Willie Adams (born June 22, 1934) is a Canadian Inuk politician who was a member of the Senate of Canada from 1977 to 2009.
Biography
Adams was born in Fort Chimo (now Kuujjuaq), Nunavik's largest northern village (Inuit community). Adams was not excited about joining the Senate upon being asked by Allmand - in fact, he joked that he did not even know what the Senate was, asking the Minister, "What's the Senate?" However, upon being advised of a Senator's annual salary of approximately C$60,000, far more than Adams' electrician's pay of $7,500 a year, he seized the opportunity.
Adams took an intense interest in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, and upon the creation of the territory of Nunavut in 1999 became a Senator for that territory.
Business ventures
By 1997, Adams had founded several businesses, including Kudlik Electric Ltd., Kudlik Construction Ltd., Rankin Inlet's Nanuq Inn and Ottawa's Umingmak Expediting Ltd. Adams is also president of Polar Bear Cave Investments, a company that owned the Nanuq Inn until its closure in 2003.
Personal life
Adams married his wife, Mary, in the late 1970s. The pair met when the latter travelled to the Northwest Territories to find work as a home economist. The couple have a son, Isaac. He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2023. He currently resides in Kemptville, Ontario.