Tagak Curley
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Tagak Curley
|image =
|imagesize = 150px
| caption =
| birth_date ={{birth year and age|1944}}
| birth_place = Coral Harbour, Northwest Territories (now Coral Harbour, Nunavut)
| residence =
| office1 = MLA for Keewatin South, NT
| term_start1 = 1979
| term_end1 = 1983
| predecessor1 = new district
| successor1 = riding dissolved
| office2 = MLA for Aivilik, NT
| term_start2 = 1983
| term_end2 = 1987
| predecessor2 = first member
| successor2 = Peter Irniq
| office3 = MLA for Rankin Inlet North, NU
| term_start3 = 2004
| term_end3 = 2013
| predecessor3 = Jack Anawak
| successor3 = riding dissolved
| party = non-partisan
consensus government
}}
Tagak Curley {{post-nominals|CM|ONu}} (born 1944) is an Inuk leader, politician and businessman from Nunavut. As a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut, Tagak is considered a living Father of Confederation in Canada. He was born in a hunting camp at Coral Harbour, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut).
Career
From 1966 to 1970, Curley worked as a development officer with the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Based on his experiences, Curley became politically active and took on leadership roles at the local level to promote better living conditions for Inuit in local communities across Nunavut. From 1970-71, Curley served as the Repulse Bay settlement manager. He also acted as editor of the Keewatin Echo, the first English-Inuktitut newspaper in Canada. He was a founding member and the first president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) in 1971. ITK was formed to represent Nunavut Inuit by their own organization. {{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} While president of Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, Curley sat on the steering committee for the Inuit Land Use and Occupancy Project,{{Cite book|title=Inuit Land Use and Occupancy Project|publisher=Canada. Department of Indian and Northern Affairs|author= Milton Freeman Research Limited|year=1976|isbn=0660003996|volume=One|pages=vi}} which provided a basis for the Nunavut land claim.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/nunavut99changin0000unse/page/27|title=Nunavut '99: Changing the Map of Canada|publisher=Nortext Multimedia Inc. and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated|year=1999|isbn=1550366297|editor-last=Soublière|editor-first=Marion|location=Iqaluit, Northwest Territories|pages=[https://archive.org/details/nunavut99changin0000unse/page/27 27]|editor-last2=Coleman|editor-first2=Greg|url-access=registration}}
Curley held leadership positions with the Inuit Cultural Institute,{{cite magazine |author=|location=Eskimo Point, Northwest Territories (Arviat, Nunavut)|volume=Winter 1976-7 |magazine=Ayurnarmat (ᐊᔪᕐᓇᕐᒪᑦ) |title=National Inuit Council on Education |publisher=Inuit Cultural Institute |date=1976 |page=17 }} as well as the Inuit Development Corporation{{Cite book|trans-title=Our organizations|publisher=Inuit Tapirisat of Canada|year=1981|location=Ottawa, Ontario|pages=17|title=ᑲᑐᔨᖃᑎᒌᕗᑦ}} (an Inuit economic development organization now known as Nunasi Corporation{{Cite web|url=http://nunasi.com/about-nunasi/history-and-growth/|title=History and growth|website=Nunasi Corporation|access-date=January 17, 2017}}), and the Nunavut Construction Corporation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/building-boom-in-the-north-1.181571|title=Building boom in the north|date=February 19, 1999|website=CBC News|access-date=January 17, 2017}}
At the territorial level, Curley served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1979 to 1987; at the time, Nunavut was under the Northwest Territories. While in government, he held several cabinet posts, including the minister of economic development, minister of Mines and Resources Secretariat, and minister of public utilities from 1984 to 1987, and minister of government services in 1986-87.
He ran as a federal Liberal candidate in the 1979 election for the Nunatsiaq (now Nunavut) riding, coming in second to Peter Ittinuar. In the years following the passage of the Nunavut Act, Curley acted as business manager for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), the organization responsible for representing the Nunavut Inuit under the Nunavut land claim agreement. In 1998, Curley was awarded the Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement award for his contribution and leadership in business. In October 2003, Curley received the Order of Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2003-01/jan20_03awa.html|title=Northerners earn Canada's highest award|publisher=Northern News Services|date=January 20, 2003|accessdate=2016-04-19}}{{cite web|url=http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=8666|title=Order of Canada|publisher=archive.gg.ca|accessdate=2016-04-19}}
In the 2004 Nunavut general election, Curley was acclaimed for the Nunavut riding of Rankin Inlet North.{{cite web|url=http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/archives/40123/news/features/40123_01.html|title=They're off and running|publisher=Nunatsiaq News|date=January 23, 2004|accessdate=2016-04-19}} He re-entered politics to improve local government for his people and community. After the election, Curley challenged Paul Okalik for premiership of Nunavut, but was not elected by the Legislative Assembly.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/okalik-re-elected-as-nunavut-premier-1.498157 |title=Okalik re-elected as Nunavut premier |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=2004-03-05 |accessdate=2016-04-19}} He later called for Okalik to resign as premier after Okalik made derogatory remarks about a senior municipal government official from Iqaluit to that city's mayor, Elisapee Sheutiapik.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-mla-calls-for-premier-s-resignation-over-comments-1.636659|title=Nunavut MLA calls for premier's resignation over comments|publisher=cbc.ca|date=July 6, 2007|accessdate=2016-04-19}}
In 2008, he appeared in the documentary Passage, challenging 19th century claims by Lady Franklin, widely believed at the time, that the Inuit were responsible for signs of cannibalism among her husband's doomed expedition through the Northwest Passage.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/documentary-tackles-role-of-inuit-in-franklin-s-ill-fated-arctic-expedition-1.723233|title=Documentary tackles role of Inuit in Franklin's ill-fated Arctic expedition|date=2008-05-05|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=2016-04-19}} In 2015, Curley received the Order of Nunavut.
Electoral record
{{1979 Canadian federal election/Nunatsiaq}}
References
External links
- {{citation |url=http://www.assembly.nu.ca/tagak-curley |title= Tagak Curley | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120525095834/http://www.assembly.nu.ca/tagak-curley |archive-date= May 25, 2012 |accessdate=September 23, 2013}}. Biography at the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130530070337/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/023001-4000.20-e.html Biography of Tagak Curley]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curley, Tagak}}
Category:People from Rankin Inlet
Category:Members of the Order of Canada
Category:Members of the Order of Nunavut
Category:20th-century Inuit people
Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
Category:21st-century Inuit people
Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
Category:Candidates in the 1979 Canadian federal election
Category:Inuit from the Northwest Territories
Category:Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons