Richard Nerysoo
Encyclopedia
Richard Nerysoo is a territorial level politician from Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories
, Canada
. He was a member of the Northwest Territories Legislature from 1979 to 1995 and briefly served as the third Premier
and Speaker of the territories.
in the Mackenzie Delta
electoral district becoming the youngest MLA in the history of the territories.
Nerysoo was re-elected in the 1983 Northwest Territories general election
. He was elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve as the third premier of Northwest Territories
. His election as Speaker made him the first Aboriginal in Canada to serve the role. He served as the government leader for a year until 1985. He was re-elected in the 1987 Northwest Territories general election
.
History would be made by Nerysoo again when he was elected to be the first Aboriginal Speaker of the Assembly. He would be elected Speaker on October 19, 1989 and serve in that role until November 13, 1991. He was re-elected to a fourth term in the 1991 Northwest Territories general election
. Nerysoo was defeated by candidate David Krutko
in the 1995 Northwest Territories general election
.
In 1996, Mr. Nerysoo was elected as President of the Gwich'in Tribal Council and served until 2000. Mr. Nerysoo was one of the founding Directors of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group. Mr. Nerysoo was the founding member of Gwich'in Council International a body that represents the Gwich'in Nation (NWT, YUKON and Alaska) as Permanent Participants on the Arctic Council.
Mr. Nerysoo was elected Chief of the Inuvik Native Band and President of the Nihtat Gwich'in Council in 2003 and served until 2008. He served on the Board of Directors of the Gwich'in Tribal Council. He was selected as the Chief Negotiator on the Access and Benefits Agreements with Imperial Oil Ltd. who represented the Mackenzie Gas Project.
He currently serves as a President of the Gwich'in Tribal Council.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was a member of the Northwest Territories Legislature from 1979 to 1995 and briefly served as the third Premier
Premier of the Northwest Territories
The Premier of the Northwest Territories is the first minister for the Northwest Territories,Canada. He or she is the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although the powers of the office are considerably less than those of a provincial premier.Unlike provincial premiers,...
and Speaker of the territories.
Political career
Nerysoo served a long career as Member of the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories (MLA). He was first elected in the 1979 Northwest Territories general electionNorthwest Territories general election, 1979
The Northwest Territories general election, 1979 was the 14th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 1, 1979....
in the Mackenzie Delta
Mackenzie Delta (electoral district)
Mackenzie Delta is a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The district consists of Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic.-History:...
electoral district becoming the youngest MLA in the history of the territories.
Nerysoo was re-elected in the 1983 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 1983
The Northwest Territories general election, 1983 was the 15th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on November 21, 1983....
. He was elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve as the third premier of Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. His election as Speaker made him the first Aboriginal in Canada to serve the role. He served as the government leader for a year until 1985. He was re-elected in the 1987 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 1987
The Northwest Territories general election, 1987 was the 16th general election in the history of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The election took place on October 5, 1987.This was the last election in which Elections Canada would administer the elections....
.
History would be made by Nerysoo again when he was elected to be the first Aboriginal Speaker of the Assembly. He would be elected Speaker on October 19, 1989 and serve in that role until November 13, 1991. He was re-elected to a fourth term in the 1991 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 1991
The Northwest Territories general election, 1991 was the 17th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 15, 1991.Twenty four members were elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly....
. Nerysoo was defeated by candidate David Krutko
David Krutko
David Krutko is a retired territorial level politician in Northern Canada and a former speaker of the Northwest Territories legislature.Krutko was first elected to the Northwest Territories legislature in the 1995 general election. He defeated former Premier Richard Nerysoo in an upset victory. He...
in the 1995 Northwest Territories general election
Northwest Territories general election, 1995
The Northwest Territories general election, 1995 was the 18th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 16, 1995. This was the last election before the Northwest Territories was split in two with the creation of Nunavut.The big issue this election was...
.
In 1996, Mr. Nerysoo was elected as President of the Gwich'in Tribal Council and served until 2000. Mr. Nerysoo was one of the founding Directors of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group. Mr. Nerysoo was the founding member of Gwich'in Council International a body that represents the Gwich'in Nation (NWT, YUKON and Alaska) as Permanent Participants on the Arctic Council.
Mr. Nerysoo was elected Chief of the Inuvik Native Band and President of the Nihtat Gwich'in Council in 2003 and served until 2008. He served on the Board of Directors of the Gwich'in Tribal Council. He was selected as the Chief Negotiator on the Access and Benefits Agreements with Imperial Oil Ltd. who represented the Mackenzie Gas Project.
He currently serves as a President of the Gwich'in Tribal Council.