Paul Okalik, Premier of the Territory of Nunavut, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 4:00 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, June 18, “in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the development of Nunavut.”
The Honourable Paul Okalik was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in 1999 and was subsequently voted in by his caucus colleagues to become the first Premier of Nunavut. In 2004 at the leadership forum in the Nunavut Legislature, he was selected in the non-partisan consensus government system in place in Nunavut to serve a second term as Premier. His responsibilities as Premier have had a tremendous impact on Nunavummiut and the growth of Nunavut.
Okalik is a person who cares deeply about Nunavut, its people, and the role Nunavut plays within the rest of Canada and the circumpolar world. He strongly believes that lifelong learning and enhanced skills are the keys to individual and national prosperity.
In the early 1980s, Okalik worked as Deputy Chief Negotiator and Special Assistant to the President of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut, which pushed for a settlement agreement that had been evolving for generations. Signed in 1993, the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement became the largest land claim in Canadian history. Okalik went on to lay the groundwork for the creation of the Inuit Heritage Trust, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, Nunavut Implementation Training Committee, and Nunavut Social Development Council.
Paul Okalik is a Carleton alumnus, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Canadian Studies. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ottawa.