Ssenate of Canada | Genealogy Ensemble

Nancy Karetak Lindell is my nephew Jon Lindell’s wife, my niece by marriage.

It is with great pride that I acknowledge her many contributions and her recent appointment to the Senate of Canada.

It is indeed “History in the Making”.

The Senate of Canada Crest

December 19, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that the Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, appointed the following individuals as independent senators to fill vacancies in the Senate.

Nancy Karetak-Lindell, for Nunavut

Nancy Karetak-Lindell has been a strong voice for the North in Canada throughout her life, advocating for the region’s unique cultural, economic, and environmental interests. From 1997 to 2008, she was the first Member of Parliament to represent the newly established riding of Nunavut. A strong Inuk leader, she served as President of Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada. She is also an active member of her community and the recipient of various honours, including the Order of Canada.

These new senators were recommended by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and chosen using a merit-based process open to all Canadians. Introduced in 2016, this process ensures senators are independent and able to tackle the broad range of challenges and opportunities facing the country.

Below is a biography of Nancy’s many accomplishments.

A Biography of Nancy Karetak Lindell

December 19, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario

Nancy Karetak-Lindell has been a strong voice for the North in Canada throughout her life. Born and raised in Eskimo Point (now Arviat), she has first-hand experience of the challenges faced by Inuit and has long been advocating for her region’s unique cultural, economic, and environmental interests.

Fluent in Inuktitut and English, Ms. Karetak-Lindell worked for 15 years in managerial positions for the Arviat Housing Association and Eskimo Point Lumber Supply. In 1997, she ran and was elected as the first Member of Parliament representing the newly established riding of Nunavut and the first female Member of Parliament for the Eastern Arctic. She was re-elected in 2000, 2004, and 2006, serving 11 years in Parliament.

During her time on the Hill, Ms. Karetak-Lindell was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and sat on various parliamentary committees, groups, and associations, including as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. She was also a key player in the negotiations to establish Nunavut as a political jurisdiction in Canada.

After leaving politics, Ms. Karetak-Lindell worked as a consultant, independent contractor, guest speaker, election officer, and instructor. She was Director of the Jane Glassco Northern Fellowship Program, chaired the Indigenous Knowledge Program at the International Polar Year Conference, and served as President of Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada, where she advocated for Inuit at the international level.

Ms. Karetak-Lindell has been an active member of her community, serving on the Arviat Hamlet Council, the Arviat Education Council, the Kivalliq Regional Education Authority, Sport North, and the Board of Governors of the Nunavut Arctic College. She also served as Chair of the Nunavut Development Corporation and of the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation, as a board member for Polar Knowledge Canada, as a Trustee for Nunavut Trust, and as Secretary-Treasurer for the Kivalliq Inuit Association. She helped found and volunteered at the Arviat Amateur Athletic Association and gave her time to various other community groups.

In recognition of her leadership and contributions, she was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Nancy Karetak-Lindell Vows to be the Northern Voice for Nunavut in Senate Article written by By Nehaa Bimal

Nancy Karetak-Lindell is Nunavut’s new senator, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday in a news release almost a year after the territory’s lone seat became vacant

“It hasn’t really sunk in for me yet,” Karetak-Lindell said in a phone interview an hour after her appointment was announced.

“I am truly honoured and humbled that I’m able to be selected for this position,” she said.

The territory’s only seat in the Senate — the upper house in Canada’s Parliament — has been vacant since Dennis Patterson retired last December, nearly a year ago.

At 67, Karetak-Lindell is set to serve until she reaches the Senate’s mandatory retirement age of 75. The Senate appointment comes with a base salary of $178,100 a year, according to the Library of Parliament.

She said she plans to focus on issues important to the North, including the high cost of living, housing shortages, and access to education.

“Inuit and people in the North really need to have a voice speaking on their behalf, making sure our points of view, our values and our knowledge are being used to make decisions in the North,” Karetak-Lindell said.

While she expects to travel frequently down south for her new role, she said Arviat, where she was born and raised, will remain her home.

This is not Karetak-Lindell’s first time making leadership strides in the south.

She made history in 1997 as a Liberal MP — the first female MP for the Eastern Arctic, and the inaugural representative for the newly established Nunavut riding.

Re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2006, she served 11 years in Parliament, where she was parliamentary secretary to the minister of natural resources and chairperson of the Aboriginal affairs and northern development committee.

Representing the largest geographical riding in Canada, Karetak-Lindell said it is important to work collaboratively with others to ensure northern perspectives are understood in Ottawa.

“When you’re one lone voice representing such a large and unique riding, you have to work with people to make sure other colleagues understand the message you’re trying to share,” she said.

Nunavut’s current MP Lori Idlout, acknowledging the challenges of being the territory’s only voice in the House of Commons, congratulated Karetak-Lindell in a Twitter post Thursday.

“I have always admired Nancy, and her appointment will mean Nunavut has another strong Inuk female voice in Ottawa,” Idlout tweeted.

In Parliament, Nunavut has one seat in the House of Commons, whose members are elected, and one seat in the unelected Senate.

Karetak-Lindell’s contributions to the North continued after she stepped down from her MP role in 2008.

She served as director of the Jane Glassco Arctic Fellowship Program, chaired the Indigenous Knowledge Program at the International Polar Year conference, and led the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada as its president from 2016 to 2018.

Her commitment extended to community work, including serving on the Arviat hamlet council, Arviat Education Council, and Nunavut Arctic College board of governors.

She also held leadership roles with the Nunavut Development Corp. and Polar Knowledge Canada, and co-founded the Arviat Amateur Athletic Association.

Karetak-Lindell’s advocacy has been widely recognized. In 2022, she was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada.

While she is looking forward to taking on the responsibilities of her new role, for now Karetak-Lindell said she is “going through all the wonderful messages I’m receiving from people.”

“I really appreciate the trust that people have in me and the confidence they have in me to represent this position,” she said.

“And I intend to do it with every ability I have.”