EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Over the past two years, my department has supported several successful initiatives to increase utilization of sealskins within Nunavut.
These include a seal leather pilot project, a dressed sealskin retail pilot project, and two dressed sealskin sales hosted by the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association here in Iqaluit.
We have also been active in promoting our Dressed Sealskins for Nunavummiut Program here in Nunavut and supporting the efforts of the Nunavut Fur Guild, featured in the 2011 Nunavut Designers catalogue.
Outside the territory, we promoted Nunavut sealskins at fur industry trade shows in Montreal and Beijing in 2010 and 2011.
Prices for Nunavut sealskins remain low compared to those preceding the European Union ban, but the recent sale of Nunavut sealskins into the Canadian and Chinese markets is a positive sign that interests are starting to increase for our products both domestically and in China, the world’s largest fur manufacturing market.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to support Nunavut seal hunters and work to ensure that good market opportunities exist for the products of this sustainable harvest.
Minister’s Statement 091 – 3(3): Disability Portfolio Advancement (Aariak)
Good afternoon to my constituents of Iqaluit East.
Mr. Speaker, last March, I had the honour of attending the first ever meeting of provincial and territorial ministers responsible for persons with disabilities in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Since then, I have been working with the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs to move this portfolio forward.
The meeting allowed ministers to consider ways to support the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to improve the lives of people with disabilities through coordinated efforts.
Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to this important meeting and in an effort to advance the disability portfolio in Nunavut, I am pleased to announce that my department’s Social Advocacy Office has established a dedicated disability policy position, which was staffed as of October 25, 2011.
This senior advisor, disability issues position will contribute to the development of Government of Nunavut policies, programs, and legislation to improve the economic, legal, and social status of persons with disabilities.
Mr. Speaker, while my department is the policy lead on the disability file, other departments will continue to oversee the services and programs offered by their respective departments that relate to disabilities.
However, a key responsibility of this position will be to provide a centralized research, analysis, and coordinating function for government departments in relation to disability policy.
This individual will work with government departments and will represent Nunavut in a wide variety of local, territorial, federal government and non-government groups and organizations to jointly identify and address priority issues and concerns.
Mr. Speaker, the creation of this position is a major step forward for the disabilities portfolio in Nunavut.
Including the disability policy file in the Social Advocacy Office will ensure a more structured and holistic response to disability-related issues, which in turn will support the Government of Nunavut’s Tamapta priority of helping those at risk in our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to briefing my colleagues on the future work and developments on issues related to persons with disabilities in Nunavut.
Minister’s Statement 092 – 3(3): National Aboriginal Firefighters Games (Kusugak)
Good afternoon to the people of Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove.
Mr. Speaker, today I would like you to join me to offer congratulations to a select group of firefighters from throughout Nunavut.
Eight of our Nunavut firefighters took part in the National Aboriginal Firefighter Games in Winnipeg.
Mr. Speaker, these individuals are George Aksadjuak and Troy Innukshuk of Rankin Inlet, Frederick Morrison and Jollie Enoogoo of Pond Inlet, Cody Evaloakjuk of Coral Harbour, Randy Idlout of Resolute Bay, Norman Qavvik of Kugaaruk, and Pauloosie Kowmageak of Cape Dorset.
While Team Nunavut might not have been declared the winner in competition among the eight teams overall, their performance was deemed flawless by the judges.
Mr. Speaker, it’s rare in these events that a team would come away with no penalties at all.
That accomplishment earned Team Nunavut the “Most Sportsmanlike Team” trophy.
Congratulations to the firefighters and thank you to all firefighters in Nunavut for the work they do.
Minister’s Statement 093 – 3(3): Arviat Leadership Resiliency Program (Aariak)
Today I would like to speak to my colleagues about a school and community program in Arviat that is helping high school students develop their own personal strengths, build healthy relationships and healthy communities.
This fall, John Arnalukjuaq High School in Arviat will be offering Ungasiktumut Isumaksaqsiujuniq – Taking the Long View Leadership Resiliency Program.
The staff at John Arnalukjuaq High School designed this program and the federal Department of Public Safety will provide $2.2 million in funding over five years for this project.
Mr. Speaker, the leadership resiliency program is supported by the community of Arviat through their interagency committee and the Arviat District Education Authority will provide administrative and operational support for the project.
This project is guided by Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and with a strong focus on working and learning together and passing on life skills and principles for living.
Youth from ages 14 to 19 who are not currently attending school on a regular basis and students who are attending school but not thriving in the regular education programs will be attending weekly sessions focusing on self-development, managing personal and family stress, learning from our elders, and improving the environment in their community.
Once a month, the youth will take part in a high adventure activity, such as sea kayaking or adventure photography, that will help them become more self-reliant and proud of their community.
Mr. Speaker, the leadership resiliency program supports our vision of having individuals, families, and communities in Nunavut that are active, healthy, and happy.
Let us all follow Arviat’s lead.
I apologize. That statement was read as the Minister of Education and not Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Minister’s Statement 094 – 3(3): Improvements to Arts Branding (Taptuna)
In 2009, this government released the Authentic Nunavut brand to bring international recognition to Nunavut’s arts and crafts.
The Authentic Nunavut brand tells buyers that all arts and crafts bearing it are hand made by a Nunavut artist.
It promotes Nunavut works over imitations, makes our arts and crafts recognizable around the world, and adds value for which buyers are willing to pay a premium.
Mr. Speaker, since 2009, Nunavut’s estimated 4,000 artists have purchased Authentic Nunavut tags and stickers from one Nunavut office.
As we look at our programs through a poverty reduction lens, it has become evident that it is time to change the pricing and distribution of Authentic Nunavut tags and stickers.
Mr. Speaker, effective immediately, all Authentic Nunavut tags, stickers, and marketing materials will be available for free to our artisans and craftspeople.
Our partners, the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association and the Nunavut Development Corporation, as well as the regional offices of the Department of Economic Development and Transportation can now accept orders for Authentic Nunavut tags and stickers. We are actively pursuing other opportunities to get the tags and stickers into artisans’ hands in every community.
Mr. Speaker, in Tamapta, we committed to reducing poverty and increasing support for culture and the arts. With this change to the administration of the Authentic Nunavut brand, we are making progress on both commitments.
Item 3. Member Statements.
Member’s Statement 135 – 3(3): Recognition of Silas Tookalook (Rumbolt)
Good afternoon to the people of Sanikiluaq.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the long-standing service of Silas Tookalook to the community of Sanikiluaq.
Mr. Speaker, Silas Tookalook held the fuel contract for the community of Sanikiluaq for the past 35 years.
Many organizations, including our government, stage events to recognize the long-term service of its employees.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Tookalook was not a government employee but I feel his long-term contribution deserves recognition.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Tookalook has decided to end his career in the fuel business. As of 6:00 p.m. on Monday, October 25, 2011, Mr. Tookalook will no longer be providing the service. It will now be provided by the local Mitiq Co-op.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Tookalook on his long career.
Member’s Statement 136 – 3(3): Reflections on Three Years in Office (Elliott)
I rise to reflect on the milestone that we have reached today.
Mr. Speaker, today’s date is October 27, 2011.
October 27, 2008 was one of the most incredible days of my life.
On that date, I was entrusted with the honour of representing the good people of Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, and Arctic Bay in this House.
Mr. Speaker, I vividly remember the range of emotions that I felt three years ago as I contemplated the responsibilities and challenges that lay ahead of me.
Mr. Speaker, the last three years have passed very quickly for me.
I want to take this opportunity today to once again recommit myself to faithfully representing the concerns, priorities, and aspirations of my constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my constituents for their willingness to provide me with their input, suggestions, and recommendations. I could not do my job properly unless I had their support and I look forward to continuing with the open and honest dialogue that I have with them.
Mr. Speaker, as the only Member of the Legislative Assembly whose constituency includes three communities, I have appreciated the understanding of my constituents when circumstances have sometimes not allowed me to travel as often as I would like to.
Mr. Speaker, I consider all three communities that I represent to be part of the High Arctic family.
As with all families, we experience moments of joy and moments of sorrow. I continue to be committed to representing all of my communities with equal passion.
Mr. Speaker, earlier in our sitting, I noted the sign of progress and movement on a number of issues that impact all of my communities.
As we look ahead to the next two years, I will continue to do my best to uphold the solemn Oath of Office that I took three years ago in this very place.
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Elliott, and happy anniversary, I guess.
Member’s Statement 137 – 3(3): Appreciation to Iqaluit Walrus Hunters (Ell)
Good afternoon to the people of Iqaluit West watching the proceedings.
I would like thank the individuals whom we hardly ever mention, the people in my constituency. There were three boats going out on a walrus hunt. On Monday, they provided walrus meat to many Iqaluit residents.
For many years, there have been annual walrus harvests.
Although they don’t like to be recognized, I would like to thank the following people:
On Loasie’s boat:
Loasie Aniknilialik
Moses Attagoyuk
Eegeesiak Shoo
On Jason’s boat:
Jason Aliqatuktuq
Jimmy Noble Jr.
Stephan Noble
On Russel Chislett’s big boat:
Russel Chislett
Gary Eeseemailee
David Kolola
Joshua Mike
Geetaloo Kakkee
Nuna Michael
Iola Shoo
Marcus Chislett
Rick Ningeocheak
I would like to thank the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation for providing the fuel for the hunt.
The hunters also shared in the bounty for their own sustenance and they volunteered their boats for this hunt, as well as donated their time for this walrus hunt, so I extend my sincerest appreciation to these dedicated hunters.
Member’s Statement 138 – 3(3): A Youth Centre for Kugluktuk (Taptuna)
Good morning to Kuglukturmiut.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform the House about a project that my community of Kugluktuk is doing.
As you know, Nunavut has a high percentage of youth in our society and many times, we hear the same criticism that there is not enough for youth to do after school or during the evenings.
Mr. Speaker, my community looked at this need and with the guidance and help of the hamlet staff and municipal leaders, saw an opportunity to convert an unused building originally used for another purpose into a youth centre.
The need for partnership in this project was identified early and so the Department of CLEY was approached. I am pleased to say that the application was successful and the project received funding from the Department of CLEY.
Mr. Speaker, the youth and the hamlet staff did not stop there. Broken Hill Proprietary, also known as BHP Mines, was also approached to donate and support the gym project of the youth centre.
I am happy to announce that BHP will be donating all the gym equipment needed to run a full modern gym that will be used by all community members to enjoy.
Mr. Speaker, the youth centre will allow the opportunities for students to have a place to go and to hang with friends, a place where they can study for school and get additional help for their studies, if needed.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to recognize the good work of the hamlet staff, municipal leaders, students, and the good people of Kugluktuk, which they have done in getting the youth centre project to where it is today Furthermore, I thank the Department of CLEY and BHP for their continued support for this important project.
Minister responsible for the Department of Human Resources, Minister Schell.
Return to Oral Question 163 – 3(3): Government of Nunavut’s Response as per Tabled Document 92 – 3(3) (Schell)
My response to the question asked by Mr. Tapardjuk.
The question was: “…the Auditor General’s report provided recommendation #4. When the government provided a response, it stated that as of March 2011, the Inuit Employment Plan was completed and that it was submitted to the Executive Council of Nunavut. In June 2011, the number of Inuit employees was identified in time for the fall session.
…can the minister provide the information as to when these numbers will be available?
Will it be available after the session and how complex is this report now?”
The response is: the Government of Nunavut, since its beginning, has dedicated itself to achieving a representative qualified workforce.
Human Resources is committed to working with all departments on increasing Inuit employment in the public service through the annual business planning process.
The 2012-15 business plan will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly during the winter session and will include Inuit employment planning, including both short- and medium-term objectives towards increasing Inuit employment.
Minister Schell.
First of all, I would like to recognize family, friends, and mentors of our newest graduate of the new Sivuliqtiksat program and that is Nancy Kisa. Her friends and relatives are Silina Windsor, Annie Pitseolak, Saila Kisa, Walter Morey, and her mentor Barbara Stevens.
I would also like all of us to congratulate our newest Sivuliqtiksat graduate, who is Nancy Kisa.
Nancy is the new Director of Health and Social Services in Rankin Inlet.
She will join the previous Sivuliqtiksat graduates to continue leading us towards a representative government.
I encourage all departments to create success stories such as this by continuing to support the Sivuliqtiksat program.
I also attended the graduation last night and it was very lovely, rewarding, and also very emotional.
Speaker: Thank you. Welcome to the Gallery. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery.
I believe these are the same individuals who were recognized, but they’re my fellow residents.
The mother who was just recognized, Saila Kisa, is a member of the elders’ committee and has been part of many committees and is very active in our community, so I would like to welcome her to the Gallery.
Her younger sister Annie Pitseolak used to live in an outpost camp outside of Pangnirtung but has now returned to Pangnirtung, so I would like to welcome her.
Silina Kisa-Windsor, who also worked at our health centre for social services, I would like to welcome her as well.
I am very thankful to her younger sister Nancy Kisa because she was able to complete her courses.
So please welcome them to the House.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Walter Morey to the Assembly. Enjoy your visit.
I would like to welcome everyone else here who hasn’t been recognized. It’s good to see young people and members of the public joining us for our proceedings.
Question 198 – 3(3): Status of Nunavut’s Language Legislation (Tapardjuk)
I still haven’t received a response from the Minister of Languages, my Annuraaqatik.
Mr. Speaker, as the minister is aware, NTI’s recently released report on the state of Inuit culture and society focuses on concerns about the Inuit language in Nunavut.
NTI’s report notes that “Without an expanding cadre of educated, Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun speaking professionals possessing the requisite skills needed to implement the provisions of the Inuit Language Protection Act, Education Act, and the Official Languages Act... the bilingual society envisioned by Nunavut stakeholders will not materialize.”
Mr. Speaker, can the minister provide a clear update on the plans to bring into force Nunavut’s new Official Languages Act and those sections of the Inuit Language Protection Act which are not yet in force? I would like to get an update from the minister, Mr. Speaker.
Minister responsible for Languages, Minister Arreak.
I also thank my Annuraaqatik for raising that question.
This work has been ongoing since 2008, when the language legislation was passed. Some of these items were initiated immediately and other action items are still being initiated.
Further, this spring, I introduced Uqausivut. We tried to get feedback from interested individuals as to how we could increase the usage of the Inuit language and what people have to say about this issue.
To date, we have received approximately 30 submissions from individuals, regional Inuit organizations, as well as government agencies and non-governmental organizations.
We are trying to implement provisions of the Education Act, but due to the fact that the school year just started, I believe the focus is on reaching either grade 3 or grade 6. We’re trying to move it up to the higher grades until they can reach our legislative requirement.
We are all pushing and encouraging for the usage of Inuktitut.
One of our goals is to have fully fluent Inuktitut speakers take on careers and any profession they want.
We’re trying to urge the hamlets to work with us as well as other government departments to utilize Inuktitut as much as we have asked for.
As a government, we are thankful for what we have received from the NTI report and that it’s now available for the public to read.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister of Languages.
I want a response to this question because I want to understand it regarding the Official Languages Act.
I believe it has already been passed by Canada’s House of Commons. I know that we already passed it in this House.
My question is: when will they initiate the implementation?
I would like a response to that, Mr. Speaker.
As I stated earlier, in the year 2008, when the legislation was approved, these action items were immediately started.
I believe the member, my Annuraaqatik, recalls when it started. To date, there are a lot of items requiring action. We are being cautious by not being hasty in our planning as we want to ensure we have a good plan to implement the legislation at the Department of CLEY.
At this time, work is still ongoing.
Some of the initiatives we introduced this spring that I referred to will be announced later.
The plans include the start dates of these items, but once we have received more response and the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth officials have had time to revamp the plan, it will move faster.
We are making progress and drafting plans to see how we can restart the initiatives to use the Inuit language.
I do recall and understand that some provisions of the Inuit Language Protection Act have been started.
It highlights there exactly which action items with the dates listed.
Mr. Speaker, what I’m trying to ask about is the Official Languages Act, which is the recognition of the official languages in Nunavut. It has been approved both by the territorial legislature as well as the House of Commons, including the Senate.
However, this legislation has not started yet.
When will the Official Languages Act be initiated?
The legislation is in the process of being implemented. As I have stated, we have requested submissions from members, individuals, government departments, corporations, regional Inuit organizations, and any interested party in the communities.
We have received some responses to our request for feedback. As I have stated earlier, we have received over 30 submissions.
This legislation’s implementation has begun, but we would also like to hear actual details as to which aspects of the legislation you feel haven’t been implemented.
If you provide more feedback as to which particular part of the legislation hasn’t been initiated, then I can provide a more detailed response to my colleague, my Annuraaqatik.
I will definitely want to speak to you in private.
Mr. Speaker, the results of the GN Report Card “Qanukkanniq” indicated that, “Despite a powerful mandate that captures Nunavummiut’s cultural vision, and recent initiatives that include the Official Languages Act and Inuit Language Protection Act, the public perceives almost zero delivery by the GN.” Can the minister explain what factors contribute to the public perception that the government is not doing anything to promote Inuit language use as stated in Qanukkanniq?
These are the types of issues that we want to hear about as to which aspects of the legislation we have yet to implement.
We are trying to kick-start the usage of Inuktitut in all areas.  Just recently last month, in September, the Inuit Language Authority became an arm’s-length committee from the government and we gave them the authority to work on Inuit terminology.
In that same month, we also initiated a program for government offices, especially a directive to have more responses sent in Inuktitut and to ensure that Inuktitut is used more often in the workplace, not just in Inuktitut but in any language that they felt most comfortable with.
It was approved last month to begin this month and it has commenced.
We are encouraging workers to use the language of their choice in the workplace and that policy has been approved. We don’t want certain languages to be dominant over other languages.
This has also been approved, but if it has not been publicized enough, we can try to make more announcements.
Question 199 – 3(3): New Licence Plate for Nunavut (Rumbolt)
Mr. Speaker, my questions are about polar bears but not the fat and furry kind. I would like to ask about the thin metal kind, the ones that are currently used as Nunavut’s licence plates.
In August of this year, the minister announced a Nunavut licence plate design contest to replace the polar bear licence plate that has been used on Nunavut’s vehicles since 1999.
The contest closed on August 26, 2011 and I understand that a number of submissions were received.
Can the minister update this House on how many submissions were received and whether his committee of artists has narrowed the submissions down to four finalists?
I appreciate the question from the Member of Hudson Bay.
Mr. Speaker, like he says, the polar bear was in use since 1999. That was a borrowed design from the NWT days.
Of course, for the short answer, there were over 200 submissions for the new design and yes, four of them have been selected.
The minister announced that the four finalists would receive $500 each.
I am sure that those who submitted designs would like to know the results. Can the minister describe the variety of submissions that were received and what factors are causing the delay in choosing the winning design?