EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Our staff just this past month and part of May reviewed all the programs that are made available to the communities.
Especially for how we can enhance the programs that we currently have and the programs that we grandfathered from the Government of Northwest Territories.
The review has been done already and we are looking at how we can make changes so that we can put out more benefits for the hunters and trappers especially for the sealskin and fur program.
Just this last week the review was done and we are now putting together a report.
I think there were eight programs that were reviewed by the staff of Sustainable Development.
Those are the programs that I made an announcement on earlier.
I do not know when the report is going to be ready but it is going to be soon.
My question will be along the same lines as the first question.
I think the communities are anticipating reading that report that you mentioned, especially the hunters and trappers will want to review the report prior to the trapping season.
Mr. Speaker, we know that there is approximately 22 million dollars that is made available to the welfare recipients and there is only a few dollars for the hunters’ and trappers’ programs.
My question is about this 25 dollars that is put back to the government.
Is it possible for this 25 dollars to be given to the hunters instead of being put back to the government.
In regards to the subject that Mr. Arvaluk brought up, we will have to work closely together and we will have to work closely together with the Minister of Health and Social Services so that we can look at this program.
We will need the help of the regular members when we are doing this review.
I think that we will all have to work closely together so that we can enhance these programs.
I would like you to clearly understand that the fox trappers do not go to the government, do not approach the government in order to get those benefits.
They got one-time assistance when they were putting out new traps, humane traps but now they have to purchase their own traps and they are quite expensive.
They do not even get assistance from the government.
Is it possible for the government to provide free traps to these trappers so that they can get more benefits and become more self-sustaining.
Like I said we have reviewed eight programs and since the member is asking to get this done as soon as possible we will do so.
We are going to be looking at how we can realign these programs so that the trappers reap more benefit from these.
We will be doing a report and recommend some changes so that the trappers will reap more benefit from these.
There were different programs that we reviewed.
I am sure we will not be able to please everybody but we will be doing all we can so that it will become more beneficial to the trappers.
I would want to have a close working relationship with the regular members.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): That is very short.
I would also like to thank the minister for his appropriate responses and we know that of course we would not be able to please everybody out there but there is room for change.
It is something that the trappers enjoy.
It is one of the programs aside from housing and education that the people out there enjoy.
It is also recognition of Inuit and self-sustenance.
I would like to ask the minister when these reports or recommendations will be ready.
I have not had an opportunity to speak to the person who is putting the report together but I will be able to tell the member when this report will be ready.
I would like to make it available as soon as possible because of course it is very beneficial to the people of Nunavut and I would like to see this report made available as soon as possible.
I will be able to tell the member when it will be ready by next week. Possibly at the end of next week, I will tell the member when the estimated report date will be.
Question 218 – 1(5): Meeting with Federal Ministers on Gun Legislation
I want to direct this question to the Minister of Justice.
Ann McMillan from the Federal Government and our Minister met in regards to the problems of Nunavut.
I just want to ask today about gun control and the registration of guns.
I have asked him repeatedly about this before.
There are many people out there that have not been registered and it is hunting season, water foul hunting season out there now, and there are so many people that have not been registered.
I just want to ask if they have met with the Federal Minister on this subject.
We had a discussion on this issue in regards to gun legislation as the Nunavut Government.
We are going through the court system but even if we do not go through the court system we can come to an agreement with the Federal Government.
We have not gone very far yet on this issue but we will be looking at other alternatives so that it will be better for the people of Nunavut in regards to the gun legislation.
I just want to let you know that even while I am at work, even at home they do not have any registration, they cannot purchase any ammunition and they asked me do I have to be registered in order to purchase ammunition.
They say that I have to be registered in order to purchase.
They say because I am not registered with an FAC, can you purchase this for me.
There are many people out there that want to purchase firearms.
They are afraid because they know that they have not been registered.
So, as of today, is everyone going to be receiving any notice on this subject.
I do not know about this because it is Federal Government legislation.
We are opposed to this legislation but the Federal Government initiated it and it has been put in place and there are daily problems with this legislation.
There is not much we can do because it is not Nunavut Government legislation.
We are trying to go through the court system and we told the Federal Government that they should make a change.
We are open to negotiations with the Federal Government and we have told them that we could negotiate without having to go through the court system.
We are in dialogue with the Federal Government and we are looking at how they can exclude the Nunavut residents from this gun legislation.
I had discussed this with the Federal Minister but there is not much we can do as a Nunavut Government because it is a federal issue.
Thank you for your response to some of my comments but I did not get a response to this particular question that I raised.
Although we are aware of the Legislation that was put in place by the federal government, as Nunavummiut we want to get this issue resolved.
I have an FAC so I can buy ammunition from the stores.
Will Nunavummiut get a response from the Firearms Officer in regards to buying ammunition or perhaps Legislation from Ottawa in that regard.
It’s federal legislation, there’s not much we can do and it’s not going through our government.
We have a federal representative, we have a Member of the Parliament, Nancy Karetak.
I think it would be better if you asked her these questions because it’s federal legislation.
The federal government is administering it, you can pose your questions to the federal government because it has nothing to do with the Nunavut Government.
I understand your response but I just wanted to make this clear.
I want Nunavummiut to understand and I appreciate that people are waiting and are being very patient in regards to this issue.
There’s a long process to apply for a FAC as we are aware and I just wanted to make people aware that we are still fighting this issue.
Speaker: Unless the Premier wishes to address the comment we will proceed.
Okay, we’ll move on.
Question 219 – 1(5): Publication of Inuktitut/Inuinnaqtun Books
Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Education about his Minister’s Statement earlier.
It talks about publishing books. I just wondered, he stated that they are published in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun across Nunavut.
The first question that I have for the minister is, where did those books come from.
That’s my only question.
I made it clear in my statement that the Nunavut Teacher Education Program does the publishing of these books.
They are created by the people and the schools across Nunavut.
He said that the elders are involved in the publication of books.
I just wanted to ask the minister, I know that the Teachers’ Education Program provides some assistance and assistance to the elders to publish books but they are given a limited amount of time to participate in these kinds endeavours.
I would like to congratulate the department for assisting people to publish books and I just wondered if this is going to be an ongoing program.
Mr. Speaker, I believe in the saying that if it is written on paper it will stay.
The elders, we will involve the elders as much as possible whether it would be a big program or medium sized program.
The books that have been published, some of the people that are not with us today have also been involved in the publication of these books on traditions and legends.
This will be an ongoing thing to involve the elders.
What we have done now is there is a committee that is involved in development of curriculum in the schools and some of the elders are also involved in Arviat.
Also, this book publishing will be ongoing.
Mr. Speaker, supplementary to the minister.
I appreciate his response.
We were talking about going on a fishing derby and this is what we would like to do. Say if we were to go out on the land today we have different ways of saying things and because we are talking in hunting terms whether you make a hole in the ice all these different terminologies would be used out on the land.
I just wondered whether there has been anything done to develop terms, hunting terms or the weather patterns and working patterns of the men.
Yesterday we put rocks as symbols in a tent ring and we put stones in there to close the tent ring.
When we leave from Cambridge Bay the rocks will be taken back by us to open the tent rings.
These are some things that I use as an example of terminology.
All those symbols and all those terminologies should be developed and I just wondered whether the Department of Education is going to be involved in developing terms such as these.
Your preamble was rather long and we may have as many as five questions there.
Minister would you care to tackle that question.
Hon. Peter Kilabuk (interpretation): I just want to ask the member, out of his questions which one is his original question.
It’s good to have the minister ask me questions instead of me asking a question.
My question is whether there is going to be terminology developed in regards to hunting and weather patterns and stuff like that.
Some of this information has already been included in those books that have been published, such as legends and traditional knowledge of the Inuit people.
The only thing is that the terminology for hunting and weather patterns and stuff like already exists, but I can’t say whether there’s going to be a book published on terminology and stuff.
There are numerous books that are about terminology of traditional Inuit knowledge.
I know that there exist books like that on terminology.
Yes I understand his response, I’m not trying to tell him to publish a terminology of hunters and what not, but I just feel that it’s very important that these terms be published.
Hon. Peter Kilabuk (interpretation): Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The people that are going to be publishing books are given an opportunity to have different subjects in their books.
I can’t say whether they are going to be providing or developing terminology such as the terminology that is used by the hunters.
But like I said, there already exist some books on terminology related to the member’s question.
Question 220 – 1(5): Management Studies & Pre-employment Cooking Programs in Nunavut
I almost forgot my question here this morning.
Mr. Speaker, over the last year or so I found that some of my constituents have journeyed to Fort Smith to take courses from Nunavut Arctic College, two of them being the Management Studies Programs and the other being the Pre-Employment for Cooking.
At this point in Nunavut’s existence, does the minister have any plans to deliver these programs of Pre-Employment Cooking, and Management Studies in Nunavut.
Yes, as a matter of fact over the last year, we have run pilot projects in different regions and we will continue to look at this and also at the same time, we are looking at the other types of courses that are being offered in the other jurisdictions as part of the review.
So yes we are looking at doing something for Nunavut but as it is now, it is still under review and we are running pilot projects.
It’s nice to know that his department’s doing a review of the programs and services that are run outside of Nunavut by Nunavut Arctic College.
Mr. Speaker, I know we all have hotels in our communities, there’s probably a hotel with cooking facilities in every community.
Would the minister consider or maybe advise or talk to Arctic College about running Pre-Cooking Courses in communities, rather than send people way off to Fort Smith.
As a matter of fact that is something that has been done in some communities already and it is something that we are more than willing to work with the communities if the community identifies the need for such courses.
As it is now, a lot of the programs at the Community Learning Centres are run with third party funding and a lot of the courses have been run based on the needs identified by the community.
Uqaqti, it is good that the minister has given me the answers I want.
Is part of the reason these courses and students are being sent to Fort Smith and I think some of them are being sent to Hay River, for heavy equipment courses.
Is the reason these students or individuals taking these courses are being sent out because of the accommodations or lack of accommodations in Nunavut.
A few factors are taken into consideration.
One of them would definitely be the cost and the resources available for that region for that time.
However, Mr. Speaker, we are fully aware that providing the training and the workshops in the communities are the best models because records have shown that we have a much higher success rate when the courses are offered in the communities.
We have had discussions with different partners and also we continue to provide Student Financial Assistance for courses being offered outside of the communities.
We are taking a very serious look at this and hopefully with the pilot projects that have run and will continue to run for a while we can set something more concrete in the near future.
Question 221 – 1(5): M’Clintock Channel Polar Bear Quota and Survey
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Sustainable Development.
As you are aware the quota was cut in the M'Clintock Channel in the Kitikmeot area.
Mr. Speaker, as the minister knows when we met with the municipality and also the HTO, for example in Gjoa Haven, one of the islands by Uqsuqtuq is where the Inuit go polar bear hunting.
Because the quota was cut, they were wondering if they could go polar bear hunting in that area and in the spring the helicopters and the twin otters go to that area.
The HTOs and the community have been requesting this after the quota was cut in the other area.
There is a noise, they were worried about the noise pollution because of the polar bears, I was wondering what kinds of plans the minister has in regards to the concerns of Inuit. Are you going to disallow polar bear hunting there.
Yes, we are still working on this issue and the surveyors are still conducting surveys on the polar bears so we can look into it again if the communities are concerned about the helicopters.
I will be meeting with the HTOs from the three communities next week so we can discuss this further on May 23rd in Cambridge Bay.
Yes, we can discuss this further in regards to that concern and also in regards to polar bear management.
And thank you for your response.
Mr. Speaker, when we were still under the GNWT and I was the mayor of the hamlet council, we were getting our licenses from the Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife.
The hamlet has asked me to ask if we can stop allowing helicopters into that area and also aircraft.
We have no authority to stop the use of these helicopters.
According to the communities’ wishes they want to stop the use of helicopters and aircraft.
What kind of authority do you have if our communities want to stop the use of helicopters and aircraft with your authority, where would you go to stop the use of these.
Speaker: Minister, just before you answer that question, that long question.
I have just been given the signal that we have about a little less than 25 minutes left in question period.
I know we do not have clocks here in this chamber.
Just to let you know there was about a little under 25 minutes left.
In regards to the heritage issue.
This is not my department and I cannot respond to that.
Perhaps the Minister for Culture, Language, Elders and Youth can respond to the heritage part of the question to stop the use of helicopters and aircraft in the M'Clintock Channel.
Speaker: Members, just a reminder and a caution that when the question started and it is directed toward a particular minister, the line of questioning has to stay with that minister and the minister does not necessarily have the right to pass the question onto another minister.
So at this point Mr. Puqiqnak, if you would like to continue your line of questioning to the same minister, please proceed.
I will make my question brief.
It is now clear that I believe since you are the minister of that department, I believe that your department is responsible for the surveys.
According to my belief you have that responsibility and jurisdiction on that.
I apologize to the member when he mentioned the word heritage since I am not responsible for that, I am sorry for trying to give the question to another minister.
In regards to stopping the survey even prior to the completion of the survey.
We are going to use the Inuit and they will be involved in the survey.
If we were to stop the survey we will just be estimating the numbers of the polar bears.
The scientists and the Inuit will have to work together in order for the survey to go well.
We have to use both, not just Inuit and not just scientists.
The scientists and the Inuit people will have to work together in order to come up with clear numbers so the survey can go ahead properly.
Question 222 – 1(5): Update on Court Challenge to Gun Legislation
Just after we were elected back in 1999, I know that we all understand, but the residents of Nunavut, not just in Nunavut, they are going through hardship because of the gun legislation.
The Minister for Justice said that he would work very hard on the very first day of our Assembly.
That is what he said and later on, Mr. Speaker, we were questioning him in regards to the gun legislation and because it is in the courts he said that he could not respond to it.
Yes, this has been a barrier.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask that since this issue is in the courts now, could you update as to what is happening with the courts in regards to this issue.
Yes, I know that no matter what community you come from in Nunavut they are against the gun legislation.
The only way we can be excluded is through the courts.
NTI and the Nunavut Government are lobbying the federal government so we can be excluded because this is not our statute.
We spoke to the minister of the federal government to see if the act could be amended for Nunavut residents according to the land claims.
We let them know what it states in the land claims but the only way we can be excluded is through the courts.
So that is what has been happening now. Courts are an entity unto themselves and they are not run by the government.
Perhaps next year the Supreme Court will deal with it.
But we have no jurisdiction in the court system.
I knew what the response was going to be when I posed that question.
But at the time, when the gun legislation was brought forward we were told that there would be assistance given to the people who would be applying for their licenses so they could fill out their applications and be able to buy guns and ammunition.
We were told there was going to be assistance provided.
What is the situation now.
That is a problem that we have today I am sure.
There are a lot of problems out there.
It is not Nunavut Government legislation.
I can’t respond to what is happening with the gun legislation.
Possibly the best thing you can do is to call the Nunavut MP.
I do understand both sides of the issue, but Mr. Speaker, the usual response we get is that it is federal government legislation, it is not ours.
I understand that since it is not Nunavut Government legislation then it doesn’t apply to me.
Mr. Speaker, since it is not Nunavut Government legislation then it doesn’t apply to us.
That’s what we are trying to do.
That’s why we are taking the federal government to court so we can be excluded from this legislation.
As Inuit it shouldn’t apply to us.
That’s why we are going through the court system so that we will be excluded.
We are working with Nunavut Tunngavik to get excluded.
We did not create this legislation, it comes from the federal government.
Mr. Speaker, then I would like to ask another question.
I understand that we are taking the federal government to court.
Mr. Speaker, with the first legal battle, can we be informed about what is happening to date.
Is this going to take a long time or what has happened to date.
To my knowledge anything that is taken to court takes a long time to prepare, to gather the information that is required, the impact that it has on the Inuit.
You have to gather all the documentation and get the case reports together.
I can’t tell you when they will be ready but we are working closely with Nunavut Tunngavik.
When we know we will give you an update, once we get the information that we need.
Question 223 – 1(5): Review of Income Support Programs
I will be directing my question to the minister responsible for income support.
I would like to ask if there are going to be any changes made to the policies.
We initiated a review of the income support program.
The report and the recommendations will be tabled in the House while we are here in Cambridge Bay.
The Honourable Peter Kilabuk.
I forgot to mention the name of the appropriate minister.
I will pose my question to the Honourable Peter Kilabuk.
With the income support policies that apply to the people of Nunavut, what has been done to date and will you be tabling these recommended changes during the sitting.
Mr. Speaker, I told him that he forgot to mention my name, but in regards to the information that will be tabled, everything will be outlined and his questions will be answered in that tabled document.
If I could ask the member to wait for the tabling of this report, I would suggest that he pose his questions at that time.
Just before we move on, we have approximately 10 minutes left in question period.
Next on the list we have Mr. Arvaluk.
Question 224 – 1(5): Dock in Chesterfield Inlet
I would like to pose my question to the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Jack Anawak.
The minister is well aware that we build a docking facility in Chesterfield every year and it costs approximately 40 thousand dollars annually to reconstruct this docking facility.
It is the architectural work and the actual labour costs.
The minister is well aware that we have been doing this for quite a number of years.
Are there any projects in the capital plans to build a docking facility in Chesterfield Inlet located where the residents would like it.
As an Inuk I do not like the word honourable, it’s a little bit pretentious for me.
We don’t have anything in the works in the capital plan but starting from this summer, and since the creation of Nunavut, the Coast Guard will be providing funds to the people of Nunavut so that they can do these types of work.
Building docks and so on.
I think there is approximately 500 thousand dollars that will be given to Nunavut on an annual basis.
We do not get any money at this time, but once we start getting these outside funds we will be doing works such as building docking facilities.