EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
For those reasons we should promote the use of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit as we have seen similar incidents where the person is able to survive because they have traditional skills and knowledge.
For these reasons I wanted to recognize Mr. Simon Nattaq.
Member’s Statement 038 – 1(5): Progress of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Integration
Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleagues about the reasons for the land claims negotiations that occurred and the process that were required.
We did not want to negotiate the land claims to make us wealthier materially, we wanted to become more self-sufficient as Inuit and not have our lives run from the outside.
What I would like to talk about today is, since the creation of the Nunavut Government, there are still some residents of Nunavut, especially in the smaller communities, who have not yet participated in the land claims and who have not benefited from the land claims agreement.
There are still many people who think that they have not seen any change from the time that the powers were transferred from the federal government to the territorial government.
It is very good for some of us, but as one of my colleagues said, the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit process and integrating that into the government system is taking too long.
The reason behind that is people who do not understand the Inuit language and the culture are the ones who are doing the implementation.
If we are going to speed up the process it has to be done by people who understand Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and the traditions and cultures.
You may ask why I am making this statement.
At that time when there was relocation decided in southern Canada to the Nunavut communities of Coral Harbour, Resolute Bay and Grise fiord, they did not ask us first what we Inuit thought about it.
When they decided to kill our dogs, they did not check with us first.
Also we were given e-disc numbers for identification and they did this without consulting the Inuit.
If the Government of Nunavut wants to integrate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit....
Mr. Arvaluk (Interpretation): Thank you, I was just concluding my statement.
I would like to ask permission from my colleagues to conclude my statement.
Thank you, colleagues.
The people charged with implementing Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, for example, legislation, the language issues and whoever is going to be involved in the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit will have to ensure that Inuit are involved.
Their employees will have to be Inuit.
If it has anything to do with Inuit that is going to affect their lives then they should consult with the Inuit.
The process is too slow.
We have only two more years in our term and we will want to have this issue progress before then.
Member's Statement 039 - 1(5): Ice Sculptors from Kimmirut
I would like to make a statement about several Kimmirut residents.
A group of carvers went to Ottawa for an ice sculpting competition.
Their plan was to carve an image of the RCMP boat, the St. Roch.
Although it was almost completed, warm weather resulted in the sculpture melting.
The carvers were David Paniuq, Kootoo Manu, Donny Pitseolak and one of their goals was to honour the late Sam Pitseolak who was in a previous competition representing Nunavut.
I would like to congratulate all of them.
Speaker: Members’ Statements. Mr. Havioyak.
Member's Statement 040 - 1(5): Miner Training in Kugluktuk
I have some good things to say about my community.
On Friday February 23, there was a celebration there.
I want to congratulate some young people of Kugluktuk who completed training for jobs in the mining industry, in particular Diavik Mines.
I want to thank Diavik Mines, Nunavut Arctic College and the many organizations that have helped our young people to try to get their training in the mining industry.
They also had many good events happening during that week including feasts and celebrations.
Best wishes to all of them.
Member's Statement 041 - 1(5): Simon Nattaq’s Hunting Accident
Mr. Speaker, first of all I'd like to thank Minister Anawak and Member McLean for their kind words regarding the smoking cessation program.
It's safe to say that I don't deserve the credit for that Mr. Speaker, it is the staff of the Department of Health and Social Services as well as the members around this House that supported that program, that deserve credit.
Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, I visited the hospital to see our former Sergeant-At-Arms, Simon Nattaq.
Simon, as all members know, had a hunting accident last week when his qamutik and his skidoo went through the ice down the bay.
Simon, I'm happy to report Mr. Speaker, is doing really well, he hopes to leave the hospital this week and his frozen feet seem much better.
Mr. Speaker Simon is a constituent, a friend, and his daughter Dorcas works here at the Legislative Assembly.
I've known Simon and his family for over 17 years and like his father, Simon is recognized as an excellent hunter.
It was this Inuit traditional knowledge that helped Simon survive his ordeal, like Mr. Anawak said.
While visiting with Simon, he told me about the accident and how he had slipped on the sea-ice, and was covered in snow as all of his supplies, his skidoo and his qamutik were lost in the water.
Mr. Speaker, I won't re-tell Simon's story here today, but I would like to point out that through this ordeal Simon told me that his faith in God helped sustain him in the more than minus thirty degree weather, being soaking wet and having no food or real heat for two and a half days.
Mr. Speaker, Simon has asked that when someone is overdue that a search should begin immediately, no matter how experienced or well equipped the missing hunter or hunters are.
I think that this is an excellent suggestion from one who knows.
Mr. Speaker, when I was visiting Simon this weekend at the hospital, he was following the Legislative Assembly on television. I'm sure that you and the members will join me in a loud ovation to wish Simon well as he watches this broadcast on television today and our best wishes go out to Simon and his family.
We wish him a very speedy recovery and we want to see him back in this Legislative Assembly very soon.
Member's Statement 042 - 1(5): Medical Boarding Home in Cambridge Bay
Perhaps first of all I would like to say that for the people who have just made a statement on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit I support them.
Mr. Speaker, I heard that there was going to be a small health facility in Cambridge Bay built and since I also go to the hospital and travel to work myself, I prefer to stay in hotels rather than stay in a home.
Mr. Speaker, I represent the mothers and the children and the elders that have to travel to the hospital.
I just want to find out if, when they build the hospital, a small facility in Cambridge Bay, will they build a boarding home as well.
I feel that if the government builds a small hospital facility they have to build a transit centre there as well.
Member's Statement 043 - 1(5): Canadrill/Northmart Funspiel
Mr. Speaker, I'll start off the week with a smile like I mentioned last week for someone special watching out there.
Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to rise and acknowledge something that's become almost a landmark type of event here in Iqaluit.
It happens every year at this time of year.
Mr. Speaker, I'm talking about the Canadrill/Northmart Funspiel that took place or barely took place over this weekend due to weather.
Mr. Speaker, this event has been ongoing now for ten years here in Iqaluit and I had the opportunity to participate this weekend. That’s why if members see me a little stiff early this week, you'll know why.
I did a lot of sweeping this weekend and I'm not used to that, I'm usually a skip and I just have to holler at people and tell them to sweep, so it was payback time this weekend.
Mr. Speaker, this Funspiel every year attracts teams from outside of Nunavut.
This year again, due to weather, we were hoping to have six teams come in, one from Toronto, one from Ottawa and four from Yellowknife.
Unfortunately, due to weather, like I said, only one team from Yellowknife was able to make it in.
But we all appreciate the time and effort that it took for those people that did make it in, to come in.
I think that, as one team indicated, they are going to come up early next year so that they don’t have to get in late Friday or Saturday and have to curl about six games back to back.
So we will be looking forward to seeing them earlier in the community next year and spending more money in our community, which is always nice from outside of the Territory.
Mr. Speaker, the results for the tournament for the Funspiel this weekend.
Finishing first was the Crayton rink from Toronto.
Second was the Bottomlee rink from Yellowknife, third was the Duguay rink from Ottawa and fourth was Iqaluit’s Terry Gray’s rink that came in fourth.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to add that the Duguay rink and the Crayton rink from Ottawa and Toronto respectively have been attending this event for the last ten years since it started.
One of the other benefits of that Mr. Speaker, is that Mr. Ian McCauley who is a professional ice maker, was able to touch up the ice here in the curling rink and give our municipal facility ice-maker some pointers on keeping the ice in good shape for those of us who curl.
So I would like to ask members to join me in thanking all the participants in the Funspiel, especially Mr. Bronyk Skavinski who co-ordinated the Funspiel and I believe at least six or seven times had to change the draw due to weather.
So I would ask all members to join me in thanking them.
Member's Statement 044 - 1(5): Snowmobile Fire in Gjoa Haven
I rise today to talk about, I think it was last Saturday, from my community of Gjoa Haven, the women’s hockey team went to Kugaaruk to play hockey against their fellow women.
Just after they took off from Gjoa Haven, they encountered an emergency right beside the airstrip.
There was a lot of smoke like a tornado that appeared in front of them and I have two daughters that attended the hockey tournament.
My two daughters were on the plane as well as other young women from Gjoa Haven.
The parents were apparently very surprised and very afraid because there was this fire in front of the airstrip.
Apparently it was just after the plane took off, they saw smoke and thought that it was the plane.
But it was a teacher’s skidoo that was burning and it just disintegrated and burned up right on the side of the airstrip.
Although they were shocked about that incident, they were better when they were told it was a skidoo.
If there are no further Members’ Statements we will move onto item 4.
I would like to recognize a person that I have known for quite some time.
It was around February of 1985 that he worked with me at the land claims negotiating table as my superior.
He is from your community, Mr. David Aglukkaq.
He must be an elder now as he is sitting in the elders’ section.
He deserves much recognition and appreciation.
Speaker: Welcome to the Gallery, David.
I would like to recognize the son of the person that was just recognized, Mr. Brian Aglukkaq who I have worked with in the past with the Nunavut Planning Commission.
I would like to recognize Tongola Sandy who is sitting beside David Aglukkaq.
That is my older sister’s husband and he is the Chief Lands Administrator for the Kivalliq Inuit Association.
I would like to recognize Nancy Tagalik, who is David Aglukkaq’s daughter as well, sitting beside her brother Brian Aglukkaq.
I would like to recognize an individual today from my community.
The mayor of Kugaaruk.
I would like to recognize an individual.
Maybe I could tell a little story first.
He is my constituency assistant and he is behind me.
He is also a Ranger and for six years he has been going down to Ottawa for shooting competitions.
In 1998 he was one of the top sharpshooters with the Rangers and he has received five awards from that.
Mr. Solomon Curley, my constituency assistant.
Although they have already been recognized, I also would like to take the opportunity to recognize these people.
Mr. Aglukkaq I have known for quite some time, since 1967.
But I remember most when we were in Montreal together and at that time we didn’t speak Inuktitut too much and we had to make decisions.
(interpretation ends) We had memorable times during the hard times when the Northern Quebec Inuit Association had to negotiate land claims at least to stop Hydro Quebec from proceeding before the land claims had settled.
We were having secret meetings with NQIA and ITC, of course, they were participating, and I think he will recall when Senator Charlie Watt, then president of NQIA, the room got very stuffy and we were allowed to smoke at that time in the rooms, it got very stuffy and very hot and finally Mr. Watt requested in the meeting "can somebody open the window, please, I'm getting very sophisticated".
My colleague has just recognized the individual.
I would like to recognize Raymond Kayaqsak, he's my relative, my adoptive mother and his mother are sisters.
I went to school with him back in Chesterfield Inlet and I know him pretty well and I can speak to him openly.
We never thought that we would actually sit in a government, local government or in the legislature at that time.
So, therefore I would like to take this opportunity to recognize him.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask to go back to Item 5.
I thought you had my name on your list, I must have switched really quick when you called. I would like to seek the members’ consent to go back to Item 5.
Speaker: The member is seeking unanimous consent to go back to Item 5.
Do I have any nays.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a few people in the Gallery today.
The first is an individual that I first met in 1997 at a Public Service Alliance of Canada convention in Toronto. That individual is now the first regional rep for Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon with the Public Service Alliance of Canada and that's Mr. Jean Francois Doreen back in the Gallery over there.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize a constituent of mine, a couple of constituents, I'd like to recognize Mr. Claude Beauchamp and his wife Maria in the gallery today.
Also a good friend of theirs Angnariaq from Greenland who's here visiting right now in Iqaluit and I believe the occasion for her visit is to share a very important event that happened here in Iqaluit, or Apex I should say, this weekend when Mr. and Mrs. Beauchamp tied the knot and were married this weekend.
I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate them and wish them all the best in the years to come in their marriage.
Speaker: Welcome to the gallery and congratulations.
Returning to Item 6.
Question 023 - 1(5): Anti-Smoking Week
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services since he made the Member's Statement on smoking cessation.
There was an anti-smoking week in December and in this year, 2001, will you have more youth anti-tobacco initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, in December we celebrated, like any other jurisdiction in the country, National Anti-smoking Week, unfortunately it happened during Inuktitut Language Week.
We plan Mr. Speaker, in the coming months after the budget is released, to be able to do more initiatives as I said in my earlier member’s statement.
We will be targeting our programs to help children not smoke.
We have children as young as 9, 10, 11, and 12 who smoke in Nunavut.
Will you have another special week of anti-smoking awareness for this year.
Mr. Speaker, as I said the annual National Anti-smoking Week is something all jurisdictions in Canada, including Nunavut play a role in and play a part in and also sponsor and help promote.
So, we would be doing that next year as it is an annual event.
The last time it was held in December.
Will it be in the same month this year. I’ll be asking the other minister this question also.
I’ll let the Minister of Health & Social Services respond first.
Mr. Speaker, there are several national events surrounding tobacco, for example Mr. Speaker, on May 31 this year there is World No Tobacco Day.
So Nunavut would be celebrating that also.
I know there is a concern with the dates this year Mr. Speaker, and as I said national smoking week, is picked as a national date.
We don’t really have much say in when the date is picked.
It did clash with Culture, Language, Elders & Youth’s Language week and that was a concern.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t know the date off the top of my head when National Non-smoking Week will be held next.
We can find that information out and we can pass it on to the member.
Question 024 - 1(5): Update on Manitoba/Nunavut Power Grid
Uqaqti, my question is to the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, over the last few years there was talk between Manitoba and Government of Nunavut regarding the extension of the power grids from Manitoba to the Kivalliq region.
To date there hasn’t been much public information out there and a lot of my constituents and other people in the Kivalliq region are wondering what is going on.
Can the minister update me on the talks or the status of the power grids coming into the Keewatin.
Minister Responsible for the Power Corporation.
Hon. Ed Picco: That is a good question Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, just as an update, we haven’t had an opportunity to discuss this at any great length since we returned.
Mr. Speaker, Manitoba Hydro along with the Northwest Territories Power Corporation did what was called a pre-feasibility study on the opportunities for transmission lines from Manitoba into the Keewatin region of Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, that was a pre-feasibility study.
During the session in Rankin Inlet last February, I had an opportunity to meet with the Minister Responsible for Manitoba Hydro in Rankin to discuss the possibilities of moving the next step forward after the Government of Nunavut had an opportunity to review the pre-feasibility study.
Mr. Speaker, we have had an opportunity to review the pre-feasibility study.
There are three options that present themselves to us.
One is to do nothing else with the pre-feasibility study that Manitoba Hydro had brought forward.
The second one is to go into more in-depth, which would be a feasibility study.
To do that Mr. Speaker, we are talking into the tens of millions of dollars.
We would have to approach our federal partner on that opportunity.
The third option Mr. Speaker would be to just do nothing right now and see what plays itself out.
For example is there going to be mineral activity in the Keewatin region, which would help subsidize the economic opportunity for the transmission line.
Mr. Speaker, we have not, the Nunavut Power Corporation has not made a decision yet and as the member knows and as you know Mr. Speaker, and as the House knows, the Nunavut Power Corporation doesn’t start until April 1 in reality.
Before I can approach the federal government, we need an active legal entity in place.
The three options are nothing, do nothing and then moving on to the feasibility study, which is in the tens of millions of dollars.
I know we are a new government and we can’t afford to put tens of millions of dollars into a feasibility study.
So can the minister commit to me after April 1, when he will be the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation of Nunavut, that he will attempt to meet with federal government officials and even Manitoba officials to start talks on trying to find money from outside sources other than our government, in funding the feasibility study.
Mr. Speaker, yes.
The answer is yes to Mr. McLean’s question and I would like to elaborate by saying Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity here now, as everyone here in this House knows who has been following the news of the past several weeks.
The energy crisis that we are seeing in the North-western United States, California and in southern locations in Canada, presents itself as an opportunity to look at the opportunity for not only transmission lines into the Keewatin region, but also the possibility of other hydroelectric potential that have been designated and identified in the first pre-feasibility study.
Mr. Speaker, after April 1 it is the intent of this minister to follow up on that report and move forward in this very exciting atmosphere of new economic change.
Again, to bring into the relationship of the opportunity not only for transmission lines in, but hopefully in the future, for the exportation of possible power.
Mr. McLean: Qujannamiik Uqaqti.
Uqaqti, that’s good news to hear from the Minister Responsible.
I also have to agree with him that the rising cost of energy, we all know that with the price of gasoline and fuel oil going up, that there is a triple effect.
I also am glad to hear that he is talking about hydroelectric and various options and I think we should be exploring them.
I have seen a windmill in Rankin Inlet, that’s another good move.
We have a lot of wind up here and to exploit that I don’t think is that difficult.
Will the minister commit to keeping the House informed monthly or bi-monthly by way of a newsletter to the business community and to the other members in the House of the status of the ongoing talks on the power grid.
Speaker: Minister Responsible for the Power Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, yes I will commit to updating the House and the members, and I should also add Mr. Speaker, that as a government and as the minister and as members in this House, we need to have vision.
We need to be able to try and project where the Government of Nunavut, as well as Nunavut itself wants to be fifteen or twenty years from now.
We need to be able to look at the opportunities for independence from fossil fuels.
We see the cost implications as we have in the past several months or in the past several years.
However, Mr. Speaker, the key on this whole project would be the federal partner, who has announced through Minister Anderson, and in co-operation with Minister Akesuk, who is the Minister for Sustainable Development, to look at opportunities for leveraging of federal dollars from our federal partners to be able to move this file forward.
With the support of the House and with the support of the members, I think that is a possibility.
Question 025 - 1(5): Incremental Cost for Rankin Inlet Session
Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister Responsible for Finance and Administration.
Mr. Speaker, as we all know during the last session the Clerk tabled the incremental costs for the session that was held in Rankin Inlet.
I would like to ask the Minister of Finance if he plans on providing the incremental costs to the government for that session here in this House.
Minister Responsible for Finance.
If this keeps up we can have a lot of questions during question period.
I would like to ask the Minister of Finance if he could give me a better idea of when he could provide the Members of this House that information.
Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to provide it during this session.
I look forward to that Mr. Speaker.
I am also wondering Mr. Speaker, if the minister can provide something that the members can understand and see how the amounts were formulated.
I am just wondering if he could also provide the backup information as to where those numbers came from and what they were for.
Mr. Speaker, I would be willing to provide a summary of each department’s expenditures.
I think that would be sufficient, I don’t think it is necessary to provide all the backup documentation per se.
We are talking generally in the area of approximately 78 thousand dollars of incremental costs to the Government of Nunavut for the Rankin Inlet session.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng. Final supplementary.
Mr. Speaker, I think that would be great to see a summary from each department. Mr. Speaker, maybe I could also ask at this time if the minister is also taking a look at forecasting what he is projecting the incremental costs will be for the upcoming session in Cambridge Bay and if he would be willing to provide this House with that information as well.
Mr. Speaker, no we haven’t undertaken that exercise yet as a result of not exactly knowing right now, the caucus hasn’t decided yet what type of Legislation is going to be undertaken, what kind of policy review is going to be undertaken in Cambridge Bay.