EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Speaker, with the support of this legislature, we can achieve the social and economic goals outlined in this budget.
If we stick to the goals and priorities outlined in this budget, we will continue to make measurable progress on our journey to self-sufficiency and self-determination.
I realize that there will still be obstacles on the path ahead. There is no question that we have a lot of work to do. It will require both patience and perseverance to see our vision realized.
But patience and perseverance define Inuit; it is how we have survived throughout time.
No one should doubt that we are well on our way to securing the future we all want.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Tapardjuk, for your Budget Address.
Members, before we take a break, I would also like to welcome some people in the Gallery.
(interpretation ends) Members, it is my great pleasure to recognize in the Gallery today the Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament.
Joining us today are the Honourable Senators David Smith, Fern Robichaud, Bert Brown and Willie Adams.
Speaker: They are accompanied by their committee staff, Blair Armitage and Jack Stilborn, and also their interpreters, who are in our booths today providing French interpretation.
Speaker: Members, the Senators met with a number of our own members earlier today to discuss the issue of the use of aboriginal languages in legislative proceedings, and I am very glad to report to the House that the discussions were very productive.
I apologize; I forgot to welcome Mary, who is the wife of Senator Adams, to the Gallery.
Speaker (interpretation): Members, we’ll take a short 10-minute break and then we’ll return within ten minutes.
>>House recessed at 14:32 and resumed at 14:48
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Members, for coming back.
Member’s Statement 285 – 2(4): Arviat Elders’ Centre (Alagalak)
I rise today to bring to your attention a situation that is causing quite a lot of concern and discomfort in the community of Arviat, especially in regards to our elders and the situations they face as elders.
Mr. Speaker, the place for the elders, as it is called in our community, is the Arviat Elders’ Centre has always been a nice, peaceful place where elders can go to live in a safe and comfortable environment, and receive the level of care that they need.
Those were the objectives in building this centre, according to the government, but there have been some unhappy circumstances that have occurred in the centre, mainly due to the fact that there are no other facilities for our elders in our community.
Especially whenever something occurs at the centre, such as long term disabled elders or those with terminal illness or other age related illnesses and most of these elders who require care are then placed in the centre.
Usually government agencies refer the elders to the facility as there are no other available and this is where they are placed and generally this factors in the fact that they only have a short time left.
Although the other elders could be trying to cope with the situation as best as they can, by visiting their friends and relatives, there are not very many places for the elders to visit and it seems that the elders are just being offloaded with problem after problem.
It seems now that the centre is no longer one for elders, but one for terminally ill elders. Quite a few have passed away in the centre since its inception.
Mr. Speaker, this situation has been very distressing for many of our elders who reside in the facility and it seems to cast a dark spell on the centre. When you are that old, any further mental anguish can cause illness, such as when you have arthritic knees and cannot get around much and you are kind of stuck at the centre. All of these factors contribute towards the early deaths, so it has to be resolved.
The elders’ centres should be separate from centres for terminally ill…
Speaker (interpretation): Sorry, Mr. Alagalak.
If you haven’t finished, you could ask your colleagues for unanimous consent to conclude your statement.
If you wanted to ask, Mr. Alagalak.
Mr. Alagalak (interpretation): I would like to ask my colleagues for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Mr. Alagalak: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) Nunavut needs to be able to provide the appropriate level and type of care to its residents and separate facilities for cancer ridden people.
As an example, with our Arviat Elders Centre being the only facility and our health centre with no available long term care beds, it really affects all the families and people who require assistance or nurses day and night and I believe that we should have a facility where those who are terminally ill can receive the care they need to reach the end of their days in comfort and dignity.
In our community, Arviat, we have many elders today, and this elders facility is to assist our elders who require assistance and our elders deserve to live happily and comfortably without unnecessary suffering and sadness.
It is a matter of great concern to our elders.
Member’s Statement 286 – 2(4): Fairness for Nunavut Fishers (Tootoo)
I rise today to draw the attention of this House to an issue of fairness for Nunavut fisheries.
Mr. Speaker, as you know extremely well from your service as the MLA for Pangnirtung, the development of Nunavut’s fishing industry is a vital component of our strategy to build our territorial economy.
Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut Economic Development Strategy indicates that the fishing industry “provides more than 300 seasonal jobs and contributes almost $9 million annually to the economy in wages and royalties.
Much of this income is generated by the shrimp and turbot fisheries. The potential exists for these benefits to be much higher. Fisheries directly adjacent to our Territory have a landed value in excess of $100 million.
If we were to acquire ownership of 85 per cent of this resource – a target we are pursuing with the federal government – major economic gains can be achieved.”
Mr. Speaker, I was shocked and outraged to learn this week that the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has made a decision to transfer 1,900 metric tonnes of offshore turbot quota to a non-Nunavut fishing interest.
Mr. Tootoo: Mr. Speaker, I am confident that you will agree that this unilateral decision is utterly unacceptable.
Mr. Speaker, the Baffin Fisheries Coalition and NTI have joined together in calling on the federal minister to reverse his decision and comply with the provisions of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, which requires that such decisions be taken in consultation with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is vital that our government state loudly and clearly for the public record its position on the issue.
Mr. Speaker, the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, of which our Honourable Mr. Adams here is a member of, has recently launched an important Arctic study.
I am pleased to note that the Chairman of the Senate Committee has publicly stated that the committee “wants to see if northern fisheries can build on local research and provide more employment.”
Mr. Speaker, I urge our government to take all necessary steps to advance Nunavut’s interests in this area. I encourage our Minister of Economic Development and Transportation to make a submission to the Senate Committee and to directly lobby his federal counterpart on this matter.
Mr. Speaker, it often appears that every time we try to take a step forward towards greater economic self-sufficiency, Ottawa pushes us two steps back.
Mr. Speaker, this practice must end, and I will continue to work with those who are fighting for equality for Nunavut.
Member’s Statement 287 – 2(4): NEU Holding Meeting Outside of Nunavut (Okalik)
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) Imagine just the thought of an uproar that would follow an announcement that the Cabinet was meeting in Yellowknife, or that our legislature was sitting in Winnipeg.
Imagine what would happen if we tried to justify such a lamebrain idea by saying that we just couldn’t find accommodations in Nunavut.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s exactly what the leader of the Nunavut Employees Union is doing with the membership dues of Nunavut.
Perhaps, he enjoys the southern comforts but I want to say for the record that when I have held meetings in communities with limited accommodations, I would have the privilege and joy of staying with family.
Feeble excuses should not be used as justification to leave our territory and deprive our communities of an opportunity to host Nunavut-wide events.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Rather than running off to Winnipeg, the leadership of the NEU should show some level of responsibility and put the interest of the membership of Nunavut first.
Mr. Speaker, do we really need to teach the leader of the NEU that spending of Nunavut’s membership fees in Nunavut directly benefits Nunavummiut and their members?
Mr. Speaker, I couldn’t believe the comments of the NEU President when he was desperately trying to justify withholding money from the community of Baker Lake in favour of Winnipeg.
Hon. Paul Okalik: As you will recall, Mr. Speaker, the community of Baker Lake provided a wonderful reception and was a superb host to the Legislative Assembly when we convened in spring of 2003.
Mr. Speaker, I hope, for the sake of the rampant fall of the NEU, that their so-called leadership regains its sanity and put the interest of their members and communities ahead of their own.
Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut Employees Union needs to hold its convention in Nunavut or consider changing its name. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member’s Statement 288 – 2(4): Passing of Vera Pudnak, Luke Tunguak and Elizabeth Tunnuq (Simailak)
I rise today to inform the House that a lot of people have died in the past week in Baker Lake. On Thursday, Vera Pudnak died, who was a cousin of my wife’s.
She was very supportive of my wife either by telephone or in person.
I send my condolences.
On Sunday morning, Luke Tunguak passed away in Baker Lake.
He is originally from there and knew the land very well.
He taught a lot of people in Baker Lake and he was also one of the people who made the Qajaq in the traditional Inuit way.
Monday morning, Elizabeth Tunnuq also passed away. She was an elderly woman and I really enjoyed her friendship and her support.
For many years, this lady taught the youth of Baker Lake through the Keewatin Inuit Association and through the Youth Department on Inuit Culture and Values.
Again, Luke Tunguak, whom I miss very much and enjoyed extremely spending time with while I was a child; I used to go fishing with him when I recently got married up to the time that I got married, and I really enjoyed him because he helped me a lot.
With all of the loss of the people in a very short interval, we send them our condolences.
Member’s Statement 289 – 2(4): Misleading Information on Polar Bears (Curley)
I rise today to mention an issue, Mr. Speaker.
First of all, I would like to congratulate the Minister of Finance for delivering his first Budget Address, especially for delivering it in Inuktitut.
During the 21st century, we are now facing difficulties worldwide with the issue of global warming which is growing at an alarming rate.
With the Inuit societal values, we hear exactly the opposite of the teachings that we were taught on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
These people that we hear from are instant experts on wildlife, about the habitat, and about the environment. They are instant experts in everything surrounding the northern communities.
There are many instant experts at the time when we are experiencing global warming in the arctic.
What we’re hearing is the complete reversal of Inuit societal values.
The emphasis now is that Inuit should not be consulted as long as they have a computer and are backed by organizations like Greenpeace and millions of dollars.
Just a few days ago, I heard that there’s so much expertise on polar bears that I saw a picture of a polar bear on an iceberg and the title was, ‘This bear has nowhere to go,’ and that created a lot of sympathy from the global world out there.
I saw Al Gore on television making a statement to the world that they see a polar bear 100 miles from the coast just swimming in the middle of the ocean like it was something new, even though it’s something that the Inuit have known for thousands of years.
If you would like to ask for unanimous consent to conclude your statement, you may do so, Mr. Curley.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. (interpretation ends) Thank you.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker and my colleagues.
What I’m trying to say here is that the animals, Mr. Speaker… this is one issue that we don’t talk about anymore.
They just see the polar bear on top of an iceberg and he has no place to go, but what the global world is not hearing is that the polar bear will be fine as long as there’s food to eat, as long as there are seals, and as long as there are seal pups being born.
I don’t want the Senators to believe that the polar bear population is becoming extinct.
It’s time that the Inuit stand up in Nunavut, in Nunavik, and in the other territories about the realities of our environment and the polar bears.
Member’s Statement 290 – 2(4): Jordin Tootoo Signs New Contract (Brown)
First of all, I would like to send my condolences to the residents of Baker Lake.
Secondly, I would like to congratulate the Minister of Finance for his Budget Address.
The main reason why I rose in this House is to inform the members about something that we were very proud of.
This individual is from Nunavut, Jordin Tootoo, and he is very well-known.
Because of his great skill in hockey, he has signed a $1.95 million contract for two years and we are very proud of that fact.
If you had seen the hockey game last night, he scored. ‘He shoots, he scores.’
He did score last night.
He is a very young Nunavummiut.
My colleague from Rankin Inlet and I watched him growing up in Rankin Inlet and he has many friends.
He is number 22 because his last name is Tootoo.
He used to wear number 22, and again, I am sure that he is a role model for the youth of Nunavut.
I urge the youth to pursue their dreams, whether to become hockey players, or seamstresses, anything.
Member’s Statement 291 – 2(4): Conditions at the Kugluktuk High School (Evyagotailak)
I rise today to once again express my concern at the slow progress being made to improve the conditions at the Kugluktuk high school.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure that you and the Minister of Education will recall that on October 30, 2007, I tabled a number of photographs showing the poor conditions at the Kugluktuk high school.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, the list of problems is long and even though temporary steps have been taken to address some of them, nothing has been done to bring the school’s overall condition back to what it should be.
Mr. Speaker, the Kugluktuk high school will continue to deteriorate if complete and proper maintenance is not done. I understand that a number of painting and repair projects are planned for the summer break.
I would like to encourage the minister and his staff to ensure that the entire building gets a full overhaul during that time.
Mr. Speaker, I am very glad that our students continue to attend school, even though some of the broken windows still have not been replaced.
It says a lot about our staff and students that they continue to work and study hard despite the less-than-perfect conditions.
Member’s Statement 292 – 2(4): Northern Residents Deduction (Peterson)
I rise today to again address the issue of the federal Northern Residents Deduction.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking you for tabling a copy of your correspondence to the federal Minister of Finance in which you drew his attention to the formal motion that was adopted without opposition by the Legislative Assembly last November.
I would also like to take this opportunity to again express my appreciation to the Honourable Member for Rankin Inlet South-Whale Cove for having seconded my motion last fall.
Mr. Speaker, the upcoming federal budget will be introduced next week.
Although I am not optimistic that we will hear any announcements of major changes to the Northern Residents Deduction, I believe that it is important for Nunavut to continue its lobbying efforts on this issue in partnership with our sister territories and non-governmental organizations such as the Nunavut Economic Forum and Nunavut Tunngavik.
I would also like to acknowledge the work undertaken by the Member of Parliament for the Western Arctic on this issue. He has presented petitions on this issue and posed important questions in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this House, my colleague from the High Arctic rose in his place to pose important questions concerning the impact that $100-a-barrel-oil will have on our communities and constituents.
I was disappointed to note that in a recent federal response to a question posed in the House of Commons, the federal Department of Finance stated, and I quote, “since the introduction of the new system of Northern Benefits …the gap in the cost of living between northern communities such as Whitehorse and Yellowknife and Canada as a whole has narrowed.”
Mr. Speaker, it is essential that Ottawa recognizes that the cost of living in Nunavut and the smaller communities of the north is not getting any cheaper.
Measuring our cost of living by just looking at the two largest urban centres in the north, both of which enjoy road access to southern Canada, is the wrong approach.
It is also wrong for the federal government to continue to view the Northern Residents Deduction as a tool simply to attract skilled labour to move north.
I believe that it should be looked at as a component of a broader strategy to assist our constituents whose lifelong residency in the north helps the nation as a whole to exert and maintain its sovereignty.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.
Mr. Speaker, a different federal department, Indian and Northern Affairs, recently undertook a survey of food prices in 28 isolated northern communities.
This study concluded, and I quote, “In most isolated communities, the Revised Northern Food Basket, which would provide a nutritious diet for a family of four for one week, costs between $350 and $450.
The same basket costs between $195 and $225 in southern Canada, Yellowknife, Whitehorse (in 2005) and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.”
Mr. Speaker, I find it outrageous that on one hand, the federal government argues that it doesn’t need to increase the Northern Residents Deduction because the cost of living is not so bad in our only two urban centres North of 60.
On the other hand, it acknowledges that the cost of feeding a family in our smaller communities can be twice as expensive than it is down south.
Mr. Speaker, the motion that this House considered and passed last year proposed a practical and reasonable approach to the issue of how to help our constituents make ends meet.
Mr. Speaker, now, we need Ottawa to listen. I thank all members for their support, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on this issue.
Member’s Statement 293 – 2(4): Need for Pond Inlet Dock (Arvaluk)
Welcome, Willie and the Senators. I was really happy to hear the Minister of Finance giving us a fantastic report.
The Premier had written a letter to the Hamlet Council of Pond Inlet concerning the port, HTA and the Government of Nunavut had stated that Iqaluit will be getting a bridge possibly this summer, and the Premier had also stated that in his letter.
I will be asking questions a little bit later on to the Minister of Finance.
The dock in Pond Inlet has to be done very quickly.
There will be a mine starting up near Pond Inlet and the fisheries that come by ships dock in the ocean nearby.
I can’t remember the name of the ship but once they’re done, they either go to Nuuk, Greenland, or to Newfoundland to empty their ships once they are done fishing in the arctic waters.
Once there is a dock and a port in Pond Inlet, then they will be able to go to Pond Inlet because they do fish in the waters near the Pond Inlet area.
I want to know if there has been any planning done; if the funding has already been set aside from the federal government. I will be asking this question later on.
Member’s Statement 294 – 2(4): Damages in Grise Fiord Due to High Winds (Barnabas)
I rise today to state that the government officials and staff have prepared their business plans, and they know that there are high winds that do happen in our communities in the High Arctic.
Grise Fiord is the furthest community in Nunavut as you are all aware.
We are live on television and all of the communities can see us. The community of Grise Fiord will be seeing this a little bit later on because they’re a little bit late in setting up the television, their communications system is down and their internet is down, so they will have to fix the systems.
Some of the boats have been broken because of the high winds in the community of Grise Fiord. Recently, Resolute Bay had an earthquake of 4 on the Richter scale, as you are all aware, and if the earthquake was a little bit stronger, then things would have been quite disastrous in that community.
For those reasons, the community of Grise Fiord is also quite far from anywhere else so things are going to be very expensive to bring in some of the equipment and the television systems so that the people can watch us live in their communities. These are going to be very expensive to set up.
For one person using their own money to go south, it would be over $3,000.
For this reason, Mr. Speaker, I will be directing my questions to the Minister of Community and Government Services.
Member’s Statement 295 – 2(4): Lost Opportunity for Jobs at Clyde River (Arreak)
We were shown an example by the Premier of communities that are non-decentralized and I would also like to give you an example of how we are situated in our community.
There are many people in our communities, even in double-digits, don’t have any job opportunities.
There’s also 100 percent Inuit owned businesses in our community and the young people were going to be informed about job opportunities towards higher management positions.
I also want you to see an example that millions of dollars that would have been used to create job opportunities for Nunavummiut has not happened.
These are true facts that I’m telling you about.
In Clyde River, there was supposed to be a search and rescue project in the community but it was cancelled.
They have been sent down to the south and we have seen this in the media. There were about 60 to 90 jobs that were taken away from us.
The community of Clyde River is being blamed for being unorganized for these things but that’s not the case. There’s also a contractor that exists in our community.
So I would like you to see that picture and I will be asking that question.
Member’s Statement 296 – 2(4): Migration of Polar Bears (Kattuk)
When Mr. Curley was talking about polar bears, he wanted the support of members pertaining to the polar bear issues in the arctic.
I’m also aware of the same situation.
These days, I think I know much more than Al Gore about our environment and the climate change.
I also know that the polar bears are not in one spot; they travel all over the land and the waters.
What I know and what I have seen in the Nunavik area in Northern Quebec, Mr. Speaker, in Kuujjuaraapik, which has never been visited by a polar bear, now, are getting into those communities.
They’re not in one spot all the time; they move around and migrate everywhere. They also came into Sanikiluaq by water when there was no ice very far from inland.
The polar bears, at times, look like they’re in one spot but they’re not. I was seeing polar bears all over the place when I was flow edge hunting in my community.
What I’m saying is that we know our environment. What I would like to say to the people out there that don’t know anything about our environment, “Stop working on our polar bears.”
If there are no more, Item 5.