History was made in 1991 when Nellie Cournoyea became premier of the Northwest Territories.
Before we get to that, let’s look at her life.
Nellie Cournoyea was born in Aklavik, Northwest Territories on March 4, 1940 and was of mixed Norwegian and Inuit heritage to her father Nels Huatum and mother Maggie Mike. Growing up, she was raised travelling and hunting along the Arctic coastline since her father was a Norwegian trapper who arrived in the area in 1927.
She said of her upbringing,
“You had to do everything, including pack caribou, look after fishnets, go out hunting. It was really equal, sometimes too equal.”
Through this time, she took correspondence courses to learn what she needed to know for school. Tragedy struck the family though when their home was destroyed by fire, killing two of her nine brothers and sisters and injuring her.
As a child, she was forced to attend residential schools. Years later, in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, she stated how she was sheltered by other Indigenous families along the route when she ran away from an Anglican hostel after a confrontation with a teacher.
As a young adult, she spent three years travelling around Canada. She typically made money through contract bookkeeping in places like Ottawa and Halifax. She said,
“I never lived in a place I didn’t like. Every town has its character and nice people. I also learned a lot of everywhere I stopped.”
After her travels she worked as an announcer and station manager for CBC North and a land claims worker. She had been working for the post office when CBC stated they needed someone to provide the news and asked if she could step in. She was later given her own program.
In 1969, she co-founded with Agnes Semmler, the Committee for Original People’s Entitlement, which played an important role in land claims over the next two decades. The organization was formed when Imperial Oil struck oil in the region.
She said at the time,
“If everybody doesn’t act the same, behave the same, follow the same rules, these officials seem to think there must be something wrong with them.”
That same year, she was made station manager of her CBC station.
She said,
“There really is lots of public relations. I must never forget the station is there for the people.”
In a profile in the Ottawa Journal, which called her a pretty broadcaster, she spoke about having to work harder as a woman.
“I am too involved to think about Women’s Liberation. I know I have to be three times as good as a man to get ahead. So what?”
Throughout the 1970s, she used her role with CBC to help people in her community of Inuvik. She said regarding the division between whites and Inuit in the town.
“You have to walk through town to see what is happening. When the white section stops, so do the sewers. The Indian and Eskimo families can’t afford the $900 to get their houses hooked up with full service, so they go without.”
In 1976, the organization entered into direct negotiations with the Government of Canada for a land claims settlement. It took eight years to reach an agreement and involved 27,000 interviews with individuals. In 1984, the land claim agreement gave 35,000 square kilometres and $170 million in the control of the Inuvialuit people.
She said,
“The readiness – or the learning or the knowledge – came way back before government. I’ve always been, from the time I was a kid, always involved with community activities, always involved with people, and the different organization that were formed for the community.”
In 1979, she was elected to the Legislative Assembly by defeating incumbent John Steen in the Western Arctic riding.
Early on, she was pinched by a fellow MLA. She responded by pinching him right back.
She became known for her toughness both in the Legislature and out in public.
Once, she saw a man assaulting an elderly woman in downtown Yellowknife. She said,
“He was sort of kicking the hell out of her, so I went in and pulled the guy off.”
She slipped and the man attacked her but Cournoyea regained her footing and began to hit the man. She said,
“Once I got up, I wasn’t very pleased but he wasn’t in very good shape so it wasn’t hard to push him around a bit.”
She served in several cabinet positions including health and social services, and energy, mines and resources. As energy minister, she was a staunch defender of the interests of the Northwest Territories in resource development.
Described as a workaholic, she began her meetings at 7:30 a.m. and often worked until midnight. She said of her work,
“I don’t get overwhelmed.”
On Nov. 14, 1991, she was chosen as the premier of the Northwest Territories. She became the first female premier of a Canadian territory and the second female premier in Canadian history after Rita Johnson in British Columbia.
As premier, she played an important role in the negotiations leading up to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
She said,
“I worked with a lot of people that had aspired to have Nunavut and I’m so proud that we were able to accomplish that.”
She also kept her energy portfolio so she could follow through on negotiations on a long-awaited energy accord with Ottawa. She said,
“If people don’t have jobs, they can’t make their own way and they feel they are not a functioning person. They don’t have a meaningful role and are not self-sufficient.”
In 1994 she was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
She served as premier until 1995 and chose not to run for re-election afterwards.
She said of her time as premier,
“It’s important to find a meaning – a real meaning. That will give you strength. I’ve learned a lot by being a part of this great country we live in. I know we’re trying to make our country better. The value that women bring to the table is so important at this time.”
From 1996 to 2016, she served nine consecutive terms as the chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. She was also a founding member of the Northern Games Society, which encourages the practice and promotion of traditional Indigenous games.
For her work, she has been awarded three honorary doctorate degrees.
In 2008, she was awarded the Order of Canada and inducted into the Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame.
Since 2010, she has been part of the Nutritional North Canada Advisory Board.
In 2016, she received the Order of the Northwest Territories.
In 2023, Canada Post announced that she was one of three people to be honoured as Indigenous pioneers with a postage stamp. She said of the stamp,
“For them to sit down together and nominate me, that was an honour for sure. I want to talk about this community right now. Everyone puts their feeling, puts their time, puts their effort — their own stamp on how our community is going to be.”
Information from Canadian Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Indspire, CBC, Global News, No Second Chances, Montreal Star, Toronto Star, Ottawa Journal, National Post, North Bay Nugget,
