Nellie Cournoyea [SEP] position held
Nellie Cournoyea
Nellie Cournoyea (born March 4, 1940 in Aklavik, Northwest Territories) is a Canadian politician, who served as the sixth Premier of the Northwest Territories from 1991 to 1995. She was the first female premier of a Canadian territory and the second female premier in Canadian history after Rita Johnston of British Columbia.
Cournoyea is of mixed Norwegian and Inupiaq heritage.
Before entering politics, Cournoyea was an announcer and station manager for CBC North in Inuvik, and a land claims worker for the Inuit Tapirisat of
.
As a child, Cournoyea attended an aboriginal residential school. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report described how she was sheltered by Aboriginal families along her route when she ran away from an Anglican hostel in the Northwest Territories after a confrontation with a teacher.
See also.
- Notable Aboriginal people of Canada
External links.
- Life and times of Nellie Cournoyea CBC.
- The Inuvialuit Land Claim NWT Historical Timeline