(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a concern expressed by some of my constituents and I'm sure it is a concern for some communities with a population under 500. There is a concern in the smaller communities, since the amendment of the Local Authorities Elections Act section 18(2)(c), whereby hamlet employees are not eligible as candidates in a local election.

Grise Fiord, with a population of 130 people, has a problem with a lack of candidates for local elections. They have had to appoint councillors more than once because the population in that community is very small. I'm sure this section is not a concern to larger populated communities, but it is a concern with the smaller communities. Will the government consider amending section 18(2)(c) of the Local Authorities Elections Act so that all communities could be satisfied with the act? Today during question period, I will be asking questions concerning this section of the act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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(Translation) Thank you, colleagues. Zebede Nungark from Makivik, I would like to thank personally. They worked really hard to push the federal government and for them to admit that they made a mistake in relocating these people. Many people know that it was the mistake of the federal government, but they couldn't apologize. When those people were relocated to the High Arctic, they were sent in the fall. They were sent up by ships. There were no buildings to go in. They had to stay in tents for the whole winter without any equipment. They haven't been in that part of the north where it is dark 24 hours a day and they had to live in tents for the whole winter.

I am sure we all realize that they went through very difficult times. I don't think anybody can live in a tent for the whole winter. Some of them stayed in igloos for the whole winter. This was the very first time that they had to stay in complete darkness for 24 hours. For many of them, it was difficult. They had never been up there. A lot of them are still alive today. Even though some of them are no longer around, we want to thank those people because they went through very difficult times. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to rise to mention something about this. Thank you for giving me an opportunity,

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(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to congratulate ... Back in 1953, the federal government relocated people from northern Quebec to the High Arctic, to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. These people who were relocated have been under hardships since they were moved. They weren't sure why they were moved up there and nobody would explain it to them. Their emotions were hurt and some of them were physically hurt.

Since 1953, they have gone through much pain. I would like to congratulate Ron Irwin, DIAND Minister, that he can publicly say that they made a mistake in relocating the people up to the High Arctic and that he can say that he is sorry for moving them to another place without fully explaining to them why. The pain that these people have gone through is finally being recognized. We are happy that the federal government can apologize and finally realize that they made a mistake in the first place by relocating them to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord.

I would like to thank the people who participated, especially Makivik Corporation. They worked very hard, especially Zebede Nungark. I seek unanimous consent to complete my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, sisters and brothers. The healing workshop that was held in Resolute Bay was very helpful to the people. Next month, I'm sure there will be a lot of people attending the clinic and there are going to be a lot of volunteers. The people who want to attend the workshop will be supported by some organizations and some airlines will also support the people who want to attend. I appreciate that very much.

Inuit know they will not go back to their traditional way of living but they know they are not going to lose their cultures or traditions. Their way of life is changing because a lot of people have moved away from their culture and traditions. For this reason, it's very important that they have a healing workshop. The group that is going to be holding the healing clinic in Resolute Bay is requesting that the NWT government provide interpreters for use during the healing clinics so people can understand each other in the workshop. Mr. Speaker, this is what I wanted to make a statement on because I feel it's very helpful for people to have. Thank you.

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(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have mentioned this before briefly in the House and I would like to mention it again. Quite some time ago, the federal government started going to the northern communities. The aboriginal people's lives were really changed. Recently, they haven't been sure what to do about it. Some aboriginal people have lost their culture. There is a high rate of suicide. There was a high rate of sexual assault by teachers when people were young. These are some of the things that have really hurt the feelings of the aboriginal people. Today, they are starting to find out for themselves exactly how much they have been hurt. Now, we're starting to deal with the healing process.

Last year, there was a healing process in Resolute Bay, there were healing workshops, and they were very helpful for the people; next month, they will have another healing workshop in Resolute Bay. I know there are going to be a lot of people from the communities in the north wanting to attend the healing process.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a supplementary to my question. How are you going to respond to the letter you say that you have received regarding the concerns that are being raised in Nanisivik? Will you just pass it on to the Baffin Divisional Board of Education, or are you going to give a response directly to the local education council in Nanisivik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is directed to the Minister of Education. There's a large concern at the Nanisivik Education Council because they have been informed that they currently have too many teachers in that community and the number of students have been reduced. They are aware that in the new fiscal year the number of students will be increasing. Is the Minister having discussions with the divisional board of education in the Baffin region to address the concerns of the Nanisivik Education Council regarding the future of the number of positions for teachers in that community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

(Translation) This issue I am about to raise is not a new one. It regards the error of the spelling of my last name and it concerns correspondence from communities. This error has occurred a number of times now. Due to the misspelling of my last name, I receive mail that doesn't belong to me. Recently, I received a letter from the government that did not come from my constituency whatsoever, it came from another MLA's constituency, but it was delivered to me.

In situations like this, the Executive Council should take note when signing their letters and check the addresses. My fellow colleague received confidential mail which was inadvertently directed to myself. This could be of a confidential nature and I'm not interested in finding out about his personal or confidential correspondence. The Executive Council and the government should be more cautious and I urge them to be more cautious to ensure that errors of this nature do not continue because I've been receiving mail that does not belong to me, although they are addressed to myself. I inadvertently read this mail and the constituency's concerns weren't addressed to myself in which case they shouldn't have been given to me.

People might forget who I am and where I'm from and who I represent. Maybe people in the government are forgetting which riding I represent, so this is my reminder, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been concerned about this matter for quite some time because I have heard of unsigned documents being tabled. They point out the concerns that they have, but they don't bother to put their signature on it. It is very difficult to support that individual if they refuse to sign their name. You are probably aware that in newspapers, there is a section where people can write letters and if they don't wish to put their name down, then it is withheld. When their names are not written down, how can we support that person if we want to respond by letter with regard to the concern we have or what kind of remedies that we might be able to offer? In this House, it is exactly the same when tabled documents are not signed. We can't really do anything else, when they aren't signed. Maybe in the future, if a letter that is not signed is tabled, perhaps it won't have any use even if it was tabled. Many times we get worried about the content. Even if we want to support that person, we can't really get in touch with them. So I personally feel that from now on, all tabled documents should be signed. Otherwise, they can't be tabled. Thank you.

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