of Nunavut.[https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2021/01/12/prime-minister-announces-new-commissioner-nunavut "Prime Minister announces new Commissioner of Nunavut"]. Office of the Prime Minister, January 12, 2021.

Background

Prior to her election as an MLA, Aariak was the first Languages Commissioner for Nunavut. Originally appointed to a four-year term beginning in 1999, her term was later extended for another year until December 2004.{{cite web |title=Legislative Assembly Bids Fond Farewell to Languages Commissioner Eva Aariak|url=http://action.attavik.ca/home/langcom/attach/aariak_engl.pdf |date=November 22, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020171627/http://action.attavik.ca/home/langcom/attach/aariak_engl.pdf |archive-date=October 20, 2007 |publisher=Office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut}}

In her capacity as Languages Commissioner, she was asked to choose an Inuktitut language word for the Internet; she settled on ikiaqqivik ({{IPA|iu|ikiaqqivik|IPA}}), which literally means "travelling through layers" and refers to the angakkuq, the traditional Inuit concept of a shaman or medicine man, travelling through time and space to find answers to spiritual and material questions.{{cite journal |first=Katharina |last=Soukup |title=Travelling Through Layers: Inuit Artists Appropriate New Technologies |url=http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/1769/1889 |journal=Canadian Journal of Communication |volume=31 |issue=1 |date=2006|doi=10.22230/cjc.2006v31n1a1769 |access-date=May 1, 2020|doi-access=free |url-access=subscription }}

After stepping down as Languages Commissioner, she then went on to teach Inuktitut at the Pirurvik Centre in Iqaluit, and later owned and operated Malikkaat, a retail store in Iqaluit which sold Inuit arts and crafts.{{cite web |title=Malikkaat: For all things Inuit |url=http://www.nunatsiaq.com/archives/61110/news/features/61110_01.html |publisher=Nunatsiaq News|date=November 10, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418161203/http://www.nunatsiaq.com/archives/61110/news/features/61110_01.html |archive-date=April 18, 2009}}, She was later reappointed as acting commissioner in December 2007 after the resignation of then Languages Commissioner, Johnny Kusugak.

She also served as coordinator of the Baffin Divisional Education Council's Inuktitut language book publishing program,{{cite web |url=http://socrates.acadiau.ca/COURSES/pols/nunavut@5/aariak.htm |title=Biographies: Eva Aariak |website=Nunavut @ Five |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706164106/http://socrates.acadiau.ca/COURSES/pols/nunavut%405/aariak.htm}} as president of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce[http://www.baffinchamber.ca/ Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce]{{Better source needed|date=May 2020}} and as chair of the Nunavut Film Development Corporation.{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.nu.ca/news/2006/nov/nov24.pdf |title=Nunavut Film Makers Receive Support for Projects |publisher=Nunavut Film Development Corporation |date=November 24, 2006 |archive-date=March 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320051733/http://www.gov.nu.ca/news/2006/nov/nov24.pdf}}

Her daughter Karliin was named Nunavut's new languages commissioner in 2020.[https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/karliin-aariak-to-be-named-nunavut-languages-commissioner/ "Karliin Aariak to be named Nunavut languages commissioner"]. Nunatsiaq News, February 3, 2020.

Political career

Aariak was the only woman elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2008 election. She subsequently expressed her disappointment with that fact, suggesting that improved daycare services in Nunavut might be needed to help women participate more actively in the political process[http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/nov3_08iqheds.html "Daycare needed to tip scales, says sole female MLA"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714190456/http://nnsl.com/northern-news-services/stories/papers/nov3_08iqheds.html |date=2011-07-14 }}, Northern News Services, November 3, 2008. and that the territory should revisit the failed proposal to have a smaller number of electoral districts, each of which would choose one man and one woman as MLAs.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/reconsider-gender-parity-says-lone-female-nunavut-mla-1.725649 "Reconsider gender parity, says lone female Nunavut MLA"], cbc.ca, October 29, 2008

Two other women, Jeannie Ugyuk and Monica Ell-Kanayuk, were subsequently elected to the legislature in by-elections.

At the Nunavut Leadership Forum on November 14, 2008, Aariak was chosen as the new premier over incumbent Paul Okalik and MLA Tagak Curley.[https://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gbolJ2f76GzKY319tDBpKi-vh6IQ "Eva Aariak chosen by MLAs as Nunavut's new premier and first woman leader"]{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, Canadian Press, November 14, 2008 She was the sixth woman, after Rita Johnston, Nellie Cournoyea, Christy Clark, Catherine Callbeck and Pat Duncan, to hold a premiership in Canada, and the sixth female First Minister in the country, including former Prime Minister Kim Campbell.

On September 5, 2013, Aariak announced that while she would seek re-election as an MLA for the new electoral district of Iqaluit-Tasiluk in the 2013 election, she was not interested in the second term as premier when the new Legislative Assembly took office.[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/eva-aariak-won-t-seek-2nd-term-as-nunavut-premier-1.1340165 Eva Aariak won't seek 2nd term as Nunavut premier]. CBC News, September 5, 2013. On October 28, 2013, Aariak was not re-elected as an MLA, losing by 43 votes to George Hickes.[https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/10/29/nunavut_premier_loses_seat_by_43_votes.html "Nunavut premier loses seat by 43 votes"]. Toronto Star, October 29, 2013.

She was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada on November 19, 2018, for her dedication to promoting Inuit culture and languages, as well as her political impacts regarding poverty reduction and the promotion of equity and gender equality.[https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-3300 "Ms. Eva Aariak: Order of Canada"]. Order of Canada, November 19, 2018.

Honours and awards

+Ribbon Bar of Eva Aariak

class="wikitable"

|Ribbon

|Description

|Post-nominal letters

|Notes

100x100px

|Member of the Order of Canada

|CM

|{{Cite web |title=Biography |language=en |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=Commissioner of Nunavut |url=http://www.commissioner.gov.nu.ca/en/bio.aspx}}

100x100px

|Member of the Order of Nunavut

|ONu

98x98px

|Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

| Canadian version

100x100px

|King Charles III Coronation Medal

|Canadian version

Notes

{{note|1|a}} Aariak is occasionally seen as Arreak, which was the original spelling and was due to non-Inuit mishearing the pronunciation of names.{{Cite web |url=http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues02/Co07132002/CO_07132002_Nunavut_names.htm |title=In Old Names, a Legacy Reclaimed |access-date=2008-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517023601/http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues02/Co07132002/CO_07132002_Nunavut_names.htm |archive-date=2015-05-17 |url-status=usurped }}