Steve Mapsalak

Steve Mapsalak (March 17, 1957 – April 16, 2025) was a Canadian politician, who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.

Steve Mapsalak
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for Aivilik
In office October 28, 2013 – September 24, 2017
Preceded by	Riding Established
Succeeded by	Patterk Netser
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for Akulliq
In office February 16, 2004 – October 27, 2008
Preceded by	Ovide Alakannuark
Succeeded by	John Ningark
Personal details
Born	(1957-03-17)March 17, 1957 Repulse Bay, Northwest Territories (now Naujaat, Nunavut), Canada
Died	April 16, 2025(2025-04-16) (aged 68)
Political party	non-partisan consensus government

Life and career

Mapsalak first won the Akulliq seat in the 2004 Nunavut election.

According to preliminary results, he was narrowly defeated by John Ningark in the 2008 election.^[1] A judicial recount was conducted, but resulted in Ningark and Mapsalak each receiving exactly 157 votes, thus forcing a new vote.^[2] In the revote on March 2, Ningark defeated Mapsalak by a margin of 193 to 179.^[3]

In the 2013 election, Mapsalak was re-elected to the legislature, defeating Johnny Ningeongan in the redistributed district of Aivilik. Mapsalak was previously the mayor of Repulse Bay, and also the chair of the board of governors for Nunavut Arctic College.

Mapsalak died on April 16, 2025, at the age of 68.^[4]