EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I would like to give a special thanks to Glen Brocklebank the high school teacher in Chesterfield Inlet and his dear wife for all the hard work that they give in the community.
Member’s Statement 158 – 2(4): Inuksuk High School Graduates (Picco)
This past weekend we saw one of the largest graduating classes ever from Inuksuk High School here in Iqaluit. Seven of the students will be going on to post-secondary studies here in Nunavut and down south.
As a parent of one of the graduates, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the good work, support, and encouragement shown to the students by the staff and to the 35 graduates, on behalf of your parents, family, and friends, congratulations on your accomplishments.
We wish you the very best.
Many of the graduates spoke during the ceremonies. Several mentioned that they were the first in their family to graduate. What an accomplishment.
They also mentioned and thanked their parents for helping them get up in the morning.
And as parents that’s a major role that we have to play - is to support our children and young people.
Again, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House, parents, and families, congratulations to the 35 graduates from Inuksuk High School.
Member’s Statement 159 – 2(4): Banning of Incandescent Light Bulbs (Curley)
I rise today to state to the House that Nunavut has probably the longest period of darkness during a particular time of the year, and it’s really unlike any other parts of the provinces where serious greenhouse emissions are occurring.
We expect our government to be introducing a step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Nunavut, and one of them is to make it illegal to buy a light bulb that we have used for quite a while now.
I consider that to be a good publicity stunt that we would be reducing our contribution towards the national average. And when we do compare our national average, it’s really very insignificant.
Mr. Speaker, to make the incandescent light bulb illegal in Nunavut is going to have a tremendous impact on our people who have no garages or workshops.
There are many more people depending on these flood lights to work on their machines and everything else outside of their places, more so in the high arctic and so on.
So I’m wondering why this government is duplicating the national government’s step.  They announced the other day, last week I believe, that they will be introducing national standards to make it illegal and ban incandescent lights by 2012.
The minister should not proceed with spending money when the national government is so into the sharing the provinces and contribute towards that.
The minister should actually proceed first in making sure that the new technology he plans to introduce actually works because it will have an impact not only the commercial providers but also people who have no luxury of having a warm place.
These new fluorescent lights do not actually work in cold temperatures.
Member’s Statement 160 – 2(4): Addressing Mental Health (Peterson)
I rise today to address an issue that affects all of us, as a community, as a society, and as a territory. That issue is mental health.
Mr. Speaker, mental health is something that affects every part of our daily lives.
How we feel inside can make a big difference to our physical health, to the way we interact with other people, to the way we do our jobs, and to the way we deal with life’s challenges.
Mr. Speaker, when we feel that our physical health is threatened or vulnerable we have the option of going to our local health centre and being seen by a qualified health professional such as a nurse or a doctor.
These professionals are there to help assess and diagnose a problem, an illness, or a disease, and to prescribe a course of action to put us back on the road to good health.
Mr. Speaker, mental health and physical health go hand in hand. One intimately affects the other.
Mr. Speaker, I believe it is important that individuals, who feel that their mental health is at risk, have reasonable access to trained and qualified professionals who can help them work towards resolving their problems.
Mr. Speaker, it often seems that we are more open about what can affect our physical health than we are about what affects our mental health.
Even in this House we can openly discuss things like cancer, infectious diseases, disabilities, or diabetes. But we are less comfortable raising issues such as substance abuse, depression, mood disorders, or schizophrenia.
Mr. Speaker, think of how difficult it is for an individual or concerned family member to come forward and seek help for a mental health issue. Staff and resources must be available and accessible in our communities so that there are no additional barriers for individuals to have their mental health problems addressed.
Mr. Speaker, last week a number of groups and individuals met in Cambridge Bay for the Healing through Sharing conference to exchange ideas and information relating to the awareness and treatment of mental health issues.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the Department of Health and Social Services in its efforts to improve programs and services for addressing mental health issues in Nunavut.
Member’s Statement 161 – 2(4): Sanikiluaq Youth Committee (Kattuk)
Before I rise to make my statement I would like to send my greetings to this individual who is my birthday buddy in Sanikiluaq.
I rise today to express my gratitude to the Sanikiluaq Youth Committee.
This youth committee takes many young people out camping and they take care of these younger people while they are out camping.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my gratitude to the elders who do the instructing, especially Mina Inuktaluk, Sarah Kudluarok, Johnny Tookalook, Johnassie Iqaluk, and Mary Iqaluk.
For a few weeks, these elders take care of youth out on the land.
Member for Rankin Inlet south and Whale Cove, Ms. Brown.
Member’s Statement 162 – 2(4): Literacy Council Event in Rankin Inlet (Brown)
I rise today to announce the developments from last month, and also in April, there were Hamlet Days and Akallak Days. There were different kinds of activities and they had some dog team races.
What I’d like to say at this time, (interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, last month, there was a very exciting event happening with the Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament, which took place in Rankin Inlet.
Many people from everywhere came to Nunavut from Nunavut and far away places, which brought well-known northern personalities, such as our own Premier from Nunavut, our very own Minister of Education who has a CD, Mayor of Rankin Inlet, Lorne Kusugak, and a story teller, Arvaluk Kusugak.
Celebrities who came to Rankin Inlet were radio personalities such a Sheila Rogers, actor Jonathan Torrens, award-winning author and teacher, Joseph Borden, who wasn’t on my team, award-winning magician, Pauny Kaldor, and Mike Stevens, Peter Gzowski’s daughter Alison, and some of the well-known Inuit artists, hip-hop and rap artists, Taqalik Partridge from Kuujjuaq, and Geronimo Inutiq from Clyde River, also from Iqaluit.
(interpretation) During the golf game, they were way ahead of us.
For example, the Minister of Education, they were very slow compared to us, so it was kind of inconvenient, even though we wanted to finish ahead of time, they slowed us down, like Minister Picco.
I just want you to know that this is very important for a literacy project within Canada, and they try and fundraise...
Speaker (interpretation): Madam Brown, your time is up.
You can ask for consent to complete your statement.
Hon. Levinia Brown (interpretation): My apologies, and thank you.
The member is asking for unanimous consent to conclude her statement.
Hon. Levinia Brown (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues.
I’d like to thank and recognize the people who organized this, Sandy Kusugak and Kim Crockett, and all the staff and volunteers who work for literacy.
This was a very worthwhile cause and one of the people who prepared it was David Clark, who had to prepare the golf course and it was lots of fun.
We heard that the money they raised was over $6,000.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Madam Brown.
Member’s Statement 163 – 2(4): Support for Homeowners (Barnabas)
I rise today in regard to the homeowners.
They don’t have too many opportunities, for example, they are not recognized by the banks when they want to borrow money because the unit they live in doesn’t have market.
They can’t move to social housing.
Once the homeowners move, there is no assistance for maintenance or operations, so they spend a lot more.
For that reason, they can’t move to another unit, and this is not acceptable.
Maybe at the appropriate time I will be raising those questions to the Minister of Housing.
Speaker (interpretation): My colleagues, (interpretation ends) I am pleased to draw the members’ attention to the presence in the Gallery of the visiting Parliamentary Interns from the House of Commons.
These young Canadians are participants in a prestigious national program. They are in Iqaluit this week for their study tour. The participants are:
Lindsay Aagaard, from Newmarket, Ontario
Jason Bisanz, from Edmonton, Alberta
Erin Crandall, from Moncton, New Brunswick
David Rancourt, from Sherbrooke, Quebec
Laura Smith, from Chatham, Ontario; and
Daniel Sampson, from Saint-George-de-Beauce, Quebec.
Speaker: Thank you. (interpretation) Item 5.
It gives me great pleasure today to introduce to the Gallery one of the candidates in the upcoming federal election, as well as no stranger to this House, a former employee of the Assembly, Mr. Kirt Ejesiak.
Question 196 – 2(4): Benefits of Banning Incandescent Light Bulbs (Curley)
Earlier I stated that the plans that he asked to reduce greenhouse emissions include the banning the long serving incandescent lights from Qulliq Technologies to our current light bulbs.
I wonder if the minister can speak to the House exactly what benefits did the minister have, in terms of percentage of the tonnage that would be reduced per year, because according to the federal estimate there will be about 6,000,000 tonnage per year of reduction with the banning of the incandescent lights.
Does the minister have any figures to support his case to ban such useful incandescent lights?
We’re looking forward to later today, to do the second reading of the bill. I would suggest to the member that I think I’ve already stated in the House that the federal government has come forward with a figure of 6,000,000 tonnes; I believe the member is correct.
We believe in Nunavut, based on greenhouse gas emissions by moving forward we can eliminate up to 1,300 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
I think it’s important that Nunavut communities know exactly what benefits that we’re seeing and also the negative side of this is tremendous I think because the proven technology for the fluorescent lights has not been proven yet in this part of the world.
We are serving the people up here. It is important the minister issue a number of reasons and a case to ban such practice, which the federal government is ulimately going to have a new regulation to ban them, so why duplicate the federal initiative?
I don’t want to get into a debate with the member on a proposed legislation that hasn’t come before the House on second reading.
But, what I would say, very quickly, is that some of the statements that the member has said are partly incorrect and those are several.
Hundreds of households have been using the compact fluorescent light bulbs for the last several years in Nunavut. I know many of the members have them in their houses.
The member, in his statement, said that we were trying to ban lights being used outdoors and so on, and that’s not the case. In regulations, we’ve already said I believe publicly, that people using trouble lamp lights, water lights, other types of incandescent lights will still be allowed.
If we wait for the federal government to pass their legislation - they’ve only announced their legislation, they haven’t passed it. So if we wait for them to do it in 2012, as Nunavummiut, we see global warming and climate change happening, we want to do something here locally in Nunavut.
Just because the federal government has announced something, it doesn’t mean they’re actually going to pass it.
As we know, there may be a federal election this fall.
Surely the minister has some idea of exactly what the benefits are, but he has failed to introduce any figures of exactly how much it would cost to administer the new programs.
He has already made it known through the press that he has planned to ban, and make it illegal to have incandescent lights.
Even if the hunter or outdoorsman is using incandescent lights, will it be illegal for the particular supplier to have to sell these incandescent lights upon the effect of the legislation coming into force?
Will it be so, even if the hunter is able to use it, it doesn’t mean the supplier will have a legal reason to sell a product, is that so?
Hon. Ed. Picco: Mr. Speaker, for the record again, the member is incorrect.
We have never said, in any type of format, that it would be illegal to have the light bulbs.
What we have suggested is what the member has said at the end that we’re looking at the banning the sale of incandescent bulbs.
However, in the regulations of the bill, there will be all kinds of specific uses but you would still have them: outside water lights, for example; in cold porches, for example; trouble lights, for example; in garages, sewing machines, refrigerators, stoves, and so on, Mr. Speaker.
So the member is correct in when he’s saying that we’re looking at banning the sale of the incandescent bulbs.
There will be a timeframe and guidelines within the regulations of the Act at that time.
Again, we have had some public consultation hearings.
The majority of the comments we have heard back have been very positive. We’ve also heard from other jurisdictions in the country on how they’re going to move forward. As we said earlier, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Australia, and Canada have all come out and said they’re doing the same thing.
Nunavut is a little bit on the leading edge here. We believe there’s an opportunity.
So again, when we bring the bill forward we will have an opportunity to debate it.
Mr. Curley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The minister may try to convince Nunavummiut that we’re at the leading edge but we’re not at the leading edge when it comes to research.
There is no proven technology. These fluorescent light bulbs work in warm places at room temperature like this room or households throughout Nunavut but they don’t actually work outside in temperatures below zero.
So for that reason, will the minister undertake to do a proper, leading-edge research in technology and table that report by this fall?
Hon. Ed. Picco: Mr. Speaker, again, I want to make sure that everyone in Nunavut understands what the member is saying. It’s incorrect.
When we say we’re banning the incandescent light bulb, we’re talking about the old light bulb that we see outside and so on.
However, Mr. Speaker, we’ve talked about inside houses using the compact fluorescent light bulb, and we also have LED lights, which won’t be banned. So, for example, in every community that I’ve been in over the last several years, people are using LED Christmas lights that are outside at -40.
Those lights are used everywhere, Mr. Speaker.
We note that those lights will be used. Around the building and outside here in the Legislature during Christmas time - LED lights. So it’s not just one kind of light bulb, Mr. Curley.
So hopefully, the members and public at large will understand that there is no need to be in a type of a scare mode or what have you. LED lights have been used throughout Nunavut and in cold climates not just in Nunavut, and we would be looking at the CFLs mostly in peoples’ houses.
Oral Questions Member for Akulliq, Mr. Mapsalak.
Question 197 – 2(4): Assistance for Widowers (Mapsalak)
I’ve been asked more than once by my constituents for the widows and widowers in my community to illness.
They had lost elders for those that had homeowners and the spouse was working, and then they passed away.
They get stuck in a situation where they’re not able to pay.
Some of them have passed away when they’re less then 60 years old.
Is there assistance to those widows and widowers?
Minister reponsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation, Minister Akesuk.
Yes, we work with the widows and widowers on how we could assist them properly when their spouses pass away.
And we would work with those people that you are talking about so that they are comfortable while they are alone.
I’m talking about the younger generation when they lose their spouses and their spouse was not working.
So this is who I’m talking about. Are you talking about those people?
Is there assistance for those widowers?
Minister for the Nunavut Housing Corporation, Minister Akesuk.
Yes, we are able to help those, even if they are 18 years old and if they have their own home; we would assist them as well.
We deal with them case-by-case and we do assist them.
Thank you, Minister. There are many that listen and many have been in those cases.
Mr. Speaker, I have a supplementary question to the Minister of Housing.
For those who are in situations like that, some of them are totally lost and are not able to get assistance in their communities, even through the housing associations in their communities.  Would they be able to assist those kinds of people?
Would you put those in your policy?
Yes, I’m saying, again, that we would be working with them, and our people would help them as to how we could further assist them once they get to be alone.
We are open to help those people who have their own homes and we are trying to help them with everything we have, for those who have their own homes and as to how best we can assist them
These are pretty hard to deal with at times and we are trying to show them that they are available to assist them.
Maybe the minister could identify where they would go for assistance if they are in that situation.
For those that are homeowners in the communities, they would come to the regional housing association offices. The Housing Corporation is in Arviat for your region so that they could contact them.
Question 198 – 2(4): Status of the Kugluktuk Crisis Shelter (Evyagotailak)
Earlier today I raised the issue of continuous closure of the Kugluktuk Crisis Shelter.
In March, the minister indicated that discussions on this specific issue that were ongoing between her department officials and the hamlet.
Can the minister provide an update on the status of those decisions?
I cannot provide an update on the decisions because there have been no decisions made.
The challenge that we have had in dealing with the women’s shelters’ situations in Nunavut is that there is just not enough funding to accommodate or try and address all the needs that have been identified by various communities to open the facilities in Nunavut
The women’s shelter situation in Kugluktuk was operated by a society, not the government.
The society decided to close because of challenges they had in staffing and so on.
The hamlet has put forth a proposal to operate a facility, but it is four or five times higher than the budget that we had identified. That has been a challenge for us.
I think everyone here knows that this year’s budget was basically zero-based budget. So it has been difficult to accommodate the request at the community level.
But in the interim, the victims of violence in the community are sent to either the Yellowknife or Cambridge Bay facility when the service is required by the victims of abuse.
I would like to thank the minister. I heard in a recent news report that delegations from the Iqaluit woman’s shelter will be attending the national YWCA conference to address issues related to violence against aboriginal women.
Can the minister clarify to this House whether any of her department staff will be attending this important conference? If not, why not?
My department has been involved with many different files around violence against women. First, we are trying to support the woman’s shelter in Iqaluit and working with YWCA. We are in contact with them.
At the same time, I will be hosting a conference in three weeks in Iqaluit on Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Meeting on the Status of Women. One of the subjects is going to be on violence against women. This coming month, we are participating in a conference at a national level, the Aboriginal Women’s Summit.
There are a number of fronts that we’re involved in, not just the YWCA discussion but a number of conferences throughout Nunavut as well as outside of Nunavut to try and address violence against women.
Last December the Premier tabled the Final Report of the Symposium on Violence Against Women that was held here in Iqaluit.
In March the minister indicated that her department would be working on an important plan to address the recommendations from that report.
Can the minister provide an update on the status of that implementation plan?
Some of the recommendations from that report have been dealt with. For instance, we introduced the Family Abuse Prevention Act last sitting. The implementation plans are still being coordinated through the department and will be released some time this summer or this fall.
The former employees of the Kugluktuk Crisis Shelter are concerned. Can the minister give me some good news that I can take home to let those individuals in the community know when the Kugluktuk Crisis Shelter may, once again, be opening its doors?
I guess the good news for Nunavut would be that there would be no violence in Nunavut.
In terms of situations related to opening a shelter, I have nothing to report at this point in time.
I can look to see where my staff are in terms of their discussions.
At this point in time I have nothing new to report other than that. We have been trying to continue that service in Nunavut to the victims of violence through the current shelters that we have in place within the territory and in Yellowknife.
Question 199 – 2(4): Programs and Services for Disabled People (Alagalak)
My question is to the Minister responsible for Disabled People.
Mr. Speaker, last year in December I made a statement to the Minister of Health and Social Services at the House and I heard that they were going to start working on these issues for wheelchairs for the disabled people that have batteries.
I brought them up at the last House sitting. The batteries get low very quickly and very hard to push, and the wheels are too small, especially when there are puddles around on the roads.
This is happening again this spring. Are there any plans as of our last House sitting in this House?
On Wednesday I’ll be tabling a booklet that consolidates all the programs and services that are available to people with disability in the territory; programs that are offered from Nunavut Government, the federal government, and community-based initiatives; and what services are available to people with disability, as the member describes. That booklet will be tabled this week.
In terms of the specific individual situations, I can try to respond to that, but what we do provide is that we try and provide rehabilitation services and support programs to people that are disabled; whether it is through hearing aids, or wheelchairs, and so on.
So those programs and services are available to individuals that require that service.
What she spoke about, the booklet that is going to be tabled in the House, is it from the Nunavut Government, or from other agencies in Canada, or elsewhere?
The booklet that we produced was in partnership with all levels of government. What we tried to do there was consolidate in one information booklet all the services and programs that are available to people with disabilities.
So it was in partnership with the federal government, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, the Government of Nunavut, as well as the communities in trying to consolidate that so that it is easier for people with disabilities to access the services of the various levels of government that offer programs for people with disabilities.