{"id":213,"date":"2020-07-29T09:39:48","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T13:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/socialwork\/?post_type=cu_people&p=213"},"modified":"2026-03-05T10:37:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T15:37:01","slug":"murray-angus","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/socialwork\/people\/murray-angus\/","title":{"rendered":"Murray Angus"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Founder, Nunavut Sivuniksavut
\nMaster of Social Work (\u201880)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Murray Angus was a university student in the mid-1970s, Justice Thomas Berger was leading the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, investigating an oil pipeline that would run through In\u00addigenous lands in Canada\u2019s North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, Mr. Angus saw the hardships endured by his In\u00addigenous neighbours in Thunder Bay, Ontario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up with one foot in the reserve, one foot out,\u201d he recalls, \u201cand that made me conscious of how treaties impacted people\u2019s position in society. I also recognized that you only get one kick at the can when it comes to land claims treaties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That realization spurred him to activism, supporting the First Nations communities who opposed the pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also led to a lifelong interest in land claims agreements, which was his focus in the policy and administration stream in the School of Social Work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSocial Work gave me the time and resources to develop my own understanding of the government\u2019s relations with aboriginal people in the North. It\u2019s no exaggeration to say that this experience provided me with the basis for what I\u2019ve done ever since,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His \u201clife\u2019s work\u201d was Nunavut Sivuniksavut, a unique college program in downtown Ottawa that prepares Inuit youth for leadership roles in Nunavut and beyond. Nunavut Sivuniksavut means \u201cour land is our future\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInuit students weren\u2019t learning about land claims in schools back home, so we started helping them understand the relationship between themselves and the federal state,\u201d says Mr. Angus, who founded the school in 1985 and recently retired. \u201cThey eat it up because it explains how their world came to be. Inevitably, they ask why they haven\u2019t learned this before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He finds the lingering \u201ctraumatic\u201d effects of the residential school system make it difficult for Inuit families to send their child to \u201cthe South\u201d for school. That\u2019s why the school\u2019s community is as important as its classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe relationships in our program are the glue that holds the whole place together,\u201d says Mr. Angus, whose staff is available 24\/7. \u201cThe students leave with a lot of clarity about their identity as an Inuit and pride in who they are. It breaks down huge walls for them and after that, the sky\u2019s the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its annual survey of alumni, Nunavut Sivuniksavut found 71% of its students pursue post-secondary education. The unemployment rate is extremely low. And almost all of them are eager to return to Nunavut to contribute to their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat young people are doing in the North is amazing. There\u2019s a cultural renaissance happening today amongst Inuit youth,\u201d says Mr. Angus. \u201cOur students are playing a significant role in its develop\u00adment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Angus was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014 \u201cfor his varied contributions to building awareness and respect for Canada\u2019s Native people and their traditions, and for the role he has played in empowering Inuit youth as one of the founders of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut college program in Ottawa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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