EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Due to this reticence to hunt caribou, I travelled to the Kivalliq region this fall on more than one occasion to hunt caribou.
My first trip was to Naujaat, where I imposed myself on the Mapsalak family to accommodate my hunt.
They provided the necessary resources to go caribou hunting and as I was able to harvest caribou, I was extremely grateful to them. However, I was unfortunate in that I didn’t harvest any caribou with much fat.
Therefore I changed my hunting venue to Arviat based on Mr. Kuksuk’s stories and assistance.
He continually related the fact that caribou were abundant in the area near his cabin and the lake where his cabin is would allow me to harvest a caribou almost as a guarantee.
In listening to that possibility, I was intrigued and followed my colleague on the hunt to the lake known locally as Qammaniq.
During our time at the lake we experienced sporadic bad weather conditions and although I went with him on several trips, we didn’t catch any caribou at all.
We spent two or three days at the cabin with no successful hunts during the entire time and we were lucky to meet up with another hunter named Pameolik, whom I was grateful to since he shared caribou meat with us.
Since George wasn’t a very good guide, I then fired my colleague.
Apparently the person I ended up going with turned out to be Mr. Savikataaq’s constituency assistant named Tulugaq.
When I went with Tulugaq on another hunting trip, we caught several caribou by the next day and that person was quite capable.
I take this opportunity to thank Tulugaq publicly, as well as the elders of Arviat and the Kivalliq for being very welcoming and receptive.
They wished me success on the caribou hunt, as they were worried about their fellow Inuit who were unable to eat caribou meat.
I am extremely grateful for their warm welcome when Inuit arrive to harvest country food in the region.
Member’s Statement 364 – 4(3): A Day of Firsts Aboard the Nuliajuk (Mikkungwak)
I rise today to express my appreciation for having had the opportunity to spend time aboard Nunavut’s state-of-the-art marine vessel, the Nuliajuk.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Minister of Environment for having invited me and a number of my colleagues to receive a familiarization tour of the ship and to learn about its important work from its hard-working and dedicated crew.
Mr. Speaker, it was a day of firsts.
Last Saturday was my very first time to set sail along the coast of Frobisher Bay, a body of water that looms large in Nunavut’s geography as well as its history.
During our tour of the captain’s deck, I decided to go for’ard and look over the bow.
Down in the water I saw what I thought was a large bulb of clear plastic and my first thought was a concern about pollution in our arctic waters.
Mr. Speaker, you may have heard me mention on one or two occasions that I am proud to represent beautiful Baker Lake, which is Nunavut’s only inland community.
You can imagine my inlander surprise to see that bulb swell and open and seem to light up before propelling itself forward.
Mr. Speaker, I just had seen my very first jellyfish!
Mr. Speaker, my reaction to this surprise is best left to the imagination, but I want to thank Admiral, I mean, Minister Savikataaq for not making me walk the plank.
Mr. Speaker, in all seriousness this was a wonderful experience and I am very pleased to have been invited to share it with my colleagues and the crew of Nuliajuk.
I am quite happy and pleased to be able to recognize and welcome the following residents of Pond Inlet.
First, the Mayor of Pond Inlet, Charlie Enuaraq along with one of his councillors, Abraham Kublu, and the current SAO, Calla Ball.
Good morning, colleagues, ministers, and good morning to Gjoa Haven.
I want to recognize the pages for these past few days.
They will be leaving this afternoon.
They are Erica Tungilik in the corner there and Ikey Kogvik, and also their escort, Casimir Tungilik sitting in the gallery there.
Speaker: Welcome to the gallery and thank you. (interpretation) Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery.
Question 476 – 4(3): Lack of Office Space for Sanikiluaq’s Resource Worker (Rumbolt)
I’m dropping my papers.
Mr. Speaker, today my questions are for the Minister of Community and Government Services.
Mr. Speaker, in response to my questions yesterday, the Minister of Family Services indicated that he had “discussions” with the Minister of Community and Government Services concerning the lack of office space for the family resources worker in Sanikiluaq.
Can the Minister of Community and Government Services, from his perspective, indicate whether these consultations took place and what were the outcomes?
The Minster of Family Services did have general discussions on office space within Nunavut. Specifically about office space in Sanikiluaq, my recollection is that we have not talked specifically about Sanikiluaq but office space in Nunavut in general.
That’s somewhat surprising considering yesterday my questions were very direct and specifically for my community.
I will quote from the Hansard.
In my question I said, “Can the current Minister of Family Services confirm whether or not he had consultations with the current Minister of Community and Government Services regarding the lack of office space for Sanikiluaq’s family resources worker?”
In his response he said, “I had discussions with the present community and government services minister on the matter.”
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister of Family Services will take this opportunity to, for the record, clarify exactly what he meant by his answers yesterday in the House.
This question you directed to the Minister of Community and Government Services has been moved to another minister, so I will move on to the next member on my list.
Question 477 – 4(3): Cabinet Retreat in Clyde River (Okalik)
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I asked a question to the Premier on May 31 of this year asking about the Clyde River retreat, about how many hours they spent in Clyde River and how much the retreat cost the government.
In the interest of being open and transparent, can the Premier explain how many hours they spent in Clyde River and how much the retreat cost?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Premier of Nunavut, Mr. Peter Taptuna.
Mr. Speaker, as cabinet we do have retreats and we try to select non-decentralized communities for our retreats.
Every government does that. Every cabinet has done that.
Mr. Speaker, I can say that when we had our retreat upon the invitation of the MLA from Clyde River, we accepted the invitation.
Mr. Speaker, we took the most effective, efficient means of transportation to get over there.
Mr. Speaker, I do have some numbers here on the costs. The total cost was $72,611.
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) As this is five months, I think the Premier can explain how many hours they spent in Clyde River. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Premier of Nunavut, Mr. Peter Taptuna.
Mr. Speaker, there are many factors that go into the planning of these retreats.
We did meet with the hamlet, the Piqqusilirivvik staff, and the community. We spent a total of 32 hours there.
Question 478 – 4(3): Nursing Shortage in Kugaaruk (Qirngnuq)
In my Member’s Statement yesterday I spoke about health issues in our community of Kugaaruk.
People who are suffering with pain usually set up appointments with the nurses. Not all of them since some people are diagnosed correctly, but it seems the majority are informed that they are not sick and that they are fine.
How can we improve the situation? Can the minister provide information on how we can improve the current situation in Kugaaruk?
Do we need additional nurses, or what initiatives does the department have in mind?
I am asking about their strategic approach. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the member bringing forward that concern.
When we’re dealing with health care at the community level, there have been a number of challenges with staffing.
I can assure the member that the intention of the staff is basically to provide the best level of care possible.
That being said, the Department of Health has recognized that there needs to be an update to the model of care and we’re in the process of redesign.
We continue to face very complex challenges, fiscal constraints, burden of chronic disease, just the geographic realities of Nunavut.
We recognize there is a need to modernize the current model to ensure that the right care is being delivered at the right time and by the right provider in the right place.
The new model of care is anticipated to improve patient experience through seamless program integration, timely access to health services, and heath care services that are closer to home.
Stakeholder engagement within the government itself and the community is going to form a key component to this project, and I look forward to consultations and feedback from the member and residents of his community on this project.
When Inuit, regardless of whether they are a child or an adult or even an elder, have their symptoms ignored and are informed that there is nothing medically wrong with them and are not prescribed medication to deal with their pain, the person may have cancer and it can spread very quickly throughout one’s body.
I wonder if our minister can speak to this issue and how to improve diagnostic methods or the health care system in our community.
I can assure the member that I’ve had discussions with officials at the Department of Health on this very topic.
I’m looking forward to continuing the project with the redesign of the model of care, which I have full confidence that it will provide direction within the department on how we can better assist early diagnoses of serious illnesses, such as cancer, so that our residents can get the care that they need in an appropriate manner, in a faster period of time so that it doesn’t come to a point that’s it a more serious diagnosis.
The earlier we detect serious illnesses the better level of care we’re able to provide.
I look forward to the redesign of the model of care to help guide us into how we can do that as efficiently as and fiscally responsible.
Can the minister provide more information on the subject he responded with and can he provide the notification on the proposed improvements to our local health care system in our community?
The redesign of this project just started at the end of September.
That being said, as we learn and as this project develops, if there are immediate steps that we can take, we’re absolutely going to enact them.
We’re not going to wait for the final report.
If we can identify efficiencies within the system, the report will give us an overall view. If there’s something that gets identified during the progress or the production of this review, we will definitely look at enacting things immediately.
We’re not going to wait for the results of the review for all occurrences, but it will help guide us in being able to provide the level of care that Nunavummiut deserve.
Question 479 – 4(3): Support for Funeral Costs (Joanasie)
Good morning, my colleagues and Nunavummiut who are listening.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked questions regarding what types of supports are available to families who have had a loved one pass away in another community and need help to pay for the funeral costs.
The Minister of Health suggested that income support clients could receive assistance with funeral costs.
Can the Minister of Family Services confirm that it is indeed the case that income support clients can receive assistance for funeral costs?
What I can say on behalf of the Department of Family Services with respect to child and family legislation or the guardians is we have to follow the corporate policies of the department.
With respect to funeral costs, the Department of Family Services provides reimbursement for funeral costs or for purchasing the casket.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Department of Family Services has a policy which covers various funeral costs if a family services client who was cared for under the Child and Family Services Act or under a public guardianship order.
Can the minister provide some clear guidance about where families can turn to for assistance in paying for funeral costs if their loved one was not a client under the Children and Family Services Act or (interpretation ends) under a public guardianship order?
As per my earlier response, any programs administered by the department related to the death of a loved one under their care must be investigated by the department following the Child and Family Services Act, as well as the document the member referenced, (interpretation ends) public guardianship order.
(interpretation) With respect to the question, the Department of Family Services can accommodate families or children who passed away under their care and the funeral expenses or purchase of a casket is covered.
My question was: where can families turn to for assistance in paying for funeral costs if they are not a client?
In any case, I have another question.
If an individual is an income support client with the Department of Family Services, what kinds of benefits are available to help pay for their funeral costs?
Hon. Johnny Mike (interpretation): With respect to clients assisted through (interpretation ends) income support, (interpretation) as referenced, if the individual became sick or ill, the Department of Health would be responsible for the person.
As per my other comments with respect to any individual under the care of the department, what I am saying is if the person received any assistance, then the department would cover the costs.
I have also been led to understand that if an individual receives income support, then they would be supported during their illness, but it would be through the Department of Health’s guidelines for treating sick people.
Based on my understanding, the Department of Health would have to pay.
Further, officials from Justice and Health have to discuss the overlaps.
The three main departments, Justice, Health, and Family Services, work together on these issues.
This is what I wanted to provide. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 480 – 4(3): Quality of Education in Nunavut (Shooyook)
It has been two years since I asked a question, but I didn’t understand the response to my concern regarding education.
Mr. Speaker, we have heard that when high school students graduate, they are not up to par with the education system in the southern jurisdictions.
What is the reason for why they are not up to par with the rest of Canada?
Obviously there are different responses that pertain to the question.
We have teacher support assistants within all of our schools here in Nunavut that work with students who need remedial lessons to catch up.
When a student is assessed as falling behind in their studies, the support comes from the entire school to provide tutoring to allow the student to catch up.
Further, it is obvious that reasons exist, as per my previous response stating different responses apply, and perhaps if the student has poor attendance, it can result in the student falling behind. This is another reason.
Perhaps another reason is the lack of support from their parents. I urge all parents to strongly encourage their children to attend school. We know most parents are responsible, but again I reiterate my encouragement of parents to send their children to school.
This also applies within the school, as some students sometimes fall behind in studies perhaps due to the lack of proper sleep.
There are various reasons that result in this scenario, as not all cases are the same.
Nonetheless, let’s be aware that the schools are always assessing all of the students enrolled in their schools. Part of testing is to ensure they are learning what is taught in their classes as they progress up to the higher grades and to grade them accordingly.
Yes, there are many reasons that result in students falling behind. It’s not just a singular reason. We are aware of this and we conduct assessments to ensure we catch them.
That is what I can relay to the member.
Further, the Department of Education is exploring ways to engage parents in the schools. Here I mean (interpretation ends) parental engagement (interpretation) with the progress of our students. These are the kinds of initiatives we tend to use.
That is why I stated there were different reasons that students have for falling behind. This applies to some students only.
Let’s be aware that the majority of our students are very capable and I take pride in that when students are graduating from high school as that is our departmental goal.
I also thank the minister for responding to my question as it is much clearer now.
Education is critical to Nunavut’s success and what I specifically refer to are our (interpretation ends) high school (interpretation) graduation rates or graduates, as they are called.
We keep hearing that the general stream produces graduates who fall below Canadian standards.
I wonder if the lack of teachers or space in the school is a contributing factor.
When schools are tight for space, classes have to be split with morning students off for the afternoon while the second group takes their space.
With that happening in some cases, does this affect our students’ success or academic skill when this occurs? Can you provide further information for clarity?
I am unsure if I understood the member’s question, but generally only the kindergarten students are the ones who are split into morning and afternoon classes.
This is the only stream that uses that split for kindergarten, if I understood the member’s question.
While on the same subject of kindergarten, we are currently reviewing this to see if students in kindergarten can take classes for the entire day.
We are currently reviewing the issues as to whether to proceed, as it would also benefit our daycares, especially with the limited spaces in our local daycare centres and with some communities having no daycares.
It will definitely assist the kindergarten students if they took classes for the entire day.
This is being reviewed.
However, I was not sure if that is what the member was alluding to in his question.
This grade is the only one split into morning and afternoon classes as other grades are in school for the entire day.
Mr. Shooyook (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am also thankful for the clarification from our minister.
This is part of the same concern related to education and we constantly hear that Nunavut’s education levels are far lower than our southern counterparts.
Based on that assumption, I asked questions about students who are taken on hunting trips, some for an entire week where they are taught hunting skills.
When I asked the question, the minister responded that these trips have no bearing on their academically required grades.
With that being the case, when students are taken away from classes, they ought to take in the morning and afternoon.
It can impact their courses throughout the year and may result in failure if testing isn’t used to determine their academic levels.
At least that is my opinion on the subject.
Again based on your past response to my question, I believe that it is part of the problem.
I wonder what other considerations have been made by the department on whether Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is the cause, as they are sending students on hunting trips for a week when it may affect their academic progress.
Can you provide some information on the status of these hunting trips?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank my colleague for asking for more information on this front.
However, with this government’s adherence to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, our faith in this principle and in wanting to move it forward in our schools, if we look at education as a whole, this is an integral part of the schooling provided.
As a matter of fact our schools, especially in the spring season, usually set aside two weeks specifically for teaching students about Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit as well as throughout the year.
Nonetheless, it is more prevalent in the spring season.
This is an essential part of our schooling.
It shouldn’t be a reason for falling behind in their classes, as it is part of our school subjects, much like math.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is part of the courses.
Another aspect is the direction provided by the local DEA, as they set the direction on the plans in collaboration with our school officials, as to which part will be included along with the language and how it can be incorporated into our classes.
They are the ones who set the timing and classes.
It should not be thought of as a barrier to learning since it is an important component of our school education with respect to Inuit customs and language.
That is why parents usually receive notices that their children will be on a hunting trip.
Parents are kept informed of any planned outings.
This is not the reason why students may be falling behind in their classes.
Question 481 – 4(3): Communities That Have Reached Caribou Quota (Keyootak)
I asked questions to the Minister of Environment on Monday about the status of the Baffin region caribou quota system totalling 250 tags, which begins July 1 ending on June 30 of the following year.
Mr. Speaker, the response provided by the minister on the question was that out of the entire quota of 250, 107 caribou had been harvested to date and that the quota was increased by 50 animals compared to the previous year.
Mr. Speaker, have any communities surpassed their local allotment or are there any communities that are close to harvesting their total limit?
I understand that Iqaluit has reached their quota.
Iqaluit has reached their quota already, so they will be waiting a long time for June 30 and they won’t be able to harvest caribou.
Some communities will probably be the same case.
Some communities don’t reach their quota and they probably won’t reach their quota.
If some communities don’t reach their quota, can they ask for a portion of another community’s quota or is that up to the hunters and trappers organization?
This quota of 250 tags for the Baffin region is specific to the region.
The Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board receives the quota and allocates each community specific numbers.
If a community wishes to transfer their tags to another community, that is their decision since the only requirement is not to go beyond 250 caribou within the Baffin region.
Communities have the discretion to transfer their tags to other communities, but it would have to be approved by the Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board.
Mr. Keyootak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank you for responding well to my question.
Mr. Speaker, we are allowed to harvest narwhals using narwhal tags in the community.
Can we go to another community to harvest narwhal and bring a tag from my community or is that up to the local hunters and trappers organizations?
As I indicated earlier, the quota of 250 is for the entire Baffin region, although it’s divvied up between the communities.
As long as it’s in the Baffin region, the caribou tags can be used anywhere on Baffin Island.
Question 482 – 4(3): Status of Pond Inlet Marine Infrastructure (Enook)
My questions are for the Minister of Economic Development Transportation.
Mr. Speaker, as I noted earlier, Pond Inlet’s mayor has been able to join us today in the Visitors’ Gallery, and I want to take this opportunity to publicly pay tribute to him for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the community’s infrastructure needs.
Mr. Speaker, several million dollars have now been committed to Pond Inlet’s new marine facility by both the federal and territorial governments and the project has successfully gone through the initial regulatory review process that is undertaken by the Nunavut Impact Review Board.
My first question is: can the minister confirm that the main sealift of materials and equipment for the project is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2017 and that the project is scheduled to be substantially completed before the end of 2018?