EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Are they not recognised in Fort Smith for individuals that attend heavy equipment training there?
If the member could give me the name of the individual who is having this problem I could look into this and have my officials take care of it.
My question has more to do with the status of Nunavut’s drivers’ licences.
Are they not good outside Nunavut?
Some drivers’ licenses have restrictions.
Some of the provinces recognise Nunavut’s drivers’ licenses but some of the provinces and territories don't recognise our drivers’ licenses.
There are different levels and different classes.
I don't know who the individual is at this time.
I can only tell him that we can start dealing with it and start working on it.
Mr. Speaker, my drivers’ licence had expired for 2 years and I had to renew it.
I didn't realize it is so difficult to get a drivers’ license.
You have to rewrite the test.
I know that it is cumbersome to renew your drivers’ licence when you had forgotten to renew it.
You have to go through the whole system again by going through the testing.
When you go outside of Nunavut, are our licenses no longer valid?
The drivers’ exam in which you have to answer some questions that pertain to Nunavut and some that are relevant down south.
The Department of Transportation Division where they issue licenses in Gjoa Haven, that department has been decentralized to Gjoa Haven, I have met with my officials, and I asked them to make the drivers’ exam more relevant to Nunavut.
So we are now reviewing them.
Mr. Speaker in regards to part of his question.
There are different various kinds of classes and some of these drivers’ licences are recognized in the provinces and the territories.
We have different classes of drivers’ licences.
Mr. Speaker with your indulgence, I will take this as notice.
Question 504 - 1(5): Youth Drop-in Centres
I would like to direct a question to the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth about drop-in centres for youth.
Many of these young people don't have anything to do and they can't find jobs either.
So I just want to ask the minister what are you doing now to resolve these problems in the communities such as building some drop in centres for youth.
Could I get an answer for this?
Mr. Speaker we are all aware it is very expensive to build facilities in the communities.
I think it is very hard at present to build facilities like these.
But some communities have facilities through the Hamlets and schools, and I think they are able to lease buildings.
Before a facility is put in the community, I think there are buildings that are available in the communities that can be leased for youth centres.
But we are looking for funds for the leasing of such units.
Thank you for your answer minister. The question I asked was about the operations and maintenance.
There is never any money available for the people that are working there.
Is there going to be funding available for things like fuel, electricity, people to be hired to run these facilities?
I am asking for operations and maintenance funding for these facilities to operate these drop in centres.
In the communities that have elders’ centres and youth centres, we are looking for operations and maintenance funding for these buildings. For those without these centres we are looking for money for their operations and maintenance because it is impossible at the moment to find money to build new facilities.
So we do want to find if there are buildings available in the communities.
Thank you minister for your answer.
When I was in Kugluktuk just recently, I was wondering if there was going to be money available from the Federal Government as their operations and maintenance money will run out after only three months.
Will additional funding be made available to complete the year?
We expect that the money will come from the Government of Nunavut and we are looking for money to be used annually so it would be available year around.
This is something that we are planning to do before we look for money to build new facilities.
So we are looking for funding within the Government of Nunavut.
It is always good to know there is going to be funding available to operate these facilities.
Is the funding going to be made available every year so that it would be secure year after year?
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): We are looking for funds so that these facilities could be permanent.
We’ll move on to Item 7.
Members at the discretion of the chair, we’ll take a 20-minute break.
When we return, we’ll have a late evening.
>>House recessed at 3.41 p.m. and resumed at 4.07 p.m.
Committee Report 017 – 1(5): Interim Report of the Special Committee to Review the Official Languages Act
I am very pleased to have the opportunity today to provide the House with an overview of our Committee’s Interim Report on its review of the Official Languages Act.
As members know, the Special Committee was established in this House in February 2001 to undertake a comprehensive review of the Official Languages Act.
I would like to thank the Members of the Committee for their hard work; my co-chair Donald Havioyak, Ovide Alakannuark, David Iqaqrialu and the Honourable Peter Kattuk who served on the Special Committee during its first year.
Members would like to express their appreciation for the insights that Minister Kattuk brought to the Committee’s deliberations.
At this time, I would like to welcome the Honourable Jack Anawak as the Committee’s newest member.
Although he has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly for quite some time, we look forward to his valuable contributions as we move forward in this important process.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, the Special Committee’s Interim Report presents a summary of our activities to date and highlights a number of the issues and concerns that we have heard from stakeholders across Nunavut.
These issues have included the status of French, Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun in Nunavut as well as the status of other languages listed under the Act.
Discussions have focused on the scope of the Official Languages Act as well as on issues such as the standardization of writing systems, the development of new terminology and the role of the education system.
Concerns were raised about how the lack of certain services in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun may have negative impacts in the area of public health and safety.
(interpretation) The Interim Report also discusses the Government of Nunavut’s capacity to provide services in the languages of Nunavummiut, what language policies are currently in place, what types of documentation are made available in the Official Languages Act, and the types of training and incentives that are in place to promote the use of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun within government departments.
Due to delays in receiving submissions on these issues, a comprehensive summary of departmental information will be tabled at a later date.
Mr. Havioyak will now continue the opening remarks.
Mr. Havioyak: Koanaqutit, Uqaqti. Mr. Speaker, this report clearly identifies a number of challenges that lie ahead.
The baseline information collected by the Special Committee provides Members with a means to evaluate the current administration and implementation of language legislation.
It will also provide a solid foundation of knowledge for Committee Members to draw upon during the upcoming public consultation process.
(interpretation) The next step of our review will be to hear directly from the public on what they want to see in a new Official Languages Act.
Community consultations will take place later in 2002, before which time a detailed schedule of public hearings will be made available.
The Committee continues to welcome written submissions from stakeholders and interested individuals.
Once the public consultation process is complete, all submissions will be reviewed together.
The report will be completed by Ms. Williams.
Ms. Williams (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the stakeholders that have participated in our review for their valuable input, as well as the Ministers and officials of the departments of the Government of Nunavut.
Stakeholders who have participated to date include:
The Association Francophie de Nunavut,
The Government of Canada’s Official Languages Law Group,
The Inuit Heritage Trust,
The Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Tunngaviksaliuqtiit Task Force,
The Kitikmeot Heritage Society,
The Kitikmeot Regional Inuit Association,
The Kivalliq Regional Inuit Association,
Nunavut Tungavik Incorporated,
The Nunavut Social Development Council,
The Nunavut Literacy Council,
Nunavut Arctic College,
The Office of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut,
and the Qikiqtani Regional Inuit Association.
Mr. Speaker, based on the results of our work to date, the Interim Report of the Special Committee to Review the Official Languages Act includes the following recommendations:
(interpretation ends) The Committee recommends that the Government of Nunavut immediately begin drafting a Government-wide language policy for submission to the Special Committee for review and comment.
Such an ‘Umbrella’ policy should give guidance for consistent language use and service across Nunavut, giving due consideration to the languages commonly used in each Nunavut community and the need to prioritize the categories of documents requiring translation.
(interpretation) The Committee recommends that priority be given to implementing this language policy in the essential service areas of health, public safety and transportation.
(interpretation ends) The Committee recommends that the Government of Nunavut encourage the federal government, municipal governments, Inuit organizations and the private sector to lend their full support to implementing the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act.
(interpretation) The Committee recommends that the Government of Nunavut’s current Program Review exercise formally assess the resources necessary to build capacity across departments with respect to providing language services in Inuktitut, Innuinaqtun, French and English; taking into account the Bathurst Mandate’s goals with respect to language.
(interpretation ends) In closing, the Special Committee to Review the Official Languages Act urges the Government to consider its comments and recommendations and provide a comprehensive response within 120 days.
At this time I would like to move that the Interim Report of the Special Committee be received and adopted by the House, and that it be entered into the record as read.
Do members agree that the Report of the Standing Committee be received and adopted by the House and that it be entered into the record as read?
Along with the majority of legislation used in Canada’s newest territory, Nunavut’s Official Languages Act was inherited from the Northwest Territories upon division.
The Official Languages Act serves a number of purposes: it recognizes certain languages as official languages in the territory; it specifies what languages shall or may be used in the debates and proceedings of the Legislative Assembly; it specifies what languages shall or may be used in the courts and in the final decisions, orders and judgements of the courts; it specifies the language rights of the public in receiving services from, or communicating with, government offices; it establishes the position and responsibilities of the Languages Commissioner and it specifies the languages in which laws and other government documentation must be printed.
Given the desire to review legislation inherited from the NWT to better meet the needs and aspirations of Nunavummiut, a number of Nunavut’s statutes have already undergone review and amendment.
The review of Nunavut’s Official Languages Act, in particular, is closely linked to an underlying objective of the creation of Nunavut -- to ensure the preservation, use and promotion of the Inuit languages used in the territory.
The Special Committee to review the Official Languages Act was created by a motion of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut on February 26, 2001.
The Committee’s mandate is to review the provisions and operation of the Official Languages Act in accordance with Section 29 of that same Act.
The Committee is made up of five Members of the Legislative Assembly.
Rebekah Uqi Williams, MLA for Quttiktuq, is the Committee Chair; Donald Havioyak, MLA for Kugluktuk is the Co-Chair; and the other three members are Ovide Alakannuark, MLA for Akulliq; David Iqaqrialu, MLA for Uqqummiut; and the Honourable Jack Anawak, MLA for Rankin Inlet North.
The Honourable Peter Kattuk, MLA for Hudson Bay, was a member of the Special Committee from February 2001 to February 2002.
The Members of the Special Committee would like to express their appreciation to Minister Kattuk for his work on the Committee and the insights that he brought to the Committee’s deliberations.
The Special Committee has some very specific expectations of what will result from the review process.
These expectations are built in to the Committee’s Terms of Reference (attached as an Appendix).
The intent of this Interim Report is to provide a summary of activities undertaken and baseline information collected to date by the Legislative Assembly’s Special Committee to Review the Official Languages Act.
The baseline information not only provides the Committee with a means to evaluate the current administration and implementation of official language legislation, but will also provide a solid foundation of knowledge for Members of the Committee to draw upon during the upcoming public consultation process.
Overview of the Review Process to Date
The review process began by consulting with key stakeholder organizations and Government of Nunavut departments in order to ensure that the Special Committee had a good basic understanding of what language policies and services are currently in place and what language concerns are seen as critical issues.
Developing solid baseline information was seen as a necessary precondition for carrying out a comprehensive and effective consultation with the public.
The Special Committee recognized that many different groups and organizations hold a key stake in language issues across Nunavut.
Therefore, one of the Committee’s first steps was to identify those stakeholder groups and agencies and invite them to partner with the Committee in the review process.
The Committee further recognized that stakeholders may have their own expectations of the review process as well as important contributions to make.
The first Stakeholders’ Roundtable meeting focused on forming partnerships and hearing expectations for the review.
The next step of the Committee’s review process was to collect information from every government department on its capacity to provide services in Nunavut’s official languages; initiatives on language policy and services, such as signage, forms and documentation, as well as any short and/or long-term initiatives relating to language use in Nunavut.
Unfortunately, the information took rather longer to be provided than expected.
In January 2002, the Committee met with every department to review and discuss the information they provided.
The Committee heard a number of presentations on language activities in Nunavik, the Northwest Territories, other Canadian jurisdictions, Greenland, and experiences from elsewhere.
A second series of Stakeholders’ Roundtables were held in Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet in February 2002.
These meetings were intended to give further opportunities for language and stakeholder groups to provide input on language issues.
For the second set of roundtable meetings, the Committee specifically requested input on any suggested changes or amendments to the current Act.
To date, a number of submissions have been received.
The Committee would like to take this opportunity to stress that it will be pleased to continue receiving written submissions or contributions from organizations or individuals throughout the consultation process.
Committee Activities to Date
The methodology specifying the Committee’s mode of carrying out the review is outlined in its Terms of Reference, which were approved by the Legislative Assembly at the time of the Committee’s establishment.
The results of each step of the methodology carried out to date are listed below.
Committee preparation, including a review of the legislation, objectives and historical documentation relating to the development of language legislation in Nunavut, and a list of tasks necessary to the review process.
The Standing Committee first reviewed the Official Languages Act and related documentation on May 2, 2001.
The Committee established detailed timelines for review activities.
A second planning meeting was held on June 26, 2001.
Following this meeting, the Committee initiated correspondence with government departments, the Languages Commissioner and various stakeholders.
Identification of stakeholders, language groups and key witnesses.
An initial list of key Nunavut Stakeholders was compiled.
Potential stakeholders were contacted by fax, letter and e-mail.
Language experts and other key witnesses will be identified during later stages of the process.
Association Francophonie de Nunavut*
Qikiqtani Regional Inuit Association *
Kitikmeot Regional Inuit Association *
Kivalliq Regional Inuit Association *
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay*)
Nunavut Social Development Council*
Nunavut Wildlife Management Board
Nunavut Impact Review Board
Nunavut Water Board
Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal
Nunavut Literacy Council*
Inuit Heritage Trust*
Kitikmeot Heritage Society*
Government of Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs
Government of Canada, Official Languages Law Group*
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Tunngaviksaliuqtiit Task Force*
Languages Commissioner of Nunavut*
Baffin Chamber of Commerce
Kitikmeot Chamber of Commerce
Nunavut Association of Municipalities
Nunavut Arctic College*
“Partnerships for the Future”
Not all potential stakeholders wished to be involved in the review process while others indicated a willingness to participate.
A “Partnerships for the Future” response form was distributed to all potential stakeholders in order to provide them with an opportunity to indicate to the Committee the extent of their desire to participate in the review process.
(A copy is attached as an Appendix).
Those stakeholders who have to date formally identified their willingness to participate in the review process are identified above by a *.
Consolidation of information on the status of language-related policies and activities in the Government of Nunavut.
Correspondence was sent on July 12, 2001, asking each department of the Government of Nunavut for consolidated information on their capacity to provide services in Nunavut’s official languages.
A follow-up letter was sent on September 17, 2001, to those departments that did not respond to the first letter, and a final letter was sent on October 4, 2001, again to those departments who had not yet provided the information requested.
All GN departments were tasked with providing information on:
· Departmental capacity to provide services;
· Departmental initiatives on language policy; and
· Short and long-term language-related initiatives by concerned departments;
A summary of the relevant information provided by each department is being prepared.
The position and responsibilities of the Languages Commissioner are defined under the Official Languages Act.
Appointed for a term of four years, the Languages Commissioner is an Independent officer of the Assembly.
Section 29 of the Act specifically mandates the Languages Commissioner to provide all reasonable assistance to the Special Committee during the course of its mandated review of the Act.
The Committee requested information on a number of language-related initiatives undertaken by the Office of the Languages Commissioner.
The Languages Commissioner had conducted an independent review of GN services.
The “Survey of Language Use and Language Services within the Government of Nunavut” was presented to the Committee on October 18, 2001.
Consultation with counterparts in other jurisdictions regarding their experience with official languages, the status of agreements and legislation relating to language rights and services, and critical areas of success.
Federal Consultations
Correspondence was sent to the Hon. Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage on June 5, 2001, inviting her to attend the first Stakeholders’ Roundtable.
A member of the Government of Canada’s Official Languages Law Group attended the first Stakeholders’ Roundtable meeting on June 20, 2001, as an observer.
As the Special Committee looks forward to the later stages of the review process, further consultation at the federal level with respect to suggested amendments to the Official Languages Act.
Correspondence was sent to MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell on July 5, 2001 asking for her support in the review process.
No response has been received to date.
NWT Consultation
The Special Committee Chair attended the NWT Territorial Languages Assembly on October 22, 2001, at the invitation of the Special Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.
The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories is also mandated to review the Official Languages Act of that jurisdiction.
The NWT’s First Territorial Languages Assembly included representation from all language groups of the Northwest Territories.
Committee staff and researchers presented an overview of the Official Languages Act, statistical information on the utilization of the NWT’s various aboriginal languages, an overview of language legislation in other jurisdictions, an overview of the consultation process and held an open discussion on issues of interest raised by the language community representatives.
Nunavik Consultation
Mr. Robert Watt, former President of the Avataq Cultural Institute, made a presentation to the Special Committee on October 17, 2001, regarding language issues and initiatives in Nunavik.
Since 1981, a number of language initiatives have been implemented in Nunavik, including the establishment of the Avataq Cultural Institute, which has the mandate to protect, preserve and promote Nunavik culture and language; the Kativik School Board’s Inuktitut educational materials; the founding of the Inuit Language Commission and a number of Interpreter-Translator programs.
The Committee was most impressed with the House of Elders concept: a consensus-based approach involving Elders and language professionals from all major dialect groups to develop and standardize new terminology for use across the region.
Other Jurisdictions
The Special Committee has not yet had the opportunity to undertake consultation on language initiatives in other jurisdictions.
The Languages Commissioner of Nunavut made a presentation on October 18, 2001, to the Special Committee regarding language issues in Greenland.
The Languages Commissioner also submitted the results of a contracted research investigation describing various government policies in the areas of government services, working language of government, language in the courts, education, private sector, signs and advertising and language institutions both in Canada and around the world.
Hold Focus Workshops with stakeholders and departmental representatives.
The first Stakeholders’ Roundtable meeting was held in the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly on June 20, 2001.
This meeting was an opportunity for the Committee to introduce itself and its objectives.
It was also the first opportunity for the Committee to formally hear from stakeholders, and to discuss expectations, contributions and partnerships as they relate to the process of reviewing the Official Languages Act.
A second Stakeholders’ Roundtable meeting took place in each of the three regional centres of Nunavut: Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet.
The meetings took place on January 18, February 8 and February 12, 2002.
This Roundtable focused on soliciting specific suggestions for changes to the Official Languages Act.
The Committee requested ideas for wording changes, additions, deletions and issues that should or should not be included in Nunavut’s Official Languages Act.