Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) President Okalik Eegeesiak is pleased the Right Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Nunavut’s Member of Parliament and Minister of Health, to the position of Chair of the Arctic Council. She takes over the prestigious position in January 2013.

The prime minister made the announcement as part of his arctic tour in Cambridge Bay on August 23.

“This is fantastic news. I am glad the prime minister has the vision to appoint Minister Aglukkaq to this Chairmanship. Given that she was born and raised in the arctic, and has an in-depth knowledge and personal and professional experiences of the opportunities and challenges facing people here, her appointment is a welcome one. I look forward to continuing to work with her on issues facing Inuit and Nunavut as she assumes the Chairmanship of this important international body,” said President Eegeesiak.

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum that promotes cooperation, coordination and interaction among the arctic states, with the involvement of the indigenous communities on common arctic issues. The council focuses on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the arctic.

The Arctic Council conssts of Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America.

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For further information, please contact:

Craig Welsh
Director of Communications
Tel: (867) 975-8416
Fax: (867) 979-3238
E-mail: cwelsh@qia.ca