EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Under remarks, No 4, it states, after the budget has been approved then the communities will be informed that there is funding available before April 1st.
That is very nice to hear but it also states here the estimates that they’re requesting 250 thousand dollars for Capital.
Yes, that building is very tiny, very small and doesn’t have too much.
Funds for communities like for Pangnirtung, Cambridge Bay, and there was another in Arviat, Kugaaruk’s stone church the 1 million dollars, there won’t be much left and we haven’t even touched upon the people who are still going to apply and if they’ll be allowed to apply after April 1st.
I don’t think there will be very much left.
Yet, these are very good to see that they’ll be working on elders’ centres, youth centres, stone churches.
I will be raising questions when question period starts.
How come they’re not rounded off to 260 thousand dollars, it’s 263 thousand dollars, 261 thousand dollars, if that is already the case?
For those communities that haven’t applied for any funding, they won’t be able to get much.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): I realize that your department has to get going because it’s part of our thing that was set up when we got Nunavut.
In regards to Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, as part of our Nunavut Government, when we started Nunavut Government, that’s part of what we wanted to do is create this department.
I think if this was not a department we wouldn’t have Nunavut.
I would like all the members to support this department because this is part of our Nunavut Government, it’s a new department.
I think this is the only department that helps out the Inuit People, and it has to be supported by all the members.
I just wanted to mention that because I feel that it has to get off to a good start in order that Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is promoted by this department.
I wanted to mention that, if the members can support this department.
I would like to support it, there’s not much money for this department but I feel that there could be more money directed or given to this department to promote culture, language for the benefit of the Inuit people because we feel as members we are always talking about culture, promoting culture and this is what the department does.
I will be asking questions when the question period comes up.
I thank the minister and I want to make a short comment in regards to your speaking notes.
In terms of supporting the youth centres and as well as the elders’ facilities across Nunavut, looking at that, there are just a few communities in Nunavut that seem to have the support.
That’s just a comment in regards to your funding.
I will be asking some questions in regards to your budget.
Take for example Kugluktuk, the elders’ facility in Kugluktuk is doing okay under its expenses, they have their budget, but they are already in need of new furniture.
That will be my question and as well I want to comment on the concerns in regards to the Sustainable Development comments on the visitors’ centre/heritage centre which we have in Kugluktuk.
I know the building is small considering the amount of furniture it has inside the building, and as well, it’s a place where people meet and they would like to see more artifacts in the centre.
This is something I commented on last year.
It’s hard to say as the building is looked after by chamber of commerce.
It’s something they had, but their investment in terms of the centre, I think it was last year when they put in a proposal in regards to the centre.
Perhaps you’ve seen this before.
I still haven’t found out where the application or the proposal went.
It seems like we haven’t got back on that in regards to this matter.
I want to assure you that I will try hard to get this through your department or through the Sustainable Development Department.
I know this is something in the Capital but I want to remind you that we need to do this through the O&M as well.
Once you put in the capital you may need to make a follow up contribution to the O&M in the next year so that the building is ongoing and doesn’t close.
Perhaps during the summer the staff at the centre or the Chamber of Commerce reminded me of their concern that there was not enough funding so they felt the Heritage Centre would be closing down.
So that would be my question in regards to that as well in regards to the statement that you gave yesterday in regards to the youth centres.
I haven’t really looked into it so I’ll review that first and make some comments on that, not just now but later on.
Just a short comment as well and to say I would suggest to the members that they support the department, especially when you’re working with youth and elders and languages.
And we have to make sure that our young people are assisted as much as possible to learn our culture.
Looking at the display that we have in this chamber we cannot forget the Inuit culture such as the ones that are on display.
Because the Inuit people, the elders can make all these carvings and Inuit cultural displays and exhibits like that and that’s what we want to see and that’s what this department is promoting along with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
It seems like we have to be able to put together or get the youth and elders together so that they would know where they’re going, the youth with the help of the elders.
And to be taught by the elders so they can have a better future for themselves.
There are some older people than myself in the communities who are very knowledgeable in Inuit culture and traditions and they can help out the young people.
But the only problem that they have is there’s a lack of funding.
That’s my comment for this time.
I totally support this department for working with the youth and elders and Inuit culture and language and their promotion of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, although this is a very complex mandate, I would just like to say that I am in support of this department and congratulate and commend their work.
I would like to say that the Department of Health and Social Services is the department that spends the most and it’s the priority of the government, the Department of Health and Social Services.
I could say for sure that I have talked about promoting the Inuit way of traditional medicine, such as the person that had his legs amputated because they did not use Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in their medicine.
Also there was a person from Iqaluit that almost drowned in the water and they were resuscitated by an elderly person and it happened too in my community, they tried to resuscitate that individual but the individual died. In my community there was an accident as well and the father survived but the rest died.
So, the father, this individual that survived knew how to use traditional medicine and he was able to pull those drowned people from the river.
There were four in the family and the person that survived had to care for them.
So, what he did was he put them on top of the flow edge and he resuscitated them, even though they consumed a lot of water.
Those are the types of things that I’m talking about when I talk Inuit traditional medicine and I feel that it’s very important that we use them and we can see today many things that we can use as Inuit to keep other people alive in the Inuit traditional way.
That’s why I feel that elders have a job out there, to teach the younger people and I know that the Department of Health and Social Services has not done anything about this.
The department could probably be the leader in promoting those Inuit traditional medicine practices for the survival of the individuals.
Also, Mr. Chairman, there’s been some birthing practices here in Iqaluit such as a doctor was helping this woman give birth and that baby could not breath but the relative helped make that baby to breath even though the doctor was saying that he should not try to help but he revived the baby.
So what that woman did was put the baby on the stomach, the baby breathed on his own, and he’s alive today.
That’s part of the Inuit traditional knowledge and traditional medicine that we can use.
Those kinds of things should be reviewed and studied and ask the elders out there how they can teach them.
I would also like to say that there are a lot of filmmakers that know their job very well, and they know the Inuit way of doing things, years ago and they’ve been asking for some funding to help promote the Inuit traditional ways through film.
We can learn from them and we should be giving them some money through this department but even though their budget is very small, they should be able to help out.
I know that I asked them what money they have been provided and they have not been provided with funding.
The people of Nunavut perhaps they don’t realise that there’s some money that is available that could be accessed from this department and because they don’t know about it they don’t apply.
There was a heritage centre in Rankin Inlet and it is not in operation any more because they couldn’t get any funding.
I feel that this heritage centre or the places where they have artefacts in Rankin Inlet should to start to operate again if they were to be provided with some funding.
People have to be sensitive to the Inuit culture because we all know as Inuit, because we use our traditions, ever since we were growing up, we know what the Inuit tradition is like, and we could teach it to our younger people but the only problem we have is we don’t have enough funding.
Years ago we used to help each other by sharing food with other people and we didn’t have to use any money, but today the only way to live is to have money.
I feel that if we have more Inuit traditional knowledge we wouldn’t have to rely as much funding.
This is very important to me, and I’m telling you what I have experienced such as survival skills for the younger people that are growing up today.
We have most of the members here today were born in an Igloo not in the hospital although we use hospitals now days and we don’t mind this but the majority of us here at the Legislative Assembly were not born in the hospital, we were born out on the land in an Igloo and we know how to survive.
Perhaps we could probably use less money if we use more of the Inuit traditions and values, and our culture but the Department of Health stated that the people that don’t have a certificate or diploma cannot practise such Inuit traditions in the hospitals.
So we’ll go onto the questions.
Are there questions to the minister’s opening comments?
In the Minister’s speaking notes, or opening comments, page 2, the minister had stated that he will announce that Nunavummiut will be able to apply for funding to support the elders and youth of Nunavut, whether it’s an upgrade or renovation of existing facilities, not a new building.
How did you come up with this 260 thousand dollar figure, 263, 261, and why do you have those kinds of estimates when you are just estimating as to who or how many people will be applying?
We just wanted to standardize them and to make them equal.
The funding of 261 thousand dollars, that used to be together with 263 thousand dollars, so by way of a motion they were separated for elders and youth.
Then after they were separated applicants for the 564 thousand dollars, whether they want to work with the elders or the youth they were able to apply from that figure. But now by way of motion in the House they were separated; one for elders and one youth. So therefore we split the funding between the two for that reason.
Before they were separated they were moved up or down if there were more elders applying than youth for example. The funding has been split so that when the youth make more applications we won’t get it from the elders’ portion. There is only a limited 1 million 250 thousand dollars that we get in the Capital budget.
That’s why we split the two; anticipating the number of applicants we’re going to get.
This capital funding would be for capital for elders or youth, heritage centres, but if they were all together applications would all have come from the same pot of money, but now it has been split into those groups.
One thing that I remember yesterday, during the Housing Corporation’s Capital Estimates they said the same thing on the Down Payment Plan for Keewatin, Kitikmeot, and Baffin because they have split the pot between the regions.
But they said for example, in the Keewatin Region, if they depleted their funding in the region and if Baffin Region did not apply, if there were not too many applicants perhaps just tell them to wait a week or two once they know for sure that the funding for Baffin Region is going to have a surplus so that they could apply.
Is this not the case, in your department?
Mr. Anawak (interpretation): Thank you.
Yes, they can do that.
Perhaps we could, but we would have to have a motion in the House.
It’s possible.
I don’t want you to give up thinking not enough or too many people will apply.
If there’s a surplus in either one of these, whether it would be for heritage, elders or youth, if we know for sure that there will be a surplus or if they depleted either one of the funds for the affected groups, I would appear before the assembly or in the House during Committee of the Whole and we would make a motion.
But in regards to this matter, if you tell me the funding is approved here, yes, I know that April 1st we will get the funding, but for preparation purposes, in order for the public to be prepared for applications, we urge them to apply right away.
So that’s why we’ve requested these capital estimates. Thank you.
Chairperson (interpretation): I apologize, Mr. Anawak, I called you Mr. Arvaluk.
I think I have asked Mr. Arvaluk when he held the portfolio.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): In the initial stages, start with J-8, that’s all right, but on page 5, in his opening comments it says that capital funding in the amount 250,000 will be provided to equip the department’s new office and they have 25 staff, but only 11 work stations are available for 25 staff.
And just to use that on that guide, as a guide, on page 8-2, accounting structures chart, on your accounting structure chart, there’s limited funding here.
The reason I’m asking that is because Mr. Iqaqrialu had touched on it and I think we agreed to 6.6 last year and they’re requesting 1.6 million.
Although we feel it’s insufficient compared to the health and finance departments, it seems like they have given you their leftover money, even though we made a motion last year that the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth be the first department to be given funding rather than be given leftovers.
Although it may not be that way, the Inuit people are really proud of your department and they really understand what the department is about, yet they’re given the least funding of all the other departments.
Also the municipalities now say because we provide municipal services all year; I’ll use Salliq as an example.
They don’t want to be called the municipality any more because they only take care of the municipal services and water and roads and all that.
The government tries to please everyone through the hamlet councils and they work with outpost camps at the local level.
So the public is quite pleased with the department with the limited funding that is allocated to your department for your O&M and for capital estimates and you said that you have a staff of 25 interpreters, programs, administration.
I would like to ask, in total of all the funding, put all your funding in total and look at page 8-2, how much percent of your funding or budget do you use for your staff?
Our mandate, for example, on just our staff, as I stated in my opening comments, some of our staff give support to the communities on their applications.
But the funding for the budget is 9 million dollars.
Eight million722 thousand is for operations or given as grants and contributions for elders and youth and for radio stations at the local level.
Then the wages for our staff, for their salaries is about forty five percent of the total budget.
So that’s why we strongly urge the members to increase the capital funding for our department.
We would like our staff to keep up to the work they have to do and we’d like to see them more up to date when we move into our new office.
When we move to our new office and if we staff all our positions we’d be able to keep up with our workload.
But I know that we have limited funding in our department so we have to work within our means.
That’s why we split it that way.
Chairperson (interpretation): Do you have further questions Mr. Arvaluk?
We would like to thank you for making your capital report for the 2001-2002 fiscal year.
I’m sure you have a copy of that report.
You made a budget of 800 thousand dollars to review Nunavut Heritage Centres in a study through Lords Consulting, Consilium Consulting and Nunavut Elders and Youth Consulting.
You made a budget of 800 thousand dollars and 704 thousand was used.
It seems to be three quarters of a million dollars that was used for studies.
So when would we be able to see how we’re going to proceed with this after reviewing the study.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Yes, last year when I took the portfolio the two studies for heritage centres and also for languages had already been initiated so therefore we had to utilize the budget. Later on we did a review of what kinds of program and services are available for youth and elders.
It was one time funding because this study was a one-time thing.
For that reason the study cost 795 thousand and 26 dollars.
It is capital, but the study was being completed and we made a capital estimate through elders and youth and heritage and languages in Nunavut.
The cabinet has not approved it yet, so that is why I did not want to bring it forth.
Once we bring it over to the cabinet level, we expect to diligently look for funding to be used for heritage centres.
Chairperson (interpretation): You still have further questions Mr. Arvaluk?
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): As the minister has said, heritage centres and language issues have not been approved at the cabinet level.
Are you saying that it was not approved or that you brought it to the cabinet level and it was not approved yet?
Mr. Anawak (interpretation): I had given it to the cabinet level but it is quite lengthy.
They have to review it carefully so it has not been approved as yet.
Chairperson (interpretation): No further questions?
Mr.Arvaluk
As I had stated before, I was going to ask you a question.
Since we are not going to be looking at the accounting structure chart, I was just using it as an example.
Within your department, with the staff of twenty-five, can we get a copy of your chart so that the community people from Coral Harbour will know who to address their applications to?
The reason being, when people apply and do not get a response for some time they will know who to contact.
We don’t really understand how your department is structured but we know other departments’ structures because they are old departments.
Since your department is new, we would like to see how it is structured with the twenty-five staff; you don’t necessarily have to include the staff names on the chart, just their position titles.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): The positions, whether they are located here in Iqaluit, Igloolik, or Kugluktuk, and what their addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers are, we will compile them and distribute them to the members and make them available to the public.
As I stated earlier, your department is utilized by the communities and we are proud of it, not just by the youth.
We also talk about the community radio stations that are very useful in the community.
They are the lines of communication, people have a good time on them and they really are a part of the Inuit culture and it is a medium where they can use the means to communicate.
In the NWT they used to get six thousand dollars, I do not know what the rate is at now, maybe ten thousand dollars, this is just an example, and this is just one area.
At the next capital estimates maybe you should look at the community radio stations to see which areas require funding from Culture, Language, Elders and Youth because you might have to increase your Capital Estimates from 1 million maybe up to $20 million.
I see on e-mail that they have surplus, that they’re auctioning off stuff but they’re not very useful to the communities.
The communities are not utilizing them as much as they utilize your department.
So, that would be good.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Yes, we started off slow on April 1st, 1999.
There were discrepancies when it started from NWT.
At the time there were more members from the western arctic and every time there were votes the Nunavummiut were outnumbered even though they were being persistent and diligently asking for these services.
There was Manitok and other members. Even though we are finally settling down in this department, because it didn’t exist before it was worked on diligently.
Now that we’re trying to put things in their places, I’m sure we’re going to get a lot more support as a department.
That is my thinking.
The financial part and the Department of Public Works even up to date where they are not in place yet as a new department, I know we get support but we are not finished the way we want to be yet.
I expect that we will get full support but at this stage the Federal funding that we get is not increasing at all and that’s one of our obstacles.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Maybe to make it easier I forgot to mention I omitted it.
For two years now we have heard that the government departments are conducting program reviews.
If there is going to be a program review then we should see which programs are more useful to the communities.
We still get documents from the NWT and even though we’re using them we are not still part of it legally. But we get those to use in Nunavut so we’re not completely off the hook from the GNWT. But if there are going to be program reviews in this department you will have to identify the most essential needs of the communities in regards to radio stations and how the elders and youth can work together.
The company that did the study, I wanted to mention at this time the study that was done there were some representatives from Greenland, even though they have been in existence for quite some time, I think it was kind of sudden the way they were put there.
It wasn’t the funding but the programs that we were producing, the Greenland delegation was envious of the heritage centre, museums, elders, youth facility in our capital estimates.
So we expect, as we all know finances are obstacles that they have but I expect our estimates will increase as a department because of the support we’re getting.
I also would like to welcome the officials here. I have a very brief question. As we all know as Members of the Legislative Assembly, as a government everybody knows that we are a government whether we’re Inuit, wherever you are from, as long as you live in Nunavut, nobody is superior to anybody.
It’s not really in the pages here that we have in front of us, it’s doesn’t say Caucasian, Chinese, whoever lives in Nunavut, if they want to get a facility for their elders, has there been a request such as this being made to your department?
We don’t fully expect that kind of thing will come about except maybe for French. Francophones as we know here in Iqaluit, the population of French people is quite high, but I don’t expect that they would go through our department because they can be funded by the Federal Government.
We get that 1.4 million that can be directed to the French population, but if we were to get Inuit Organizations, I would expect it. Thank you.
This department sent letters and correspondence to communities as to how funding is available or can be used as grants, contributions, or loans.
They were in both English and Inuktitut and it stated if you want funding for this particular project then you go to this department or this program but this was welcomed very much by my constituency.