This is page numbers 243 - 273 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 5th 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 chairman.

Members Present

Mr. Allooloo, Mr. Antoine, Hon. Silas Arngna'naaq, Mr. Ballantyne, Hon. Nellie Cournoyea, Mr. Dent, Hon. Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Koe, Mr. Lewis, Hon. Jeannie Marie-Jewell, Hon. Rebecca Mike, Hon. Don Morin, Hon. Richard Nerysoo, Mr. Ng, Mr. Ningark, Hon. John Pollard, Mr. Pudlat, Mr. Pudluk, Mr. Whitford, Mr. Zoe

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker

Thank you. Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Social Services and Personnel, Ms. Mike.

Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Madam Speaker, the purpose of the youth initiative program is to strengthen the capacity of youth to lead and find solutions to problems and issues affecting youth. The program provides contribution and grant funding to allow youth the opportunity to plan, implement and participate in programs and services to youth.

The goal of the program is to provide the youth of NWT with the tools and resources necessary to develop their leadership potential, enhance their cultural and traditional awareness, instill self-esteem and confidence and learn the value of working together. The Department of Social Services is pleased to present a display of the youth initiative program in the lobby of the Legislative Assembly. The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes that we must enhance the role of youth in the NWT by encouraging their active participation in projects, initiatives and special events that will assist in developing their personal potential and developing leadership and advocacy skills.

Madam Speaker, a total of 39 projects received funding this fiscal year. They include cultural camps, youth drop-in centres, outdoor leadership training programs, youth gospel conferences and attendance at school alcohol and drug conferences. The display shows communities that received funding for the 1993-94 fiscal year. I urge you to take a few moments to visit the display.

Also, Madam Speaker, a group of young people representing Generation 2000, a national group, and Youth On The Move, an NWT group established to promote healthy lifestyles and well-being for youth in the north, are present today at the display to promote their mandate. They are also holding presentations in local schools in Yellowknife throughout this week. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker

Thank you. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The speaker would like to recognize in the gallery the youth who are in charge of the display, Youth 2000. Welcome to our Assembly.

---Applause

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Natilikmiot, Mr. Ningark.

Absence Of Mr. James Arvaluk
Item 3: Members' Statements

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John Ningark Natilikmiot

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to inform Members of this House that the honourable Member for Aivilik, Mr. James Arvaluk, will not be in the House today as he is attending a meeting of the Keewatin Marine Resupply Steering Committee in Rankin Inlet. Mr. Arvaluk will be back in the House tomorrow. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Absence Of Mr. James Arvaluk
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

Absence Of Mr. James Arvaluk
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. For the first time today I will speak to you in my mother tongue. Last Sunday I was at a conference in Yellowknife with the Metis Association, the heritage conference. The conference was to examine the Metis language. We were told it was called Michif...

Absence Of Mr. James Arvaluk
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

I apologize, Mr. Whitford. I believe Mr. Pudlat does not have translation. Mr. Whitford, proceed.

Michif Conference
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I said for the first time in this Assembly that I would speak a little bit of my mother tongue. The language is called Michif. This Sunday, I attended a conference put on by the Metis Heritage Association on the language Michif, the language of the Metis people. It was attended by Metis elders from Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Resolution, Fort Simpson, Fort Norman and Yellowknife, as well as facilitators from the province of Manitoba and from North Dakota in the United States.

This weekend I learned that a language of the Metis people evolved, flourished and still exists in small pockets across the west and here in the NWT, particularly along the Slave/Mackenzie river systems and where there was influence of French-speaking nuns, priests and traders. Michif was the working language of the Metis people and the voyageurs, and appears to be a combination of French-Cree, French-Chip, French-Ojibway and other languages with a french base. I seek unanimous consent to continue, Madam Speaker.

Michif Conference
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Whitford.

Michif Conference
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, colleagues, and Madam Speaker. The language is a combination of french and native languages with its own particular form and structure, eventually becoming a language of its own, usually passed along from father to son, mother to daughter and spoken mainly in the home. It was often mistakenly referred to as broken French or broken English and often made fun of.

Madam Speaker, this weekend's conference was the second one of its kind in three years and the first one in the NWT, as I understand it. It brought together elders who still remember speaking the dialect in their families, and many still do. Among the many items discussed was the origin, the evolution and the decline in use as well as the efforts by some Metis to preserve and perhaps revive this language, much like the Acadians on the east coast and the Cajuns in Louisiana in the United States.

Madam Speaker, to conclude, I enjoyed the conference and look forward to the next one. I felt comfortable talking my own version of French in company who understood. We had some fun, like Metis people usually do when we get together. I'm not sure whether Michif will ever become an official language in this Assembly but in the rich cultural background of Metis people of the west, it was and may still be an important part of our heritage. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Michif Conference
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for the High Arctic, Mr. Pudluk.

Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association Agm
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Ludy Pudluk High Arctic

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge an important gathering that is taking place at this time in Iqaluit. The Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association is holding its annual general assembly starting today, February 21, and ending on February 25. Inuit women from all over Canada will meet to discuss important issues and projects affecting Inuit women and children today. Projects on justice, health and housing, to name only a few, will be reviewed. They will also discuss a code of conduct and economic development.

Madam Speaker, this year's assembly promises to be an exciting one as Pauktuutit also has a fashion show planned for February 24 that will showcase Inuit traditional clothing. Inuit traditional fashion from every region in Canada will be represented, and producers from Alaska, Greenland and Russia are also invited to participate. I would like to express my support to Pauktuutit in their endeavours. I am sure that their assembly will be productive as well as memorable. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association Agm
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis.

Heritage Day
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I was going to make a statement last Tuesday, which was Shrove Tuesday, but I realized that we have so many dates on our calendar that have significance and meaning to them that you could stand up on almost any day of the year and find it is a special day for some reason or another. Instead of talking about going to the priest last Tuesday and asking to be forgiven for all my sins and then having pancakes -- which would be the last good meal I would have for 40 days, until Easter -- I decided people don't do this any more. That is not what people do on Shrove Tuesday.

However, today is a very important day which is meaningful to many of us because it is Heritage Day. It strikes me that in this great country of ours, and particularly in the Northwest Territories where we have so many cultures, it would be an opportunity for us to do something rather special, something different. Instead of just marking it on the calendar and saying this is Heritage Day, we should be doing things within our own society, within our own country, within our own language, which are meaningful right now, today. The calendar is full of dates that have been set aside by the Christian church and there has been a great civilizing influence throughout the centuries, but many of these customs and traditions are not really part of everyday life in the way we know it today. I would like to urge people today to reflect on this matter. Many of the challenges that we face relate to the fact that we are from different backgrounds, different histories and different cultures, and the challenge for us to live together may be to find respect for the way people look at the world. We could all live together more fully, I suppose, if we really appreciated the kind of cultural baggage we bring with us, the history we bring with us, so that by looking forward, we can solve the problems ahead. I would particularly urge the Minister of Education and Culture to look at this to see if in future we could do something definite, just more than simply observe it on the calendar. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Heritage Day
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik, Mr. Koe.

Alcohol And Drug Counsellors' Training
Item 3: Members' Statements

February 20th, 1994

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Fred Koe Inuvik

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express some concerns which have been brought to my attention. These relate to the acknowledgement and use of the various types of training taken by alcohol and drug counsellors. I believe that this government has adopted a philosophy of standardizing the training of alcohol and drug counsellors in the Northwest Territories. To achieve this, this government is also using the exclusive services of Arctic College to develop and deliver this program.

Madam Speaker, there are many alcohol and drug programs in the Northwest Territories, and all are committed to the growth, development and training of their workers. However, there are many counsellors, especially ones in the western Arctic, who have been trained through the Nechi Institute on Alcohol and Drugs, in Alberta. These workers are convinced that the training provided by Nechi is more appropriate than that now provided by Arctic College. Therein lies the dilemma. This government does not recognize and will not assist in sponsoring alcohol and drug counsellors to complete their training through the Nechi Institute. Some of the concerns raised about the current program at Arctic College reflect the reliability, availability and consistency of its courses. Also of concern is the lack of spiritual and cultural components of the programs and, finally, the setting and environment in which courses are delivered.

Madam Speaker, the ultimate objective of our alcohol and drug programs is to assist the people who are ill and in need, and to do this we need properly trained and equipped counsellors. Thus, it would seem beneficial to utilize the various programs and learned people who can help achieve these goals, no matter where they are trained. Our population is so small and the need so huge that we should accept help from whatever source we can. Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

Alcohol And Drug Counsellors' Training
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Continue, Mr. Koe.

Alcohol And Drug Counsellors' Training
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Fred Koe Inuvik

Mahsi. Madam Speaker, I hope this government will review their position on this issue and will use the service and training provided by the Nechi Institute to help deal with our biggest problem in the north, the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Mahsi.

---Applause

Alcohol And Drug Counsellors' Training
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Amittuq, Mr. Allooloo.

Michif Conference
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Titus Allooloo Amittuq

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This weekend I attended part of the very interesting conference here in Yellowknife organized by the Metis Nation and the Metis Heritage Association. I want to thank them for their efforts, especially Bren Kolson and Mr. McSwain, from Rae-Edzo, who organized the conference. Also, thanks to Education, Culture and Employment for funding this conference.

There are many varieties of Michif French -- as my colleague from Yellowknife South mentioned -- but the word is pronounced in a different way. There are also Michif Cree in which all the nouns or names for things are in Cree and all the verbs or action words are in French. There is also Michif spoken in Manitoba. We were trying to determine if the Michif here in the Northwest Territories is different, which is French mixed with Dene languages. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Michif Conference
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you. Very well timed. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Illaut Investments Incorporated
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There is a group of Inuit in Coppermine who have established a local development corporation, Illaut Investments Incorporated. On Wednesday, February 16, the shareholders held their first annual general meeting. Madam Speaker, this group of individuals has been struggling since early 1992 to establish itself. During my election campaign in early 1993, I was asked and agreed to support and assist the group. Since late last year, I have actively become involved in providing advice and encouragement to them.

These individuals are long-term residents of Coppermine who have developed a desire, like many other aboriginal people in the NWT, to become involved in the private sector. The shareholders have invested $500 each, which may not seem to be a lot of money to some of us who have well-paying employment, however, to many of these shareholders, becoming involved in business for the first time, the $500 investment of their hard-earned and limited financial resources is a major financial commitment.

Madam Speaker, the Honourable Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, through his department, has now provided funds for a consultant to work with the group, to develop a work plan and identify possible business ventures which the group can possibly become involved in.

The shareholders have committed to a long-term investment. In fact, these investments are not for themselves but, they are hoping, for the benefit of their children and grandchildren. These individuals are not trying to get rich overnight or disrupt any existing businesses. They are only asking for the opportunity, as a broad-base of local individuals, to become involved in a small way in the business sector of their own community.

Madam Speaker, I urge the government to support any reasonable initiative that comes forward from this and any other group which shows a broad community-base of involvement and the initiative to pool and risk their own resources. The newly elected executive of Illaut Investments Incorporated are: Mrs. Elizabeth Joss-MacDonald, president; Mrs. Joanne Taptuna, vice-president, Mrs. Annie Kellegok, treasurer, Ms. Rosie Kagak, secretary. I congratulate these ladies and the rest of the board members elected to pursue the interests of all the shareholders.

Madam Speaker, I will be absent from this House on Tuesday and part of Wednesday in order to meet with the consultant and the new board of directors in continuation of my support for their efforts. Thank you.

---Applause

Illaut Investments Incorporated
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

Thank you, Mr. Ng. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.