Jose Kusugak (2 May, 1950 - ) is an Inuit politician from Repulse Bay, Nunavut, Canada. He moved, along with his family, to Rankin Inlet in 1960.

After attending school in both Chesterfield Inlet and Churchill, Manitoba he went to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to attend high school. After finishing high school he went on to teach in both Rankin Inlet and Churchill, where he taught Inuktitut and Inuit history.

In 1971 he joined what was then called the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, known today as the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), and served as an assistant to Tagak Curley the organisations first president. Later moving to Arviat he helped to establish a standardised writing system for Inuktitut syllabics.

In 1979/1980 he joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as the area manager for the Kivalliq Region. After working with them for 10 years he became the president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated one of the four organisations that make up the ITK.

He held the position of president until June of 1990 when he was elected president of ITK. After 6 years as president Kusugak announced on the 12 May 2006 that he was stepping down.

External links and references

• Profile at the CBC
• Library and Archives Canada profile
• Nunatsiaq News report on Kusugak's resignation

1950 births | Living people | Inuit people | Kivalliq Region | Nunavut politicians