Mary Simon
Mary Simon
I had the opportunity to speak with Mary Simon at the International Polar Year Summit in Montreal in April 2012. She is the former President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national organization representing Inuit from Nunavut, Nunavik in Northern Quebec, Nunatsiavut in Labrador and the Inuvialuit region of the Northwest Territories.
Mary Simon is a very influential figure both here in Canada and abroad. She is a former Canadian diplomat and current fellow with the Arctic Institute of North America. Early in her career, she was a producer and announcer for CBC North, and later entered public service as secretary of the board for the Northern Quebec Inuit Association. Simon was Canada’s first Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, and was a lead negotiator for the creation of the Arctic Council. She also later served as ambassador to Denmark.
