This is page numbers 73 - 93 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 1st Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was review.

Topics

Members Present

Hon. Titus Allooloo, Mr. Antoine, Mr. Arngna'naaq, Mr. Arvaluk, Hon. Michael Ballantyne, Mr. Bernhardt, Hon. Nellie Cournoyea, Mr. Dent, Mr. Gargan, Hon. Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Koe, Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Marie-Jewell, Ms. Mike, Hon. Don Morin, Hon. John Ningark, Hon. John Pollard, Mr. Pudluk, Mr. Todd, Hon. Tony Whitford, Mr. Zoe

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 73

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Good afternoon. I would like to welcome to the Legislative Assembly, seated in the Speaker's Gallery, Her Worship, the Mayor of Fort McMurray, Mayor Collicott.

---Applause

Orders of the day for Thursday, December 12, 1991. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Northern construction activities, managed by DPW, can provide significant employment and training opportunities. I am committed to implementing new initiatives to increase the employment and training of aboriginal Northerners in the construction industry. DPW and other departments are supporting a construction worker training program designed for our younger people in NWT communities. The training could be certified by both Arctic College and the NWT Construction Association and would offer aboriginal workers a full range of construction skills training. We hope to deliver the program in association with planned capital projects in smaller communities.

Many of us as MLAs have lobbied for greater job creation and training of residents on local construction projects. I was successful in having government construction projects in my riding managed in ways that maximized the employment and training of residents. The department will continue to develop this community-centred approach to its activities.

We must look at each community's construction and maintenance programs for several years and put into place the resources to train local residents for the upcoming jobs and to prepare local businesses to participate. This will require greater co-ordination with other departments such as Education, Arctic College, Economic Development and the Housing Corporation. Communities will also need to be fully involved so that local benefits can be maximized from DPW activities.

Some construction companies may be worried that they might lost contract work as a result of these new initiatives. I am confident that we can involve the industry in this endeavour and that they can benefit, as well. The construction industry employs over 2000 workers annually. This includes over 1200 full-time tradespersons and almost 300 active apprentices. Jobs in construction can be long-lasting employment opportunities for many Northerners in the smaller NWT communities.

Before closing, Mr. Speaker, I would invite the honourable Members to call upon me with concerns that they have about DPW activities in their riding. Thank you.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you, Mr. Morin. Minister's statements. Mr. Ningark.

Ministers' Statement 13-12(1): Women's Directorate
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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John Ningark Natilikmiot

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, and Members of the House, I am pleased to appear before you today in my new role as Minister responsible for the Status of Women. I have had the opportunity to meet with the staff of the Women's Directorate and the Status of Women Council and support the initiatives that are presently under way.

The prevention of violence against women continues to be in the forefront of everyone's mind. On December 6 a vigil was held in Yellowknife in commemoration of the 14 women killed in Montreal. Men also held a service at the same time here in Yellowknife to show their commitment to ending violence against women. In many places across the country men wore white ribbons to symbolize support, and I noticed men in this Assembly and in Yellowknife who were also wearing the ribbons in support of ending violence against women.

As Minister responsible for the Women's Directorate, I am concerned about child sexual abuse in the Northwest Territories. To address this problem, an interagency committee works toward identifying viable treatment options and resources.

Mr. Speaker, investigation of the needs of victims of violence is ongoing and is being addressed by the Department of Justice, the Women's Directorate, Social Services and non-governmental groups such as Arctic Public Legal Education and Information Society, the YWCA and the Native Women's Association.

---Applause

Ministers' Statement 13-12(1): Women's Directorate
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Ministers' statements. Mr. Allooloo.

Titus Allooloo Amittuq

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to announce the successful publication of a dictionary in the Gwich'in language. At the end of this statement, I will be presenting a copy of this dictionary to my colleagues who represent the Gwich'in people.

This is the first dictionary of the Northwest Territories in the Gwich'in dialect that has ever been published. The dictionary is the result of a co-operative effort by the Gwich'in people in Fort McPherson. I congratulate William George Firth and the many people, especially the elders, who worked with him to produce this dictionary.

This book, which is over 200 pages, contains entries for all of the parts of speech in Gwich'in. It also contains verb charts. It will be useful for language specialists, teachers, people learning to speak Gwich'in and interpreters/translators. It is written using the standard writing system for Gwich'in.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to note that funding for the research and publishing costs of this dictionary was made possible under the provision of the Official Languages Agreement that our government signed with the Government of Canada. I hope this dictionary of the Gwich'in language, along with the South Slavey dictionary which we published last year, will soon be followed by dictionaries for the other Dene languages. In order to preserve and revive our languages, we need many kinds of literacy materials, of which dictionaries are the cornerstone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you, Mr. Allooloo. Ministers' statements. Mr. Whitford.

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to brief the House on several infectious diseases that have affected territorial residents during the past few months. I want to update Members on the status of these diseases.

The most serious outbreak was caused by an E-coli bacteria. E-coli can seriously affect the kidneys and, in some cases, other organs of the body. In the recent Keewatin outbreak, which lasted through the summer and into the fall, there were 166 confirmed cases. Most outbreaks of E- coli infection in southern Canada have been traced to a single infected food item. But in the Keewatin, no responsible food was identified, although the disease appeared to spread from person to person. Experts from the federal Laboratory Centre for Disease Control helped in this investigation and control of this illness. A review of this particular outbreak, which now seems to have run its course, is scheduled to take place in January.

Another notable infectious outbreak was caused by the measles virus. It also affected the Keewatin as well as the Baffin Region. Some cases of measles have also occurred elsewhere, and there are currently increasing numbers of affected persons in the Yellowknife area. Mr. Speaker, measles is an illness for which there have been vaccines since the 1960s. Before that, nearly all children got this illness while they were still young. When vaccines were introduced, it was thought that the infection could be wiped out, in the same way smallpox was eliminated. But that has not happened, probably because some people never received the vaccine, or they received one of the earlier types of vaccines that do not have a long-lasting effect.

Measles is highly infectious. It will continue to spread even if only a small number of people are not adequately vaccinated. As a result, territorial doctors and nurses are checking their records and urging people who were inadequately immunized to receive the newer vaccine. Many of those who need the newer vaccine are teenagers. The federal laboratory centre for disease control has also been studying this outbreak in the Northwest Territories, as well as similar outbreaks in Ontario and Quebec, in order to advise on better preventive measures.

Mr. Speaker, the AIDS virus continues to be a serious problem. Twelve cases have been reported, and there is still an urgent need for all community leaders to speak out about this fatal disease and to reinforce the individual message of last year's door-to-door campaign.

On the other hand, tuberculosis is an illness that is coming under better control. The number of identified infections this year is not very different from 1990. While vigilance and rapid intervention is still required, the number of infections has dropped from 56 active cases in 1988 to 22 last year.

Finally, one other infectious disease that has particularly affected territorial children, is haemophilus meningitis. New vaccines will soon be available, and arrangements are under way to provide them to territorial children early in 1992. It is expected the new vaccine will help to reduce the incidence of this disease.

Mr. Speaker, the control of other infectious illnesses depend on the care people take in what they do. One of these is botulism. Several cases of botulism were reported again this past summer. Teaching about the risk that results from preparing country food using plastic bags instead of using the old and safer ways of the elders will need to continue until this unnecessary illness and loss of lives is stopped.

In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the efforts made by the staff of the Northwest Territories health system and others who have worked diligently in attempts to control the spread of these infectious diseases. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you, Mr. Whitford. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Gargan.

Victimization Of Native Women
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Samuel Gargan Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like many Canadians, Mr. Speaker, I was deeply moved last Friday, December 6, when men and women alike remembered the tragedy in Montreal. White ribbons help us remember that only two years ago, 14 women were slain by a man who was filled with hate.

Mr. Speaker, I find myself thinking a lot since then about the sort of hatred that would cause such a senseless slaughter. While this was no doubt the act of an irrational individual, it is also a reflection of the way women have been victimized over the years by Canadian society.

But, Mr. Speaker, I could not help thinking that, as horrible as the "Montreal Massacre" was, we should not overlook the fact that native people, and especially native women, have been victimized by violence ever since the European explorers first arrived in our land.

When I looked at the white ribbons we wore last Friday, I found myself thinking of Helen Betty Osbourne, brutally murdered by non-native bullies who were ignored by the law because their victim was of aboriginal descent.

Those white ribbons also made me think of Kitty Nowdluk Reynolds, victimized once by a sexual assault, and then victimized again by the Crown attorneys and RCMP officers who forced her to parade across the country in handcuffs and locked her in a van with her attacker.

I thought of Inuit women from communities in Northern Quebec who were forced to move to the High Arctic regions they did not know. They told of their hardship and the sexual victimization they endured at the hands of white policemen. Today they are still victimized; this time by a federal Minister who has called them all liars.

Later this afternoon I will table an account of conditions in Canada's only prison for women -- a dungeon-like institution where outdated correctional practices and medieval surroundings victimize our people once because they are women and again because they are native.

But no one wore white ribbons for Helen Betty Osbourne. No one wore white ribbons for Kitty Nowdluk Reynolds. No one wore them for the Arctic exiles or the for female inmates who have been killing themselves in penitentiaries, or for the women of Oka, or for the countless other aboriginal women who have disappeared or have been victims of violence in communities where no services exist.

Mr. Speaker, hatred against women is most virulent when it is mixed with hatred against a racial group. We cannot overlook the fact that while all women are subject to victimization, native women are at the greatest risk. Violence is not only a women's issue and not only a men's issue. There are elements that make it a racial issue as well, and we simply cannot pretend that this is not true. Only by talking about these truths openly will we ever come close to understanding the question that will challenge us throughout the 1990s: How can the people of the North live together?

Victimization Of Native Women
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Mr. Bernhardt.

Coppermine Concerns
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Ernie Bernhardt Kitikmeot

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a result of a public meeting held December 4, 1991 in Coppermine, here are some of the concerns brought to me to address to the Government Leader.

More training opportunities for trades people to get training at the local level must be made available. They would prefer not to go to Fort Smith or Inuvik or other campuses but that these training services be delivered at the community level.

The government must develop a good working relationship with private industry to encourage environmentally sound development of our mineral and renewable resources while creating employment and training in areas relevant to the future of our area.

There must be more exposure of our young people to the outside world and the opportunities available to the public sector in training, employment and life. Examples are Expo, student exchanges and school trips. Focus should be on longer term, such as a span between 20 and 50 years, because of the explosion in the number of our youth and the lack of resources that exist in the following areas: training, employment, social and economic development, housing and school in general.

More money is needed for economic development at the grassroots level such as funding for restaurants, beauty salons, clothing stores, and so on, and to encourage the building of these facilities capable of handling these businesses.

I would like to table these at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Coppermine Concerns
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Zoe.

Henry Zoe

Henry Zoe North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the front page of yesterday's Globe and Mail it was reported that the recently elected government in British Columbia has, and I quote, "recognized the political legitimacy of aboriginal title and the inherent right of aboriginal people to self-government."

Mr. Speaker, BC is now the third province in Canada, besides Ontario and New Brunswick, to publicly support aboriginal people's inherent right to self-government. I think this is remarkable, because all three of these provincial legislatures are run by non-native people.

It is remarkable because this Legislature is run by aboriginal people, yet we have not publicly stated our support for that inherent right of aboriginal self-government. It is remarkable because our Executive Council, headed by an aboriginal person, and with aboriginal Ministers, is incapable of getting any closer to that inherent right of aboriginal self-government than coming up with a plan to delegate a limited form of municipal self-government, called community transfer agreements, to our aboriginal communities.

Mr. Speaker, this Legislature should be taking the lead in this country in recognizing aboriginal people's inherent right to self-government, instead of making public statements that somehow aboriginal people who express this right are somehow taking a stand. I would, rather, suggest that those government leaders in this House who will not publicly support aboriginal people's inherent right to self-government are the ones who are taking the stand by not recognizing in a substantive manner the rights we have as aboriginal people. Mahsi cho.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Members' statements. Ms. Mike.

Founding Members Of Inuit Tapirisat Of Canada
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 75

Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Mr. Speaker and Members, I would like to make a special recognition of the founding members of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada. It was 20 years ago this past August, in 1971, that the Inuit of the Inuvialuit Region, Kitikmeot, Keewatin, Baffin and Northern Quebec, got together for the very first time to establish an Inuit national organization. Prior to this time, the Inuit had never organized through association. It is through the founding of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada that the land claim process is happening, that constitutional talks, political development and many cultural and language programs have been promoted and implemented.

The founding members are as follows: Jacob Oweetaluktuk, Povungnituk, Nunavik; Lena Pedersen, Coppermine, Kitikmeot; Ed Berthe, Fort Churchill, Manitoba, now deceased; Ipeelee Kilabuk, Pangnirtung, Baffin; Tagak Curley, Coral Harbour, Keewatin; Joanasie Nuliuyuk, Ivujivik, Nunavik; Eliyah Menarik, Montreal, Quebec; Mike Panika, Coral Harbour, Keewatin; Raymond Ningeocheak, Coral Harbour, Keewatin; Willie Adams, Rankin Inlet, Keewatin; Noah Qumaq, Salluit, Nunavik; Silasie Cookie, Kuujjurrapik, Nunavik; Mary Cousins, Iqaluit, Baffin; Peter Komingook, Coppermine, Kitikmeot; Josiah Kadlutsiak, Igloolik, Baffin; Meeka Kilabuk, Pangnirtung, Baffin; Rosemary Nuttanaatiaq, Cambridge Bay, Kitikmeot; Simonie Alainga, Iqaluit, Baffin; Joanasie Salomonie, Cape Dorset, Baffin; Sarah Seeloo, Baker Lake, Keewatin; Wallace Goose, Holman Island, Kitikmeot, now deceased; Hugh Ungagai, Baker Lake, Keewatin, now deceased; Sally Martin, Baker Lake, Keewatin; and Hon. Jean Chretien, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs at the time. The first elected board of directors were Lena Pedersen, Tagak Curley, Mike Panika, Raymond Ningeocheak, Noah Qumaq, Josiah Kadlutsiak, Meeka Kilabuk and Wallace Goose. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Founding Members Of Inuit Tapirisat Of Canada
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 75

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you, Ms. Mike. Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Publication Of "canada North Of 60"
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Following the lead of the Member for Slave River, I would like to announce the publication of a book

which I have given to my friend, Mr. Allooloo, to look at. It is a book called "Canada North of 60." The inspiration for it came several years ago when two people from Germany came to the Territories, to Rankin Inlet, saw a wonderful girls' soccer team which they decided they wanted to take to Hamburg, Germany. When they saw what a wonderful part of the world we live in, they decided that this would be a tremendous subject for a big book on the North, so that the English and German-speaking world could really see what a favoured part of the world we live in.

This book was published this fall in Canada by McClelland and Stewart. In addition to some incredible photographs, I should like to point out that the people that put this book together, did all the writing and so on, were northern people: Ethel Blondin; Ann Hanson from Iqaluit; Jack Anawak; Eric Watt, a local person; John Bayly. In fact, nearly everybody who has contributed to this book is known throughout the Territories.

The unfortunate thing, Mr. Speaker, is that unlike Mrs. Marie-Jewell, I am not able to give everybody a copy because it is a very expensive book; it costs $65. It was produced by German book producers; it was published by McClelland and Stewart; it was printed in Malaysia using Swiss technology and is now available in book stores right across the country. And for those people who have a special friend who they would like to give a copy to, it is available in the local book store.

I should point out, Mr. Speaker, I have absolutely no financial interest in this particular publication and I am only doing it as a public service notice. Thank you.

---Laughter

Publication Of "canada North Of 60"
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Christmas In The Keewatin
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Silas Arngna'naaq Kivallivik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Christmas is coming upon us very quickly. On this occasion all the people will be celebrating the birth of one of the most influential persons in history. During this time of the year many people will celebrate by exchanging of gifts. This is possible for those people who can afford to buy these gifts. In my constituency the majority of the local people are not able to afford these gifts as a result of the high unemployment as well as the inability to get into the system of higher learning.

This is not to say the people will not celebrate Christmas. As always, Inuit will celebrate Christmas regardless of their dilemma. I hope that this government will be able to assist me and members from the Keewatin to improve the employment in my area, and enable more people to enjoy Christmas more. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Christmas In The Keewatin
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Whitford.

Return To Question O9-12(1): Additional Nurse For Chesterfield Inlet
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

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Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Arvaluk on December 10th, regarding an additional nurse for Chesterfield Inlet. The former Minister of Health, Nellie Cournoyea, discussed this matter with Mayor Kadluk of Chesterfield Inlet and the chairperson of the Keewatin health board, Bette Palfrey, at a meeting during the opening of the new health centre at Chesterfield Inlet this October. That conversation was confirmed in a letter from the Minister to Mayor Kadluk dated October 25, 1991. An agreement was reached that the situation would be addressed in the short term by providing increased casual nursing relief support to the Chesterfield Inlet nursing station from within existing resources. In the longer term, the Keewatin Regional Health Board will review its current budget to determine if an additional full-time nursing position can be created for the Chesterfield Inlet Health Centre through reallocation of salary dollars currently designated for contract nurses and/or overtime.

The honourable Member referred in his question to a letter from the Mayor of Chesterfield Inlet. Department of Health staff received the letter on December 9 and will respond to the mayor before the end of this week. Thank you.

Return To Question O9-12(1): Additional Nurse For Chesterfield Inlet
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

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The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Returns to oral questions. Oral questions. Mr. Todd.