Commissioners of Nunavut

Commissioner of Nunavut
Flag of the Office:
Coat of Arms of the Office:
Incumbent:	Nellie Kusugak
First commissioner:	Helen Maksagak
Formation:	April 1, 1999

This is a list of the Commissioners of Nunavut, Canada, since its creation in 1999. As of 12 May 2010, the commissioner is Edna Elias. The Commissioner is appointed by the Government of Canada, but a Commissioner, in contrast to the Governor-General of Canada or the Lieutenants-Governor of the Canadian Provinces, is not a Viceroy and therefore Commissioners are not direct representatives of the monarch in the territory.

History

The position of Commissioner was created in 1999 with the creation of the new territory. Like other territorial Commissioners, he or she is appointed by the Government of Canada and represents the Canadian cabinet in the territory.

#	Name	Term
1	Helen Mamayaok Maksagak	1999-2000
2	Peter Irniq	2000-2005
3	Ann Meekitjuk Hanson	2005-2010
	Nellie Kusugak (acting)	2010
4	Edna Elias	2010-2015
5	Nellie Kusugak	2015-present

Note. Prior to April 1, 1999, Nunavut was part of the Northwest Territories. See Commissioners of Northwest Territories.

Deputy Commissioner

The role of Deputy Commissioner was added in 2005 by amending the Public Officer Act and Seals Act to be inline with the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Name	Term
Helen Mamayaok Maksagak	2005-2009
Nellie Kusugak	2010-2015

Living former Commissioners

• Peter Irniq
• Ann Meekitjuk Hanson
• Nellie Kusugak
• Edna Elias

Duties

The duties of the Commissioner is similar to that of the lieutenant governors of the provinces, but, they represent the Government of Canada not the monarch therefore, they are not viceroys.

External links

• Official Handbook for Commissioners of the Territories (Canada)
• Office of the Commissioner of Nunavut
• Coat of Arms of Nunavut