Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is the presiding officer of the territorial legislature in Nunavut, Canada. Since 1999 the position has been elected by Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) using a secret ballot. The current speaker is Tony Akoak.[1]
The office of the Speaker
[edit]As the politics of Nunavut are run under a Westminster system, the role of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in Nunavut is very similar to that of the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada and the Speakers of the various other Canadian legislatures. The Speaker is responsible for enforcing the Rules of the Legislative Assembly,[2] and indeed the responsibilities of this office are also set out by these Rules. The Speaker is also the Chairperson of the Management and Services Board, which is tasked with the administration of the Legislative Assembly Precinct and the Office of the Legislative Assembly.[3]
The Speaker is elected on the first sitting day of the Assembly following a general election. Business may not commence before a Speaker is elected. The Speaker holds a casting vote should any vote of Members of the Legislative Assembly result in a tie, and should the Speaker be unable to act, the Deputy Speaker may act in his or her place. Decisions of the Speaker are not subject to debate or appeal.[4]
The former Speaker, Hunter Tootoo, was elected by MLAs on June 1, 2011. Tootoo, who was most recently Nunavut's Minister for Education prior to taking up his new role, is the longest-serving Member of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly, and the only Member who was present in the first Assembly, opened in 1999.[5]
List of speakers
[edit]| Speaker of the Legislative Assembly | ||
| District | Member | Years as Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Quttiktuq | Levi BarnabasA B | 1999–2000 |
| Arviat | Kevin O'Brien | 2000–2004 |
| Tununiq | Jobie NutarakC | 2004–2006 |
| Pangnirtung | Peter Kilabuk | 2006–2008 |
| Uqqummiut | James Arreak[6] | 2008–2010 |
| Iqaluit West | Paul Okalik[7] | 2010–2011 |
| Iqaluit Centre | Hunter Tootoo[8] | 2011–2013 |
| Amittuq | George Qulaut[9] | 2013–2017 |
| Tununiq | Joe EnookD[10] | 2017–2019 |
| Baker Lake | Simeon Mikkungwak[11] | 2019–2020 |
| Aggu | Paul Quassa[12] | 2020–2021 |
| Hudson Bay | Allan Rumbolt | 2021–2021 |
| Gjoa Haven | Tony Akoak[1] | 2021–current |
Notes:
- ^A Levi Barnabas was convicted of sexual assault in 2000.[13]
- ^B Uriash Puqiqnak briefly served as acting speaker after Barnabas' resignation.[14]
- ^C Jobie Nutarak died in a snowmobile accident in 2006.[15]
- ^D Joe Enook died in office due to illness.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "MLAs sworn in by Nunavut commissioner". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Rules of the Legislative Assembly" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
- ^ "Role of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly" (PDF). Iqaluit: Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ^ "Rules of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut" (PDF). Iqaluit: Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-11-08. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ^ "Tootoo new Nunavut Speaker". APTN National News. June 1, 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ^ "Eva Aariak topples incumbent to become Nunavut's 2nd premier". CBC News. 2008-11-15. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03.
- ^ Nunavut Hansard, November 4, 2010[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Nunavut MLAs choose Tootoo as new Speaker". cbc.ca. CBC News. May 31, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ "Nunavut legislators pick Peter Taptuna as premier". CBC News. 2013-11-16.
- ^ Four vie for premier’s job during Nunavut leadership forum
- ^ "Member page for the Honourable Simeon Mikkungwak". Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, May 28, 2019.
- ^ Sharma, Rajnesh (February 26, 2020). "Quassa appointed as new Speaker of legislative assembly". Nunavut News. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "Rebecca Williams wins a squeaker in Quttiktuq". Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ^ "HANSARD Official Report DAY 20 Wednesday, March 22, 2000" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
- ^ Nunavut Speaker dies on snowmobile hunting trip
