Canadian Bible Society celebrates Bishop Andrew Atagotaaluk on receiving the Order of Canada

Toronto, ON—June 8, 2026

The Canadian Bible Society (CBS) warmly congratulates Bishop Andrew Atagotaaluk, C.M., on being appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours, recognizing individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to Canada.

A respected Inuit leader and the first Inuk diocesan bishop in the Anglican Communion, Bishop Atagotaaluk has devoted his life to strengthening spiritual life, cultural identity, and community well-being across the Arctic. His leadership and service have had a profound and lasting impact on Inuit communities throughout Nunavut, Nunavik, and beyond.

For CBS, Bishop Atagotaaluk’s legacy is inseparable from one of the most significant translation milestones in Canada’s history—the Inuktitut Bible.

A lifetime contribution to Scripture in the language of the people

Bishop Atagotaaluk was among the original Inuit leaders selected in 1978 to form the translation team for the Inuktitut Bible, following a workshop led by renowned linguist and translation theorist Dr. Eugene Nida. Inuktitut is an official language in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut.

Working alongside fellow Inuit clergy, he helped bring to completion a translation project that would span more than three decades and culminate in the first complete Bible translated in Canada by speakers of the language themselves, published in 2012.

This work was not only linguistic but deeply cultural. Translating Scripture into Inuktitut required bridging vastly different worldviews and environments—adapting concepts rooted from the Middle East desert culture into the language and lived realities of Inuit communities shaped by snow and ice.

The result has been transformative: for thousands of Inuktitut speakers across the North, the Bible became something profoundly personal—God’s Word heard and understood in their own language.

Partnership with CBS: a careful and collaborative revision

The Canadian Bible Society continued this journey with Bishop Atagotaaluk during the revision of the Inuktitut Bible, including the New Testament published in 2021 and ongoing work on the Old Testament.

In this phase, Bishop Atagotaaluk worked closely with the late Canon Jonas Allooloo and CBS translation specialists. His role was both pastoral and precision-focused: He played a key role in the revision, reviewing texts line by line with careful linguistic and theological insight. Drawing on his ministry in Nunavik and collaboration with partners in Nunavut, he ensured dialectal balance while incorporating community feedback so the translation would resonate with everyday readers.

The revision process itself reflected deep trust and collaboration—combining local knowledge, lived faith, and scholarly translation tools to strengthen both clarity and faithfulness to Scripture.

Even in recent years, Bishop Atagotaaluk continued contributing, meeting annually with the team to work on sections such as the Psalms—demonstrating a lifelong commitment to making Scripture accessible to his people.

A voice that strengthened both language and faith

Bishop Atagotaaluk’s contribution to the Inuktitut Bible is widely recognized as pivotal. His presence ensured the translation would not be shaped by a single dialect or perspective, but instead reflect the richness and diversity of Inuit language and culture.

“We are deeply grateful for Bishop Andrew Atagotaaluk’s faithful and humble service over many decades. His careful contributions to the Inuktitut Bible—both in its original translation and later revision—have helped ensure that Scripture speaks clearly and naturally to Inuit communities. His work has strengthened both the Church and the preservation of language and culture in the North. We celebrate this well-deserved recognition and give thanks for his enduring legacy.” — Dr. Jeff Green, Vice-President, Scripture Translation, Canadian Bible Society