Nancy Karetak-Lindell, former MP, appointed as Nunavut Senator
By Nick Murray
Karetak-Lindell replaces outgoing Senator Dennis Patterson
The first woman to ever serve as the member of Parliament for Nunavut is being appointed to the Senate.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce the appointment of Nancy Karetak-Lindell to fill Nunavut’s only Senate seat today.
Karetak-Lindell was elected to Parliament in 1997 after playing a key role in negotiations to establish Nunavut as its own political riding two years before it achieved status as a territory. Before that, the riding was called Nunatsiaq.
She would represent the territory for more than a decade and served for a time as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of natural resources.
She was a key player in the negotiations to establish Nunavut as its own political riding and was the president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada, which represents Inuit at an international level and has status at the United Nations.
The appointment comes nearly a year after the retirement of former Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Outgoing Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson reflects on his career, CBC News
