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May 10, 2002
Few Inuktitut-speaking
social workers
Uqummiut MLA David Iqaqrialu
complained last week that the department of health and social services does
not have enough Inuktitut-speaking social workers on staff.
"Id like to
ask the minister, because we now have the Nunavut government, is there any policy
changes that are going to occur so that they can hire more Inuktitut counsellors
in the communities?" Iqaqrialu asked.
Health Minister Ed Picco
responded by saying that in a recent retreat, department officials talked about
ways of getting more Inuktitut-speaking social workers for Nunavut, including
ways of addressing the systemic barriers that prevent Inuit from becoming qualified
social workers.
But he also said that university
degrees and fluency in English are usually required for social work jobs because
of the legal issues that social workers must deal with.
"At the same time
there are statutory obligations under legislation child custody matters
and so on, where there is a need to have fluency in English, because the courts
have been acting in, as you know, in English," Picco said.
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