EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We should go play hockey there again in the near future.
Are there any other Members’ Statements?
Member's Statement 402 - 1(5): Shelters Need to Incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome my colleagues back to Iqaluit.
To add to Mr. Nutarak’s remarks we are in support of preventing violence and the abuse of children, women or men.
No one should ever be subjected to violence or abuse.
I agree with his statement and wish for the issue to be understood.
One time a person, a man came over and talked to me about his wife leaving him to go to a shelter.
He wanted assistance and I called the shelter on his behalf to see if there could be counselling arranged for the both of them.
I was told by the shelter employee that they dealt only with women and did not involve themselves with the men at all.
In the past, according to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, when couples were having problems elders were made available and they were able to talk to the couples.
This is what Mr. Nutarak was getting at and it is a heavy subject.
This is not about taking the side of one gender or anything like that.
It is about getting to the root of the problem and treating all equally.
We don’t want any child, woman or man subject to any abuse.
Please start using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in these situations.
Any further Members’ Statements.
Mr. Speaker, it is my very great pleasure today to introduce several people in the gallery. First of all, a lady that needs no introduction, she’s involved right now in the very ambitious project called “The People”, an IMAX film that she has been working on for a long time.
She’s well known throughout Nunavut, Mrs. Ann Hanson in the gallery.
Next to Ann Hanson, Mr. Speaker, a long time former resident of Nunavut, right now she is working as a mortician in B.C. and I can’t fail to say Mr. Speaker that the work of an undertaker in B.C. right now is quite dead which is good for Val.
So I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms. Val Haas back to Iqaluit and back to Nunavut and good luck with your meetings over the next couple of days on the IMAX film project.
I would also like to welcome to the gallery several people who were at my meeting last night, one being Mr. Marcel Mason who is in the gallery and who articulated very well concerns with open pit and open garbage burning in the community of Iqaluit.
Also another gentleman who was in the meeting last Mr. Alfred. Alfred attends most meetings in Iqaluit and I would like to welcome Alfred to the gallery.
I would also like to take this opportunity to give a special welcome to a very important person in our community, respected elder, Mr. Celistine Erkidjuk.
Thank you Mr. Erkidjuk.
I would like to also recognize an individual who was in charge of the department that I was working in previously.
We both dealt with the issues of abused persons for many years, Val Haas.
I would like to recognize an Iqaluit resident who was raised in my constituency.
I often see this individual in my travels so I would like to recognize Matthew Akavak who is in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to recognize a couple of people here in the gallery.
One is a young lady here that works with QIA and is very involved in the development of youth and pushing the goals of youth to get programs and services.
Not only here in Iqaluit but all through the Baffin Region.
Christa Henderson.
Also Mr. Speaker, someone in the gallery that does a lot to go out of her way to try and assist people in need when she can through her work and that is Eva Onalik from Canadian North.
Members at this point I would like to pass along our condolences to the family of Mr. John Quirke, Clerk of the Assembly.
John’s wife Annie’s mom passed away earlier today.
Naki Ekho was a well-known and respected elder who passed away early this morning.
Are there any oral questions?
Question 401 – 1(5): Language Plans for Six Months
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask a question.
During my Member’s Statement earlier, I spoke about the promotion of language in Nunavut.
We often talk about Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in the House and within the government.
There is a lot more to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit than it sounds.
It also involves respect and culture and our language, our social issues.
I would like to ask the minister what specific things his department plans to do in the next six months to strengthen Inuktitut in the Kitikmeot communities, especially in the Kitikmeot communities.
What is his department doing to strengthen Inuktitut in Nunavut and especially the Kitikmeot communities?
To the new Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, Mr. Anawak.
I appreciate the question raised by Mr. Puqiqnak.
For the next six months, I can’t really identify what we are going to be doing to promote or strengthen Inuktitut, but we know the funding from the federal government for languages is not enough compared to funds for French language services.
I met with Sheila Copps the Heritage Minister and discussed with her how we could increase the funds for the Inuktitut language.
That meeting was an interesting meeting and I expect that there will be work done to increase the funding.
I am aware that it is important that parents speak their mother tongue at home and teach their children in the home.
I will be working with Eva Aariak, the Languages Commissioner, on ways to promote our language in the schools.
I will also be working with the Minister of Education on ways to speed up the work that is being done on the Language Act.
We expect that there will be more promotion of the language in the future.
I know that he respects my question.
He grew up in a small community so he is aware of my concerns.
In the next few years, Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtut unilingual speakers will be declining.
We will be seeing a lot more bilingual people in Nunavut speaking Inuktitut and English or Inuinnaqtut and English simultaneously.
It is important that we strengthen our language.
A lot of the material that I receive in my office is only in English and we have the Language Bureau in the Kitikmeot.
I will summarize my preamble.
With the Language Bureau in the Kitikmeot, what is being done to train people that would like to become translators?
We are responsible for the Language Bureau in Kugluktuk and we encourage Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtut being spoken more in the workplace.
With Language Week being held just recently we understand that we have to encourage Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtut to be spoken throughout the year.
We have to think of ways to encourage our people to speak their mother tongue.
Because our language is the strongest aboriginal language in Canada and we want to continue to keep it strong.
So Culture, Language, Elders & Youth will work to speed up the promotion of language.
Mr. Puqiqnak (Interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, my supplementary to the same minister.
What can be done within the Government of Nunavut to train more professional translators?
What can his department to do to train more interpreter/translators in Nunavut?
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): I am Inuit as this member is so I'll be speaking Inuktitut.
We are looking at how we can make the programs for interpreting and translating better within Nunavut.
We encourage departments and other organizations to produce documents in Inuktitut that will have to be translated into English.
So that is one way of encouraging training within Nunavut.
We had a discussion recently how the people from the North need to be heard, how we need to encourage the promotion of our language and how we could better train more interpreter/translators.
Question 402 - 1(5): Shelter’s Mandate and Follow-up Care
I made a statement about this issue earlier and I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about safe shelters.
For instance if my wife and I are having problems and my wife goes to the shelter, is the goal just to provide a safe place.
Or if my wife is scared of me and leaves me to go to the shelter, is it just to keep her there until she is no longer scared.
My question is whether there is more to it than that.
Are there services to get to the root of these problems?
Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Minister Picco.
First of all, before a person can be referred by social services or community health staff at a community level, they do an investigation to see what the situation is.
The most important thing is the safety of the person that has been victimized to make sure that there isn't a repeat case of the physical abuse.
And based on that usually a referral is done.
For example, here in the Baffin region it would be to Qimaavik in Iqaluit or within Cape Dorset where there is a home and so on.
It is based on the review done by the medical professional or social worker, the person on the ground in the community.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): The minister states that an investigation is conducted first in the community.
Is there a group in the communities to assist with these investigations coming from your department?
Or is it done only through the health department.
I would appreciate that information.
Mr. Speaker, each case is different.
It depends on the severity of the case.
For example Mr. Speaker, if a woman feels, in most cases it is a woman, feels that their life is in jeopardy, they have been abused.
When they go to a social worker or it could be the community nurse, it could be a community court worker through justice.
They make a program available and they make a reference to that person saying that they have an opportunity to go to for example in this case Qimaavik here in Iqaluit.
Those types of choices Mr. Speaker are not taken lightly.
And we want to make sure Mr. Speaker that we are clear that in many cases when people are referred to the woman's shelter they have been in some cases severely traumatized, in a lot of cases.  Mr. Speaker, I met with the Baffin Regional Agviik Board, which runs the women's shelter in Iqaluit just recently, and indeed almost 60% of those staying there are children.
In a lot of the cases, the mother takes the children to the home.
Before Mr. Speaker a referral is made, the caseworker working on the case does an investigation and decides with the client’s agreement to be moved to a shelter.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): The minister stated that there is an investigation done or a referral is done in a community before the individual is sent out to the shelter.
I wondered if there could be an elders’ council or an elders’ group that could assist in the investigation or the counselling of those individuals before they are referred to the shelter.
There are 26 communities in Nunavut and those elders’ groups could be struck to form a committee to help in the assessment of the individual before they are referred to a shelter.
My reasoning behind this is, perhaps I could just clarify to the minister, if these elder groups could counsel the man and the wife sometimes they can resolve their problem even after they had a fight.
Perhaps these elder groups can help counsel them before anybody is sent out to a shelter.
Mr. Speaker, in most cases and again each case is different.
It depends on what has happened within the relationship.
For example if the social worker, the community nurse, or the court worker believes that the woman might be in jeopardy, if there is an issue of the safety of that person. Or that the person has been traumatized, it may be for the best interest of that person to be taken away.
So they are given the opportunity to leave the community and go to the women’s shelter.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, if there is an opportunity for counselling with an elders’ group and so on, that is done, that is facilitated at the community level but each case is different.
Again, Mr. Speaker, it depends on the severity of the case and usually it’s a last resort that someone would leave a community to go to a shelter.
I understand what the member is saying, I respect the opportunity for counselling with the people at the community level with elders and so on.
At the same time we have be cognisant of the situation with family violence especially spousal assault and spousal abuse. Once the case worker makes a decision to take that person out of the community or send them to the Qimaavik in this case or to a women’s shelter wherever in Nunavut or outside of Nunavut.
In some cases we’ve sent people to Alison McAteer House for example in Yellowknife.
That is not done lightly and it is usually done on the precondition of the evaluation that is done between the person involved and the counsellor or the Social Worker.
Speaker: Thank you, minister. Oral Questions.
Question 403 - 1(5): Housing Review - Rent Scale
I would like to direct a question to the Minister of the Housing Corporation in regards to my statement earlier today.
I understand that some people get a subsidy on the payment of their rent and some of them get don’t get any subsidy whatsoever.
Some people pay rent from the money that they get from their employment and some get a full subsidy.
Even though there is the same rental scale there are some people treated differently than others. Looking at that fact, will there be a study done by the Housing Corporation to see what kinds of things could be done to help out the ones that are in hardship in paying their rent.
Mr. Speaker, as members know in the Task Force on Housing that was appointed by the former minister, they undertook a considerable amount of work. There were some specific issues dealing with the current rent scale that we have and under that same minister and her capable leadership the department along with the Housing Authorities initiated quite a bit of work and consultation to date on a new rental scale.
There have been two extensive meetings, one that happened in March of 2001 and one as recently as this past fall, October of 2001.
The plan is right now, as we move towards finalizing a new rent scale policy, obviously to do some additional consultations and try to have something in place.
The target date is quite frankly April 1, 2002 and we will be providing some additional information to members that are interested in that as we move forward on that matter.
Yes, that’s a very good answer but I would also like to ask the minister, there are some people in the communities that have seasonal employment and others have full employment.
Those people that only work seasonally and part-time pay the same amount as the people that have full-time employment.
Would those differences between part time or seasonal, would they be studying those to see if they are being treated fairly.
Mr. Speaker, again that was one of the significant issues that were brought forward in a set of recommendations from the Task Force again on that matter.
It is a significant portion of the whole Rental Scale Review.
We are trying to encourage individuals to enter employment versus penalizing them.
So that will certainly be a factor.
But having said that, the target dates on trying to implement any changes for that would obviously be before the major fall construction schedule and the sealift schedule. So we have a bit more time in trying to deal with that issue about seasonal income for public housing tenants.
That’s a good answer from the minister.
I would like to ask this supplementary question.
We would like to be able to encourage young people, especially in Nunavut communities, to gain employment.
But some young people when they get full time employment, they are discouraged because they have to pay the maximum rent.
When they have to start paying the full rent, it discourages them.
It seems like today, we pay so much money for housing, and I just wondered if that would be part of the Rental Scale Review that is going to be done.
Mr. Speaker, yes as I indicated, everything right now about how we take into consideration income for households, whether it is the head of the household or total family income, is under consideration.
Even the core needs income threshold that they use to evaluate income levels, the percentages, right now everything is on the table for discussion as I indicated, as we move forward to a new Rent Scale.
Question 404 – 1(5): Public Housing Projects; Supply & Erect
Uqaqti, today my question is directed to the Minister of Housing.
Over the last number of years, Mr. Speaker, I have noticed that housing units in Nunavut, especially in the Kivalliq Region, increasing numbers of them are being built on piles.
Whereas ten or fifteen years back they were built on pads and wedges.
A lot of the local small contractors like the idea of the pads and wedges over piles because it is no secret that there are one or two major piling companies in Nunavut.
I don’t know today what the cost is, or if the government knows what the cost is, but public housing is what I am talking about, the cost difference between pads and wedges and piles.
My question today to the minister is, on the public housing units that are being tendered out in this upcoming year, and I have had requests from contractors in the Kivalliq, would the Minister of Housing commit to putting plan A or plan B or both options into the budget and the written contracts.
Mr. Speaker, we could take a look at it.
I guess the issue really is that we are trying to deliver affordable housing at economical prices in order to ensure that there is some efficiency in the delivery so that we can maximize the dollars, the limited dollars that are available to us.
In respect to whether or not it is on a gravel pad or piling, obviously a lot of it would be determined by what land is available in communities and those technical decisions would be made in the planning of the location of the units.
I like that response from the minister.
But getting back to the initial question and I am not a technical wiz by any chance on the construction trade in Nunavut.
But I know by talking to contractors in the Kivalliq Region that you can save upwards from 10 to 20 thousand dollars per unit by not going on steel piles on public housing units.
If you use pads and wedges you may save that over 30-40 units.
You are looking at maybe 3-4 hundred thousand dollars that you could deliver in a community.
My question is, when they are putting those contracts together would he consider putting in an option, okay this is the prices on piles, this is a price on pads and wedges, this is a price on frames and there is a significant difference there.
It is also for the contractor because I know small contractors cannot deal with the large piling companies in Nunavut because new contractors getting into the business may have difficulty setting up lines of credit, with the current piling contractors in Nunavut.
Where they are doing a supply contract then they can supply it.
Could the minister commit to looking into that to make construction contracts to smaller business more feasible?
Mr. Speaker as usual the member brings up valid issues and yes, we will take a look at whether or not that is feasible and proceed based on that evaluation.
Question 405 - 1(5): Two Writing Systems in Kitikmeot
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth. (interpretation) Earlier I mentioned that I am very grateful that we are working hard on our language’s survival, even in my community.
I would like to ask the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth what writing system are we going to be using. Because in our communities there are two writing system in the Kitikmeot.
There is the old writing system and the new writing system.
Which system are we going to be using in the Kitikmeot.
For instance, in schools there is a new writing system that they are using and on the other hand, in the communities for instance the old writing system is used that the elders understand the most.
I would like to ask the minister what you think of the two writing systems that we are using in the Kitikmeot.
How are we going to go about this and how are we going to implement such a thing as using one writing system.
Yes, in Nunavut we are using two Inuktitut writing systems.
Syllabics were invented by a priest but also in the same territory, in Kugluktuk, they use the roman orthography form.
We have been using this writing system for a long time.
If we are going to be making one writing system, I don't think I would do that without consulting the residents of Nunavut.
Although we may have two writing systems, with the Innuinaqtut writing system if the residents would like to change that that is the only time I would approve it.
In Eastern Nunavut they use syllabics and I would not just force them to use roman orthography.
I don't think I would make that change without first consulting with the residents of Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk.
I think we could improve the writing system through the interpreter/translators rather than making it into one writing system.
I’m sorry if I didn’t make myself clear, what I am trying to say, let’s use Kugluktuk for instance.
There are two writing systems that we are using right now.
They’re using Q’s and R’s in schools now and elders don’t use Q’s and R’s when they write.
I should have mentioned that earlier.
I’m just talking specifically about say in Kugluktuk, there are two writing systems that they are using, the new writing system that they are using in schools and the old writing system that they learned from the missionaries a long time ago and these elders don’t recognize Q’s and R’s. The Q’s and R’s that they are using right now are very good for the young people.
How can we implement this so our young people can start using this, you know changing from the old writing system to the new writing system.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): I apologize I misunderstood you.
I was just thinking of the two writing systems that we use in Inuktitut, in Nunavut.
I too was not too satisfied when our Inuktitut writing system was changed without our consultation.
We had our syllabics which had I, E, O, A, and all the other first parts Ai, Pai, Tai, Kai, all that part was taken off and they deleted those parts without consulting us and I was not too pleased about it at that time.
Perhaps with the Minister responsible for Education and the residents of Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk we can work together closely and find out what their preference would be and then perhaps we can proceed that way.
But it’s evident that it would not be too good to have two kinds of writing systems in one community.
What I can tell you and if the Minister responsible for Education agrees, is by working closely with them and the residents in those communities that have two writing systems and ask them what their preference would be, then we can change it.
As you mentioned earlier that you would not change the writing system without consulting the communities first, when are you going to start consulting with the communities in my region?
Say for instance, when are you going to start consulting with Kugluktuk or Cambridge Bay so that we can maybe start working with this writing system.
Perhaps after the session, if I could set up a date between the sittings, we could perhaps visit the communities to deal with the issue at hand.
Once the session has adjourned perhaps we could try and visit your community.
Question 406 - 1(5): Update on Fuel - Repulse Bay
I didn’t expect you to call my name, I was caught off guard but thank you anyway, Mr. Speaker.
I asked this question previously in regards to the bad gasoline in Repulse Bay.
Has the department responsible for POL done any studies and have the results of such studies arrived.
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker and also Mr. Alakannuark for asking that question.
To date the fuel has been of some concern to the other communities. I know for the community of Repulse Bay we have sent samples to the labs especially when the communities said they were experiencing bad gasoline, but the results given to us state that the gasoline is quite all right and when they state that, we can’t really do anything else.
In regards to the Repulse Bay concern, we have received the results from that and they state the gasoline is quite all right.
Speaker: Oral Questions Supplementary.
I would like to thank him for his response.