EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, they continually collect Inuktitut terminology for the dictionary, and we have a committee…what do they call the committee? We definitely need to come up with Inuktitut names but we have a terminology committee. They have a terminology committee.
We believe that we will continue to enhance the Inuktitut/Inuinnaqtun dictionary.
It will progress.
You can find it through the website. I just don’t have the website address with me but it’s already on the website.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you. Is it in the website of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth?
We’re on page F-7 and F-8.
I was wondering if we can take a short ten minute break.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Mapsalak. I will take a ten minute break.
>>Committee recessed at 17:02 and resumed at 17: 20
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. Let’s resume the meeting.
I would like to ask what’s the status of the Official Languages Act.
Although you may have talked about it what’s the status of the Official Languages Act and when do you expect to table it in the House.
We have been continually working on that, and we’ve made a press release on the progress of that.
At this time when we’re drafting up the bill but to date there are still a few questions that we need to respond to.
There are going to be two Acts: one the Official Languages Act, and the other is on the protection, the Inuktitut Languages Act.
Due to the fact that we have to work on them together is why we’re a bit slow with the progress.
At the end of March, on the 30th, if we’re to meet to that date, we wanted to table that bill if we’re going to meet until the end of the month.
We expect to complete the session on the 27th of this month. We are unable to table it, but we wanted to table the bill during this session.
Perhaps we will just table the bill so that the public can see the contents of the bill.
NTI and the Official Languages Commissioner still have questions that need to be answered.
So in order to allow for the response I believe if we table the bill during this session they could be reviewed and consulted with the public. In the next session we want to table it as a bill.
I’d like to thank the minister for his response.
If we were to vote on the Official Language Act it would probably be a Nunavut-recognized Act, and not throughout Canada.
Will they be able to use it in the courts, the Inuit language?
Yes. It states in the Act that the Inuit language has to be used in which department, or which agency with the Inuit have to be used so it has to be recognized by the courts.
Although it states that, there was an agreement recently within the Cabinet that the government departments will have to follow the Act as well because it’s going to be protected under the Act, and the government has to use the Inuit language when they’re servicing the public.
When you were looking at reviewing the problems that might be encountered with regards to the Official Languages Act and the rights of individuals, have you listed them, or would there be any problems?
It just seems like the official languages should be dealt with very quickly but I guess it’s not so.
Yes, there are some stuff that we have not agreed upon yet but during negotiations with the people that we’re working with, we’re reaching an agreement, especially to do with the service providers in the government departments such as the receptionists and the individual that’s dealing with the public have to know how to speak Inuktitut, oral as well as written.
The interpreters have to be competent and the social workers will have to try to learn how to speak Inuktitut, as well as the RCMP, if they’re going to be dealing with emergencies, will have to be able to speak Inuktitut, such as the private sector as well. If they’re going to be servicing the public such as say in the hotels and in the restaurants, they will have to follow the Act.
The thing that we had the problem about the most is, although it’s being resolved, community governments; are they going to follow the official language, or are they going to be protected, or are they going to be following the protection of languages?
The problem that we had was the federal government don’t really want to give us a lot of money to the municipal governments for whatever they’re going to use the money for.
These are the types of things that we’re dealing with right now with regard to the Official Languages Act. NTI and the Languages Commissioner’s Office are working together with our department in dealing with the Official Languages Act.
We feel that we’re going to have to agree in Nunavut that the Nunavut languages and the service departments that deal with the public will have to agree to follow the Official Languages Act.
Yes, we’re continuing and that’s what we’re dealing with and that’s where we’re at right now. We would like to be able to provide the Act before we prorogue as an Assembly.
Yes, I understand a little bit better.
I think you’re trying to agree with each other voluntarily.
Nobody suggests that if you don’t agree, and then it can’t be done. But as a government, if we agree to the legislation, if there is a binding agreement, then it would have to be followed because at the present time they don’t really have a solid foundation for an agreement between the departments and the other agencies.
The people who have contracts with your department... but we could also deal with the courts, whether it’s under the constitution.
But, I know a lot more people in Nunavut will be happy when their languages are protected, and when their languages are recognized.
I think the people out there are expecting that this legislation be provided as soon as possible, if you can continue and work vigorously to make sure that this legislation is provided to the House so the public can get their hands on it.
There are a lot of people who don’t have answers to what they want.
English and French is already recognized, but here in Nunavut, we have to have the right to have the Official Languages Act recognized.
Can the minister provide us with the ongoing work that is happening with regard to the Official Language Act?
We feel that a lot of people expected to have a Nunavut Agreement which is in effect right now, and I know Inuit are expecting this legislation to pass.
After a certain number of years, it will receive assent from the Commissioner and then become a law at a certain time.
I think it’s going to be looked at for another five years before it becomes legislation, and we have to know how much it is going to cost.
So, when we table it in the House, it would become an Act for the committee to review, and it becomes a public document.
Before the first reading is done they can hold public consultations to see what they think.
I think it will be some time in April that we want to have it provided to the public for a month because Jose Kusugak is our advisor on the Language Bill.
He is getting feedback from the public out there.
Before the Legislative Assembly has prorogued then we want to be able to deal with it.
Like the minister stated, there are a lot of things out there that could try to keep it from becoming an Act because Canada is a bilingual country. They have not said anything about there having to be plans in place.
We can use Greenland as an example.
I think no matter how much it costs for the government, agencies, and the private sector, if it becomes law then it will be very good for Inuit.
You don’t have to be nervous about what other people might be thinking about.
It would be recognized.
Lastly, I would like to ask a question.
We’re using Inuktitut right now. What is our status as Inuit speakers? If we’re going to have Inuktitut as a working language how can you get that going?
We don’t have an act at the present time. When we get legislation that protects the Inuit language, the Official Languages Act, and protection of the Inuit languages, we have to be protected under the law because we have to preserve them.
So that’s what we’re looking at right now and this is the first time it is going to be done here in Nunavut. We wanted to provide a piece of legislation for the protection of the Inuit language so it would be dominant. That’s the thing that we want to do in the future.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I think today we should start saying that we have to say what we mean by a certain thing.
We hear about different languages but nobody says anything about it.
I expect that if there could be someone that deals with the protection of language, if I was to ask you what do you mean by negotiations using Inuktitut? Every day you have negotiations with public servants.
What do you think it means when it’s in regard to languages?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If we can use the Inuktitut language there is a committee in place that deals with that. I think they come from the government departments and they have a meeting for meanings of different words.
This committee has been doing that for the new terminology and the government jargon to be compiled together and to use that same Inuktitut meaning because there are so many different ways that you can call a certain thing, even though it is just one item. So we’re trying to use the same language for a certain thing all the time.
The people that use Inuktitut and English meet once in a while but it’s continuing and they have a...if I was to say negotiation; you’re trying to reach an agreement. This is what it means in Inuktitut.
I am sure that other people would say it differently. It’s basically, trying to agree with each other.
That is the way I would say it.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I feel that the minister responded to that like trying to agree with each other is a meaning of negotiation.
So I feel that that terminology is good. There are all kinds of people that would say that they’re arguing. I feel negotiating is better than arguing.
So when you try to agree with each other would you be arguing or how would you say it? This word Aivaniq, what do you think it means?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Well, that’s like dialectal differences because of course, a hammer is said differently from one community to another.
From what I understand then as a person from Amittuq, Aivaniq would be an argument or an angry argument and trying to win over the other.
That’s not negotiation that would be an argument.
That’s how I understand it. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Well, he is the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and not an expert in languages.
That is for the information of all the members.
He could make mistakes.
We are dealing with F-7 and F-8 of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I think I have three minutes.
The minister responded appropriately. If we’re going to be proud of our language, I think we should have an accurate definition of a word.
There are some people out there who say argument instead of negotiation when they’re speaking in Inuktitut.
I think we have to set an example to the people out there and he said when he was making his response that in the Amittuq dialect that it would be how they would say it.
I think that we’ll have to make sure we have proper definitions so that the younger generation will have an understanding or be well versed in Inuktitut.
We are on page F-7 and F-8.
How many different dialects are there out there? I know that they’re all in Inuktitut but there are dialectal differences. How many dialects of Inuktitut are there out there?
How many do you use when you’re promoting the Inuktitut language?
I’m not exactly sure how I can respond to that question but if you’re putting it into Inuktitut, that individual would translate it or put it into their dialect.
We have an office in Kugluktuk where they translate into the Inuinnaqtun language. We also have another office in Igloolik where they do translations from English to Inuktitut and vice versa.
We also have another office here where we use different dialects.
That’s how I would respond to your question. In regard to dialects, I can’t really respond to your question because I don’t think we even try to find out how many dialects there are and which one is most preferred by Nunavummiut.
I am concerned because when I went to the Ahiarmiut area, the inland people, I didn’t even understand their language.
They still have their own distinct dialect, and it’s quite hard to understand them because they have a very distinct dialect.
I think that we have to preserve their dialect because it is used by a certain group of people.
Not everyone will be using that same dialect throughout Nunavut. I know that they are the hardest of the dialects that I’ve heard, and each of our dialects is distinct.
With the language that we use every day, there are slight variations.
Some of them are quite hard, and I don’t think you would even understand them. Is it possible to promote dialectal differences and also to preserve them?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, very much. The dialects in the regions are very important and it identifies which region you come from depending on which dialect you speak.
There are none preferred, more or less, but one thing that I think we will have to consider in the future is the Inuktitut language. It would have to be mandatory for the Inuktitut language to be spoken here at the Legislative Assembly for example.
In Greenland, they use the Greenlandic or the Queen’s version of the Greenland dialect in the House, but when they go home they each use their own distinct dialect.
Is that something that our department or this House will have to consider?
All dialects are very distinct and something to be proud of.
With regard to the preservation of the Inuktitut language, I think that we should be promoting them and using the Inuktitut language.
Of course each of us have a different dialect, and we want our dialects to be preserved. There are some Ahiarmiut who now understand our Inuktitut dialect, and we are able to understand their distinct dialect.
Your dialect identifies where you come from. From what I understand, or the way I see it, they are from Nunavut. I think that they are a very important, distinct group of Inuit who have their own customs and who have their own distinct dialect.
We don’t have an interpreter who speaks in that distinct dialect, and some of the people, especially the elders don’t understand some of the dialects.
They might hear you, but they won’t understand you.
My question is: how can we package it and preserve it, possibly through the schools and to set aside some funds that would be used for the preservation of dialects in Nunavut.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think it’s on this page that we have grants and contributions available for language promotion and protection. We have money set aside for promotion and protection.
If you would like to do a program promoting and protecting the Inuktitut language, we can give assistance.
Once the bill is legislated there would be a terminology committee, who would do the compilation of terminology.
We do have money set aside for the promotion and protection of the Inuktitut language. Usually we get those funds from a third party, or from the federal government. Through our department there is money available.
I am very pleased to hear that. The people out there are listening I am sure. They’ll be aware that there is money set aside for promotion and protection.
We’re on page F-7.
Official Languages. And F-8.
Chairman (interpretation): Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
On page F-9, F-10, and F-11. Culture and Heritage.
I had made this comment at an earlier date in regard to culture and heritage. I think the minister can recall the comments that I made.
The government puts together promotional material where each community is described and there’s one on Coral Harbour.
It is said that the people of Coral Harbour in the early 1900s moved, or died off, but that information is not quite accurate.
I am not sure what you can do but I think that you should be involved in bringing, or getting the accurate information.
There are some people who have now moved to Rankin Inlet where our grandfather David Alagalak and my grandfather moved over there and then there’s two that moved to Igloolik.
The anthropologists are saying that the original Coral Harbour people had died off.
So I think that we have to get the accurate information out there because they are descendents of the original Coral Harbour people.
When I talk to them, they feel like they are a very small family and they feel smaller than the rest of the population.
So I think that we have to make sure that we promote that type of stuff.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): There was some interview taping done in Coral Harbour.
As I mentioned earlier we were recording in some communities, for quite a number of years, and we deal with so many communities in a year, and the stories that we hear, we are collecting them.
I don’t think we’ve reached Coral Harbour yet, and that would be really good to give interviews and record those.
After that, then we would be able to work further from there.
We’ll definitely have to look into this and what he just mentioned; we’ll keep that in mind.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I move to report progress.
At this time I would like to thank Minister Tapardjuk and his officials.
I would like to ask Sergeant-at-Arms to escort them from the witness table.
The motion is in order. All those in favour, please raise your hand.
Orders of the Day for March 16:
This House stands adjourned until Friday, March 16, at 10:00 a.m.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Pages 402 – 456
Opening Prayer 402
Ministers’ Statements 402
Members’ Statements 404
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 409
Oral Questions 410
Tabling of Documents 428
First Reading of Bills 428
Second Reading of Bills 428
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 429
Report of the Committee of the Whole 454
Revert to Item 5: Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 455
Orders of the Day 455
Friday, March 16, 2007 402
028 – 2(4): Birthing Centre in Rankin Inlet (Aglukkaq) 402
029 – 2(4): Grade Three Criterion Math Test (Picco) 403
030 – 2(4): Small Craft Harbours Report (Simailak) 404
056 – 2(4): Gratitude for Housing Constructions (Arvaluk) 404
057 – 2(4): Birthday Wishes (Barnabas) 405
058 – 2(4): Improvement of Lives of Nunavummiut for the Next Generation (Curley) 405
059 – 2(4): Inuit Special Constables (Peterson) 406
060 – 2(4): Happy Birthday Wishes (Brown) 407
061 – 2(4): Seal Hunting Incident (Alagalak) 408
062 – 2(4): Travelling a Long Distance for Tobacco (Kattuk) 408
068 – 2(4): Medical Exam Fees to Obtain Driver’s Licence (Barnabas) 410
069 – 2(4): Elder Abuse Update (Peterson) 411
070 – 2(4): Long Term Care for Seniors (Evyagotailak) 414
071 – 2(4): Seagulls Protected Under the Law (Alagalak) 415
072 – 2(4): Update on Changes to Drivers’ Licences (Mapsalak) 417
073 – 2(4): Raven Poisoning Update (Curley) 418
074 – 2(4): Different Prices of Tobaccos (Kattuk) 419
075 – 2(4): Update on Passport Photos (Barnabas) 420
076 – 2(4): Services for the Elders and the Disabled (Peterson) 424
077 – 2(4): Number of Communities with Passport Equipment (Mapsalak) 426
044 – 2(4): Nunavut Small Craft Harbours Report (2006) (Simailak) 428
Bill 04 – Workers’ Compensation Act – First Reading 428
Bill 05 – An Act to Amend the Local Authorities Elections Act – Second Reading 429
Bill 08 – An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act – Second Reading 429
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2007-08 – Consideration in Committee – Culture, Language, Elders & Youth 430
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2007-08 – Consideration in Committee – Health and Social Services 443
Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Honourable Olayuk Akesuk, Mr. David Alagalak, Mr. James Arreak, Mr. James Arvaluk, Mr. Levi Barnabas, Honourable Levinia Brown, Mr. Tagak Curley, Mr. Joe Allen Evyagotailak, Mr. Peter Kattuk, Mr. Steve Mapsalak, Honourable Patterk Netser, Honourable Paul Okalik, Mr. Keith Peterson, Honourable Edward Picco, Honourable David Simailak, Mr. Hunter Tootoo.
Speaker (Hon. James Arreak)(interpretation): I would like to ask Mr. Alagalak to say the opening prayer.
Good morning, Mr. Premier, Ministers, Members of the Legislative Assembly, and Nunavummiut.
Minister’s Statement 028 – 2(4): Birthing Centre in Rankin Inlet (Aglukkaq)
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (interpretation): Good morning. (interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, the birthing centre in Rankin Inlet is a success story that few in Nunavut know about.
Thanks to this innovative service, many Nunavummiut can have their babies closer to home.
Since this started in October of 1993, some 451 babies have been delivered by midwives and maternal care workers at the centre.
They were all successful deliveries.
Kivalliq women with high risk pregnancies give birth in Winnipeg or Churchill.
This is a positive experience not just for the moms and their families but for the Department of Health and Social Services.
Each baby delivered by the birthing centre saves government approximately $10,000 compared to the cost of delivering outside.
Most Kivalliq women are choosing to use the birthing centre. We had 42 births in the centre last year, a 33 percent increase over 2005.
While this trend is expected to continue, there will be a limit given our resources and capacity of this system.
Mr. Speaker, I ask MLAs to join with me in thanking the staff of the birthing centre, in particular the founding mother, Nowyah Williams, for their years of dedicated support for the Kivalliq mothers and their families. I wish them every success for the years to come.
Minister’s Statement 029 – 2(4): Grade Three Criterion Math Test (Picco)
Hon. Ed. Picco (interpretation): Good morning, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) One of the best ways to maintain academic standards is through ongoing student assessments as part of our instruction in our schools.
During the past year we have been working with our schools and District Education Authorities on school improvement plans.
The purpose of the school improvement plan is to establish regular ongoing ways of doing business in the schools.
The District Education Authorities, parents and community members enhance student growth, success, and processes.
They collectively examine what is going well in the community school and how to expand on best practices and successes to address challenges.
The overall objective of the school improvement plan is to enable every student to be a successful learner.
As part of the school improvement plan, we will be developing criterion standard tests for grade three, six, and nine math as well as grade four and seven language arts.
Criterion reference tests are based on the curriculum used and tests student knowledge and skills. From the results of the test, we will be able to enhance program and curriculum development processes, share information on student learning and have a method of tracking student progress over a period of time.
I am pleased to announce to my colleagues today that the grade three criterion math test is now completed and will be implemented in Nunavut schools this April.
This test has been designed here in Nunavut with input from Nunavut educators and is just one part of our student assessment.
This is the first criterion test to be administered in Nunavut schools. Please join with me in wishing our students and our teacher’s success in implementation of the test and future assessment processes in our schools. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister’s Statement 030 – 2(4): Small Craft Harbours Report (Simailak)
Hon. David Simailak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I want to bring to the attention of this House the Nunavut Small Craft Harbours Report that I will be tabling today.
There is a great deal of interest in this report from the members, especially from those seven communities for which harbour improvement had been recommended.