22 Facts About Charlie Watt

Charlie Watt was born on June 29,1944 and is a former Canadian Senator from Nunavik, Quebec.

Charlie Watt was an early leader in the Indigenous rights movement in Canada, and represented the Quebec Inuit in the negotiations leading to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

Charlie Watt did so following his election to President of Makivik Corporation.

Charlie Watt resigned from the Senate, effective March 16,2018 in order to focus on his duties with Makivik.

Charlie Watt is the brother of activist and author Sheila Watt-Cloutier.

At a meeting of representatives from Northern Quebec Inuit communities, held in Inukjuak in April 1971, Charlie Watt was elected as one of the six founding directors of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association, incorporated on June 8,1972,.

Charlie Watt has been active with a number of aboriginal businesses including the Makivik Corporation, Air Inuit, Seaku Fisheries, Uttuulik Leasing, and Kigaq Travel.

Charlie Watt served as co-chair of the Inuit Committee on National Issues from 1979 to 1984 and has served with the Nunavik Constitutional Committee and the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada.

Senator Charlie Watt served on the Board of the Circumpolar Chamber of Commerce as one of its first directors.

An Officer of the National Order of Quebec, Charlie Watt is the 1997 recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.

Charlie Watt was appointed to the Senate on January 16,1984, by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

Senator Charlie Watt represented the province of Quebec and the Senatorial Division of Inkerman.

Charlie Watt served in the Senate of Canada from January 16,1984 until March 16,2018.

Charlie Watt served on numerous Senate Standing Committees including: Fisheries and Oceans, Legal and Constitutional Affairs, and he is the founder and first Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the Arctic.

Charlie Watt is most notable for championing Inuit rights in Canada and for speaking his language in the Senate Chamber and at committee meetings.

Charlie Watt was instrumental in changing Senate rules to allow the use of his mother tongue and for producing the first materials in Inuktitut on the Canadian Parliamentary System.

Charlie Watt is known for his ongoing work with First Nations and Metis communities in Canada.

In 2007, while serving on the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Charlie Watt participated in their report called: Taking Section 35 Rights Seriously, non-derogation clauses relating to Aboriginal and Treaty Rights.

Charlie Watt introduced the bill to make Nunavik a GST free zone.

In December 2011, Charlie Watt introduced bill S207 An Act to Amend the Interpretation Act, the committee report was adopted in the Senate, but the bill was dropped from the order paper in June 2013.

Charlie Watt was educated at schools in: Kuujjuaq, Quebec; Yellowknife, NWT; Kingston, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Brandon, Manitoba.

Charlie Watt is married to Ida, and is father to Donald, Robert, Lisa, Billy, and Charlene.