Premier of Nunavut

The premier of Nunavut (Inuktitut: ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ; Inuinnaqtun: Hivuliqti Nunavunmi; French: premier ministre du Nunavut) is the first minister for the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The premier is the territory's head of government, elected by and accountable to all Members of the Assembly. The powers of the Premier center around three elements: the ability to include (or exclude or delay) items from the cabinet agenda; the ability to allocate and re-assign, if desired, the portfolios of those Ministers elected by the Assembly; and the ability to appoint and remove Department Heads (Deputy Ministers). Unlike a provincial Premier, the Nunavut Premier does not select or dismiss Ministers and does not control a party apparatus assuring the passage of legislation in the Assembly.

Unlike most other premiers who are officially appointed by a lieutenant governor or commissioner on account of their leadership of a majority bloc in the legislature, the premier, and the Cabinet, is directly elected by the non-partisan members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, in accordance with the system of consensus government. The premier is formally appointed by the commissioner of Nunavut, but this is nominal as the Commissioner is bound to act on the Assembly's recommendation by both the Nunavut Act and convention.