EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I hope you will join with me in expressing my admiration and gratitude to the staff of NTPC, residents, community leaders and the emergency response teams who reacted so quickly and so effectively to these incidents.
Minister's Statement 023 – 1(4): Legal Registries Office Moves to Iqaluit
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the Legislative Assembly that last Friday, October 27, the staff of the Nunavut Legal Registries Office arrived here in Iqaluit.
Until now they have been operating out of Yellowknife while they waited for office space to become available.
Mr. Speaker, the Legal Registries Office, which is a division of the Department of Justice, performs several important functions.
It is responsible for the operation of the Land Titles Office and Corporate and Securities Registries.
The statutes administered by Legal Registries include laws governing land ownership, the registration of corporations and the regulation of trading of shares and other securities to the general public.
In the corporate area, Legal Registries maintains records of registered business corporations, non-profit societies, co-operatives and partnerships that are operating within Nunavut.
The office is also responsible for the system of registering secured interest in personal property.
The Legal Registries Office will be located on the first floor of the Brown Building where it will be accessible to the public, businesses and to the legal profession which use its services.
I am told that the files have arrived over the weekend and that office staff, some of whom are behind me, are working hard to get the office set up.
We anticipate that the Legal Registries Office will be up and running this week.
Ministers' statements. Ministers' statements.
Members statements'.
Member’s Statement 047 - 1(4): Clyde River Letter on Fuel Price Increases
It was very interesting to hear all the ministers' statements.
Today Mr. Speaker, I rise regarding a letter I received from my constituency of Clyde River about fuel price increases.
Mr. Speaker, this letter from the Hamlet of Clyde River in my constituency asks why the fuel prices will increase by 17%.
Our tank farm has not been re-supplied for two years.
Mr. Speaker, at this time the price should be discounted rather than hiking it up by 17%.
At the appropriate time Mr. Speaker, I will be tabling this letter.
Member’s Statement 048 - 1(4): Giving during Halloween
I rise today because, as we all know, it is Halloween and the children will be going out trick or treating with their parents tonight.
Please treat them well by giving them what they want.
In the past when we woke up we used to go to our neighbours and give food.
This is what we did a long time ago and it is a practice of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
At the time when Inuit were still living in igloos it was a very happy time.
Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that all the ministers answer to what I want and everything I request today I will get.
Speaker: (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Alakannuark.
Member’s Statement 049 - 1(4): Two Time Zones in Kugluktuk
I would like say that the people in Kugluktuk are currently on a search and rescue right now, for your information.
I would also like to comment about the fact that in Kugluktuk there are now two time zones.
The Hamlet and the Nunavut Government have two different times.
The children that are going to school are having a hard time adjusting to the time zones because some are following Mountain Time and others are on Central Time.
I wanted to inform the members that in Kugluktuk there are two time zones.
Member’s Statement 050 - 1(4): Halloween and Brushing Teeth
Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the member from Akulliq's statement on Halloweens past.
Mr. Speaker, this is the evening when goblins, witches and ghouls and their parents make their way around in many of our communities for trick or treating.
Mr. Speaker, here in Iqaluit with the bad weather I know that parents and children will be assisted as usual by local law enforcement and volunteer watch people.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the watch volunteers and wish our children a safe and pleasant trick or treating, and Mr. Speaker, to remind the children that brushing their teeth will be a primary and a priority, tonight and over the next couple of days after they consume their goodies this evening.
Member’s Statement 051 - 1(4): Elections Canada First Inuktitut & Inuinnaqtun Brochure
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with the House some good news.
Last week Mr. Jean-Pierre Kingsley, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, met with me as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit to inform that me that Elections Canada have for the first time ever produced a brochure in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun on how…
Mr. Tootoo: …on how to get onto the voters list for the upcoming Federal election.
I will be tabling this document later on today.
Mr. Speaker, this brochure is a result of our meeting with Elections Canada earlier this year.
The Standing Committee Ajauqtiit, including my colleague Mr. Alakannuark and Mr. Akesuk and myself as well as delegates from NTI, suggested to Elections Canada when producing any public information that they should also have that information in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.
Mr. Speaker, this brochure will have a positive impact on the number of people that Elections Canada will have on the voters list in the upcoming Federal Elections.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Jean-Pierre Kingsley and the staff of Elections Canada for acting on the suggestion made by the Standing Committee earlier this year and I look forward to other opportunities to work together with them and share information in the future.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, that was very good news and we are very proud of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit for doing an excellent job.
Member’s Statement 052 - 1(4): Halloween Tradition versus Inuit Ways
I would like to make a statement regarding a practice which is out of the ordinary for Inuit.
Something that we usually do not practice.
It is called Halloween, as Mr. Picco stated.
My children will not be participating because I do not want them to lose their teeth.
I try not to give them too many sweets.
At three years old they eat frozen meat.
They can even have fresh seal liver and other country food.
I think with the increased cost of living these days when some people can't get everything they need, they go through extreme hardships, and don’t know where the money is going to come from for such things as Christmas gifts, Halloween treats and other holiday expenses.
I am happy with what the minister said about improving the well being of Nunavut’s Youth which will be directly related to this strong connection to cultural roots.
That’s the only way that the Inuit traditions will become respected by government.
The people that have come from other side of the ocean celebrate their own holidays.
I think that we can do the same thing, so that we can celebrate our own heritage.
So for those of you that do not traditionally celebrate this Halloween, I would suggest that you do not feel bad about not providing candy.
Member's Statement 053 - 1(4): Ice Safety
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Thank you, I wouldn’t mind either if I stopped eating turkey.
Thank you, again it is fall and the weather gets bad often this time of year.
People get lost out on the land due to poor visibility and the bad weather and it takes awhile for ice to get thick and it’s quite hard to tell if the ice is thick enough, or if it’s too thin when we go on fishing trips.
Many of the people from my community are probably out fishing right now, but the lakes are not all iced over and if there is snow on top of the ice then it will be even thinner.
So it’s pretty dangerous at this time, and I know that the elders who are going out hunting will know exactly what they are doing but I would like to tell all the people of Nunavut to be cautious and to watch out for thin ice in the fall because all lives are very precious.
Let us older people provide this kind of advice to the youth.
Member's Statement 054 - 1(4): Living Dictionary
I thought you said nutaraga, my child.
Thank you for being my parent.
I just flew into Iqaluit around lunch time, I came right to the House.
I wanted to speak a bit about the new dictionary, the Living Dictionary.
This was produced by a resident of Pond Inlet.
I’m very proud of the elders who participated in this book.
Mr. Timothy Kalluk who helped produce the book, is my uncle and Kooneeloosie Nutarak is my step father and I am very proud of them.
Sam Arnakallak helped along with Markosie Inualuk and Takigak Akpaleapik who are both deceased now.
Markosie Inualuk once said if you can not make an igloo you can not marry.
There was one time that I mentioned this in the House.
That was one of the reasons why I brought it up three years ago.
In the Inuit culture, you are not mature until you can build an igloo.
Also you can not marry or go hunting until you know how to build an igloo.
In the dictionary there were a lot of elders that participated from Pond Inlet.
I just want to say that I am very proud of the people of Pond Inlet and to the people who provided the funding for the project.
Member’s Statement 055 - 1(4): Appreciation for Sanikiluaq Power Plant
I rise today on behalf of the people of Sanikiluaq.
I appreciated Mr. Picco's statement today in regards to the fire that we had at the power plant.
The people of Sanikiluaq went through hard times but I would like to thank the people of Sanikiluaq and the Nunavut Power Corporation.
All of the people worked very well together to get through this emergency.
We had one night in particular where there was no heat and no light and we were cautioned about using portable stoves to heat the houses.
We overcame this emergency in a co-operative way.
Member’s Statement 056 - 1(4): Halloween Treats
Whenever we go on TV we seem to get bigger even though we are small.
I am told that whenever we go on TV we appear so big.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for their comments regarding Halloween.
I just want to state that for our children, especially the smaller ones who are just getting their teeth, Halloween can overwhelm them when they have treats.
Tooth decay is worrisome.
I would like to get parents involved to ensure that they have a safe Halloween.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to inform the parents that there are masks that depict horrors such as monsters and people bleeding that are giving the wrong message to smaller children.
For example if you had a person who has an axe it is okay to be like that on Halloween but parents should watch what kind of influence this is having on our children on Halloween.
To me Halloween seems to convey that it is okay to bleed and cause hurting, and liking bleeding masks.
We as parents must think of the way Halloween is portrayed and let us watch our children and their teeth.
Return to OQ 609 – 1 (3): Responses to Housing Corporation Call for Expression of Interest
Hon. Manitok Thompson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide a response to a question posed to me by Mr. Hunter Tootoo on October 19, 2000.
Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut Housing Corporation received 20 responses to our request for expressions of interest in 13 communities with 97 units in total.
We sent a request for proposals to all respondents with the exception of Resolute Bay where there is no need for additional social housing at this time.
Mr. Speaker, here is the breakdown by community.
Arviat 2 units, Baker Lake 17 units, Cape Dorset 19 units, Clyde River 5 units, Coral Harbour 1 unit, Gjoa Haven 5 units, Iqaluit 20 units, Kimmirut 2 units, Kugluktuk 5 units, Pangnirtung 14 units, Rankin Inlet 11 units, Resolute Bay 4 units, Taloyoak 2 units, for a total of 97 units.
I would like to recognize a person from Kuugaaruk who is attending training as well as a person from Uqsuqtuq.
They are training in fire fighting.
The person from Kugaaruk is Angutii and his friend is Alec Ruben from Uqsuqtuq.
Mr. Anawak: Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and also welcome to Iqaluit two of the staff that moved from Yellowknife with our Legal Registries Division in the Department of Justice.
They are Mr. Gary Crow, Director of Legal Registries and Mr. Norm Cavanaugh, Registrar of Land Titles.
I would like to recognize a person from Uqsuqtuq, my assistant Darlene Elias.
Speaker (interpretation): Welcome to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
The person who was recognized from Kugluktuk is a man who has done volunteer work for 20 years and he has worked at the Fire Department as the Chief.
He has been a fireman that whole time and is still the Fire Chief, Alec Ruben from Kugluktuk.
First person down is Mr. Arvaluk.
Question 049 - 1(4): Income Ceiling on Homeowner Assistance
I want to direct a question to the Minister responsible for Public Works, Telecommunications, Technical Services and Housing.
The question is about the statement she made earlier and we appreciate the statement that she gave.
She told us about a down payment assistance program of 15 thousand dollars per client.
The question I want to ask now is, she did not state that what the income ceiling was to receive the 15 thousand dollars.
What is the income limit to be able to apply for this housing assistance program of 15 thousand dollars.
Minister of Public Works, Telecommunications, Technical Services and the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
The maximum salary for this assistance program is 125 thousand dollars.
The reason it is like that is because the 15 thousand dollar grant has to be approved by the bank.
When a person wants to go for homeownership and the person needs down payment assistance, the maximum household income is 125 thousand dollars.
Even for combined salaries the limit is the same.
The bank has to pre-approve their mortgage then this 15 thousand dollars will be given as a grant.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Thompson.
Do I understand that this 125 thousand dollars could be the base salary for both partners.
If they are both working or if one of them is working.
Does this include both spouses' salaries, and I would like to get clarification when was this established.
When the last budget was approved this new 15 thousand dollar amount came into effect.
I want to complete all my questions, she should have stated that the criteria is new, that this 125 thousand dollar limit was approved when we did the budget session.
My second question, do you screen the potential clients to make sure that the 125 thousand dollar limit is adhered to.
I was wondering what kind of monitoring you have.
Yes we do the monitoring and the banks know our programs.
For example, if I want to apply for a mortgage or loan at the bank, I will be told that if I am eligible I could apply for a 15 thousand dollar grant from the Housing Corporation. So they can refer you or the client to the Housing Corporation.
The banks work with our staff and the banks already know the criteria for the eligible clients, so the salary limit is 125 thousand dollars per year and if a single person makes less than 125 thousand a year they would be eligible for the 15 thousand dollars, providing that they have been approved by the bank.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Mr. Arvaluk.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is this for first time homeowners only, the 15 thousand dollars, or if a couple moves from one community to another community, would they still be eligible to get that 15 thousand dollars.
Hon. Manitok Thompson (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker. This is used for first time homeowners.
If it’s too hard in the communities, for example in the smaller communities when they can’t afford to pay for their home, we could work with the MLA to see what we can do but this is used for first time homeowners.
That was your last question.
According to the names on the list, I have Mr. Havioyak next.
Question 050 - 1(4): Artificial Ice Policy
I would like to direct this question to the Minister of Community Government & Transportation.
Right now in Kugluktuk and possibly other communities they need artificial ice because in the recreation complexes that are being used, the ice cannot freeze there and the arena is only in use for three months.
The artificial ice if it is going to be put in there the arena would be used longer even up to the end of May.
Right now however, they are only able to use it from December until the end of March.
Are there other communities with artificial ice, or can artificial ice be installed in the future.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Minister for Community Government & Transportation.
With global warming, the hockey arenas are used less and less in winter time.
I know what the member is saying.
Our weather is starting to warm up.
The Department of Community Government & Transportation at this point in time are now putting together a policy for each community that wants to have artificial ice whether it is a skating rink or a curling rink.
This coming fall I don't expect to see artificial ice, but once the policy is put into place then we can look at the longer term.
Perhaps in the next budget session.
At this point we are now working on the policy and we should remember that this artificial ice equipment is very expensive.
If we are going to be putting in artificial ice we should probably do it for the first time as a pilot project to make sure it works well.
If we could use Kugluktuk as a pilot project that would be good, because in Kugluktuk there would be more months available for skating or curling.
When you talk about a policy can this be completed before the end of the Fourth Session.
If we are going to put ice into Kugluktuk we might be two hours late with this policy.
We are now working on this policy and I am sure we will have the policy completed before we begin dealing with the capital items.
Maybe it will be done when we are still sleeping and when we wake up it will be completed.
Is there a direction as to how this is going to be done, because the Hamlet has already mentioned that they would like to be involved and help but they need direction and to know where the funding would come from.
Before the new fiscal year begins they would like to know what the funding program is going to look like.
I can tell the member that the policy within Community Government and Transportation will be completed before we look at the capital plan.
Question 051 - 1(4): Process of Tracking Decisions
Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Premier.
I would like to ask the Premier, as Premier and Chair of the Cabinet, I am just wondering what types of mechanisms they use or how do they keep track of the decisions that are being made at that level.
It depends on the type of decision that is being made.
Usually our Secretary to Cabinet monitors to make sure that decisions are put in place and usually one of the ministers responsible will be directed to implement a certain decision.
So it varies from each decision on each issue.
So I cannot really specify exactly what mechanism may be in place to enforce a given decision.
It depends on which decision is made by cabinet.
But there are checks and balances in place.
Usually on a given decision we also ask for monitoring and review of the decision at a given point.
Mr. Speaker, I am looking at trying to find out whether there is follow up and monitoring done on any decision.
Once a decision is made by cabinet in a policy area, how is that decision kept track of.
That is all I am asking.
Yes, as I said we make a lot of decisions at cabinet.
So some are monitored by the minister, some are monitored by cabinet itself.
Over a given period we ask for reports on any given issue.
So regardless of the decision there are checks and balances in place and there are certain decisions that ensure that the decision arrived at by cabinet is put in place.
I will take it from the Premier’s comments that he answered the same question I asked last time.
But he added in that there are written decisions.
So would, in indicating that there is a written record of any decisions, is there a list of records made by cabinet that is kept.
Yes, there is a record registry of decisions made by cabinet and those decisions are conveyed on to the appropriate department and deputy minister of a given department and enforced in that manner.
Your final supplementary. Mr. Tootoo.
Mr. Speaker, in light of the fact that there is a record of decisions that is kept, I would like to ask the Premier if he could take a look at that log book and provide me with some information that I have been asking about for quite some time now.
When the staff housing policy was approved by cabinet, there is a piece of information that I have been seeking for almost a year and a half now, so I am just wondering if he could take a look at that log and indicate the date on which that decision was made by cabinet.
The contents of decisions and how they are arrived at are confidential but when directives and policies are made each of the departments are aware as to when they are effective.
So the minister I believe has responded in some way but it is not up to me to deliver each decision to a member when it is a given department that administers and implements our decisions.
Question 052 - 1(4): Children Born on April 1, 1999
We were elected in 1999 as the very first Members of the Nunavut Legislature, we were sworn in on April 1, 1999 and we started our sessions thereafter.
At the time, on April 1, 1999, that day was special.
That day Nunavut was created and we had our own Nunavut Legislature.
Therefore, my question is if anybody was born on April 1, 1999, have you given any thought to how you are going to be treating that child born on April 1, or a little bit after mid-night if there was a child born, or if there was a child born on that particular day of April 1, 1999.
Do you have any plans to celebrate that birth because that day is unique for those children who were born on April 1, 1999. Do you have any plans.
Is he referring the question to the Premier.
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think in the context of births, I think I am the Minister responsible.
Therefore Mr. Speaker, I will try to answer the member’s question.
He brings up a very interesting question.
The point is the celebration of April 1, 1999 as it goes toward a birth. Something similar to New Year’s babies.
I think that is the analogy that the member used.
After saying that Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services, does not have any plans at the present time to formally recognize the first birth of April 1 or the closest date or approximate time to April 1, 1999.
That is something Mr. Speaker that we could do under the suggestion of a motion or of some debate here in the Legislative Assembly or indeed a statement or something brought forward by the member.
If the House would choose to move in that direction that could be a recommendation of the members or the general public at large.
I made a mistake last week and I am glad that I made a mistake because I learned something new that I didn't know about.
In the past, I didn't know which direction to go and I know that we have to abide by the rules.
That was just a comment Mr. Speaker.
If we are going to be following that line, there was a child who was born on April 1, 1999.
If we are going to recognize that child, April 1, 1999, that day was very special and it was a historical day.
No one will forget that day as it was the beginning of our own Nunavut Government.
We have never recognized that child, so when can we start celebrating the birth of children who were born on April 1, 1999.
If you would like to respond Mr. Picco.
I think as I was trying to say earlier Mr. Speaker, this is the first time to my knowledge that this has come forward to the cabinet or to the Government of Nunavut.
As I indicated earlier, an opportunity may present itself for the members of this House, as they could come forward and ask the government if it so desired, to recognize the first birth on April 1, 1999.
That could be a recommendation of the House.