Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Nov. 5th, 2009

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

My colleague here also was talking about education and in terms of the different dialects, so in terms of education for the students there, are they learning just in their own dialects, or are they learning other dialects, or are they also learning one or two of the official languages?

[Belinda Webb]

Most regions are taught in their own dialect from kindergarten to maybe grade 3. Specifically with Nunavik, where it's the northern part of Quebec, they do French, English, and their Inuit dialect.

[LaVar Payne, Conservative, Medicine Hat, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Mr. Payne, thank you very much.

We'll now go to Mr. Russell.

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Again, it's good to have you here.

On climate change, I know that in the Inuit action plan there was a section on climate change. Am I correct in saying that?

[Belinda Webb]

Yes, I believe so.

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Yes, there was a section.

Can you give us a few tangible examples of the impact that climate change will have on the Inuit region, on the Inuit way of life, and how this will impact on economic development, for example?

[Gordon Miles]

One of the foremost impacts will be on the traditional economy. By traditional economy, we mean the land-based economy. It's a huge part of the economy within the Arctic.

I will tell a story, and I'll try to keep it short.

I was in Resolute Bay. A bunch of narwhals came into of the bay at eight o'clock in the morning. At nine o'clock that morning, I was at a house talking to a client and an ATV came down the road, pulling a trailer. On the trailer was a stack of muktuk, the narwhal skin. The driver stopped at every house, and depending on the number of people in that house, he delivered the muktuk to every house in the town. Now, what's the impact of that? How do you measure that? That's a way of life.

They've done studies, and at least 60% of the Inuit every week have country food: seal, caribou, narwhal, and char. It's their main diet. Now climate change is going to have an impact on the wildlife. They're going to move, and when they move, the hunters are going to have to get to them. In some areas, the wildlife may be moving closer to communities, which will make it easier. In other areas, the hunters are going to have to travel farther. The costs of traveling farther and the impacts will be substantial.

How do we support the traditional economy within the Arctic? How do we recognize the contribution of the hunter who goes out and comes back after 10 days with 70 caribou carcasses, and then shares them across the community? Who pays for that, because it's becoming an increasingly costly operation, particularly as you have to move farther. There are caribou hunts and muskox harvests organized in the west that are terrific generators of income and food, both commercial and traditional.

We have to find ways to support those and, at the same time, make sure there is a balance. There are wildlife management agreements in all the land claim agreements, and those have to be respected. But from an economic point of view, we have to understand how important that is and how we can contribute to it, support it, and encourage it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Mr. Russell, you have one minute.

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

The other thing is that we already talk about an infrastructure deficit. But now there are some reports saying the impacts of climate change include accelerating deterioration of existing infrastructure, in terms of buildings sagging and the permafrost not being where it was, and those types of things. When you plan economic development, is that being quantified to any extent at all?

[Gordon Miles]

I think it's being quantified in new construction—although the Arctic Winter Games' arena in Iqaluit would be an example of where it wasn't. In new construction, they're generally now putting in place coolers to maintain the permafrost. I think all of the new larger buildings being built in the communities have those, because if they don't, the permafrost melts, and then you begin to get the shifting. For new buildings, that's taken care of. The cost for existing buildings has probably not been budgeted or anticipated as we move forward.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Thank you, Mr. Russell.

Mr. Duncan, you have five minutes, and then it will be Mr. Bagnell's turn.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Thank you very much.

I guess my first question really relates to housing. I think we got tied up with the numbers on this, but my understanding is that in February 2009 the federal budget had $100 million for housing in Nunavut. Then we also have this $300 million Northern Housing Trust, which has $50 million for each territory, plus $100 million for immediate urgent housing needs in Nunavut. It's not clear to me whether or not those are additive.

[Gordon Miles]

I think the total is either $300 million or $400 million.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

I think it is $400 million, of which Nunavut is the major beneficiary. So there is a recognition of the urgent housing need in Nunavut. And housing is probably being built about as quickly as possible, given some of the constraints of trying to do things in a local context, which you were making reference to.

Another subject on which I want some clarification is education. You said something today that we're having difficulty processing, that the availability of post-secondary funding for Inuit students is different from what it is for first nations students. That certainly is not the understanding I had when I walked into the room, nor the understanding of the research staff attached to the committee.

Is this the way it is?

[Gordon Miles]

As far as I know, there is no funding for post-secondary education for Inuit, other than the territorial programs or the provincial programs that may exist.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Okay, we'll clearly have to check this out.

The other thing I wanted to say is that I've had the benefit of conversations with people from Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation about their Mary River project. It ties in with the question from the NDP on alternative energy, or hydro energy, and those kinds of things. My understanding is that there are some real opportunities that would benefit industry and the Inuit, and that many of these opportunities won't be reliant, for the most part, on government. They can be done collaboratively between industry and the Inuit.

First of all, you must be aware of these things. To me, they portend great revenue—not just the energy project, but also the significant mining projects that are looking to proceed. They look like major economic generators for the north that could change the equation in a major way in terms of the role of government.

Are you looking downstream with a very optimistic, positive attitude about all of this as well?

[Gordon Miles]

Yes. Unfortunately, I think the current economic crisis has thrown that schedule off by some period of time, and no one knows yet for how long.

First of all, in each of the regions, the land claim agreements call for Inuit impact and benefit agreements for all major projects, so that there will be negotiations right at the beginning of any project guaranteeing Inuit access to, or participation at some level in, these projects. And that's important.

In addition, each of the four Inuit organizations has very strong development corporations in place. And in all cases, those development corporations are actively pursuing partnerships, joint ventures, and contracts with these private companies.

I think mining has a huge potential, particularly within Nunavut and the Northwest Territories—and in all four regions. You have Voisey's Bay in Labrador, Raglan in Nunavik, plus there was another potential mine in Nunavik that I think is now on hold.

But again, there is potential right across the north for huge changes.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Thank you.

Do I have a little bit of time left?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

No, that's about it, Mr. Duncan. You were on a roll there and you just used up the whole time.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Okay, maybe I'll ask for another kick at the cat, then.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Okay, you can have that after Mr. Bagnell, who is up for five minutes, and then we'll go back to you, Mr. Duncan.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Mr. Bagnell.

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

I'm going to give you four quick questions, and you can decide which ones you want to answer.

First, is the federal response to the Berger report sufficient, and what more should they do?

Second, I don't think you got to answer fully the question concerning food mail, and you may want to do that. There were some good things in the report, but also there were lines like “I'm not sure it's sustainable”. That's like saying “I'm not sure it's sustainable that Inuit eat”, so it's obviously not acceptable.

Concerning head start, you said you had a problem with quantity. In our area the problem is the number of head start programs: a lot of the communities don't have one, because all the money is used up for the ones that do.

Finally, do you have any comments on the decline in caribou herds and what is or isn't being done or should be done, or what's causing it?

Thank you.