Jack Anawak

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Jack Iyerak Anawak
ᔭᒃ ᐃᐊᕋᒃ ᐊᓇᕙᒃ
Member of Parliament for Nunatsiaq
In office
1988–1997
Preceded byThomas Suluk
Succeeded byNancy Karetak-Lindell
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
In office
1999–2004
Preceded byfirst member
Succeeded byTagak Curley
ConstituencyRankin Inlet North
Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs
In office
2004–2006
Preceded byMary Simon
Succeeded byPosition replaced by bureaucrat
Personal details
Born (1950-09-26) September 26, 1950 (age 71)
Repulse Bay, Northwest Territories
Political partyLiberal (MP, 1988-97)
Non Partisan (MLA, 1999-04)
New Democratic (Nominee, 2015)

Jack Iyerak Anawak (born September 26, 1950) 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.

Political career[]

Federal politics[]

Anawak was first elected in the 1988 election, and served as the Liberal Party's opposition critic for Northern Affairs in the 34th Canadian Parliament. Re-elected in the 1993 election, which was won by the Liberals, he was named parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in the government of Jean Chrétien.

Territorial politics[]

In 1999 he was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for the seat of Rankin Inlet North. He was widely favoured to be the new territory's first Premier. However, he was perceived as the choice of the Chrétien government. The Assembly, which operates on a nonpartisan consensus model, selected Paul Okalik instead.

Anawak did not run for re-election in 2004. He tried to return to the Assembly in the 2008 Nunavut general election, filing nomination papers to run in the electoral district of Akulliq. Elections Nunavut Chief Electoral Officer Sandy Kusugak rejected his candidacy, as he was not a full-time resident of Nunavut at the time his nomination papers were filed. Anawak took Elections Nunavut to court and managed to halt the election in that district pending his appeal,[1] but on November 6, the Nunavut Court of Justice threw out the election challenge.[2]

Anawak ran again in the 2013 territorial election,[3] but finished fourth in the Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu riding.[4]

Return to federal politics[]

In 2015, Anawak announced his intent to take back his old riding, now renamed Nunavut, in the 2015 election. This time, he ran as the candidate of the New Democratic Party.[5] He came second in the race.[6]

Popular culture[]

When the Canadian two-dollar coin was introduced, a number of nicknames were suggested. Jack Anawak proposed the name "Nanuq" [nanook, polar bear] in honour of Canada's Inuit people and their northern culture; however, this culturally meaningful proposal went largely unnoticed beside the simple, mass-appeal "Twonie/Toonie".[7]

Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs[]

Anawak served as Canadian Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs from January 2004 to 2006 when it was axed by the Harper government and replaced by senior bureaucrat.

Electoral history[]

  • v
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2015 Canadian federal election: Nunavut
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Hunter Tootoo 5,619 47.11 +18.41 $32,110.96
New Democratic Jack Iyerak Anawak 3,171 26.58 +7.22 –
Conservative Leona Aglukkaq 2,956 24.78 -25.12 $36,393.17
Green Spencer Rocchi 182 1.53 -0.51 –
Total valid votes/expense limit 11,928 100.00   $203,887.65
Total rejected ballots 95 0.79 –
Turnout 12,203 62.54 –
Eligible voters 19,223
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +21.77
Source: Elections Canada[8][9]
  • v
  • t
1993 Canadian federal election: Nunatsiaq
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jack Iyerak Anawak 6,685 69.79 +29.85
Progressive Conservative Leena Evic-Twerdin 1,970 20.57 −2.37
New Democratic Mike Illnik 924 9.65 −23.51
Total valid votes 9,579 100.00  
Liberal hold Swing +16.11
  • v
  • t
1988 Canadian federal election: Nunatsiaq
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jack Iyerak Anawak 3,356 39.94 +11.04
New Democratic Peter Kusugak 2,786 33.15 +4.50
Progressive Conservative Sedluk Bryan Pearson 1,928 22.94 −28.52
Independent Richard Inukpak Lee 333 3.96 –
Total valid votes 8,403 100.00  
Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +3.27
  • v
  • t
1984 Canadian federal election: Nunatsiaq
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Thomas Suluk 2,237 32.49 +24.71
Liberal Robert Kuptana 1,990 28.90 −12.90
New Democratic Rhoda Innuksuk 1,973 28.65 −18.61
Independent Peter Ittinuar 686 9.96 –
Total valid votes 6,886 100.00  
Progressive Conservative gain from New Democratic Swing +18.80
Independent candidate Peter Ittinuar lost 37.31 percentage points from the 1980 election, when he ran as a New Democrat.

References[]

  1. ^ "Akulliq election CANCELLED". Elections Nunavut. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  2. ^ "Nunavut judge throws out Anawak election challenge". CBC News. November 6, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  3. ^ "Jack Anawak seeks Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu seat in Nunavut election". Nunatsiaq Online. September 20, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  4. ^ "Nunavut election: Premier loses seat, ties in two ridings". CTV News. October 27, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  5. ^ "Jack Anawak named as NDP's Nunavut Candidate". CBC News. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  6. ^ "Hunter Tootoo celebrates Liberal win in Nunavut". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  7. ^ https://openparliament.ca/hansards/1325/13/only/, Jack Iyerak Anawak on Two-Dollar Coin - Hansard April 26, 1996, Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  8. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Nunavut, 30 September 2015
  9. ^ Elections Canada – Final Candidates Election Expenses Limits

External links[]

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