Key takeaways:
- Lyall was no outsider to politics in Labrador.
- Jim Lyall performed as president of the Nunatsiavut government from 2008 to 2012.
- He passed away in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Friday morning.
Jim Lyall, the Nunatsiavut government’s first elected president, has passed away.
Born in the town of Nutak in 1945, Lyall was no stranger to politics in Labrador. He was president of Nunatsiavut from 2008 to 2012 and served as the ordinary member for Nain from 2017 until his demise.
Lyall moved to Nain after his household was forced to resettle by the regional government and attended a residential school in the North West River.
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Lyall served two terms as executive director for the Labrador Inuit Association, from 1977 to 1981 and from 2002 till the appearance of the Nunatsiavut government in 2005. Lyall passed away only hours after his wife, Jean, at the Labrador Health Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Friday morning.
In a word, Nunatsiavut President Johannes Lampe stated Lyall would be highly missed, recalling him as a loving husband, dad, and friend.
“Today, we lost a great leader, a man who has contributed tremendously over the years in growing rights, problems, and situations of all Labrador Inuit,” Lampe said. “His perseverance, the firm will, and desire to gather positive change for the use of Nunatsiavut, and his adopted community of Nain, will not go overlooked.” Flags in Happy Valley-Goose Bay will fly at half-mast to honor Lyall’s commitment to the Inuit of Labrador.
Source – cbc.ca
