Watt-Cloutier nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Longtime environmental activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize along with former U.S. president Al Gore.

Watt-Cloutier, a 53-year-old former chair of the InuitCircumplar Council, and Gore were nominated byNorwegian MPs Boerge Brende and Heidi Soerensen.

They were impressed by the work byWatt-Cloutier and Gorehave done to raise awareness about the impact of climate change, Brende said in an interview with CBC News.

Watt-Cloutier has travelled the world speaking about the impact of pollutants and climate changein the Arctic.

"I'm extremely impressed by the work she has done on behalf of the Inuit, and also the grassroots work she has done to really lift the environmental issues and climate change in particular," Brendesaid.

Gore's production of the book and documentary on climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, has also played an important role in public education, he said.

The winner for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in October.

FormerPrime Minister Lester B. Pearsonis the only Canadian who has ever received the award — in 1957 for his creation of the UN peacekeeping force during the 1956 Suez Crisis.

Watt-Cloutier, who is originally from northern Quebec but now lives in Iqaluit, recently received the Order of Canada.