Red Pedersen

Asger Rye "Red" Pedersen ONu (sometimes Asgar Rye Pederson, born 1935, Denmark) is a former territorial-level Canadian politician. In 1953, he got a job in the Canadian Arctic with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) at Cambridge Bay, Nunavut (then the Northwest Territories). In the following year, he was sent to Perry River (Kuugjuak) to assist Stephen Angulalik, the Ahiarmiut Inuit owner of the trading post, with the financial records, inventory and ordering, as Angulalik spoke no English. In 1957, Angulalik sold the Perry River post to the HBC and Pedersen was appointed manager. Angulalik returned to the post after resolving legal problems and worked alongside Pedersen; they became lifelong friends.[1][2][3][4] He was, at one time, married to Lena Pedersen and their grandson, Calvin Pedersen was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut in July 2020.[5][6]

Red Pedersen
Mayor of Kugluktuk
In office 1 January 2014 – incumbent
Preceded by	Ernie Bernhardt
MLA for Kitikmeot West
In office 1983–1991
Preceded by	New district
Succeeded by	Riding dissolved
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories
In office 1987–1989
Preceded by	Donald Morton Stewart
Succeeded by	Richard Nerysoo
Personal details
Born	1935 Denmark
Political party	non-partisan consensus government
Residence	Kugluktuk
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Branch/service	Canadian Army
Years of service	1960–?
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Canadian Rangers: 1CRPG

Public service

Ten years later, Pedersen became an area administrator for the Canadian government in Coppermine (Kugluktuk), Pangnirtung and Fort Rae (Behchoko). From 1983 to 1991, he was a member of the Northwest Territories Legislature. Pedersen was first elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the 1983 Northwest Territories general election, winning the Kitikmeot West electoral district. He was re-elected in the 1987 Northwest Territories general election. Pedersen was elected Speaker of the Assembly on November 12, 1987 and served that role until October 18, 1989.[7]

In 2001, he was one of three members of the Legislative Assembly of the NWT's "Independent Commission on Members Compensation". Pedersen was a Board Member and Chairperson of the Independent Environmental Monitoring Agency until his retirement in 2003.[8][9]

Pedersen retired from the Canadian Rangers, but his son and grandson continue the tradition.[10][11]

In December 2013, Pedersen was acclaimed as mayor of Kugluktuk.[12] In 2016, Pedersen was made a member of the Order of Nunavut.

References

1. "CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene". Canadian Parliamentary Review. Vol. 10 no. 4. 1987. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
2. "Perry River Post". Kitikmeot Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 2007-09-22. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
3. "Kitikmeot Research Project". nald.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
4. "Red Pedersen". Kitikmeot Heritage Society. Archived from the original on 2007-09-22. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
5. Okpik, Abraham (2005-09-29). "The Beginning of Aboriginal Political Organizations". We Call It Survival (PDF). Life Stories of Northern Leaders Series Volume One. Nunavut Arctic College. pp. 317, 326. ISBN 1-896-204-71-6. Retrieved 2020-07-27. ...and Leena Pedersen,5 who was an Inuk member of the Legislative Assembly from Coppermine....5. Originally from Greenland, she married Red Pedersen from Cam-bridge Bay.
6. Derek Neary, "New MLAs acclaimed in Baker Lake, Kugluktuk; race set for Pangnirtung mayor". Nunavut News, July 24, 2020.
7. "History of Northwest Territories Speaker 1975-present". Northwest Territories Legislature. Archived from the original on 2006-07-21. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
8. "News Releases-2001". assembly.gov.nt.ca. September 5, 2001. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
9. Carole Mills (December 4, 2003). "Note of Changes to the IEMA Executive". monitoring agency.net. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
10. "Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly". html. assembly.gov.nt.ca. March 3, 2003. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
11. Scott Costen. "Stamp of Approval for Canadian Rangers". National Defence and the Canadian Forces. Archived from the original on 2004-12-27. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
12. Nunavummiut elect new municipal leaders

Partial bibliography

• Pederson, Asgar Rye, and David Repp. [Canada, Northwest Territories, Coppermine Eskimos, 1965]. 1965. Sound recording.

Further reading

• Waddington, McLean & Co. An Important Sale of Inuit Art Comprising Sculptures in Stone, Bone and Ivory, Lithographs, Engravings and Stone Cut Prints, Including the "Red" Pedersen Collection, the Anne & Gerard Mulders' Collection, and Selections from Local Estates, Institutions and Individuals, to Be Sold in Two Sessions, Monday, December 14, 1981 at 7.00 P.M., Tuesday, December 15, 1981 at 7.00 P.M. Toronto: Waddington, McLean & Co, 1981.

External links

• Pedersen's early days at Perry River including recorded interviews in MP3 format.