EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
This is another example of our commitment to linking opportunities in the minerals sector with individuals and businesses.
This work is providing substantive and sustainable benefits for Nunavummiut while, at the same time, helping industry remain cost competitive.
Minister’s Statement 136 – 3(3): Status of Nunavut’s Mining and Mineral Exploration Industry (Taptuna)
Hon. Peter Taptuna: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this time to provide an update on the leading economic sector in our territory: mining and mineral exploration.
Mr. Speaker, broadly speaking, the exploration sector remains strong, with a number of early-stage and advanced projects making significant progress.
Both Sabina at its Back River project and North Country at Three Bluffs have been adding significant gold resources.
Cameco Corp. has had excellent early drilling results at the Aberdeen and Turqavik properties.
Peregrine Diamonds continues to advance, preparing to take Chidliak to full bulk sampling of the largest and most prospective kimberlites.
Out west, MMG Resources has been advancing their large zinc deposits, Izok and High Lake, is approaching feasibility, and initiating the EIS process with the Nunavut Impact Review Board.
At Meliadine, Agnico-Eagle has been successfully converting gold resources to reserve category as they prepare for their second gold mine in the Kivalliq.
Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, over the past couple of months, we have learned of some setbacks within the mining sector. Baffinland has deferred the production decision for Mary River until at least after their environmental impact statement has been completed.
Most recently, Newmont has put the Hope Bay gold project on care and maintenance, suspending all further construction and surface exploration activities.
In the case of Mary River, the parent company, ArcelorMittal, foresees reduced demand and is restricting plans to more straightforward projects like the expansion of existing mines in Quebec.
At Hope Bay, Newmont has cited difficulties in adequately defining reserves and defining an operating plan with a clear path to profitability.
Hope Bay is a vast project, involving the development of four or more widely spaced deposits.
Both of these examples underscore a similar situation.
We know Nunavut has some exceptionally large undeveloped deposits, but we also know this is a challenging and costly business environment.
Our mining sector helps put Nunavut on the world stage, but we are also in constant competition with the rest of the world for investment.
Most recently, Agnico-Eagle has revealed that operations at Meadowbank have been more costly than anticipated, necessitating a recalculation of mineable ore and a reduction in projected mine life.
The mine will remain fully operational until at least 2017. Fortunately, the prospects for the economics for the nearby planned Meliadine mine are, at the same time, improving
As we make the transition from the speculative business of exploration to the mining company decisions on the development of mines, we must recognize that international business make decisions that are beyond our control and sometimes the outcome is disappointing.
Mr. Speaker, I am, however, optimistic that mines will be built in all three regions, creating employment and business opportunities for Nunavummiut.
Minister’s Statement 137 – 3(3): Mature High School Graduation (Aariak)
I say “good afternoon” to all of you.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide my colleagues with an update on an important program we are developing.
Following the recommendations outlined in the Nunavut Adult Learning Strategy, a new position in the Department of Education’s Career Development Services Division will focus on the Mature High School Graduation Diploma project.
To move forward with the creation of a new program to assist Nunavut adult learners to work towards and achieve a Nunavut Secondary School Diploma, we have established an advisory committee with members from the Department of Education, Nunavut Arctic College, and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
The advisory committee will consider a wide range of issues as it works to determine the best options for implementation, administration, and delivery of the Mature High School Graduation Diploma project.
Mr. Speaker, literacy, adult basic education, GED, high school completion, and upgrading will all be integrated in this project to provide the support needed for continuing learning.
Giving Nunavummiut every opportunity to earn their high school diploma is very important.
The High School Diploma is accepted across Canada, whereas programs such as the GED are not accepted for entry into some college and university programs.
If an individual who has not completed high school needs to earn their diploma to pursue a chosen career path, we need to give them the opportunity to study in an adult learning environment.
Mr. Speaker, the federal government recently announced new funding for adult basic education.
Nunavut Arctic College’s plans for adult basic education delivery and the Department of Education’s mature graduation project will go hand in hand to provide very exciting new opportunities for adult learners.
Member’s Statement 204 – 3(3): Arviat Participants at the Arctic Winter Games (Shewchuk)
I would like to say “good afternoon” to all the wonderful people of Arviat.
Mr. Speaker, as with the rest of my colleagues in the House, I rise today to recognize the athletes who are taking part from my community of Arviat in the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. They are, Mr. Speaker:
With arctic sports:
Brian Suwaksiork
With basketball:
Gary Kuksuk Jr.
With hockey:
Shane Kuksuk
Joe Curley
Charlotte Karetak
Rhea Gavin
And coaching these young people is Cody Prusky.
Mr. Speaker, I wish them and all of our Nunavut athletes the best of luck in Whitehorse this week and wish them the best of luck to bring home some medals.
We, too, wish them all the best in Whitehorse.
Member’s Statement 205 – 3(3): Happy Birthday to Wife, Lucie (Tapardjuk)
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, my constituents of Igloolik and Hall Beach.
I believe Hall Beach is now able to access the proceedings on the television channel and we appreciate that.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to an issue as today is March 5, as this matter is close to my personal life.
On February 17, my wife and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary and on this day, March 5, my wife is celebrating her birthday, who I term my Nuliamaaq, Lucie Ittuutaaluk Tapardjuk.
She didn’t want to attend as a visitor to the Gallery, although I invited her to visit. However, I believe that she is watching the televised proceedings, so along with my colleagues here, I would like to wish her a wonderful day today.
I will remember her birthday today.
Since we now have numerous grandchildren in Igloolik, on their behalf, I wish her a wonderful and happy birthday, although I had already called them about this event.
Member’s Statement 206 – 3(3): Bell Mobility Billing Problems (Ell)
Ms. Ell: Thank you, Uqaqtitsijii. (interpretation) I say “good afternoon” to my constituents in Iqaluit West.
I rise today to express my concern about an issue that many of my constituents and other residents of Iqaluit have brought to my attention, especially youth.
Mr. Speaker, although cellular phone service was only introduced in Iqaluit a few years ago, it has become an extremely popular means of communication.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, a number of residents publicly expressed concerns about problems with their monthly bills from Bell Mobility.
In a number of cases, customers were being significantly overcharged as a result of their local calls within Iqaluit being charged at the long-distance rate.
Mr. Speaker, although these problems came to light earlier this year, it is my understanding that they have not yet been resolved and that residents continue to be billed incorrectly.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be tabling information concerning the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, which is not known by many people.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s Statement.
Ms. Ell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker and my colleagues.
This is a private, not-for-profit entity incorporated under federal legislation.
Its role is to resolve consumer and small business complaints about retail communications services, including wireless, local, and long-distance telephone and Internet access service.
Mr. Speaker, this is a resource that residents of Iqaluit who have been experiencing these problems may wish to consider and, at the appropriate time, I will be tabling it.
I look forward to that being tabled and I’ll probably be one of the first ones to send them a complaint.
Member’s Statement 207 – 3(3): Rankin Inlet Hockey Teams Participate in Tournaments (Kusugak)
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I say “good day” to the people of Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove.
Mr. Speaker, as the days are getting longer and the sun is staying on the horizon, we will start seeing more hockey tournaments being undertaken.
I would like to make a statement about our pride in the peewee team in Rankin Inlet.
They travelled outside of Winnipeg to Beausejour, I believe, where they apparently won the hockey tournament. I am very proud of our peewee hockey team, so I would like to share in my celebration.
The Rankin Inlet hockey players also attended another senior men’s tournament in Coral Harbour and they were also successful in winning that tournament.
So I am very proud of the Rankin Inlet senior men’s hockey team and I am very grateful to the residents of Coral Harbour for making that tournament a success.
We congratulate them. They fared better than another team on the weekend.
Item 3. Members’ Statements. Member for Nattilik, Ms. Ugyuk.
Member’s Statement 208 – 3(3): Dealing with Family Violence (Ugyuk)
I say “good morning” to the residents of Nattilik, both Taloyoak and Gjoa Haven.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an issue which affects many communities in Nunavut: the issue of family violence.
Mr. Speaker, over the years, I have worked with the effects of family violence.
I have hoped to have the resources to help people find ways to break the pattern and work towards a safer and healthier future for themselves and their families.
Mr. Speaker, our current means for addressing family violence are inadequate.
Even though we are quick to react to a situation, we have nothing to offer for prevention in the first place.
Mr. Speaker, our approach is totally one-sided. In far too many situations, women and children are rushed to safety and pressured to charge the man in the household.
Once men are charged, they get little support from within the system.
As I was saying, once men are charged, they get little support from within the system.
Once an individual is registered under the justice system, there is no means of referring them for help under the social services system.
As a consequence, men feel rejected, let down, and mistrustful.
Mr. Speaker, individuals need help to work through their problems.
Peer counselling is important. We need to be proactive and to offer services which are preventative in nature.
In order to work towards a healthier future, we need to break the patterns of our past.
Member’s Statement 209 – 3(3): Implementation of the Suicide Prevention Action Plan (Elliott)
I rise to express concern about our government’s ability to gather evidence on one of our society’s most serious problems: suicidal behaviour.
During the proceedings of the Committee of the Whole on February 29, I asked the Minister of Health and Social Services if he could “clarify if information is collected on what kinds of services were accessed by individuals before or after their suicide attempt.”
The minister’s response to me was that “We are working very hard on the action plan…all the partners…the RCMP are beginning to collect that data.”
Mr. Speaker, I checked the suicide prevention action plan which our government, the Premier, to be specific, committed to just last October.
The relevant action item is No. 5.4, “Collecting and releasing data on suicide attempts.”
The anticipated result of this action item is, and I quote, “A clearer picture of the full range of suicidal behaviour in Nunavut today, and the ability to detect changes over time.”
The action or task is to “Develop and implement protocols and mechanisms to record information on suicide attempts in Nunavut - not just on deaths by suicide; RCMP to implement scoring systems in responses RCMP members make to attempted suicides.”
The co-leads are the government’s Department of Health and Social Services and the RCMP.
The timeline is initiated September 2011.
Mr. Speaker, while the RCMP may be doing some valuable work on this subject, the fact is that the Department of Health and Social Services must play a lead role on this action item.
Why? There are at least two reasons.
First, only the department is aware of almost all suicide attempts in Nunavut. The RCMP only knows about some of them.
Many people reveal their suicide attempt to a nurse and this is not reported to the RCMP nor should it be.
It is essential that we understand the factors behind all suicide attempts, not just those that come to the attention of the police.
Second, as I noted in my questioning on February 29, we very much need to know what kinds of services are accessed by individuals before or after their suicide attempt.
That information resides in administrative data held by the department and the RCMP does not have access to that data, except in exceptional cases.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue with my Member’s Statement today.
Only the Department of Health and Social Services can thoroughly review the files of Nunavummiut who have attempted suicide in recent years and perhaps conduct interviews with them afterwards to better understand the circumstances leading to their suicide attempt, the services they accessed, the adequacy of those services, enquire about why they didn’t access other services, and ask where they found the strength to carry on with their lives.
Mr. Speaker, throughout this week, I will be tabling examples of research on suicide attempts that have been conducted in three other jurisdictions, two in Canada and one in the United States, each of which has suicide and suicide attempt rates far lower than ours.
We need data of that quality in order to plan more effective interventions.
How many of our suicide attempters were under the influence of alcohol and drugs?
How many had been sexually abused?
How many had recently suffered from violence?
How does the pattern differ between men and women, between young and old, in Iqaluit and in the communities?
These are things we need to know.  Mr. Speaker, I urge the Minister of Health and Social Services to meet our government’s commitment under section 5.4 of the suicide prevention action plan by directing his officials to collect, analyze, and release data on suicide attempts.
Member’s Statement 210 – 3(3): The Effects of Global Warming to Homeowners and Aging Fuel Tanks (Ningark)
I would like to wish my colleague’s spouse a very good birthday.
I would like to wish all athletes representing Nunavut a very good week during the Arctic Winter Games.
Mr. Speaker, when we talk about Nunavummiut who are homeowners, they are part of our support system as a government, as they sometimes offer shelter to those who do not have a home.
In Nunavut, when people purchase their own private home, they are making a contribution to the Nunavut government.
Throughout the warming climate here in Nunavut, some communities are being impacted. For example, the water lake is overflowing with seawater and affects water quality for homeowners and public houses. It damages pipes because salt is very corrosive and can also cause mildew and other damage.
Furthermore, with climate warming in Nunavut, some of the foundations of private homes are affected by the ground shifting.
This also applies to the oil tanks. As they become older and the ground is shifting, the insurance companies are loath to offer insurance because of the risk they are at.
At the appropriate time, I will be raising questions to the Minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation about what subsidies they could offer to homeowners here in Nunavut.
Member’s Statement 211 – 3(3): Marine Infrastructure and Services (Aupaluktuq)
Earlier in our sitting, I spoke about the need for strategic infrastructure investments in Baker Lake and asked questions concerning Baker Lake’s airport.
Today I rise to address the need for improvements to Baker Lake’s marine infrastructure.
Although Baker Lake is an inland community, we also depend on marine resupply. It is essential that our marine infrastructure is adequate to the community’s needs, including the needs of the mining industry.
Mr. Speaker, I have heard of a number of concerns and suggestions from my constituents on this issue. These include the adequacy of current docking facilities and practices, the potential for constructing new port facilities, and the desire for an enhanced federal Coast Guard presence.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support having modern marine infrastructure for the community and I will have questions for the appropriate minister on this issue.
Member’s Statement 212 – 3(3): Opening of Coral Harbour Arena (Ningeongan)
I rise today to express my appreciation to Premier Eva Aariak, Minister Lorne Kusugak, their officials, and Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk for joining me last Friday for the grand opening of Coral Harbour’s Unainuk Arena.
Mr. Speaker, although the temperature in Coral Harbour was minus 55 with the wind chill when we landed, Mayor Jerry Panniuq and numerous residents of my home community extended an extremely warm Kivalliq welcome to us.
Mr. Speaker, Friday’s event was held to celebrate upgrades to the community’s existing arena that will significantly extend the hockey and skating season.
The technology to extend ice use includes a thermosiphon system and improved ventilation. The installation of a concrete slab will make it possible for a wider range of sports and activities to take place in the arena during the summer months.
Mr. Speaker, Friday’s trip to Coral Harbour was extremely productive.
I had the opportunity to lead Premier Aariak, who also serves as Minister of Education, and MLA Ugyuk on a tour of Sakku School and the community health centre.
I am glad that my colleagues had the opportunity to visit these important facilities. During this time, Minister Kusugak and his officials sat down with my community’s mayor, deputy mayor, and senior administrative officer at the community’s municipal offices to discuss issues of concern to Coral Harbour.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the principal and vice-principal of Sakku School, both of whom had the opportunity to speak about the accomplishments of the school and our students.
I would also like to thank our community’s nurse-in-charge and the health centre’s staff for the time that they spent with us and for sharing their insights and experience concerning the critical issue of health care delivery.
Mr. Speaker, I would be in trouble if I neglected to thank my better half, Elizabeth, for the wonderful supper that she cooked for the Premier and the rest of our delegation before we returned to Iqaluit.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s Statement.
Mr. Ningeongan: Thank you, Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I am confident that these important upgrades to our arena will make a significant contribution to achieving our goals of providing opportunities for our youth to lead active, healthy, and happy lifestyles.
The entire community of Coral Harbour looks forward to the expanded range of recreational and cultural activities that are now possible.
I think we’re all pleased that you’re not going to be in trouble.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome two students from the Paatsaali High School in Sanikiluaq who are here this week to participate in the page program.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all members please welcome Malia Kavik and Malisa Oqaituk to the Legislative Assembly.
Welcome to Iqaluit and to the Legislative Assembly.
Question 303 – 3(3): Services at Boarding Homes (Ell)
Mr. Speaker, when a person has to travel away from home and away from Nunavut to receive medical services or treatment, it can be a very lonely experience.
I recognize that the staff at the Larga homes in Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton provide the required services, but sometimes it is also important to have someone just to talk to or socialize with.
Can the minister indicate whether or not efforts have been made to find local volunteer groups in these big cities to come and provide some social support to Nunavut patients who are in the south for medical reasons?
Minister responsible for the Department of Health and Social Services, Minister Peterson.
Mr. Speaker, I’m personally unaware of her request for volunteers or if volunteers are helping.
I know there are groups in most of the large cities that do contact facilities in the cities to offer their services, but I’m personally unaware of whether they contact the Larga homes. It’s something my staff will take note of.
I thank the minister for having his department look into this matter.
Due to the funding restrictions we have, a lot of patients don’t have escorts.
I am aware that there are a number of organizations in Ottawa which provide assistance to Inuit living there. For example, the Tungasuvvingat Inuit Centre provides support for Ottawa-based Inuit.
I don’t know if their mandate includes visiting patients.
I’m just using that as an example.
Can the minister indicate whether there has been any communications with these organizations to help provide social support for Inuit patients, not just in Ottawa but in other larger centres that service our medical patients, such as Winnipeg and Edmonton?
I know for a fact that they are not all organizations for Inuit, but there are probably aboriginal organizations that could provide some of these services.
Mr. Speaker, again I’m not personally familiar with that level of detail.
I’ll have my officials look into it and I can provide that information.
Question 304 – 3(3): Bilingual Education Models (Elliott)
Mr. Speaker, during the Second Assembly, the Minister of Education of the day tabled a document titled “Bilingual Education Strategy for Nunavut.” This document described three models of bilingual education for Nunavut’s communities to choose from for use in their schools.
The three models included the “Early Immersion Model,” the “Qulliq” model, and the “Dual Language” model. Mr. Speaker, these models were introduced in 2004 and adopted by the communities.
Can the minister update the House on whether her department has ever reviewed and evaluated how these bilingual education models are working for each of Nunavut’s communities?
That’s a very important question and I would like to provide a proper response to that, so I will take it as notice.
The question has been taken as notice. We will move on.
Question 305 – 3(3): Review of Government Contracting and Procurement (Curley)
I was paying attention to my notes here.
I have a question to the Premier.
My question today for the Premier is concerning the Minister’s Statement that she made on Thursday of last week.
In her Minister’s Statement, she referred to, in my view, another joint review of the NNI Policy that the government will undertake with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
What is the timeline for the completion of this review?
As this is a newly announced initiative, I will get back to him as soon as I know the final date for that review.
It is important for Nunavutmiut to understand that there is a decent timeline developed if the review is taking place.
Mr. Speaker, the Premier stated that the government will also, and I quote, “conduct a comprehensive internal review of Government of Nunavut public procurement practices.”
Can the Premier indicate if the Nunavut business community will be consulted during this review?