A week in the life of the Nunavut legislature

IQALUIT — Here’s a sample of the subjects discussed by Nunavut’s MLAs during the second week of the winter legislative session.

Graduation rate on upswing

More Nunavut students are earning high-school diplomas than ever before.

According to Nunavut’s education minister, Peter Kilabuk, 135 students graduated from Grade 12 in the territory last year.

That number is more than twice the figure from just three years ago and six times higher than a decade ago, Kilabuk said.

In 1997, only 65 Nunavummiut graduated from high school. In 1990 Nunavut had only 22 grads.

Speaking before the legislative assembly last week, Kilabuk attributed the increase to several factors, including the creation of the new territory.

“Young people today recognize that Nunavut will provide opportunities that were not previously available,” he said.

Parents, too, deserve high marks for the improvement, Kilabuk said.

“It is through the active and continued support and guidance of parents that we are seeing this increase. When parents are involved in the education of their children, those children do better in school.”

Havioyak takes aim at gun law

The sluggish pace of federal firearms-licencing is harming hunters, says one MLA.

Donald Havioyak, the MLA for Kugluktuk, told assembly members last week that many of his constituents can’t buy ammunition because of Ottawa’s backlog in processing licence applications.

According to Canada’s new gun-control law, as of Jan. 1 hunters had to show their gun licences in order to buy bullets or shells.

“I myself submitted my application back in October of last year and still haven’t received my licence, Mr. Speaker, and I really don’t know when I will,” Havioyak said.

“Like all members of this House I don’t have to rely on hunting to feed my family. I am one of the lucky ones. But many of my constituents are not so fortunate.”

Havioyak urged the premier to speak with federal leaders in Ottawa, to alert them to the impact the licencing delay is having on Nunavummiut.

No help for bear guides?

A Kitikmeot MLA says bear-hunting guides in his area should get cash to compensate them for a drastic cut to polar-bear quotas.

Uriash Puqiqnak, the MLA for Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak, condemned Sustainable Development Minister Olayuk Akesuk for saying that no money would go directly to the affected outfitters.

Akesuk had suggested that instead of money, job-retraining programs might be made available to the guides.

“It’s not good enough,” said Puqiqnak. “It’s not a good enough answer for me. My question is … how exactly does the minister plan on helping these polar bear guides and hunters? What plans do they have?”

In January, the GN slashed the annual quota for the M’Clintock Channel polar-bear population from 32 down to 12. Next year, the hunt will be done away with entirely.

Akesuk said the issue of helping bear-hunters will be discussed further when the assembly convenes in Cambridge Bay in May.

Social workers needed

Nunavut needs more social workers, said Rebekah Williams, the MLA for the Quttiktuq region.

The shortage of social workers is particularly dire in her own riding, Williams said. Neither Arctic Bay nor Nanisivik have social workers.

“There are foster children that require the assistance of a social worker in those communities,” she said.

Ed Picco, Nunavut’s minister of Health and Social Services, admitted that his department has been more focused on hiring nurses than social workers.

Of the 50 social-worker positions in the territory, 15 are currently unstaffed.

Picco said his department will explore ways of filling the jobs, including training more Inuit for the positions.

Williams urged Picco to act fast

“While you are doing your studies there are piles of cases that require help,” she said. “While we’re waiting for these positions to be filled, is there a way of alleviating some of the numbers of faces waiting to be looked after?”

Elders deserve a discount

Nunavut’s elders shouldn’t have to shell out so much money when they go to the store, says a Kitikmeot MLA.

According to Nattilik MLA Uriash Puqiqnak, even though elders are among the most valued members in Inuit communities, they are often forced to scrape by on small fixed incomes.

“Every effort should be made to enhance the life of our elders,” Puqiqnak said.

“I would like to call on the government to work with the retailers in Nunavut to implement a senior discount program in their stores,” he said. “This is one small way that we can help our seniors to try to keep pace with our high cost of living.”

Similar discount programs exist elsewhere in Canada, Puqiqnak said.

Puqiqnak also asked Peter Kattuk, the minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, to look for federal funds that could be used to help provide elders’ discounts.

Kattuk said that his department has a member on a joint federal-provincial-territorial committee that is exploring the issue. Kattuk said he expected a report from the committee shortly.