Peter Ittinuar | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Article

Peter Ittinuar

Peter Freuchen Ittinuar (born at Chesterfield Inlet, NWT [Nunavut] 19 Jan 1950). The first Inuk MP, Ittinuar is the grandson of Danish explorer Peter Freuchen.

After his election to the Commons in 1979 as the member for Nunatsiaq and his re-election the following year, he became the northern development critic for the NDP. In 1982 he crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party, where he directed his attention to the establishment of Nunavut, one of the 2 territories to be created by the proposed division of the NWT. He was defeated in the September 1984 federal election.