EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
For instance, Mr. Arvaluk was involved in that process through Inuit Tapirisat Kanatami and that was not the vision of our leaders, that when Nunavut came to be, we didn’t think we would have a Nunavut that is just a rubber stamp.
We wanted its full contents, not just for the name.
Yes, Nunavut sounds really good, but there is no beef by which we can justify Nunavut as yet.
So, if we are still going to follow through with our wishes, and to ensure that it is not only a name, but that is Nunavut, we should take action now.
Talking with a lot of people, they say Nunatsiaq, the Northwest Territories seems to be even more desirable in contrast to what Nunavut is today.
Some are still waiting for what they expected and they are not forthcoming. Perhaps they can look within Nunavut but they start advertising in the Globe and Mail and the Ottawa Citizen, National Post.
Just recently I saw a job ad, that really, an Inuk can do.
A job ad, that said Nunavut beneficiaries will be a priority and then they advertise this to the rest of Canada.
So the people that are coming in to Nunavut, at all times, they don’t know what the Inuit land is like and we need to gain more respect from these people because we just don’t get that.
Yes, people are here for many years and I thank them for all their contributions, but a lot of them come up here to work without any regard for Inuit culture.
They come up here just to make money and they don’t respect Nunavut.
Yes, we have to start working harder to ensure that we start hiring people that actually believe in Nunavut and that do live in Nunavut.
I thought recently, that I’m always going to be in Nunavut.
I’m going to die in Nunavut.
And while I’m still in Nunavut, people will still be here and so, a lot of those perhaps, you get a lot of thoughts going through, so I always thought, I was born in Nunavut, and I will die in Nunavut and I will live in Nunavut all my life.
However, at times, we don’t get the respect we deserve as Nunavummiut because when we’re being looked down upon, we can feel it, we can tell.
You can’t tell from a piece of paper but these are the different things that we need to start considering.
As I said earlier with my question to the Minister, regarding utilizing youth justice committees in the communities and the different committees in town that are set up through social services.
Social Services continue to take children without consent or looking at the issues.
I think there’s even a child here from Repulse Bay that was taken from a family by surprise without any prior notice.
And so, they still haven’t had a response exactly why the child was taken from them.
So, these are the types of cases that we have to work on.
For instance, I don’t know the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Nanulik, but I don’t know what education he has, but if I was to apply for a job right now, I said this before, if it says grade 12 education required, I wouldn’t be qualified right there and then because I have grade 8 education.
But I would think if I was applying for that job, they would perhaps, consider my experience. I think in the 1980s I applied for a wildlife officer position in Rankin Inlet.
I was living in Repulse Bay at the time.
I was told I don’t have any training in wildlife so I wasn’t hired.
It was totally opposite.
There was somebody from the south getting hired who has never been in the wilderness.
So this job I applied for, as a wildlife officer, yeah, I’m happy he went to Rankin Inlet but the job was never filled again because there’s nobody in wildlife officer who knows anything about wildlife.
So, perhaps the Repulse Bay residents have more knowledge than that wildlife officer that had just moved.
We need to use elders more.
When we say, innait, elders we’re saying elders when we respect them.
There are a lot of elders but there’s not very many elders left.
We respect them, they are our foundation and so we need to utilize them through the schools and these different considerations that can be put to use.
We should have been working hard a long time ago, starting in 1999, especially it seems we are a little late because an election is coming up.
But because the election is coming up, now, finally, we are talking about this.
We are campaigning on.
That is not right.
We have to work hard at this because we were voted to carry out that task, not do this now just because we want to be re-elected.
That is all, thank you, very much.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, my colleague.
Mr. Chairman, if we did the right thing in Nunavut, we would be talking the right way.
If we were dealing with something positive, we would be talking positively and not pointing fingers at anybody.
Today, it is not right what is going on in Nunavut.
Those long term Nunavummiut are being wheeled by someone else in the backdoor.
For instance, there are so many behind back doors that today, that we don’t see.
There are too many things done behind doors and we need to see more transparency and talk about it, disclose these issues.
The Government of Nunavut has good responses when we ask of them and when they have all the responses, we say, yes, they understand what they are doing; when we’re talking about it, that’s one thing.
Mr. Chairman, government staff are many; $2 thousand to 5 thousand staff for the government.
If I was to say to the Human Resources Minister regarding this issue, one of their officials won’t understand what I’m saying and they’ll be setting up those barriers just at that point.
He’s just going to put up barriers for us and he won’t even give any reason to his superiors.
The jobs today are like this; if I wanted to work, without any grade at all, I would not be hired.
It is true what my colleague said earlier, as Nunavummiut, people are reluctant to give us that power to take back our own lives.
And what I will say is true.
Don’t be hurt, don’t take it personally.
Those Nunavummiut, qallunaat or Inuit, because what I will say is true, some of the officials do not have any passion, no passion.
They’re only in it for the money.
We, the long time Nunavummiut have gone through some very painful times and yet we are very resilient.
We have laws that are imposed upon us that give us barriers.
No matter how bad they are for us, nobody cares.
We don’t want that anymore.
Suicide rates today are very high.
As we all know, our lives, whether those of us have survived, the pain is still within us and we have to let that go because there is a misunderstanding.
They do not know what our needs are.
Mr. Chairman, we need Nunavummiut who have the passion and desire to work in Nunavut.
What am I talking about when I mention passion.
Things that are good for our lives within Nunavut, that are relevant to Nunavut is what we need in our lives.
Sadly, future generations of youth will be going through hardships and face an economic hell because it will be even more expensive to live in the future.
You will need an economic basis to stand up for themselves.
We have to empower youth to gain that strength.
Now, today, after four years of our mandate as a government, the youth, there is no protection and no tools made available to youth, just things created by the Government of Nunavut, Federal Government, laws that were imposed upon us which we more or less have to emulate in order to get made in Nunavut laws.
All simply because we were told we have to do it that way. Is that true?
With our own government in place, we should be able to come up with our own needs, not the Canadian Government’s needs, not the Vancouver, not the Saskatchewan Government’s needs, Nova Scotia, our government, as Nunavummiut.
We have to start expressing what our needs are, so that Nunavummiut and non-Nunavummiut will work together, have been asked to work together for their government. What I will be saying is true, that as Nunavummiut, if there were no Inuit in Nunavut, in this area of land, there would still be the Canadian government and there would be no Government of Nunavut because they would think that was adequate.
Yes, that was the government and we have had enough of it.
We were using the processes in those days, so we wanted to set up our own government because the old government system was not serving our needs.
We wanted to run our own affairs and not be run by other people.
Many bills that come for Nunavut are still giving us artificial and hidden barriers.
They are trying to get us to rubber stamp, as a government, things which we will still be pushed aside as Nunavummiut.
We, as Inuit, yesterday, when we came here, I was told when I came here, I am glad I am in the main land of Nunavummiut land.
But then again, when we went for a ride up to the access road, I still did not see evidence of our own self-government.
There is a lot of poverty, people looking for their own food with no means to feed their families.
They only have their very basic necessities and the government doesn’t seem to see that.
We need to empower our people to ensure that they are self-sustaining and arm our people with the means to ensure that we become self-reliant.
We are not the only ones.
We must help all Nunavummiut be able to stand on their feet.
We have to give them the strength to stand up on their own two feet.
Life, for instance, on social services issues, has been a very big one that had hurt a lot of people, instead of helping them.
As Members of the Legislative Assembly, if we do anything wrong, then, for instance, something that will really try to put us down, what little wrong move we do, and so, I’m sorry. My time is up Mr. Chairman.
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. Iqaqrialu, you have to direct your comments towards job descriptions for the issue at hand as to how we can improve the job descriptions in Nunavut to ensure that Nunavummiut can be able to take on more of these jobs without any barriers.
So, please be more direct towards the job descriptions, minister’s statement at hand.
What I said was, I saw Nunavummiut up here that have never had a job, here as well within the community of Baker Lake.
There are so many houses that were built here.
There are so many jobs that were created because of that, yet they were never even hired to work in their own community.
I’m talking about jobs, but you ignore that.
Once a job ad is open in Baker Lake, well I guess they’re going to have to hire from Newfoundland because they’re very short of jobs in Newfoundland and they’re efficient and they can do the job and that is what you’re doing.
I’m saying the truth.
I had to say what the facts are as I was told earlier.
Inuit here who are able to work in Baker Lake should be hired instead for those jobs.
I will now give the floor to Mr. Irqittuq.
I am happy that we are discussing the job descriptions.
When Mr. Kilabuk was the Minister, he made the Minister’s Statement on job descriptions and I’m happy to say that we are now in the discussion stage.
First of all, when we first became members of the Legislative Assembly, I was extremely pleased.
Others were just as happy.
Can you pay attention please.
I’m talking Inuktitut, so I you could pay attention to me and put your ear piece on.
First of all, when we first became Members of the Legislature of Nunavut, and we knew and thought that there was going to be a lot of jobs given to the people of Nunavut, especially because there was decentralization, the first thing that I asked was whether in the decentralized communities, whether Inuit would be given jobs because I knew that there was a lot of people expecting to get jobs in Nunavut Government.
It is stated that it was supposed to be over 50 percent of Inuit employment.
It has to become up to 80 percent within a few years time.
For these reasons, looking at it today, it is kind of embarrassing, the target that we set as a government has not been reached yet.
When we first became Members of the Legislative Assembly, we do not even have 50 percent, we have 40 percent Inuit employment.
Looking at that figure, we wanted to get elected to the legislature and promising our people that we would help to create jobs for Nunavummiut.
It is embarrassing that we have only reached a 40 percent target.
We were very happy to receive the Minister’s Statement on job descriptions and I wish that it could be so that they could go through with what they said.
I am not really sure exactly which people or which section of the Human Resources Department hires or interviews or selects candidates for jobs within the government.
I do not know who they are.
I have never talked to them before.
I could be blamed too because I never tried to find out for myself.
I would like to see in the future, I have always asked the Minister of Health and Social Services a question that there should be Inuit social workers who are more sensitive to Inuit.
Hire Inuit as social workers because they know the culture and they are sensitive to our culture and our traditions and our values.
We eat different food and have our different values and morals and from the other people in the provinces, we have a slightly different culture here in Nunavut in the communities.
I always talk about how little bit different we are from the rest of the world.
This is the first time that we have been given this kind of job to do in Nunavut.
We have no idea of how to heal ourselves.
It takes time and there are a lot of people that say we have to work by following Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
Just a word, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, is not enough.
The social workers and the hamlet workers have to work together to make it better for the Inuit people so they could approach the social workers and it would be very good if the jobs that they are asking for could be given to the hamlets so that they can select the people that they can hire because social workers have to be very sensitive and passionate and they have to understand Inuit culture in order to work with Inuit people.
You have to be able to know the people in the community and know their culture to work with them.
They have to be able to want to help and they have to try and preserve and be the same level as the Inuit culture and to understand them in order to counsel them.
These are the things that I would like to see when it comes to the government writing job descriptions, especially for the social workers, when we hire social workers.
These people, I’m not saying that I don’t like the counsellors or the social workers that come to the communities, but what I’m saying is that they have to be able to understand our language, our culture, and our feelings, to be employed in the communities.
It should not just be that you can get the job because you have a diploma or you can work in the office.
It should not be like that.
There is a concern that I have too, as well, that Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, the staff of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, and because the people that are in higher positions in Culture, Language, Elders and Youth do not really know the Inuit culture and they should be.
The higher up people in the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth should know Inuit culture.
I have some more names on my list.
Three people I will get Mr. Havioyak to talk next.
I think we’re going to take a while so I would like to report progress.
Chairperson (interpretation): The member is making a motion to report progress and I will call a vote to report progress.
There’s a motion to report progress at this time.
So I will stand and report progress, and we can get the speaker to come into the house.
Thank you, we’ll see you tomorrow.
Speaker: Returning to Orders of the Day, Item 20, Report of Committee of the Whole.
Your committee has been considering Minister’s Statement 126 - 1 (6) and would like to report progress, and I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
Item 22. Orders of the Day. Mr. Quirke.
A reminder to all members that tonight at 7:00, a number of events are occurring at the Community Center, commencing with an arts and crafts display.
Tomorrow morning at 9:00, a meeting of the regular caucus in the Nunamiut Hotel board room.
Orders of the Day for Wednesday June 4, 2003:
• Bill 34
• Bill 38
• Bill 39
• Minister’s Statement 126 - 1 (6)
• Minister’s Statement 164 - 1 (6)
Just to follow up on the point that Mr. Quirke stated, the sale of arts and crafts at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Hall.
And Mr. McLean also wanted me to mention that following that, there will be a casino night with the proceeds going to the radio station.
This House stands adjourned until Wednesday, June 4th, at 1:30 p.m.
>>House Adjourned at 6:13 p.m.  Nunavut Canada
Wednesday June 4, 2003
Pages 3654 – 3710
Opening Prayer 3654
Ministers’ Statements 3654
Members’ Statements 3658
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 3668
Oral Questions 3668
Written Questions 3686
Replies to Opening Address 3687
Tabled Documents 3701
Notices of Motions 3702
Motions 3702
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 3703
Report of Committee of Whole 3708
Orders of the Day 3709
Wednesday June 4, 2003 3654
168 – 1(6): Pond Inlet Playground (Kattuk) 3654
169 – 1(6): Training for Nunavummiut for Health Sciences (Picco) 3655
170 – 1(6): Northern Cooperation Agreement (Okalik) 3655
171 – 1(6): Summer Student Employment Program (Thompson) 3656
172 – 1(6): Sivumut Economic Development Strategy (Akesuk) 3657
550 – 1(6): Priority Hiring Policy Planning (Anawak) 3658
551 – 1(6): Healthy Food, Healthy Children (Puqiqnak) 3659
552 – 1(6): Caribou Harvesting in Coral Harbour (Arvaluk) 3660
553 – 1(6): Arctic Char in Kugaaruk (Alakannuark) 3661
554 – 1(6): Study for Decentralization in Hall Beach (Irqittuq) 3661
555 – 1(6): Decentralization in Baker Lake (McLean) 3662
556 – 1(6): Control Raven Population (Iqaqrialu) 3663
557 – 1(6): Training Opportunity in the Mining Sector (Havioyak) 3664
558 – 1(6): Substance Abuse (Williams) 3664
559 – 1(6): Education in Nunavut (Tootoo) 3665
560 – 1(6): Thank the Minister of Public Works and Services (Nutarak) 3666
561 – 1(6): Former Pangnirtung Resident in Baker Lake (Kilabuk) 3666
562 – 1(6): Iqaluit Breakwater Condition (Picco) 3667
554 – 1(6): Update on the Hall Beach Breakwater (Irqittuq) 3668
555 – 1(6): Decision Making Authority and Responsibilities for DEA's (Alakannuark) 3670
556 – 1(6): Subsidy for Healthy Food (Puqiqnak) 3672
557 – 1(6): Fur and Antler Marketing (Arvaluk) 3673
558 – 1(6): Community Based Training Opportunity (Havioyak) 3675
559 – 1(6): Raven Population (Iqaqrialu) 3677
560 – 1(6): Standardized Testing – Improvements to the Education System (Nutarak) 3678
561 – 1(6): Preferential Hiring Policy (Anawak) 3681
011 – 1(6): Impact of New Public Housing Rent Scale (McLean) 3686
012 – 1(6): Mental Health Workers (McLean) 3686
013 – 1(6): District Education Authorities (Tootoo) 3687
Reply to Opening Address 002 – 1(6): June 4, 2003 (Anawak) 3687
121 – 1(6): The Nunavut Arctic College Annual Report – 2001-2002 (Thompson) 3701
122 – 1(6): Nunavut Tourism Business Plan 2003/2004 (Akesuk) 3701
123 – 1(6): Response to Petition 006 – 1(6) – Unfair Rent Scale (Clerk) 3701
026 – 1(6): Minister’s Statement 167 – 1(6) to COW (Anawak) 3658
027 – 1(6): Extensions to Bill 36 An Act to Amend the Worker’s Compensation Act and Bill 37 An Act to Amend the Liquor Act (Tootoo) 3702
028 – 1(6): Tabled Document 117 – 1(6) Utility Rates Review Council Report to the Minister and 118 – 1(6) Executive Summary Annual Report of the Nunavut Power Corporation to Committee of the Whole – Notice (Tootoo) 3702
028 – 1(6): Tabled Document 117 – 1(6) Utility Rates Review Council Report to the Minister and 118 – 1(6) Executive Summary Annual Report of the Nunavut Power Corporation to Committee of the Whole (Tootoo) 3702
Speaker: Good afternoon Members, Mr. Premier and the people in the gallery.
Minister’s Statement 168 – 1(6): Pond Inlet Playground
Mr. Speaker, I would like send my good greetings to the people of Sanikiluaq and my wife Alice.
I will be my Minister’s Statement in English.
(interpretation ends) I would like to share a story of government and community working together.
The Department of Public Works & Services is a service department, providing assistance to Government of Nunavut departments and agencies.
But as the staff in Pond Inlet have shown, they are also there to serve Nunavummiut.
The staff of Public Works & Services in Pond Inlet have joined with school staff and parents to volunteer their time to erect that playground so the children of Pond Inlet will have a safe place to gather and play.
Since it is in a centralized location, it will also serve as a community playground.
In addition, basketball hoops will be erected around the Nasivvik High School.
Mr. Speaker, this is an example of how our staff not only serves the community as Government of Nunavut employees, but more importantly, as members of a healthy community.
Minister’s Statement 169 – 1(6): Training for Nunavummiut for Health Sciences
Mr. Speaker. There are a growing number of positions within the health sciences that depend on Nunavummiut for delivery.
Community Health Representatives are the backbone of health promotion and health education in Nunavut.
Clerk/Interpreters make the vital connection between community and medical services, and our growing contingent of nursing students is opening up opportunities for Nunavummiut in that profession.
I have good news on each of these fronts.
Through cooperation with Arctic College and the Nunavut Housing Corporation we have been able to use existing funds to deliver the CHR course in Pangnirtung this year.
Our goal is to attract at least 10 CHR students who will enrol in the program in September and graduate in June 2004.
I encourage people from throughout Nunavut to apply, especially from the Baffin region where we currently have six Baffin communities that are without CHRs.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, we will have the opportunity to partner with Arctic College this year to continue the good work of the Interpreter/Translator program in delivering the medical terminology modules to existing CHRs and clerk interpreters beginning in January 2004.  And finally, Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut Nursing Program continues to grow and the Department has been able to provide support for the final year of that program.
All of this training is from within the Departmental budgets and represents the transfer of skills and the development of professional staff to serve Nunavut over the coming years. We are grateful to the partnerships provided by Arctic College and the Nunavut Housing Corporation in these programs and to the members of this Assembly for your continuing support.
Minister’s Statement 170 – 1(6): Northern Cooperation Agreement
During the past 6 months the three northern territories have developed a closer working arrangement and have cooperated to the benefit of all northerners.
This was demonstrated when Canada agreed to provide an additional $60 million dollars to the north as part of the Health Care Renewal Accord.
The additional funds would not have been made available if the Northern Premier’s did not cooperate and together reject the proposed Health Accord in January 2003.
I thank the efforts and cooperation of my colleagues, Premier Kakfwi of the NWT and Premier Fentie of the Yukon.
This example of cooperating clearly demonstrated that when we work with our northern colleagues, together we achieve more.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advise the House that in September I intend to sign a Northern Co-operation Accord with the NWT and the Yukon.
This accord is to be signed in Cambridge Bay.
Nunavut will acknowledge the ties of history, geography and peoples and the unique circumstances of the North.
The three Territories have mutual concerns respecting matter of economic development, political evolution, aboriginal rights and environmental and social framework.
(interpretation) Within the NWT and the Yukon we wish to explore opportunities to share information, to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to find common voice in a northern agenda.