EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
This report was started in 2004 by an intergovernmental committee, which includes the Government of Nunavut, as represented by my department, and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans to develop, in partnership, harbour facilities in Nunavut.
A significant portion, however, of the costs of development of harbours in Nunavut will have to be borne by the federal government.
My department will continue to work with our federal counterparts to identify funding sources for development of small craft harbours in Nunavut. I will continue to urge Minister Hearn to take action to ensure we can benefit fully from our fisheries.
This is one of many areas in which we look to the federal government to support us and ensure that in Nunavut, like the rest of Canada, we have the physical infrastructure we need in our communities to develop our economy and increase our self-reliance. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member’s Statement 056 – 2(4): Gratitude for Housing Constructions (Arvaluk)
Since today is Friday, I would like to first, before I say anything, thank the member, our colleague, Mr. Mapsalak, on behalf of the MLAs, for feeding us frozen meat, he is a good cook.
It is very rarely that the members and ministers are given gratitude from our constituencies.
I would like to read a short letter thanking the Minister of Nunavut Housing Corporation from Moses Koonark, Chairman of the Pond Inlet Housing Association:
“I would like to take this opportunity to show my gratitude to you while I am the chair of the Pond Inlet Housing Association for a five-plex unit apartment we received from the Nunavut Housing Corporation in conjunction with the government of Nunavut.
As you may be aware, we have a shortage of public housing for our people and this five-plex will help tremendously as there are between 42 to 50 people on the waiting list that have applied for public housing for themselves and their families.
We, the Pond Inlet Housing Association, have also received notice, again, that we will be receiving two more five-plex units this summer as part of the Nunavut Housing Trust Project that the federal government provided for the Nunavut government in the past.
Again, I would like to thank you very much for providing us with these units.
Moses Koonark, Chairman of the Pond Inlet Housing Association.”
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. (interpretation ends) Members’ Statements.
Member’s Statement 057 – 2(4): Birthday Wishes (Barnabas)
I rise today to wish the Member for Akulliq happy birthday as he’s going to be 25 years old today or 24 years old tomorrow. And all of the other people who are going to be celebrating their birthdays, I would like to extend them a happy birthday.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. (interpretation ends) Members’ Statements.
Member’s Statement 058 – 2(4): Improvement of Lives of Nunavummiut for the Next Generation (Curley)
I would like to thank the Speaker for giving us a feast about a month ago. We haven’t had an extension or an invitation from then on.
I rise today to inform the listeners out there and the Members of the Legislative Assembly, especially the young people that even though our ancestors went through a hard life and went through hardship, kept persevering.
They had a focus to keep going to the future.
They looked at ways on how they can make improvements in their life so that it would be better for their children and their children’s children.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, our ancestors looked at how they could improve and how they could gain richness for the next generation and the next generations to come.
For many, many years we have heard that the Inuit have been living up here for thousands and thousands of generations.
Today, even our government is saying that the government started this so we can’t do it, or it was initiated by some other government, or the federal government, or some other entity that the Inuit can’t do it.
If we’re going to be saying that, then there would be no hope for our younger generation.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, and because our ancestors looked at how they can make improvements to make it better for the future generation, I would like to say that even if you’re told that it is impossible, there is nothing impossible because we have made it this far.
If there are some improvements on how we can solve our problems we would do so.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I wanted to complete my statement.
We have to keep urging our youth and not say that it’s somebody else’s problem.
Qangualuk was saying that Qangualuk was a very brave man who went to Cape Dorset by dog team.
He looked at how he could make improvements in what he’s going to start for the summer or the winter; he got some tools from there and brought it back to his community.
There are a lot of challenges that you’re going to come across in your life, in our lives and the young peoples’ lives but let us not forget what was said to me; anything is possible.
We can rectify any problem and that’s been with me for a very long time. The Member for Arviat told me that anything can be overcome.
So I would like to urge the members to make sure that they keep this in their hearts. Justice has to be brought back up here and we have to get the information out there to make sure that whatever wrongs have been done in the past are rectified today.
I would like to thank the viewers out there for giving me this knowledge.
Member’s Statement 059 – 2(4): Inuit Special Constables (Peterson)
I rise today to inform the House about an important initiative underway in Cambridge Bay to recognize the contributions of Inuit Special Constables who served with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Mr. Speaker, well-respected resident Johnny Lyall, himself a retired Special Constable, raised the concern with me that former Inuit Special Constables from Cambridge Bay were not properly recognized with RCMP headstones when they were placed to rest in our cemeteries.
Inuit Special Constables provided valuable services to the RCMP and Canada for many decades as guides, interpreters and translators, among their other duties.
Their contributions to making their communities safer places in which to live for their fellow citizens are appreciated.
In recognition of their contributions, Mr. Lyall undertook to ensure that the memories of the Inuit Special Constables from Cambridge Bay and the Kitikmeot are honoured by the placement of RCMP headstones at their graves.
Mr. Lyall has completed his research for Cambridge Bay and provided me with the names of four former Inuit Special Constables. The RCMP have told me that once they have these names they will search their archives in Ottawa and advise us of the next steps.
The typical turnaround time to have a RCMP headstone prepared is six to nine months.
A career in law enforcement should be an option open to all of our youth. It is good to see more young Inuit applying to serve with the RCMP.
Mr. Speaker, I would like the House to join me in expressing our gratitude to Mr. Lyall for his personal efforts on behalf of the former Inuit Special Constables to honour their contributions to our territory.
Member for Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove, Ms. Brown.
Member’s Statement 060 – 2(4): Happy Birthday Wishes (Brown)
Today I would like to send my greetings to Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove.
Yes, we have an individual who has a birthday in the middle of March, who’s an elder in Rankin Inlet. I’m not too sure exactly what date her birthday is but it’s some time in the middle of March.
Jerome Tattuinee, I wish you a happy birthday and have a great day. I hope your wife will serve you tea and when you go to bed, serve you some coffee.
Yes, we have to thank and remember our elders because the elders used to say, “Be kind to the people who are kind to you.”
So this has great meaning to me and I’m sure it has a great meaning to you, too. The advice of the elders; we can’t forget the advice we receive from the elders and we have to remember them because they brought us to this day.
So I would like to thank all the elders.
If it wasn’t for the elders I wouldn’t be here and I’m sure my future would not be as bright.
Due to proper advice given to me we get a good future.
Member’s Statement 061 – 2(4): Seal Hunting Incident (Alagalak)
I rise today and everyone is aware that it’s Friday; it’s a light day.
So I would like to make a comment or a statement in regard to this individual who went out hunting all night in the wintertime and he was so tired, so he set up his tent and put the seal beside the door of the tent so the dogs won’t eat the seal in the middle of the night.
When he went to bed, the seagulls were making so much noise that he couldn’t fall asleep and he got angry.
That’s when a funny thing occurred.
When he got really angry he opened the door and he went to go kill the seagulls.
He tripped on the door and he fell right on top of his seal carcasses, so he got really angry and upset but as he lay on top of the seals, he realized the seagulls were flying away.
So therefore I will be asking questions on it because we are not supposed to kill seagulls no matter how frustrated you get.
So I just made that statement to make sure you smile to this.
Member’s Statement 062 – 2(4): Travelling a Long Distance for Tobacco (Kattuk)
Today is Friday. In the past there were three men who went to the Nunavik mainland to look for tobacco.
As my colleagues say, Inuit, even though they were poor, they were very capable people.
My uncle, my mother’s brother who went out on his Qajaq, from the island they went to Kuujjuaraapik to look for tobacco. They traveled long distances to search for tobacco.
I don’t know how many nights and days they traveled by Qajaq in the middle of the ocean because the Inuit were very capable and because of that, we’re able to stand here today.
Even though they were floating on their Qajaq in the ocean, in the middle of the night they would tie their Qajaqs together and set their anchor down so they could go to sleep. The birds would follow along with them and they would float. During the day they would travel some more to Kuujjuaraapik just because they wanted to tobacco so badly.
Although there was a Hudson Bay Company in the Belcher Islands, when they ran out of tobacco at that store or that trading post, they had to travel by Qajaq to Kuujjuaraapik and I’m sure that they bought more things other than tobacco.
Because of the urge of tobacco they traveled long distances.
Today one pack of cigarettes costs $17.
For that reason, I don’t think they will quit smoking because of that urge they were able to travel long distances by Qajaq.
Good morning. We have special guests from overseas that we would like to welcome.
Those individuals who are here for training from the media, from Russia, Louis Tapardjuk, who is my colleague, will meet with them and I would like to welcome them very much.
I’m going to try and pronounce their names, so I apologize ahead of time before if I don’t pronounce your name properly.
Andrey Privalikhin, welcome.
Sergey Gunin, welcome.
Mikhail Baklanov, welcome.
Petre Tsvetov, welcome.
Inna Denisova, welcome. And the representative from the federal government, Olga J. Keenan, welcome.
So I would like to wish them a very good stay here and I would like to wish them the best in their training.
I am going to start saying something in Russian.
Welcome to Nunavut, Canada.
I would like to welcome my wife to the Gallery. My wife, she could have become a teacher when we first got together, but she wanted to take care of the family.
I am very proud of her and I am very happy because my children are very kind to me because she raised them very nicely.
I would also like to welcome Gwen, our son’s daughter, and Nungaq, our eldest son’s son.
Mrs. Netser, welcome to the gallery.
I would like to acknowledge, first of all I would like to apologize to the individuals visiting to Canada.
I was supposed to go for supper with you last night and I am sorry I could not make it. I am glad to see you were welcomed to the gallery.
I would like to recognize our pages. I am always pleased to see our young pages around the chamber.
This week it was very good to see what we have seen.
I will make a brief comment in the House. There is a couple in the House by their namesake because naming individuals after another individual is very important in the Inuit way of life.
There is…inaudible…which is Tagak’s father and his wife Aggeak.
Those are named after a couple.
That is part of our way of life.
When I was growing up, I honestly thought I was partnered up. I thought that individual was my husband even though he was a very old person.
When I first got married, that’s when I realized that is how you got married.
In Inuit language and tradition we have to keep them and learn them and we have to teach our young people about those.
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery. (interpretation ends) Oral Questions.
Question 068 – 2(4): Medical Exam Fees to Obtain Driver’s Licence (Barnabas)
When I toured my constituencies, I was told that the individuals taking heavy equipment training need medical exams before they get their licenses. They also have to pay for these exams.
The fee varies.
Some cost $65, some have to pay $75 while some have to pay $110.
In my riding of Arctic Bay, they pay $110.
Why is this fee different even though there should be a standard fee?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. (interpretation) Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Honourable Leona Aglukkaq.
The member is correct. Under the Canada Health Act, we charge a fee for uninsured services performed by our staff and this is the practice across Canada.
The Canada Health Act identifies what we will provide for free and what we will charge for uninsured services.
There are different rates charged for examinations for people that are not ill and require physical examinations to, for example, obtain licenses.
The member is correct in that.
I tried to get the fee schedule for today.
I don’t have that information available but there is a fee schedule that I will provide to the member, along with the other charges across Canada in relation to our current jurisdiction.
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you. I thank the minister for her response.
Mr. Speaker, it seems like the fees should be the same throughout Nunavut because there’s a fee for a driver’s licence. When they take a medical exam they have to pay a fee and the fee is very different.
Can the minister provide the House with information to make sure that this fee is standardized?
I will ask my staff to do a review of the cost of the physical examinations that are for uninsured services and provide that information to the House.
Question 069 – 2(4): Elder Abuse Update (Peterson)
Mr. Speaker, the issue of elder abuse arose at the Kitikmeot Inuit Association Annual General Meeting in October 2006. I questioned the minister last year about what his department is doing to assist vulnerable elders who are being abused. He had indicated that his department does not know how big the problem is.
My question for the minister: can the minister update the House on what specific action his department has done since June 2006 to identify how large the elder abuse issue is in Nunavut?
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Peterson. Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, Honourable Louis Tapardjuk.
The responsibility that we have for elders, especially to do with the abuse of elders, we are still doing a study about elders. I think there was legislation, Bill 16, on how to deal with elders because we have some money set aside to protect the elders, such as recreational events that we can provide for them and other things.
What we have is we have some money set aside, if it’s agreed to by the legislature, that the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Committee had been asked by my department to see how we can help the elders more but to date, this is happening.
Anything to do with elders is what we’re doing right now to make it better for elders in Nunavut.
As I mentioned in my Member’s Statement the other day, there are elders who are being mistreated in my riding, I’m sure it’s happening in other ridings.
To me, Mr. Speaker, if one elder is mistreated, that’s elder abuse and that’s one elder too many.
My question for the minister: can the minister tell the House what an elder can do, or who they can call if they’re abused or mistreated?
If an elder is abused or thinks they’re being abused, as the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, we don’t really have any responsibility over that because we don’t have the service people for that.
They can go to Social Services because I know there are elders’ groups in each of the communities.
Those are the people that the elders can talk to and if they can report them to the community elders’ groups.
But I know, Mr. Speaker, that the majority of the communities have elders’ groups and those elders that are being abused can approach that group in the community because we don’t really know what’s happening in each community.
I’m sure, as well, that Social Services can assist those elders that are being abused. We have heard that whenever they don’t have enough resources for their needs, we have heard about that. Those are the things that I could say at this point.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister Tapardjuk.
I thank the minister for his answer.
Mr. Speaker, education and public awareness programs are important to raise the visibility of the hidden crime of elder abuse. It’s happening because elders are talking about it and it was raised at the Kitikmeot Inuit Association annual general meeting as I mentioned.
However, there doesn’t seem to be much promotion about the issue except during the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day held annually across the world.
My question for the minister: can the minister tell the House what actual programs her department has in place or is working on to help elders who are being abused or mistreated?
We hold a telephone conference every month from the four regions, Baffin South, Baffin North, Kivalliq region, and Kitikmeot region.
The staff have a telephone conference to try to find out if there are any elders being abused, or elders that are not being helped, or elders having a problem. That’s what the telephone conference consists of and to give them information on getting help and stuff like that.
I would like for that legislation to continue and to succeed in the House so the elders can get more assistance through law. We expect that legislation will come into force so the elders can be looked after properly.
We will continue with our monthly conference calls to the elders’ groups in the communities or in the regions.
We don’t really have anything that we can use to support or help those elders who are being abused at this time.
It is encouraging that there is something happening out there to help the elders. I am glad to hear the minister is working on it.
In Ontario, elder abuse is a high visibility issue. They have designated October 19 as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Ontario to remember the victims of elder abuse. It raises awareness about this hidden crime.
I read that in the March 2005 Elders Report.
My question for the minister: can the minister tell the House if she will commit to designate a Nunavut Elder Abuse Awareness Day to help raise awareness of elder abuse in Nunavut to help elders?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, at this time we have been involved as Nunavummiut in recognizing a day for elders.
We have involved with that elders’ recognition day and we have made posters on that day to give information to the public about elder abuse and what can happen to people who do not treat elders properly.
Those are the things we are going to be doing to recognize a day for elders.
Also, as Minister of Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth we have to be able to promote the healthy lifestyle of elders and their youth and for everyone to work together to take care of the elders.
We have to promote a family unit amongst all Inuit within a family.
That’s what we are doing right now. We will continue to do that to help them, not just to elders but to the extended family for them to have a better life by helping and looking after each other.
Question 070 – 2(4): Long Term Care for Seniors (Evyagotailak)
In early December, I wrote a letter to the minister on this issue of an elder who is receiving long term care outside the territory.
I spoke in the House a number of times on the need of our elders to be closer to home and family. It is important we give consideration to quality of life issues like hearing our mother tongue, eating our traditional food and receiving visits from our family and friends.
It has been over three months since I asked whether the department would consider placing this elder in Yellowknife so that family and friends passing through could visit him and bring him food and comfort. Can the Minister provide some information on the status of her reply to my letter?
Minister of Health and Social Services, Honourable Leona Aglukkaq.
Yesterday, I had mentioned that many of our citizens, we provide assistance to them through other jurisdictions’ support systems because we do not have facilities in Nunavut or the capacity to provide 24/7 care to individuals in need. We just do not have enough space in the Nunavut territory.
In the particular case the member makes reference to, that individual we have been working to try and place the person in Yellowknife as the member indicated.
We have to work with the jurisdiction that owns and provides that service in the Northwest Territories.
There is a waiting list of individual residents from the Northwest Territories for that facility and we are part of that waiting list to try and place the person from Kugluktuk closer to home.
The fact is there is no space. We provide that space and individual service where it is available presently.
I mentioned again yesterday we are trying to build more capacity in Nunavut, but we are not there yet.
The children have a right to learn from their grandparents and also great-grandparents.
It is very important for them to visit their grandparents, but it is very hard for the family to visit their grandparents because it is way out of our community, and quite a way to go and visit.
We should really try and work on facilities for the regions.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister update this House on what consideration her department is giving to establish an elders’ care facility in the Kitikmeot?
Speaker: Minister Aglukkaq.
We are constructing a continuing care facility in the Kitikmeot Region in Gjoa Haven, as per the capital plan approved in November.
Mr. Evyagotailak: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Madame Minister.
Can the minister update me on when this facility will be ready to be used?
I’m hoping both facilities in Gjoa Haven and Igloolik will be available for use some time in 2008.
I believe the majority of material and so on will be on this summer’s sealift. So, some time in 2008.
Question 071 – 2(4): Seagulls Protected Under the Law (Alagalak)
Since today is Friday, I would like to direct a question to the Minister responsible for Environment.
My question is: when we are not too aware of different rules or legislation, then we can go to court.
My question to the minister is, the seagulls that are around, because they have lived up here long, are they protected under the law?
I used to get frustrated with the seagulls too.
They are protected under the law because they clean up, they eat garbage, because they are scavengers.
What would happen if somebody killed a seagull? If somebody was watching, would they be charged? Would they be fined?
Can the minister advise me on if they would be jailed, and for how long?
I don’t have the information in front of me but whenever somebody breaks the law, they are investigated automatically.
For wildlife that is protected by law, there are a lot of young people in Nunavut and a lot of them are not aware of the legislation.
I wonder if your department lets the public know what is protected in the communities?
We talked with the hunter and trapper organizations and the conservation officers about what is protected and what is not.