IQALUIT - Wednesday, Nov. 4 was Take Our Kids To Work Day for the Grade 9 students at Inuksuk School. The event has been going on for five years, showing students a day in the work life of their family members.

Taya Tootoo learned the ropes of the Legislative Assembly with her dad, MLA Hunter Tootoo. - photo courtesy Sidney Horlick

Emilia Nevin decided to shadow her mother Kristine Hutchison – a nurse and co-ordinator of the mass H1N1 vaccination in the territory – for the day at the Iqaluit Public Health Clinic.

“Today I counted 1,852 sheets of H1N1 vaccine forms,” Nevin said. The best part, she said, laughing, was “the free Tylenol.”

Her mother thinks that bringing kids to work is important. "They don’t always understand your job, so it’s good to bring them so they can understand what it is that your job is about," Hutchison said.

Taya Tootoo shadowed her father, Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo, for the day at his job at the Legislative Assembly.

“I did a lot of things," Tootoo said. "Checked his e-mail, reviewed mail, got introduced to everyone, counted pins, and went on coffee break.” But she said she doesn't plan to follow in her father footsteps. “You have to know too much,” she said, and laughed, “I mean, there’s so much reading!”

Her father thinks that the day is important, “So (children) get exposure to the type of work parents do.”

It doesn’t matter to him whether his kids follow in his footsteps or not, though, “It’s up to them to choose do to whatever they want for their careers.”

Seventy kids participated in the annual event, said Tina Morrissey, student support teacher. It's a great program for students, she said. "It definitely prepares them for real-life work experience."