Nunavut Legislative Assembly opened Tuesday

Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 22/04) - The opening of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly is always an occasion to celebrate Inuit culture while making a commitment to building a better Nunavut territory through legislation. Following a ceremonial lighting of the qulliq there was throat singing, and performances by students from Aqsarniit middle school in Iqaluit.

Commissioner Peter Irniq read the speech from the throne, touching on a wide variety of issues, including corrections and justice, Nunavut's territorial parks, health care, building Inuit businesses, and Inuit language preservation.

Domestic violence

Hunter Tootoo wants to know how the government is dealing with the issue of domestic violence.

During the Nov. 16 question period, the Iqaluit Centre MLA asked if the GN has had any discussions with the federal government regarding sentencing of domestically violent offenders.

Tootoo also inquired as to whether the murder of a Yellowknife parole officer in the home of one of her clients has resulted in a review of parole procedures.

Parole is currently handled by the federal government's Department of Corrections, but Justice Minister Paul Okalik said the GN would eventually like to take over that responsibility.

The issue of sentencing for individuals found guilty of domestic violence-related crimes has been put on the agenda for a federal-provincial-territorial justice ministers' meeting in January, Okalik said.

Still missing DNA

Cambridge MLA Keith Peterson wants to know what the department of justice has done to speed up DNA testing to help solve the murder of Rhoda Maghagak.

She was found dead in her Cambridge Bay home in March. Nunavut's RCMP is still waiting on test results from a southern facility to help them solve the case.

The RCMP are, "from what I understand, re-examining their ways and perhaps setting up another office for DNA testing," said Okalik.

What killed the

sea cucumbers?

Residents of the Belcher Islands usually eat sea cucumbers, but this year the creatures are all dead.

Hudson Bay MLA Peter Kattuk wants to know why.

A suggestion by Environment Minister Olayuk Akesuk to send specimens from Sanikiluaq through the south, then to Iqaluit, was dismissed by Kattuk because the organisms would spoil.

Akesuk said last week that he would work with Kattuk to come up with a solution.

Akesuk also said the need for a laboratory to carry out this type of testing in Nunavut is apparent.

More Inuit

to work for GN

In the throne speech on Nov. 16, commissioner Peter Irniq said the GN remains committed to having become more representative of the territory's 85 per cent Inuit residents, despite the lack of help from the federal government.

Irniq says the territorial government will "continue to advance the employment of more Inuit using existing budgets."

Forty-six per cent of GN employees are Inuit. While the number of Inuit in government jobs is increasing, so is the number of GN employees.