Piita Irniq

{{Short description|Canadian Inuk politician and commissioner (born 1947)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Piita Taqtu Irniq | image = | caption = | order = 2nd Commissioner of Nunavut | term_start = April 1, 2000 | term_end = April 21, 2005 | predecessor = Helen Maksagak | successor = Ann Meekitjuk Hanson | prime_minister = Jean Chrétien<br />Paul Martin | premier = Paul Okalik | office1 = MLA for Keewatin | term_start1 = March 10, 1975 | term_end1 = October 1, 1979 | predecessor1 = first member | successor1 = district abolished | office2 = MLA for Aivilik | term_start2 = October 5, 1987 | term_end2 = October 15, 1991 | predecessor2 = Tagak Curley | successor2 = James Arvaluk | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|2|1}} | birth_place = Lyon Inlet near Repulse Bay, Northwest Territories, Canada | spouse = | occupation = Cultural teacher | profession = Politician }}

'''Piita Taqtu Irniq''', formerly '''Peter Irniq''' and '''Peter Ernerk''',<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Dacks |first=Gurston |date=2008-06-10 |title=Piita Irniq |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/peter-irniq |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> (born February 1, 1947) is an Inuk politician in Canada, who served as the second commissioner of Nunavut from April 2000 to April 2005. He is an Inuit cultural teacher and has lived most of his life in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, including Naujaat, Coral Harbour, Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet, and Iqaluit. He has also lived in the Western Arctic (Northwest Territories), Manitoba and Ontario.

==Biography== [[File:Field Museum - Native America - Inuksuk by Peter Irniq.jpg|thumb|left|Inuksuk erected by Piita Irniq for the permanent exhibition ''The Ancient Americas'' of The Field Museum]] Irniq was born in Lyon Inlet near Repulse Bay, Northwest Territories (now Naujaat, Nunavut). In 1958, he was forced to attend Indian Residential School in Chesterfield Inlet. Later on, he attended the Sir John Franklin School in Yellowknife from 1963 to 1964.<ref name=":0" />

Irniq was the executive assistant to the assistant commissioner of the NWT. from 1974 to 1975. He was elected to the 1975 Northwest Territories general election and represented the riding of the Keewatin for four years. He was the first Inuk to be made assistant regional director for the Department of the Executive in the former Keewatin Region (Kivalliq Region), 1979 until 1981.

As superintendent of renewable resources, he was the first Inuk to hold this position and encouraged the hiring of Inuit into the department. In 1982, Irniq was appointed the first Speaker of the Keewatin Council, a position he held until 1983. Elected president of the Keewatin Inuit Association, he served in this capacity for five years.

Irniq was re-elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the 1987 general election for the Aivilik electoral district. He ran on a platform of encouraging Inuit to participate at higher levels in employment, education, and business. He ran again in the 1991 general election; however, James Arvaluk defeated him.

He was named the executive director of the Inuit Cultural Institute in 1992. A year later, he became director of communications for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.

As a member of the Nunavut Implementation Commission, Irniq served on the Communication and Governmental Operations Committees and was a spokesperson for the Commission on Nunavut in Canada and overseas and was active in seeking justice for the former students of the infamous Joseph Bernier residential school in Chesterfield Inlet, who suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of school staff.<ref>[http://rulers.org/indexi.html Index I, Rulers web pages, undated], retrieved on 2008-09-03.</ref>

Irniq was assistant director, Nunavut, Heritage/Culture, Department of Education, Culture and Employment for the Government of N.W.T. where he was responsible for developing culture and heritage programs and services to meet the needs of the new territory of Nunavut, 1997–98. He became deputy minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, 1998–99. His mandate was to be the guardian of traditional Inuit culture and language.

In August 1999, Irniq was seconded to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut to set up the offices of the Official Languages, Access to Information and Conflict of Interest Commissioners.<ref name=":0" />

In addition, Irniq writes an Inuit perspective column for the ''Nunavut News/North'' newspaper.

In 2003, he was made a Commander of the Order of St. John.<ref>[http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2003/20030524/html/house-e.html Canada Gazette, 2003-05-23, Vol. 137, No. 21.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060226022028/http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2003/20030524/html/house-e.html |date=2006-02-26 }} Retrieved on 2008-09-03.</ref> In 2005, he was appointed to the board of directors of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.<ref>[http://www.pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=5N0335 News Release "Appointment to Board of Directors of Canadian Race Relations Foundation", 2005-11-24], retrieved on 2008-09-03.</ref> Most recently, he served as a key consultant on the National Film Board of Canada project ''Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories''.<ref name=Collaborators>{{cite web|title=Collaborators|url=http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/unikkausivut/collaborators.php|work=National Film Board of Canada website|access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref>

He won an Indspire Award for Culture, Heritage, and Spirituality in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-13 |title=Peter Irniq {{!}} Indspire |url=https://indspire.ca/laureate/peter-irniq/,%20https://indspire.ca/laureate/peter-irniq/ |access-date=2026-05-25 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Arms== {{Infobox COA wide |image = Peter Irniq Arms.svg |bannerimage = |badgeimage = |notes = The arms of Piita Irniq, presented on a roundel rather than the escutcheon shape traditional in European heraldry, consist of:<ref>{{citation|title=Canadian Heraldic Authority (Volume IV) |year=2001 |publisher=Ottawa|pages=133}}</ref> |adopted = |crest = A demi Inuk man holding a drum and beater proper. |torse = |helm = |escutcheon = Azure an inuksuk, in dexter chief an Inuit drum and beater in saltire Or. |supporters = Dexter a muskox standing on a snow bank, sinister a ringed seal proper issuant from barry wavy Azure and Argent. |compartment = |motto = "Let us move forward”, is stated in Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut |orders = |other_elements = |banner = |badge = |symbolism = |previous_versions = }}

== References == {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20081120120939/http://www.commissioner.gov.nu.ca/english/commissioner/history.html Government of Nunavut - Biography of Peter T. Irniq] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706164011/http://socrates.acadiau.ca/COURSES/pols/nunavut@5/irniq.htm Participants at the “Nunavut at Five” Policy Symposium] * [https://archive.today/20070305105524/http://www.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/project-pic.asp?lang=e&ProjectID=233&ProjectElementID=842 Peter Irniq's Coat of Arms as Commissioner of Nunavut] {{s-start}} {{s-par|ca-nt}} {{succession box| before=New District| title=MLA Keewatin| years=1975-1979| after=District Abolished}} {{succession box| before=Tagak Curley| title=MLA Aivilik| years=1987-1991| after=James Arvaluk}} {{s-off}} {{succession box|title=Commissioner of Nunavut| before=Helen Maksagak| after=Ann Meekitjuk Hanson| years=2000-2005}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irniq, Piita}} Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century Inuit politicians Category:21st-century Inuit politicians Category:Inuit from the Northwest Territories Category:Commanders of the Order of St John Category:Commissioners of Nunavut Category:People from Baker Lake Category:People from Chesterfield Inlet Category:People from Coral Harbour Category:People from Iqaluit Category:People from Naujaat Category:People from Rankin Inlet Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Category:Writers from Nunavut Category:Inuit writers Category:Inuit from Nunavut Category:People who testified at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Category:Indspire Awards for Culture, Heritage, and Spirituality