Simonie Michael | |
|---|---|
ᓴᐃᒨᓂ ᒪᐃᑯᓪ | |
 Michael in 2002 | |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories | |
| In office 1966–1970 | |
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Bryan Pearson |
| Constituency | Eastern Arctic |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 2, 1933[1] near Iqaluit, Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Died | November 15, 2008 (aged 75) Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada |
| Profession |
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Simonie Michael (Inuktitut: ᓴᐃᒨᓂ ᒪᐃᑯᓪ;[2]: 497 first name also spelled Simonee,[3] alternative surnames Michel[2]: 455 or E7-551;[4] March 2, 1933 – November 15, 2008) was a Canadian politician from the eastern Northwest Territories (now Nunavut) who was the first Inuk elected to a legislature in Canada. Before becoming involved in politics, Michael worked as a carpenter and business owner, and was one of very few translators between Inuktitut and English. He became a prominent member of the Inuit co-operative housing movement and a community activist in Iqaluit, and was appointed to a series of governing bodies, including the precursor to the Iqaluit City Council.
After becoming the first elected Inuk member of the Northwest Territories Legislative Council, in 1966, Michael worked on infrastructural and public health initiatives. He is credited with bringing public attention to the dehumanizing effects of the disc number system that was used in place of surnames for Inuit, and with prompting the government to authorise Project Surname to replace the numbers with names.
- ^ "SIMONIE MICHAEL". inuit.net. ABoriginArt. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
qtctextwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Item WOK 19-87 - Bob Williamson and interpreter, Simonee Michael". MemorySask. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ "Checklistings". Maclean's Magazine. July 1, 1967. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.