EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The implementation of these provisions requires careful considerations. The Office of the Languages Commissioner assessed the readiness of businesses in meeting the requirements of the Inuit Language Protection Act.
It was found that while businesses surveyed generally provide their reception services, signage, advertising, and posters in Inuktitut, few have their brochures or websites in Inuktut, few have prepared a language plan, and most require more information about their specific obligations.
On average, businesses estimated that it would take them about 1.8 years to be compliant with the Act.
Taking stock of these findings, the Department of Economic Development and Transportation awarded a contribution to the Nunavut Economic Development Association to improve communications and training on the requirements of the language legislation.
This resulted in the development of the Handbook: How to Comply with Nunavut’s Language Acts and the delivery of workshops in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to train community economic development officers, who are often the main contact person for local businesses.
These professionals are now better informed and have the tools to assist their community members to ensure a smoother and more successful implementation across the territory.
Since 2013-14 the Department of Economic Development and Transportation has also made funding available to small businesses to help them improve compliance with their Inuit language obligations. However, there have been minimal requests for it to date.
As we start working on the next Uqausivut Language Plan, we will review the program and how to make it more effective.
In consultation with my colleagues, I am committed to prepare for the coming into force of subsection 12(7)(c) of the Official Languages Act and sections 3 to 5, 9, and 10 of the Inuit Language Protection Act by the end of the current fiscal year.
I would like to recognize Ms. Siku Rojas. This bright grade niner is here today from the Iqaluit high school on Take Your Kid to Work Day.
She is my niece and I would like for you to welcome her. One day she wishes to become a politician, so hopefully I have given her a little bit of a taste of what it’s like and please join me in welcoming her.
I would also like to recognize Mr. Thomas Rohner, a Nunatsiaq News reporter.
I would like to recognize a resident of my community Hanna Nookiguak.
She has been an observer/communicator for a very long time.
I would like my colleagues to join me in acknowledging her.
This is the first I have beat my colleague to recognize visitors, as he generally goes first whenever we try to recognize residents from our community.
Mr. Speaker, without further ado I wish to recognize a visitor in the gallery.
This person works in the Arviat hamlet as the operations (interpretation ends) work foreman and public works director, (interpretation) and I believe these two terms are interchangeable.
He is also my maternal cousin, a fellow resident of Arviat, Daniel Kablutsiak. Please welcome him to the gallery and the House.
Member for Arviat South, Mr. Joe Savikataaq.  >>Laughter
Hon. Joe Savikataaq: Is this the bilingual version?
I would like to welcome Mr. Daniel Kablutsiak from Arviat.
He’s the hamlet foreman. I’ll have to elaborate more than my counterpart.
He’s the one that makes sure everyone has water in their house, gets sewage pumped out, gets the snow cleared off the roads in the winter, and he’s the best dust suppression guy to do it.
If communities want to know how to stop their dust, talk to Daniel Kablutsiak. He knows his stuff.
An Hon. Member (interpretation): As usual.
Question 516 – 4(3): The Development of Diabetes in Nunavut (Angnakak)
Ms. Angnakak (interpretation): Hurray!
Thanks for being allowed to go first.
Mr. Speaker, in my statement earlier today I addressed the growing concern of diabetes in the north.
It seems to me that the number of new cases diagnosed is rapidly increasing and it is not clear to us how the Department of Health is responding to this development.
Can the minister provide an update on the rates of diabetes in the territory and indicate whether he would be willing to provide details on the number of cases of diabetes that have been diagnosed in Nunavut over the past ten years?
I would like to thank the member for picking up the torch from where I left off from when I was a regular member. I believe I had asked some questions on diabetes in the past and it was a question that I brought forward into my new role early on.
Just to give the member the direct response to her answer, approximately 4 out of 1,000 or little bit less than.
It has been quite consistent over the last six to seven years. In the last ten years there have been approximately 1,200 cases across the territory of Nunavut.
As I noted earlier, it seems that the number of new cases of diabetes in Nunavut is increasing, but the amount of funding and resources dedicated to addressing this issue does not seem to be increasing.
Can the minister clarify what specific resources and funding allocations have been put in place to address the development of diabetes across Nunavut?
I do beg to differ a little bit on the member’s presumption of ever-increasing numbers. We do have new cases that are identified every year. That being said, the numbers are fairly consistent.
Although one is too many, I recognize that, it is a chronic disease that has been more and more prevalent throughout the country and the world in a lot of jurisdictions.
With regard to funding, it is difficult to identify specific funding to diabetes. There are so many programs that are involved.
I have spoken in the previous week to community health and wellness committees and coordinators that identify issues in their communities that they want to develop programming to focus on.
That is an option for those coordinators to put submissions forward.
There are a number of different healthy living literature and recommendations that we’re continuously promoting through our Healthy Living, including through our website livinghealthy.gov.nu.ca that give people very detailed information on what constitutes a healthy diet.
There are recipe programs. There are lists of healthy food that we recommend on the website. There is also information comparing country food to store-bought food.
When the member is asking me for specific funding numbers, I can’t do that, Mr. Speaker.
We’re taking a very diverse approach to this issue.
In recognition of how it has occurred in other populations that have been introduced to store-bought food, we recognize that that is something and that’s why we work from an educational standpoint so that we can help mitigate the number of cases of diabetes in the territory.
Actually I think I remember in the past there was a specific funding allocation for diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, I have noted from personal experience an extreme lack of services to assist individuals suffering from diabetes to manage and cope with this disease.
In some jurisdictions there are entities such as diabetes medical committees which provide support and education, and I understand in Ontario it’s like up to three weeks they work with individuals who have been diagnosed with diabetes, which provide support and education for individuals with diabetes.
Will the minister commit to setting up similar committees across Nunavut to assist individuals in managing this disease?
I truly do recognize the impact that this diagnosis has had on the member and, through personal experiences, identified that there are some perceived gaps in the level of information through the health centres.
I do want to assure the member that there is information available and if she feels that there’s an individual circumstance that I can look into personally, I will.
That being said, our community health professionals are very well trained to educate people on how to mitigate symptoms to how to adapt their lifestyle to make sure that diabetes doesn’t have a negative impact on their lifestyle.
I’m not sure where the member thinks we get all resources to create all these committees and such. I can’t commit to that right now.
It’s all part of our Healthy Living experience and program provision that the Department of Health has to help educate on what options and what services are available.
Maybe the member wants to write me a formal letter to describe a little bit more how she envisions a committee such as this impacting Nunavummiut.
When the cases are so scattered across the territory, it would be difficult to coordinate such a venture.
Question 517 – 4(3): Community-based Search and Rescue Organizations (Sammurtok, T)
Mr. Speaker, community search and rescue organizations provide an invaluable service to our territory and I applaud the government for continuing to demonstrate its support for these organizations through its annual funding contributions.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, according to the current main estimates, the department allocated $500,000 to community search and rescue organizations for the 2015-16 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2016.
Can the minister tell us today how many community search and rescue organizations did his department provide funding to during the 2015-16 fiscal year?
I agree with the member that search and rescue in each community plays a vital role.
Like I stated before, they’re one organization that you hope you never have to use, but you’re sure happy they’re there when you need them.
As for the amount of funding that has gone, I can’t tell him exactly how much each community got, but we have had searches in every community in Nunavut.
I can just assume from that that each community got money, but as for the breakdown of how much each community got, I don’t have that level of detail.
As a number of my colleagues have previously indicated in the House, community search and rescue organizations continue to struggle to access adequate funding to meet their equipment needs.
While I recognize that each organization is responsible for applying for funding under the department’s Community Search and Rescue Organization Support Policy, I believe that it is important that each community maintain a well-equipped search and rescue organization when possible.
Can the minister tell us today under what circumstances would a community search and rescue organization’s request for funding for mobile equipment be refused?
It’s my current understanding that there is no way right now where the GN buys capital equipment on a regular basis for search and rescue committees.
I know at one time, I don’t know if it’s all but a lot of them were given ARGOs as a piece of capital equipment for searches, an all-terrain vehicle.
As Mr. Rumbolt had asked me earlier about the search and rescue policy, we still haven’t finalized or haven’t signed off yet where we can buy replacement parts for searchers for their private equipment.
I know that some communities run bingos and other fundraising methods to buy their own capital equipment, such as snowmobiles, ATVs, and boats, but as of right now we don’t have a mechanism in place to fund search and rescue committees on a regular basis to buy capital mobile equipment.
Mobile equipment, while long-lasting, ultimately has a limited lifespan.
Community search and rescue organizations will continue to need mobile equipment replacements on a regular basis.
While the government may not always have the funding available to meet these needs, it may have the resources to assist search and rescue organizations to access funding from other venues.
Can the minister tell us what specific discussions, if any, his department has had with its federal counterparts or other organizations to secure funding for community-based search and rescue organizations?
I haven’t had any discussions myself with any counterparts, but I know my staff always has discussions and I know one of the discussions that have been going on is the Coast Guard Auxiliary program to come up to Nunavut.
It is in some communities now and right now within that program, the people in the auxiliary are using their own boats, but I know there have been talks as to how we can acquire boats from the Coast Guard in terms of helping out the Coast Guard Auxiliary in the programs.
We’re just in the very preliminary stages of talking, but I know that these talks are ongoing.
Question 518 – 4(3): Federal Fall Economic Statement (Mikkungwak)
First of all, good afternoon to the people of Baker Lake, all Nunavummiut, and my colleagues.
Yesterday the federal finance minister delivered his fall economic statement.
I want to focus my question today on the federal announcement that $2 billion in infrastructure funding will be provided over 11 years for rural and northern communities.
If my calculator is working correctly, that works out to just a little over $181 million per year.
Mr. Speaker, as the minister will recall, his 2012 Budget Address estimated that Nunavut’s infrastructure deficit was approximately $6 billion, and that figure is almost five years out of date.
Is our minister satisfied with yesterday’s federal announcement?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank Mr. Mikkungwak for that interesting question.
Mr. Speaker, I believe the federal finance minister issued the news release or statement yesterday to get everybody’s attention for the upcoming 2017 budget and he certainly got my attention.
Last year I was in Ottawa and I presented him with two business cases for housing and energy.
My officials and I are working on similar business cases now that I will present to the minister of finance.
There’s no question that that statement yesterday is important, but we don’t have any details.
We still have to get the details to see what he’s referring to, but we’re certainly encouraged by his statement.
The minister sort of led into my first supplementary here.
Yesterday’s federal announcement indicated that one of its priorities will be to fund projects that will, and I quote, “reduce reliance on diesel.”
We all know that the Qulliq Energy Corporation is in urgent need of resources with which to replace aging power plants across the territory.
Can the minister indicate how quickly our government will be making a fresh proposal to Ottawa for funding in this area?
As I indicated, we’re already working on it. There is an opportunity every year when we have our federal-provincial finance ministers’ meeting for us to go down and meet with the finance minister.
Our officials actually meet beforehand, but then the finance ministers meet face-to-face and we have an opportunity to discuss our business cases, outline our issues in Nunavut, and I have been doing that for many years with Minister Morneau as the third federal finance minister.
I’m certainly heartened by their awareness of our issues in the north. We have talked about housing. We have talked about the infrastructure deficit and certainly our energy deficit.
Last year we did put a proposal on the table for $250 million for energy.
Although we didn’t get anything, much like everybody else, we have to lobby to make our case.
We will be doing that again, especially in light of the recent announcement by the Prime Minister about carbon taxes and carbon pricing.
Mr. Mikkungwak: Mr. Speaker, as one of my predecessors used to say, it’s no secret that there are no roads connecting Nunavut to the south, and we are highly dependent on air travel.
Earlier in our sitting we spent several days considering the proposed capital estimates of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation and significant attention was paid to the need for new and upgraded airport infrastructure, including for example improvements to Baker Lake’s airport.
As I have pointed out on several occasions, the recent federal report of the Canada Transportation Act Review Panel recommended new investments in airport infrastructure in Nunavut.
Will the minister ensure that Nunavut’s submissions to the federal government take into account this issue?
Being a finance minister is a very challenging position and I listen to you all and to my colleagues as well.
Everybody is looking for additional funding for their communities and for our territory, and I’m no different than anyone else.
I do acknowledge that there is a huge infrastructure deficit; municipal infrastructure, private sector infrastructure. I could stand here for hours and talk about it all. There is just not enough money to go around.
If the Minister of Finance Canada is signalling about his upcoming budget, I’m going to signal about our upcoming budget.
We have been working very hard on this side about our budget for quite a while.
In 2017 we’re going to have to be very prudent about the funding we do have.
I’m very heartened again, as I said, with the minister of finance.
I’m going to ask him for additional help for Nunavut.
As we saw last year, they cut us back on our Territorial Formula Financing. That’s going to cost us $40 million over the current and next two fiscal years. We’ve got some other additional cutbacks because of slower growth.
We had a school burn down in Cape Dorset and that’s costing us money. It’s tough all over.
It’s no different in Nunavut.
My colleagues of course meet with their counterparts in Ottawa and the Premier meets with the Prime Minister at various meetings, and all of us make our cases why we need additional help in Nunavut to address our housing and infrastructure issues.
“Invest in Nunavut,” I have been saying it for years. I can go a long way back to my days as mayor and president of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities.
Invest in Nunavut and then we can return investments in southern Canada and increase the Gross Domestic Product. It creates jobs for Nunavummiut and Canadians.
If we can get that message across, I think it would be very good for all of us in Nunavut.
Question 519 – 4(3): Government of Nunavut Responses to Resolutions Adopted at the 2016 Annual General Meeting of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (Akoak)
As the Premier will recall, the 2016 Annual General Meeting of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association was held last month in Cambridge Bay.
A number of MLAs were able to take part in the meeting, and I had the privilege of tabling the adopted resolutions. There are eight of them there from the AGM earlier in our fall sitting.
Can the minister indicate which department has been assigned to coordinate the Government of Nunavut’s formal responses to the resolutions?
Mr. Speaker, I did attend the KIA AGM and I did a presentation there. I was quite pleased that there were a lot of participants and a lot of passion about what’s happening in the Kitikmeot specifically with the Inuit.
Mr. Speaker, I can’t answer his question at this point, but I’ll certainly get back to him on what resolutions pertain to exactly which departments.
There are a number of different departments that were affected and I will certainly get back to him with a definitive answer on that.
One of the resolutions that were adopted at KIA’s recent annual general meeting concerned the Grays Bay Road and Port Project.
On September 21, 2016 our Member of Parliament asked a question in the House of Commons concerning this project to the federal Minister of Infrastructure.
In his response, the federal minister stated that the project, and I quote, “is not at the stage where it can move forward.”
Can the Premier indicate today how the GN will be responding to the resolution that was passed at KIA’s AGM concerning the Grays Bay Road and Port Project?
I again thank the member for that question. It’s certainly one of the questions that I can answer.
Mr. Speaker, we did submit to the federal government on the project along with three others and I am glad to say that two projects were approved in the past and they’re going into the construction phase.
For the Grays Bay Road and Port we just signed an MOU on July 9 with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association on working together to try to move that project forward. We do need a lot of federal assistance for the project to move forward.
Mr. Speaker, although we’re waiting for phase 2 of the federal government’s budget cycle, we have been modifying our proposals to suit their requirements and the criteria requested by the federal government.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to modify and do whatever we can to move the file forward.
Mr. Speaker, another one of the resolutions that were adopted at KIA’s recent annual general meeting concerned air services to the Kitikmeot.
I anticipate that when the government responds to this resolution, it will provide an update on the federal Competition Bureau’s investigation into the codeshare agreements between the airlines that serve our communities.
Can the Premier tell us today if he has any news regarding the Competition Bureau’s investigation into the codeshare agreements?
I don’t have the actual facts of what the Competition Bureau is doing at this point, but everybody is aware the codeshare arrangement that the airlines had, including in the Kitikmeot.
In the Kitikmeot there are over 400 seats that were lost for weeks, so it was very difficult for the smaller communities to get transportation in and out of their communities.
I can’t speak on behalf of what the Competition Bureau is going to be doing. I don’t fully have all the facts within my office, but once I do have that we will certainly share it with the members.
Question 520 – 4(3): Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation (Enook)
Mr. Speaker, the new Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation was established earlier this year.
The Premier and the Minister of Education sit on its board of directors alongside the president and vice-president of NTI and the heads of the three regional Inuit organizations.
The Premier made a Minister’s Statement on this new entity during our sitting of March 16, 2016.
Can the Premier update us today on how many meetings the board of directors has held since he last updated the House back in March?
Mr. Speaker, on March 5 there was a signed agreement to the lawsuit that NTI had done for the federal government.
There is an agreement between the three parties involved, the Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, and of course the Government of Canada.
Within that agreement it is articulated that the Nunavut Inuit training corporation be established.
As the member has indicated, I do sit on the board, the Inuit training corporation, which is called Makigiaqta, and of course Minister Quassa, Minister responsible for Education and Nunavut Arctic College, we both sit on that.
Mr. Speaker, since that time we’ve had two board meetings, one January 19 of 2016 and June 1 of 2016.
The Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation was established based on the settlement agreement that was reached in relation to NTI’s lawsuit against the federal government.
Its mandate is to “provide training and skills acquisition programs to Nunavut Inuit for the purpose of enhancing the ability of Inuit to qualify for, obtain, retain or advance in employment.”
Can the Premier indicate today when he will be tabling the corporation’s current budget and strategic plan?
As the member of the board of directors, we do participate in the discussions.
At the last discussion of June 1 we did come up with a strategic plan that includes eight priority areas. Mr. Speaker, we also formed an advisory council to assist us in training proposals or any type of training that we want to include.
I did my Minister’s Statement this afternoon on the extra $40 million we received through that process. That’s going to help us out because in the past we could not make multi-year plans that were suitable for Inuit training.
Now with this we do have an opportunity to train Inuit in professional positions.
When I say “professional positions,” I mean we need biologists, we need doctors, we need more nurses, and we need scientists and engineers. In the past it was very difficult to do that.
Not only that, we really hope that we can get more Inuit involved in governments.
We need more policy advisers and policy analysts, and there’s no doubt that once an Inuk is trained in that, they would be working the next day in any government, including NTI.