Governor General to visit Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean is heading north Sunday for a four-day visit to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T.

While in Inuvik, Jean will present the Governor General's Northern Medal to former N.W.T. premier Nellie Cournoyea, visit the town's new Gwich'in wellness camp and host a youth town hall meeting, according to a news release issued Thursday.

Cournoyea, president of the Inuvialuit Regional Corp., is only the second recipient of the Northern Medal, which honours people who have contributed to the evolution of Canada's North.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuit environmental activist and a Nobel Prize nominee last year, received the first Northern Medal from then-governor general Adrienne Clarkson in 2005.

In Inuvik, Jean will also give the keynote address at the National Inuit Education Summit, as well as take part in discussions at the event.

Jean will also spend a day in Tuktoyaktuk, where she is scheduled to be at a community gathering that will include cultural performances, Arctic sport demonstrations and local craft displays.