North

Ludy Pudluk, former MLA and Resolute mayor, dies at 76

Ludy Pudluk, a Nunavut elder and former Northwest Territories MLA, has died following a long illness.

Pudluk died Monday after a long illness

Ludy Pudluk speaks in the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly in this file photo. The former MLA served five terms in the Legislative Assembly prior to Nunavut's creation. (CBC)

Ludy Pudluk, a Nunavut elder and former Northwest Territories MLA, has died following a long illness.

The Legislative Assemblies of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut announced the death of Pudluk Wednesday in a joint news release. He was 76 years old.

Pudluk, originally from the Pond Inlet area, was relocated to Resolute by the Canadian government in the 1950s and spent most of the rest of his life there. He served as a member of the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly from 1975 to 1995 as the MLA for the High Arctic district, and then the Quttiktuq constituency following redistricting in 1991. 

Ludy Pudluk passed away at 76 from a long illness. He was known as a community leader and instrumental in the creation of Nunavut. (Submitted)

After his tenure as an MLA, Pudluk served as mayor of Resolute and was inducted into the Order of Nunavut in 2018.

The release stated that Pudluk was "instrumental" in the movement that led to Nunavut's creation in 1999.

"Mr. Pudluk was a dedicated spokesperson for the North, was a strong climate change activist, and made significant contributions to the creation of Nunavut," N.W.T. Speaker Jackson Lafferty said in the release.

Corrections

  • An earlier version of this story stated that Pudluk was born near Resolute. In fact, he was originally from the Pond Inlet area, and was relocated to Resolute later in life.
    Jul 04, 2019 12:45 PM CT