Nunavut Sivuniksavut Founder Murray Angus to Receive Order of Canada

The Governor General of Canada has recently announced Murray Angus, one of the founding members of Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) program, will receive the Order of Canada in the field of education.

Many outside of the Inuit community may not be aware of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program however for Inuit youth in Nunavut it has been an important educational stepping stone for a number of years. NS was founded in 1985 by the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, now known as Nunavut Tunngavik Inc, (the land claims organization for Inuit in the Nunavut Territory). Since those beginnings the program has grown into a vibrant and challenging two year general transitional program for Inuit youth preparing either for college or university, or for entry into the work force.

Focusing on Inuit history, Inuit organizations, and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, NS initially only accepted students from Nunavut however last year students from Nunavik (Northern Quebec) gained access to the program and, with travel to Greenland as part of 2nd year studies, an international learning and exchange component was added to the program.

The program has been very successful over the years with graduates going on to further post-secondary institutions, working in various capacities within their home regions, or working with Inuit organizations such as ours. We are proud to note that ITK currently employs three NS graduates. Leanna Ellsworth who works in the Health & Environment Department, Andrea Carter in the Social, Cultural and Economic Development Department, and Melissa Irwin who works in our Communications Department and, among other duties, is the editor of Inuktitut Magazine.

As we are all aware education is one of the primary keys to a successful and sustainable Arctic. There currently exist profound gaps in education between Inuit and other Canadians with substantially lower outcomes for Inuit. Inuit are working toward changing that fact and, while there remains much to do, progress is being made. In April 2009 for example, federal, territorial, and provincial levels of government, ITK, and the Regional Inuit Organizations signed an Inuit Education Accord which sets in motion a process to develop a National Strategy on Inuit Education to achieve educational outcomes for Inuit children comparable to all other Canadians - without sacrificing culture and language.

Through initiatives such as the Inuit Education Accord, and successful programs such as Nunavut Sivuniksavut progress will continue. I would like to congratulate Murray Angus on being named to the Order of Canada. It is a well deserved honour, and one befitting someone who has worked as hard as he has in the field of Inuit education, and for the betterment of Inuit society.