EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we recognize this significant achievement.
A high school graduation certificate is a step towards greater opportunities in higher education, careers, and employment in the future. It also represents much hard work and effort in the past. Our graduates are community role models, a title they have earned and should be proud of.
Mr. Speaker, six graduates from the Inuujaq School in Arctic Bay took part in a reception and graduation ceremony on October 12, 2012.
I would like to acknowledge them and encourage them to keep working hard towards their goals.
Jacqueline Arnauyumayuq
Bob Barnabas
Terry Ejangiaq
Qajaaq Qaminirq
Nick Muckpa
Mr. Speaker, parents and family members play a big role in supporting and encouraging our youth to succeed at school. I would also like to extend congratulations and appreciation to the parents and families of our graduates because part of this success is theirs to celebrate as well.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Inuujaq High School graduates on their achievement and in wishing them continued success in the future.
Member’s Statement 308 – 3(3): Opening of Kugluktuk Hamlet Office (Taptuna)
My condolences to the family members who have lost loved ones.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my congratulations to the community residents of Kugluktuk in light of the grand opening of their new hamlet building.
I was happy that I had the real pleasure of being there in person to witness the opening, which was a great event.
I would like to thank the community of Kugluktuk, the hamlet, mayor, and councillors for their patience and vision to the building of their new hamlet office.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our Member of Parliament, the Hon. Leona Aglukkaq, and also the Minister of CGS on behalf of the Government of Nunavut, Minister Kusugak, and his departmental staff for providing the funding required to build this new facility.
Their investment, dedication, and hard work has made projects like this one coming to a reality that may be used and enjoyed by Kuglukturmiut residents and many others for years to come.
Mr. Speaker, as you know, in Nunavut, we have a great need for new infrastructure to be invested in our territory. I look at the new hamlet building in Kugluktuk as the beginning of a further investment yet to be realized by the people of Nunavut.
Once again, congratulations to all Kuglukturmiut and all the parties that made this event possible.
Member’s Statement 309 – 3(3): Correspondence from Constituent (Curley)
I would like to make a Member’s Statement in regard to this letter that I have received from the students as their MLA and I shall read it.
It’s in English, so I’ll read it in English.
(interpretation ends) My name is Layla Autut and I’m a 15-year-old Rankin Inlet resident. I’m writing this letter to bring to your attention all the Inuktitut-speaking issues we’re having in our schools.
I’m a regular student in high school and wanted to learn more about the Inuit culture.
Some of the problems I have noticed are that Inuit kids are unable to understand or speak their own language. That is because we are not having enough time in school to learn Inuktitut.
Having to help out elders around the community, I think the youth find it hard to communicate with them. I’m concerned about this and there should be something done about this.
If we were to have a well Inuktitut-speaker or someone who has gone to school and took a course in Inuktitut to teach everything we should know about our culture, then the kids of Rankin Inlet would be able to speak and understand much better than they do now.
Thank you for your time and effort to read this letter. I hope you consider trying to help our schools with more Inuktitut. I hope to hear back from you.
Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the minister a question on this today.
Before we proceed on to Item 6, I would just like to inform all members that yesterday, there were individuals that were on the list to ask questions during question period and time ran out, so they never got to ask questions.
So I just ask all members to keep in mind that everyone would like an opportunity to ask questions.
Member Baker Lake, Mr. Aupaluktuq.
Question 420 – 3(3): Mine Safety in Nunavut (Aupaluktuq)
Baker Lake residents are in my thoughts at this time as they are undergoing hardships.
So I send my condolences to my fellow Baker Lake residents who have lost a loved one; may you find solace.
(interpretation ends) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, Hon. Minister Kusugak.
As the minister is aware, the WSCC administers Nunavut’s Mine Health and Safety Act. This important legislation addresses health and safety for workers employed in mines.
Concerns have recently been raised with respect to asbestos levels at the Meadowbank mine near my community of Baker Lake.
Can the minister indicate if the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission has been in contact with Agnico-Eagle on this issue and, if so, is the WSCC fully satisfied that the situation is being addressed?
Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, Minister Kusugak.
I will look into this with WSCC and how the situation is being addressed.
Nunavut is anticipating the opening of new mines across the territory.
As we look forward to new opportunities, we must not lose sight of the rights of our workers.
Can the minister indicate how often the WSCC inspects health and safety conditions at the Meadowbank mine and will he commit to tabling the results of the WSCC’s inspection reports?
There is legislation in place for the safety of the mine workers. There is the Mine Health and Safety Act.
This Act requires that they inspect health and safety conditions. They follow the Mine Health and Safety Act. If there is any further information, I’ll be able to provide that to the member.
The people of Nunavut as well as Baker Lake would be more than happy to be informed as well in regard to the Mine Health and Safety Act.
Section 6.04 of the regulations made under the Mine Health and Safety Act require that training for workers in mines “includes provision for the instruction of persons who may have a poor understanding of the language commonly used in the operation of the mine.”
In my Member’s Statement earlier this week, I addressed the need to respect language rights.
Can the minister indicate how the WSCC ensures that mines comply with this provision of the regulations?
No one should be forced into an unsafe situation and that includes workers everywhere, whether it is in the mining sector or others. Workers should never work in an unsafe environment.
There is legislation that is applicable to worker safety and all companies have to understand the legislation and abide by it.
Perhaps this is even more relevant in the mining sector.
The workers in the mines are subject to the Mine Health and Safety Act that is monitored by government officials who also ensure the companies know the obligations they are required to follow. If there was a misunderstanding of the legal obligations, then the officials would work with the mining company to ensure compliance.
In some cases, workers need interpretation to ensure that they are also following the rules and regulations. This can lead to different understandings when various languages are in use, and we have to ensure all parties understand the regulations related to worker safety and safe workplaces.
I very much appreciate the response by the minister as environment and safety are predominantly in the back of the minds of Nunavummiut and beneficiaries.
In response to the Mine Health and Safety Act, section 19 states that “The owner and manager of a mine shall ensure that no employee is discriminated against in any manner…for complying with this Act and the regulations.”
Can the minister indicate how the WSCC investigates concerns that are raised by workers at mines regarding allegations of discrimination?
I don’t have a copy of the Mine Health and Safety Act in front of me, unfortunately.
Once I understand exactly what his question entails, I will look into it. Once I have understood the legal requirements that need to be complied with and once I have an answer, I will ensure that I provide that response to the member.
Question 421 – 3(3): Child Care across Nunavut (Ugyuk)
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Education.
Earlier in my Member’s Statement, I urged our government to take a coordinated approach towards providing a comprehensive and stable child care system across Nunavut.
Can the minister clearly describe the government’s approach to ensuring that early childhood education and care services are available in all of Nunavut’s communities?
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank our colleague for asking this very important question.
When we speak about daycare services, it is quite an important issue, particularly in this day and age.
The majority of Nunavut’s population is comprised of young people.
To cite this example, about 52 percent of our population in Nunavut is under the age of 25. Many of these young people are already bearing children as well.
This illustrates the growing importance of this issue.
The Department of Education has various divisions that look after the different aspects related to the daycare service provision.
It is unfortunate that we can’t provide any funding for the construction of new daycare facilities.
These are the issues I want to speak to in English.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education has the following programs to support early childhood development: we have licensed daycare $2.15 million fund, which monitors, inspects, and supports licensed daycare facilities, daycares, family day homes, preschools, Aboriginal Head Starts, and after school facilities.
Another one is healthy children’s initiatives, $908,000, designed to build the development of early childhood, family-centred programs and services in communities that would support the developmental needs of young children and their families from before birth to age 6; young parents stay program, “Young Parents Stay Learning” is the official title for it, $140,000, a parental subsidy that pays licensed daycare fees for parents who are attending school to achieve their high school diploma and are under the age of 18 years.
Another one is daycare user subsidy, $502,000, a needs-based parental subsidy that pays child care fees for parents who are attending school or working.
District education authorities early childhood education funding is also available to assist DEAs in complying with section 17 of the Education Act, which requires them to provide an early childhood education program that supports development of the Inuit language and knowledge of the Inuit culture, as well as developing and providing early childhood resources in the Inuit language and culture.
Mr. Speaker, it is an important aspect of what we need to address and that is daycare.
I also would like to thank the minister for her response on the new guides to daycare. (interpretation ends) I recognize that the Department of Education assists organizations through funding and support to help facilitate the delivery of early child care services.
Can the minister update this House on the number of daycares that are currently operating across Nunavut?
There are quite a lot of daycares that are in progress and operating and that are waiting for further initiatives at the community level.
I have a long list of all the daycares. If I were to provide the long list of all the communities that are operating daycare initiatives and so on, it would be quite a while.
So I would compile the information and provide the member with the complete listing and I would even go as far as tabling that information.
I also thank the minister for the explanation. Now I am anticipating the document to be tabled.
(interpretation ends) Can the minister update this House on the number of daycares that are currently closed across Nunavut but have indicated that they would like to open?
With the information that I will be compiling, the information that I will be providing with the daycares that are already operating, I will include the information of the ones that are not yet operating or on hold.
I thank the minister for her response. (interpretation ends) Daycares receive government funding according to attendance numbers.
The amount of funding has a direct impact on daycare sustainability.
Will the minister commit to reviewing the subsidy rate for daycares?
There are certain areas in child care initiatives that we are continually monitoring and assessing, even looking at the Child Day Care Act to ensure that our current Child Day Care Act is up to par, and so on.
This is an ongoing initiative the Department of Education is doing. With new initiatives, I will be happy to update the member on those kinds of initiatives.
Question 422 – 3(3): Community Nurse Staffing Allocations (Enook)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services, the Hon. Peterson.
Mr. Speaker, as you know, in those communities where there is no resident physician, the first level of health care is provided by nurses at our community health centres. The populations of most Nunavut communities have grown significantly over the past decades. However, the number of nursing positions allocated to health centres has not changed in a very long time.
Can the minister clearly describe what formula or guidelines are followed by his department to ensure that an adequate number of nursing positions is allocated to each Nunavut community?
Mr. Speaker, I don’t have that information or formula here, but I can assure Mr. Enook that in his community of Pond Inlet, there are an adequate number of nurses currently. They are fully staffed and one vacant position has a casual.
We do have approximately 250 nursing positions in Nunavut of various types. It’s quite complex, but we fill them with agency nurses, casual nurses, and indeterminate [staff].
We do take health very seriously and we work hard to make sure that the nursing positions are staffed in all communities.
The minister said that we have adequate nursing staff in Pond Inlet, but even with that, far too often, the residents of Pond Inlet are turned away from the health centre because there are no appointments available.
There are quite a lot of people who can’t make any appointments and there is no other health facility that they can go to as an alternate.
Can the minister update this House on what steps are taken to measure and evaluate the workload of nurses in our community health centres?
I’m asking that question because all the appointments are booked maybe because the nurses are overloaded.
My question is: what steps are taken to measure and evaluate the workload of nurses?
First of all, I would like to thank all the nurses across Nunavut for their commitment to delivering health in our communities. As Mr. Enook says, they’re the first line of health in many cases and they do a tremendous job under some very often difficult times, as we read in the newspapers and hear on the radio.
Mr. Speaker, this similar question came up with me in the Kitikmeot a couple of weeks ago at the Kitikmeot Inuit Association AGM, where people were telling me that they would go to the health centre and they would see people sitting there, but they couldn’t do a walk-in appointment and were told to get an appointment.
I asked my staff [to review].
There’s a regional office in every region that works with the health centres. My regional office looked into some of the concerns and it turned out that a lot of people would book appointments but not show up for the appointments. The nurses had already booked, expecting for them to come.
I have asked my staff to look into how we can better communicate and ensure that the appointments are kept or we can follow up with the patients to ensure that they do come on the day that they are expected to come in for their appointment.
Minister Peterson made a reference saying that we have adequate nursing staff in Pond Inlet according to the population.
We believe that additional nursing positions are necessary.
Will the minister commit to providing me with an update on his review of the staffing allocations?
I thank Mr. Enook again.
Mr. Speaker, nursing is a difficult, challenging position. We know that from debates in this House and the media reports over the years that recruiting nurses for Nunavut is a challenging proposition all over Nunavut and Canada.
We are encouraging young folks to get into nursing so that we can place them in our communities in Nunavut.
In Pond Inlet, I think there are four community health nurses there currently. That’s on our org. chart.
That’s what our business plan shows. It’s my understanding that most, if not all, of those positions are filled. Unfortunately, with the constraints that we have in this government, we can’t put additional nurses into communities.
There are other considerations as well. There’s the whole housing crisis we face. That’s a challenge.
There are constraints in many of our health centres. They’re not large enough to support more nurses or more health [workers].
We’re working hard on that to replace the nursing centres or health centres in the communities as we move forward. They’re very expensive and it takes a lot of time to construct. We are well aware that communities would like to improve health in their communities for the citizens and our department and this government are committed to that.
Maybe if I rephrase my question. A lot of the communities think that they have inadequate nursing positions and we know what’s happening at the community level, but the minister indicated that there is no need to increase staffing.
Can the minister advise us which communities are in an urgent need to increase the nursing positions?
I don’t have that information available to me right now. I haven’t heard from the department or from any communities that there is an urgent need.
The issues I often hear about are getting appointments with the health centres. We’re working on ways to be more efficient and effective with that; the scheduling of appointments, the walk-ins, and those types of issues. We’re hoping, as we work with the health centres in the communities, we can make the health centres, like I said, more efficient, more effective, and addressing people’s health concerns.
Question 423 – 3(3): Declining Use of Inuktitut amongst Youth (Curley)
My question is directed to the Minister of Education regarding her Minister’s Statement.
Further, all the members here, I believe, can state unequivocally that the Inuit language and culture is something we have to know, particularly those of us Inuit members who can speak our language.
We are continually reminded by the elders that we have to preserve our language.
With respect to this young 15-year-old, she stated that many young students are no longer capable of understanding Inuktitut in the schools in her community. If they understood or if they had classes revolving around the Inuktitut language, this would benefit the students.
Can the minister provide some background as to why so many of our students are no longer capable of understanding or speaking or writing the Inuktitut language within the school system?
I also thank my colleague for that very important question respecting the Inuktitut languages.
We continually hear and are admonished that if we are to properly learn our mother tongue and be able to speak it, it has to start at home.
Starting back when I was in my youth, this piece of advice has continually been spoken by our elders, many of whom have already passed on.
Their observations were that the youth no longer spoke proper Inuktitut and these observations started in the 1970s.
This issue is very dear and important to many people throughout Nunavut, which is quite obvious. Additionally, students in the schools have started to be instructed in Inuktitut primarily up to grades 3 or 4. Further, there are now classes available for the higher grades in high school.
Also, another issue which I am very happy to report on is the number of schools utilizing elders as instructors is on the rise. Certification of these elder instructors has begun, allowing elders to instruct students on the topics for which they are certified and this increases the usage of Inuktitut with elder instructors present in the schools.
However, some parents prefer that the primary language of instruction be in English and the lessons are only in English.
This is part of the reason why some students no longer speak Inuktitut when all of their classes are only in English.
Let us also know that as Nunavummiut, during the drafting of the Education Act, many Nunavummiut stated that Inuktitut and English have to be part and parcel of a bilingual educational system so that our students can be fully bilingual upon graduation.
Perhaps if we were to look at July 1, 2009 when the Education Act was enacted, the first graduates of this new bilingual system will graduate by the year 2019. As our students progress to the higher grades, it would include Inuktitut classes, enabling them to speak in Inuktitut.
However, this includes a caveat as currently… . I will state a fact here.
When the Education Act was enacted, many resulting curricula will still have to be produced. This is one of the focuses of the department.
The entire set of curricula can’t be disgorged in one fell swoop with a year.
It takes time, but we are working hard at this.
Furthermore, once we have enough bilingual teachers available, this process will start to move forward.
I am quite happy to announce that at this time, we have 11 communities delivering the teacher education program to students who can speak Inuktitut in our various dialects and these are offered through the Nunavut Arctic College campuses.
I understand exactly how the planning is going. My next question is in regard to the Inuktitut language and culture. It’s good to see that implemented in the schools.
The Inuktitut language has been with us for a very long time and it is also recognized as an official language.
I know that there are more and more young people losing their Inuktitut and a lot of them are not speaking Inuktitut in their home.
Maybe one of the reasons is that while it is not a priority of the government to preserve and promote the Inuit culture, it could be one of the barriers. There is no requirement to use the Inuktitut language in the government workplace.
Maybe it’s because there is no objective. We are looking at the people graduating just in English so that they can obtain a job.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the minister to make an amendment or a change to the objective to make sure that individuals who know how to speak Inuktitut will be placed as a priority in the workforce or in obtaining a job.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the member for bringing up the question of Inuktitut because it is very important. In the school environment, it is becoming more and more important to teach Inuktitut.
It is very true what the member stated and it is very true that more and more Inuit are not using Inuktitut in the home place. That’s why they are speaking Inuktitut when they are talking to their children.
So it is very important to use the Inuktitut language in our home place.
When the Nunavut government was created, we stated that Inuktitut would be used in the workplace and it is supported by a piece of legislation so that the Inuktitut language would be preserved. I’m thankful to Arctic College for providing Inuktitut studies programs.
There are more and more government employees taking Inuktitut courses.
I can’t give you a number of how many employees are learning Inuktitut, but there is an increasing number and it is going very smoothly. This is being administered by the Department of Human Resources.