Jeannie Ugyuk is a Canadian

Inuk Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labr ...

politician, who was elected as the

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

for the

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

Nattilik Nattilik (Inuktitut syllabics: ᓇᑦᑎᓕᒃ; Inuktitut pronunciation: atːilik was a territorial electoral district ( riding) for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada. The riding consisted of the communities of Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Nunavut The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is the legislative assembly for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The seat of the Assembly is the Legislative Building of Nunavut in Iqaluit. Prior to the creation of Nunavut as a Canadian territory on ...

in the 2010 by-election. At that time the riding of Nattilik encompassed the communities of

Gjoa Haven Gjoa Haven (; Inuktitut: Uqsuqtuuq, syllabics: ᐅᖅᓱᖅᑑᖅ , meaning "lots of fat", referring to the abundance of sea mammals in the nearby waters; or �ʒɔa evən is an Inuit hamlet in Nunavut, above the Arctic Circle, located in th ...

and

Taloyoak Taloyoak or Talurjuaq (Inuktitut syllabics: ᑕᓗᕐᔪᐊᖅ ), formerly known as Spence Bay until 1 July 1992, although the body of water on which it is situated continues to be known as Spence Bay — same as the body of water on which ...

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

. She became the second woman, along with Premier

Eva Aariak Eva Qamaniq Aariak (, ; born January 10, 1955) is a Canadian Inuit, Inuk politician, who was elected in the 2008 Nunavut general election, 2008 territorial election to represent the Electoral district (Canada), electoral district of Iqaluit Ea ...

, to sit in the 3rd Nunavut Legislature.Second woman joins Nunavut legislature
''

Nunatsiaq News ''Nunatsiaq News'' () is a Canadian weekly newspaper in operation since 1973 based in Iqaluit, serving as the newspaper of record for the territory of Nunavut and the Nunavik region of Quebec. The paper is published online on a daily basis, and ...

'', April 27, 2010.Candidates ready for election
. ''

Northern News Services NNSL Media (Northern News Services LTD) is a news and media company based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is one of the few remaining independent newspaper companies in Canada, producing all-original content with little to no reliance ...

'', October 20, 2008. In the 2013 general election Ugyuk ran, unopposed, in the newly created riding of

Netsilik The Netsilik (Netsilingmiut) are Inuit who live predominantly in Kugaaruk and Gjoa Haven, and somewhat in Taloyoak of the Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut, and, to a smaller extent in the north Qikiqtaaluk Region, in Canada. They were, in the early 2 ...

, which consists of Taloyoak and

Kugaaruk Kugaaruk (Inuktitut syllabics: ᑰᒑᕐᔪᒃ ''Kuugaarjuk'' or ᑰᒑᕐᕈᒃ ''Kuugaarruk''; English: "little stream") (also called ''Arviligjuaqy'', meaning "the great bowhead whale habitat"), formerly known as Pelly Bay until 3 December 1 ...

. She was chosen as the Family Services Minister in the

4th Nunavut Legislature The 4th Nunavut Legislature began after the 2013 general election on October 29. The election returned 20 of the 22 non-partisan members, with the results in two seats pending judicial recounts or follow-up by-elections due to a tied result on e ...

. On November 7, 2015, a leadership review of the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

was held and as a result of a non-confidence vote a motion was made to remove Ugyuk from cabinet. On November 9, prior to discussion on the motion, Ugyuk resigned both from cabinet and as MLA and the motion was withdrawn. A by-election was held within six months.After Ugyuk quits, Nunavut MLAs put Hickes, Savikataaq into cabinet
''

'', November 10, 2015.

Before politics

Ugyuk was born in Taloyoak and has always lived there. She is a graduate of

Nunavut Arctic College Nunavut Arctic College (, , Inuinnaqtun: ''Nunavunmi Inirnirit Iliharviat'') is a public community college in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. The college has several campuses throughout the territory and operates as a public agency (Crown co ...

and was employed as a social worker. She has also taught at the

Netsilik School Netsilik School in Taloyoak, Nunavut, Canada, serves a population of about 300 students from Kindergarten up to grade 12, as well as a preschool program funded by Aboriginal Headstart Canada which has approximately 40 students. The school was buil ...

Inuktitut Inuktitut ( ; , Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics ), also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of ...

. She has also served on the hamlet council, the board of the woman's shelter and on the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

and worked as a social worker. Ugyuk is married with three children.

References

External links

*. Biography at the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut Living people 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century indigenous leaders of the Americas 21st-century Inuit women Canadian Inuit women Inuit politicians People from Taloyoak Women MLAs in Nunavut Year of birth missing (living people) Inuit from the Northwest Territories Inuit from Nunavut Ugyuk, Jeannie 21st-century Inuit people {{Nunavut-politician-stub