Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Aboriginal Peoples
Issue 19 - Evidence
OTTAWA, Tuesday, May 7, 2002
The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples met this day at 9:20 a.m. to examine access, provision and delivery of services, policy and jurisdictional issues, employment and education, access to economic opportunities, youth participation and empowerment, and other related matters.
Senator Janis G. Johnson (Deputy Chairman) in the Chair.
[English]
The Deputy Chairman: Our witnesses today are from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Mr. Buscemi, please proceed.
Mr. Franco Sheatiapik Buscemi, National Inuit Youth Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: Honourable senators, it is a privilege for me to be here today as a representative of Inuit youth. I appreciate the opportunity to share with you some of our needs, particularly those of urban Inuit youth. To be clear, senators, while youth are the future of this country, Inuit youth are vested with the additional responsibility of ensuring the future of a vital culture.
As Inuit youth look to the future, we cannot escape the fact that we are products of the past. We often live struggling in the shadow of the damage created by government-sanctioned dislocation and attempted assimilation. The host of damages that have accumulated over the generations — dysfunctional families, pervasive substance abuse, family violence, unemployment, poverty and others — has fed the soil in which our roots grow. Yet, I am here today as a strong, healthy Inuk man to tell you that respect is a key to the future of Inuit youth, and almost certainly of Inuit culture, but it will take hope to turn the doorknob.
Inuit youth arrive in urban centres for a variety of reasons, some within their control and some outside of it. While some Inuit youth come south because their parents have sought work to escape the cycle of poverty too often found in the North, others leave the Arctic to escape family violence or to access medical care unavailable in the North.
Addressing the needs of urban Inuit youth who have come south for any of these reasons is impossible without examining the crisis that exists in many of our home communities. Among the many issues that put Inuit youth at risk in the North is the dismal state of housing. Senators, there is little hope for privacy when three families are crammed into houses designed for one family. Overcrowding often puts Inuit children and youth at risk for abuse. It increases the likelihood of exposure to violence, often borne of frustration, and it is one of the biggest barriers to academic achievement among Inuit youth.
Without the direct and realistic support of the Canadian government, there is little hope the situation will change any time soon and another generation of Inuit youth will be damaged because of inaction.
Other Inuit youth come south because they see post-secondary education as a kind of fertilizer necessary to nurture their future and the future of their people. We must leave our families, our communities and our culture to pursue most post-secondary education because only limited options exist for us in the North.
Imagine how you would feel to be set adrift alone in a kayak in the Arctic Ocean and you might begin to understand what it is like for an Inuk youth to arrive at a southern university and realize that there are more students in the school than there are Inuit in Canada. A move from a small isolated Arctic community of culture and family to a big urban centre school, where you are likely to be the only Inuk, is a move wrought with danger. Unknown territory, different rules and disconnection from culture and family are enormous challenges, especially when Inuit students are not provided support in their efforts to reach their goals. The lack of coordinated support for Inuit students too often results in failure that is accompanied by shame that then leads down a slippery slope to street life, prostitution, substance abuse, depression and, all too often, suicide.
Inuit youth need supportive housing programs in urban centre schools — programs that celebrate culture, are coordinated by Inuit and help Inuit youth maintain a connection to their home communities and families. Keep in mind, senators, that you would not be alone in the Arctic Ocean if only one of your colleagues were with you.
There is a pervasive lack of knowledge among non-Inuit Canadians — especially among youth — that feeds misunderstanding, encourages labelling and perpetuates racism against Inuit. The effects of racism are clear to each of you. The lives of Inuit youth would forever change if their non-Inuit counterparts were taught even a modicum of Inuit history and culture in schools. The lives of non-Inuit would be enriched by that knowledge, as well. If knowledge is power, then providing Canadian youth with cultural knowledge can only serve to strengthen efforts to reduce racism in this country.
It would be silly of me to attempt to provide any real insight into our health care needs or our health issues in the 10 minutes I have been allocated today. I do feel, however, that it is important for you to realize that the plight of urban Inuit youth in respect of health issues can be clearly linked to the lifetime of poor access to quality health care in their home communities. Health information remains often linguistically inaccessible to Inuit youth and their parents, making it next to impossible for us to make informed health-related choices, much less to be active participants in our own health care.
Inuit youth have begun the journey to play a pivotal role in the health education of their communities and have shown true leadership in the process. We have also proven ourselves to be innovative and often ingenious when it comes to sharing health information with each other and with other communities.
Over the last three years, Inuit youth have been increasingly involved in prevention and education activities about HIV/AIDS. Inuit youth were provided the opportunity to participate in a project to develop HIV/AIDS information for Inuit youth and their communities. We rose to the challenge. We have shared our message of both protection and compassion with our communities during the community feasts, and we have begun to share our insights with other indigenous peoples in Panama, New Zealand and Dominica. This is only one example of how Inuit youth, when given the opportunity, are leaders.
Inuit youth make up a significant part of our Inuit population in Canada, and it serves all Inuit for us to have a strong, meaningful place in discussions about health-related issues that affect us. Senators, true wisdom is often found in the hearts, minds and eyes of the young.
Sarah Anala, one of only two Inuit Elder liaisons in the Correctional Services of Canada, wrote a poem about Inuit in federal corrections. It sits in a prominent place in my office to remind me of the need to help others understand. Sarah's poem describes, in a very poignant way, the relationship between Inuit offenders and the non-Inuit justice system. I would like to share a short passage from her poem with you now that expresses the impact culture class has on Inuit youth in conflict with the law. I quote:
You don't know me, you only know me from paper. How can you know and speak anything about me when you have never lived with me, have never lived in my community? You do not know my true history.
Kangissimak — gone past
Tikkingituk — Not here yet
Mana — Now
I only have now. I can only predict the weather because the signs are there, on the land, the sea, the wind, the clouds, the snows. You have never been in my mind, my body, my spirit, therefore, in reality, you do not know me; you only know me from paper.
More than 45,000 Inuit live in Canada, and 55 per cent of them are youth. They live in 53 strategically located communities created to establish Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. The Inuit are a people of culture and language. They are also compliant taxpayers.
It frightens me when I will hear the word ``Aboriginal'' used in discussions about the Inuit. My fear is founded in the fact that too many Canadians have limited or no knowledge of what that word means. They generally interpret ``Aboriginal'' to mean First Nations. It is a message constantly re-enforced by the Government of Canada and all its departments. Inuit are not, as is too often assumed, a tribe of First Nations people.
Senators, homogenization is something you do to milk, not to people or cultures. Too often Inuit youth are merged into programs designed by and for First Nations with a total disregard for cultural differences or linguistic needs, much less the experiential differences which set us apart. We are a distinct people with distinct needs that include Inuit- specific goals, objectives and desires that are heavily influenced by traditional teachings intended to guide our path into the future.
When the Government of Canada sanctions the creation of programs for ``Aboriginal youth'' without the direct equal and meaningful participation of Inuit youth, it sanctions the creation of biased discriminatory programs that only increase the isolation felt by Inuit youth living in urban centres.
Imagine if you can, what it feels like for an Inuk youth seeking support from an Aboriginal youth program and finding only First Nations teachings such as the medicine wheel. While the medicine wheel is a vital part of First Nations' tradition, it is as foreign a concept to Inuit youth as a polar bear hunt is to non-aboriginal youth in downtown Toronto. Programs such as these do not support our cultural needs and they send a message of cultural erasure. The power of these messages can and often does undermine our strength, damages our spirit and devalues us as people. Inuit youth have much to share that can benefit Canadian youth, Aboriginal or not. We are a vital thread in the fabric of the future of this country.
Honourable senators, we need policies respecting and supporting Inuit-specific needs and traditions to guide the development of programs nurturing a connection to our own culture, our land and communities. We do not need programs encouraging us to adopt the culture of other Aboriginal peoples.
In closing, I hope whatever results from today and the work of your committee is rooted in respect for Inuit youth — not their issues or their plight, but their culture, history and the remarkable potential that is inside each and every one of us.
The Deputy Chairman: That was an excellent presentation, very heartfelt.
That was a beautiful poem. I must say, if many of us were alone in a kayak in the Arctic Ocean, I do not think we would fair very well. That is a great metaphor to begin our discussions today.
Before my colleagues ask their questions, can you tell me what you have done since you came south as a young Inuit? How has your life gone? Talking about individual experiences is helpful for our study.
Mr. Buscemi: I see my particular case as lucky, in a sense, in that I came from Iqaluit seven years ago. I was 13 at the time. My first name is not hard to say. It is not an Inuit name, it is Italian, and I do not look as Inuit as many of my friends. I was lucky not to look and feel different.
The Deputy Chairman: Has it made a difference to your experience?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes. I was very active in school sports and that helped me take down the barriers. Outside of that, I felt alone. After our practices and after school, I was by myself.
The Deputy Chairman: Would you say that most of the Inuit youth that come south stay south now? I am from Winnipeg and we have a small population of Inuit youth there.
Mr. Buscemi: Yes. The population in the south appears to have grown over the last couple of years, especially here in Ottawa. I only know a few people that have stayed here in Ottawa.
The Deputy Chairman: Do most of them go back, or are they staying in the urban centres?
Mr. Buscemi: A few of them are going back because they are finding it too difficult. My girlfriend has been here for two years. She found it very difficult when she first moved here because she was away from her family for the first time, and that was very hard on her.
I was lucky because I moved with my parents. My parents moved to Ottawa, so, at the age of 13, I did not have much choice. I had my parents, as well as my sister who was living here and going to school. I was fortunate to have family here.
The Deputy Chairman: You had a support system. Is the Tungasuvvingat Inuit, TI, community centre in Ottawa considered to have a positive impact on the community, could we use it as a model in other Canadian cities? Apparently the Montreal Inuit are interested in doing something similar, as they do not have a facility at this time. Do you think Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, ITK, could supply such an initiative, or has this one worked as a transition or a place for Inuit youth here?
Mr. Buscemi: I cannot speak for ITK myself. TI, I believe, is a good program. However, there is only one youth worker — he was the one who was supposed to give this presentation. As he is the only youth worker, he was unable to allocate the time. It is a good program but it needs more support and work.
The Deputy Chairman: Tell me two things that could be done with it. We are trying to focus on urban youth, Aboriginal or First Nations, Inuit and Metis. We are not lumping everyone into a pan-Aboriginal context. We have heard you are not comfortable accessing pan-Aboriginal services and that the Inuit prefer to go to the ordinary services provided for all Canadians. Is that the way they feel?
However, in terms of the youth themselves that are staying in the south, are any of these programs of value at this point?
Mr. Buscemi: Which ones?
The Deputy Chairman: The ones on the ground now. I do not know how many there are. The one in Ottawa is one of the bigger ones.
Mr. Buscemi: Yes. Many Inuit youth in Ottawa participate in their programs. Montreal, however, does not have one.
The Deputy Chairman: They are looking at setting one up.
Mr. Buscemi: Yes. A lot of them go to the friendship centres, which are run by First Nations.
The Deputy Chairman: They do use the friendship centres then?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes, that is the only resource they have. However, it does not help because it is not their culture, and that is not what they have learned.
For myself, before I started working at Pauktuutit, the Inuit Women's Association, I had a limited knowledge of what ``Aboriginal'' meant. I also interpreted it as First Nations myself.
The Deputy Chairman: I see. But you do now?
Mr. Buscemi: I know the difference now.
The Deputy Chairman: Do you feel strongly about that?
Mr. Buscemi: I feel a lot stronger about it, yes. When you went to an Aboriginal program before, all you could find was First Nations people. If you are not involved, I guess, in the politics in the background or in the work, it was hard.
The Deputy Chairman: To access your own cultural heritage when you are not in the North, you must have a different kind of programming than Aboriginal services can provide at this time?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes.
Senator Sibbeston: I am from the Northwest Territories so I am familiar with the eastern Arctic and with the political aspirations of the Inuit people in the eventual creation of Nunavut.
You say you have been in Ottawa for seven years. Have you had occasion to go back to any places in the Arctic? Did you get an idea of what the feelings of young people are since the creation of Nunavut?
Mr. Buscemi: I have been able to go back a few times to my home community. It was not work related; it was to see my family.
Senator Sibbeston: The Inuit people up in the Arctic looked to the creation of Nunavut and their land claims as a means of self-determining their own futures. I am curious to know whether the creation of Nunavut has given young people hope in their future. Can you comment on that?
Mr. Buscemi: I believe they have some hope. One example in education would be the law school that opened in Iqaluit. I believe they are working towards a good cause. They are trying to provide as many options as they can. However, I cannot provide any deep insight, as I do not work for them.
Senator Sibbeston: Tell me about yourself and young Inuit people like you who are in the city here. Are most of the young people in the city here for educational purposes? How do you feel the education of young Inuit people is going?
Mr. Buscemi: This will be a personal opinion. My friends in the south have an option of staying home with their parents and going to post-secondary education schools. However, my friends in the North have only one option, which is to leave their family, their community and everything behind to pursue post-secondary education. Can you repeat the question?
Senator Sibbeston: I am curious to know whether there is a spirit among young people that they should be educated and that education will help them a lot and that, if they are to live any kind of life in the North in the future, they depend on education. Is education a motivation and an interest amongst Inuit people?
Mr. Buscemi: I think so. There is a program called Nunavut Sivuniksavut here in Ottawa helps Inuit youth prepare for opportunities that are being created by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Education is seen by Inuit youth as an important part of our future.
Senator Sibbeston: I want to commend you for coming here. I am sure it must seem like a difficult task. When I was your age, I do not know whether I would have been willing to do something like that.
Senator Hubley: I am from Prince Edward Island. I want to thank you for coming here today. I hope you will feel comfortable because it is important for our committee to hear from the Inuit youth. It is what our action plan will be all about.
I understand that you live here in Ottawa. Do you liaise with other youth organizations in the North? Is that part of your responsibilities?
Mr. Buscemi: No. I should explain a bit about myself. I work at Pauktuutit with the HIV and AIDS projects. I have been working there for two years. I was asked to do this because I have spoken on behalf of Inuit youth at events such as the AIDS walk last year and the President of the National Inuit Youth Council, NIYC, was unable to attend. That area of connecting with all the youth groups in the North is not my responsibility. I have a hard enough time connecting with everyone in the North with our HIV and AIDS projects.
Senator Hubley: We have heard from some other youth organizations. They have been able to identify education and training as a priority. How do you see that happening for the Inuit? Should it take place in your home communities? Should there be better programs within universities in the south? Is that something that you may have had discussions on?
Mr. Buscemi: I am not part of the NIYC committee. However, I feel that if a school can be opened in the North, then I guess the prime location would be Iqaluit because the population is larger than any other community. However, I do know that a lot of people coming from Nunavut are going to Trent University. I do not know for what reason. Perhaps Trent University and Nunavut can work in partnership together to create a cultural support network. I mentioned earlier that the Inuit youth need help to stay in touch with their families. Perhaps a dormitory-type place would be a great idea for a school to house a lot of Inuit youth.
Senator Hubley: To have a separate identity within the university system and for support?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes. When I moved here, a lot of my friends were under the impression that Inuit get a free ride for everything. I joked with them but I had to explain to them that we do not get a free ride. When I was going to school, I was given financial support from the Nunavut government and I explained to them that we pay taxes. There is a misconception among Canadian youth that we do not pay taxes either.
I would like to understand my culture a lot more because I have not been exposed to it growing up. I spoke the language but I was never part of the traditions of hunting or camping or any of that. I would like to build a greater knowledge of that part of my cultural background. If other Canadian youth were taught a bit of Aboriginal history which included all three groups — First Nations, Metis and Inuit — that would be a good start.
Senator Carney: I understand that you are being asked to answer many questions about things that you are not actually doing. You are being asked to represent 20,000-odd Inuit youth, and that is really not fair.
Can you tell me something about your program? You say you are working with HIV. That is your job?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes.
Senator Carney: Why are you doing that? Is that a big problem with Inuit youth? What drew you to that kind of work?
Mr. Buscemi: I started working there as a summer student three years ago. My aunt had passed away from AIDS. That is how I became interested. I see it as a big threat not only for Inuit youth, but also for communities in the North.
The biggest message we are trying to get across is that the isolation of the communities is not a protection against the virus due to mobilization of people going in and out. That is a message that we are trying to get across.
Senator Carney: What do you do? You say it is a big threat. We hear much about social problems such as solvent sniffing and alcoholism. However, I have not heard a lot about the need for work in HIV and AIDS. Yet here you are, and that is what you do. I would like to hear why it is important. Instead of asking you about that which you are not responsible, I am asking you about that for which you are responsible.
Mr. Buscemi: Yes, this is a question that I can answer comfortably.
Senator Carney: I have never heard that HIV is a problem among Aboriginal youth.
Mr. Buscemi: We are trying to prevent the problem. Teenage pregnancy and STD rates are much higher in the North than in the rest of Canada.
Senator Carney: Teenage pregnancies?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes, the rate in the North is the highest in Canada, which means unprotected sex. We do not use the message: ``Do not have sex.'' We will not stop that.
At the Arctic Winter Games we provided these passports with information on HIV, HEP-C, solvent abuse and sexual assault. One chef de mission objected to us handing these passports to the athletes. His rationale was that we were promoting sex. We were not promoting sex; we do not promote sex. We promote safe sex. There is no need to promote sex; it is all instinct.
HIV/AIDS is not a problem yet, and it is not dealt with seriously. The Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association has been the only organization to work on HIV and AIDS and provide language appropriate information.
Senator Carney: What is the best way of communicating with Inuit or Inuk youth? Do you use English or Inuktitut?
Mr. Buscemi: We use English for all of our publications. We try to have as many dialects translated as we can. It is usually the dialect most commonly used in each region. We would publish in about three languages.
Senator Carney: Do you find them receptive? Many Inuit youth live, as you point out, in small settlements across Nunavut. How do you reach them? Do you use radio? If we were to have programs to communicate with youth in the smaller areas, what would we use? What is the best way to reach youth?
Mr. Buscemi: Given the size of the communities, you can take advantage of hard copy documents. Unfortunately, e- mail is not as accessible in the North as it is in the south.
Senator Carney: It is not accessible on the West Coast of British Columbia, either. It is a highly urban technique.
Mr. Buscemi: We fax anything that we want to send. We rarely use e-mail unless it is with people in urban centres, which slows down a lot of processes.
Senator Carney: Do you think things like the Arctic Winter Games are a good way to reach youth or good programs for youth?
Mr. Buscemi: They are very good. The youngest participant this year was 11 years old. I was too old to participate at the age of 19 years. The youth are in the range of 11 years to 18 years of age.
Senator Carney: In which sport were you interested?
Mr. Buscemi: Hockey.
Senator Carney: From reading the background papers for this committee, which is looking at urban youth programs, it seems that most of the programs for Inuit youth are in places like Ottawa or Winnipeg. We do not seem to be looking at the programs delivered in the North itself.
Is that accurate? Are most of the programs of which you are aware deal with migrants to the south? Is there a greater need for those kinds of programs?
Mr. Buscemi: More programs like the ones in the North or in the south?
Senator Carney: I am not clear whether the programs we are discussing are programs for Inuit here in the south or are they programs for Inuit in the North.
The Deputy Chairman: I should interject here. Mr. Kusugak is on his way, and he would probably be better able to answer these questions.
Senator Carney: Are your programs are delivered in the North?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes, in all 53 communities.
Senator Carney: What is your education? You said that you were in school here. What field of education were you doing?
Mr. Buscemi: I was studying business administration.
Senator Carney: At Carleton?
Mr. Buscemi: At Algonquin College. Are you asking me about my background on HIV/AIDS?
Senator Carney: No, I was asking about your programs. I do not know whether we are trying to reach Inuit youth in the North or trying to deliver programs to them in the south.
What is the objective of these programs? Are you trying to integrate the Inuit in the south, or are you trying to prepare them to go back to Nunavut, if they chose that?
I am not exactly clear on what some of these programs are designed to do. Are they transition programs? I am not asking you to answer all this, but I am not clear what some of these programs are supposed to do.
Mr. Buscemi: The programs should provide support. People will not base their decision on whether to remain in an urban centre on a program. The programs are to help make the transition easier while they are in school or visiting.
Many students feel very alone. I spoke to my partner about this. She was ready to go home after three months because she was completely alone, without any family. The only support she had was from her friends who were in the same program.
Senator Carney: Do you think that is why there are such high drop-out rates?
Mr. Buscemi: That is a big reason, yes.
Senator Carney: You are looking for programs that help the transition and that will have the affect of assisting youth to reach their goals and not drop-out of the system?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes, support from anyone with the same understanding you have is very important. I was fortunate enough to have my parents, who understand where I come from, and my sister, who came from the same place I did.
Senator Carney: The word ``Aboriginal'' is a problem for us, even in British Columbia. For instance, this committee cannot get a definition of ``Metis.'' Different parts of the country use different words, so we have trouble trying to define what is Aboriginal and what is not.
Are you suggesting very clearly you want to keep your identity and not be included as part of First Nations?
Mr. Buscemi: Yes. I do not want to be considered First Nations. I am not First Nations. For us in particular, when we go to our HIV and AIDS conferences, oftentimes there is ``smudging,'' which I respect that is very important to First Nations.
Senator Carney: There is what?
Mr. Buscemi: Smudging. A lot of our Inuit members find the smell makes them feel weird.
Senator Carney: That is a good point. We tend to use it as just a catch-all phrase. If you do not know what else to say, you use Aboriginal, for example, the Aboriginal fishery or the Aboriginal this or that.
Mr. Buscemi: I think it is okay to have First Nations-specific programs and Inuit-specific programs. I do not see the need to move them all together and trying to make them respectful of other cultures. I think that is impossible.
The Deputy Chairman: We are trying to do that in our study, to deal with those three, the Inuit, the First Nations, or the Aboriginal, and the Metis, too.
[Translation]
Senator Gill: First of all, congratulations on your presentation. I particularly liked the comparison with the kayak, which aptly describes the situation of an aboriginal person in a non-aboriginal sea.
The term in French is ``Amérindiens.'' Amerindians, for the First Nations, and ``Inuits'' for the Inuit. The term ``autochtone'', aboriginal, is used to describe those who were present before the arrival of the Europeans, because that probably facilitates governmental bureaucracy. It is my impression that this also includes the Metis.
I am a Montagnais Innu. Fifty years ago, I found myself in a similar situation to the one you are in now. I did not look like an Indian, I loved sports and I really liked to win. That is what kept me in school. Clearly, it is not easy for Inuit youth in the city, especially when the schools teach nothing at all about the Inuit or First Nations. It is as if history began only with the arrival of the Europeans. I imagine that all this goes through the minds of the young people who come here to learn. We need to learn what is important, and how can a person feel when the history of his people is not considered part of the history of his country?
[English]
Mr. Buscemi: When I was taking my mandatory history credits in high school, I did not have much of an interest. It did not even go back to the origin of Canada. I guess they consider it modern history, which included things such as invention of the automobile, things like that.
Even with respect to Canada's culture in general, very little was taught, at least, in my class. I was not too interested.
Having Aboriginal history included would have been very helpful to me because I do not have very many places — I cannot even think of one right now — to go to learn about my cultural history, unless I go to an elder, for which often I would have to go back up North.
If there were history classes focused on where Canada's first peoples come from would be very interesting, and it would build a large understanding for Canadian youth in general.
I did not have a tough time with racism, but I think little comments such as ``blubber eater'' could be very hurtful to others. I was able to stand my ground all the time. I did not look very vulnerable; I did not get picked on or bullied. However, my partner was. She experienced some racism when she first moved here, and she looks a lot more fragile than me. I think I was fortunate not to look very vulnerable.
[Translation]
Senator Gill: Would you like to see more about the Inuit included in the history that is being taught to everybody — Inuit and non-Inuit? Would you like to see the existence of the Inuit for thousands of years part of history, not prehistory? Would you like to see something done about this?
[English]
Mr. Buscemi: I would really like to see that — especially the part where Inuit communities were created by government for sovereignty of the North. I was very surprised at that. I would like to see someone work on history components for that.
I have learned a few things about Inuit history from colleagues at work. I always find it very interesting. I happened to read an article that Inuit artifacts were found in Saskatchewan. That means that the Inuit were migrating. I like to learn about such things, how Inuit communities were created and why they were created. That would be useful for all Canadians. That would take away many misconceptions.
[Translation]
Senator Gill: You talked about your friend who had a lot of problems when she went back home.
[English]
Would you say that people who come south, study and adapt themselves as much as they can, have problems when they return north because they are not able to cope when they experience problems of reintegration in their communities? Would you say that is the case?
Mr. Buscemi: I was away for seven years. When I went back up north, I had some small problems at first. For many people there, sharing is a big part of the culture. I was not used to that because I had been away from it for so long. Here, much of the mentality has to do with, ``This is mine; this is yours.'' It is not so much greed; it is just very possessive.
I had problems when I went back up north. Other people would have similar problems to different degrees.
Senator Léger: I wish to express my thanks for the poetry. We all appreciate Inuit art.
The Deputy Chairman: I wish to introduce and welcome Mr. Kusugak.
Mr. Buscemi has done a marvellous job, but he cannot answer every question. If you would like to make any further comments before we go into further questioning in terms of your position as the head of the ITK, the floor is yours.
Mr. Jose Amaujaq Kusugak, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: Honourable senators, I had hoped to be here to introduce Mr. Buscemi and support him during questions and so on.
The Deputy Chairman: Mr. Buscemi has been superb. He is a wonderful young man and a tribute to your community.
Mr. Kusugak, the population of the community that you represent is concentrated in rural areas of Canada, although 16 per cent are now located in small urban areas. For the purposes of our study, could you tell us what factors in your view have caused the Inuit youth to move away from home communities to small or large urban areas?
Mr. Kusugak: Many students pursue post-secondary education. Many Inuit youth follow their parents who move away from the community. Some move away from the region because of problems in the home.
Many of those who form the Inuit population in Ottawa leave home looking for work. Their lack of education does not necessarily get them jobs, so they end up living in a city without real opportunities. Few young Inuit people who go to live by themselves; some of them have gone to school, left school and end up living in cities. I know there are a few in Ottawa.
The Deputy Chairman: Mr. Buscemi covered some of that information for us. I was just wondering what you thought. He also said that the most difficult thing is the transition and the lack of cultural connectedness in the south.
In terms of our study, we wish to look at these issues in terms of what we can recommend as we go across the country. We are cognizant of the differences between Inuit, First Nations, Aboriginal and Metis. We are sensitive to that and know how you feel. Mr. Buscemi has explained that well.
In regard to the ITK, the Ottawa Inuit community centre, and the support that you give that centre, is it considered a positive organization? I know that it is being considered as a model in other communities, especially in Montreal. Should we be funding it? Is it performing well? Are there things that should be done with it? Is this the type of place on which we should be recommending and focusing our work?
Mr. Kusugak: I would say yes.
The Deputy Chairman: I know that people also go to friendship centres; however, as Mr. Buscemi has explained, that does not only apply to Inuit.
Mr. Kusugak: That is the only place that we have. I know that from their board meetings and the reports that they give us, they do a significant amount of organizational things for both youth and other Inuit in Ottawa. They are very good organization. They teach music, culture and so on to the youth. They are very good ambassadors for the Inuit. In the last week, our mayors from Nunavut were here in Ottawa and were entertained by a performance.
They keep culture and language alive in that organization. It is a very worthwhile organization in every way. They do much with very little.
The Deputy Chairman: I am sure they do.
Senator Christensen: Thank you both for being here. Mr. Buscemi, I appreciate your nervousness at appearing before a bunch of old people such as us. Just think of us as elders who are here to give you some wisdom and to get wisdom back from you.
The establishment of Nunavut has opened great opportunities for the Inuit. Do you see a change in the people who are leaving Nunavut to come south to get additional education? There seem to be opportunities for them to go back and, in fact, find positions. Whereas perhaps the First Nations and Metis that are coming from rural areas and reserves where there are not a lot of opportunities are coming to seek opportunity and to stay in urban areas. They get caught up in things, drop out of school and then do not have an education. Do you see a difference with the young people coming out now as opposed to, say, 15 years ago? Are they coming back with their education, or are they staying in the south?
Mr. Kusugak: I see a difference. I try to tell my fellow Inuit that when we give education to anyone, that we are doing it to give them choice. We do need to provide opportunities for them in the Arctic. It is not just Nunavut. We are talking about Northern Labrador, Northern Quebec, and the western part of the Northwest Territories, along with Nunavut. We should educate young people and hope that they do stay in their respective regions. Ye we do not want to put them on a kind of a leash.
We should teach them to make a choice to go out into the world. It does not matter if it is the south, overseas or wherever. As a matter of fact, every year, from Nunavut we give opportunities for 20 young people to go to school in Ottawa. Out of 100 applicants from across Nunavut, we pick the 20 that we consider the best and who could learn how to live down south. When they are here, they learn about parliamentary procedures, for example. They take public speaking, budgeting, banking, some Inuit cultural stuff and so on. At the end of their nine months here in Ottawa, we give them a choice to go to any country of their choice. The students from this year, as we speak, are in Costa Rica. Last year they went to Japan. The year before that they went to Australia, and the year before that to New Zealand.
We try to give them real knowledge, again with the hope that they will choose to return to the North, but we do not insist on that. I am getting attached to this city myself, having been here for several years. I always tell politicians in the Arctic that if you want them to come back, you have to make room for them and give them the opportunities and so on.
I think there is a balance. If they are pushed away from home, then of course they will stay down south. A number of students have decided to stay. I know of one young lady who is now in Germany and is not going back to the Arctic.
When I was a teenager, I went to school in Saskatchewan. It was very hard. Luckily, I was there with my two brothers. However, many young people go down south by themselves with no peers. As Mr. Buscemi said, it is very hard to live by yourself. It was a real shock when I first went to Saskatoon. At the beginning of the school year, we had to get up and actually take a bow in front of 600 other students as they introduced us as ``the Eskimos from the Arctic.'' That was in the mid-1960s. I think now people know who the Eskimos are, or the Inuit now, so we are not a real novelty any more.
We have a philosophy of trying to go out into the world and work, not necessarily to assimilate but to learn about the white people and so on. I was born in an igloo and I thought there were two white people in this world. One was a Roman Catholic priest and the other a fur trader in Repulse Bay. From that time — 52 years ago now — to being able to sit here today and make presentations to you, it is a very different world. That is what we try to encourage in youth.
Senator Christensen: Mr. Buscemi, perhaps you can answer this. The young people you know and have associated with who have come down to further their education do not, as you pointed out, have a lot of support systems. If they do drop out, do they stay, or do they go back generally? There are always exceptions.
Mr. Buscemi: Generally, I think it is a very even. Those who go back home need the company of their friends and family. One thing I had a hard time with was leaving my friends.
For those who stay, I think they make it harder on themselves. Those who do stay need extra support. Obviously there is something keeping them in the urban centre rather going back to their home community. If they are not comfortable going back to their home community to seek support, they need more support from their fellow Inuit in their community. It goes either way. For those who do stay back, we need to help them more.
Senator Christensen: In numbers, would it be half and half?
Mr. Buscemi: I do not know the statistics.
Mr. Kusugak: That is a problem with the Inuit right across Canada. We do not have any health statistics. I know in the Speech from the Throne, when they were talking about how much money they would spend on Aboriginal people, the numbers were all about First Nations and Indian people. There were no numbers on Inuit at all.
We are now asking McGill or Laval — one of the two universities — to help us set some statistics up on urban Inuit across Canada because now, with the land claims settlement having been done, they are trying to figure out who their people are and who are beneficiaries of the claims and so on. They do not have the numbers. We will be able to provide with you those kinds of statistics at the end of this exercise that we are doing right now. We know for a fact that there are 145 Inuit in Winnipeg generally, but we do not know how many are youth or how many are older people.
We always say that the federal government should provide us with highways and so on, which would be a real plus. However, one of the good things about not having a highway is that people do not have an opportunity to actually leave their communities and go to cities where they might end up staying. It costs an awful lot to travel, so a lot of people stay home. They do not go on holidays, for example, because it is a real impossibility to be able to provide yourself with a ticket.
We really do not have a good number of how many youth actually stay, but we are making a point of getting those statistics now.
The Deputy Chairman: That is an important thing to do. It will be part of our recommendations.
Senator Léger: You said you found hope in youth with your new law school. At the same time, there is only one option left for the Inuit, namely, to leave. However, you have this new law school. Therefore, there is hope. Does that mean there is a high school there? Is this a beginning so that you can have your own basic training and education there?
Mr. Buscemi: I think so. Presently, if you want to pursue education in the North, the only two major options are nursing and law. If you have no interest in either of those subjects, then you have no choice but to leave or abandon your dreams.
Senator Léger: It is a beginning. Hopefully, there will be a third and a fourth choice.
Inuit art is the next point. We all marvel at it. We are dumbfounded by it. We admire its beauty. In your presentation, you began with the image of the kayak and then cited the poem that is in your office. I am alarmed that with all this beauty and art around us we are becoming blasé. We all want some in our offices, if we can pay for them, which is a good thing for you.
However, I think that, more and more, words should come into play. Are we printing that poem? Can we hear you? Perhaps we are deaf — I would not be surprised.
Mr. Buscemi: Inuit art is a modern idea. In the past, I could not imagine someone who is trying to live on the land — which is tough — carving something merely for pleasure. I agree that, perhaps, people are awed by it a little too much.
The Inuit use a lot of body language. Perhaps we need to learn how to read some of that. When I first moved here, I had a tough time. Lifting your eyebrows means ``yes'' and wrinkling your nose means ``no.'' I got into trouble for not responding verbally to questions. I agree that we need to get the language in.
Senator Léger: I said that perhaps we are deaf. I am sure we are. I do not think that is your problem. I liked what you were saying. We should place the stress on the Whites so that we can learn and have courses on Inuit people and culture. That would be an opening.
The government puts a great deal of money into studies when it should be in training Whites about what is there. Perhaps we will then hear and see a bit more.
The Deputy Chairman: You are correct, Senator Léger. Last week, I was reading two Inuit children's books to my nieces. They are beautiful stories. Starting with the kids in both cultures is a wonderful thing for all of us to do.
Can you list for us the programs that ITK has for Inuit youth in urban areas? We need this information for our study.
Mr. Kusugak: We are an organization of organizations. We represent the beneficiaries of the different land claims groups in Canada. Any money that we manage to get — either from the federal government or otherwise — we immediately try to give to the field.
There is the National Inuit Youth Council. I am sure Mr. Buscemi mentioned it. We have a small office with one person who deals with youth issues in Canada. That young lady who works at our office distributes the monies that we receive to the regional youth organizations for any programs that they have.
I wish to respond to Senator Léger's question concerning other opportunities. There is a law school, which is in its second year. It is an excellent program.
We also have the teachers' education program. That is one thing that we have been trying to focus on for a long time. We have had excellent teachers from the South, however, for some reason, for many years, they seemed to have lower expectations of Inuit students. It must be racism somehow without them knowing it. Yet, now that we have trained and certified some Inuit teachers, we can see that the expectation level has been raised.
Now, in our Christmas concerts, for example, the kind of pageantry that we see is higher than it used to be. It is a big plus to have our own teachers. That is not to take anything away from excellent teachers we get from the South, however.
Concerning books, I saw Minister Sheila Copps talking to the mayors of Nunavut the other day. I was encouraged to hear her suggest that we should put out as many Inuit books as possible. We have a couple of authors who have written children's books. My brother is one of them. We are trying to encourage that.
In addition, we are trying to develop a standard writing system. We have one language, Inuktitut, which is spoken in Greenland, Alaska and Canada. There are different dialects, of course. However, a system of writing depends on which church people attend. We are trying to develop a standard writing system so that people living in Greenland or Alaska can read the same books.
On the arts side, some have suggested that it is hard to develop a world market, although we have had a bit in Ottawa, Winnipeg, and so on. We are now encouraged to try to develop a virtual site using the computer. It is a new world for us. A lot of your questions are encouraging, yet it seems as though we are just beginning. I hope that we are taking the right steps to answer some of your questions.
The Deputy Chairman: Mr. Kusugak, they are new footprints in the snow for both of us. When you see the Inuit art collection in Winnipeg, the beauty of the work boggles the mind.
Senator Hubley: I should like to thank you for coming here this morning. I enjoyed hearing about the 20 students that you choose from the North who come to Ottawa.
At what educational level would they be before they come to Ottawa? Would they have grade 12? Are they high school graduates?
Mr. Kusugak: Yes. Most of them make a point of applying either to Ottawa University or Carleton, for example. I make a point of going there to give presentations to them about our work and so on. They said that they had to take a couple of credits in their community, one was on mathematics, the other was English, I believe. Apparently, they have their grade 12, but some of them are a couple of credits short of being able to receive entry to the university. They said they would return to complete those courses and come back later.
We encourage them to look at universities outside of Ottawa as well.
Senator Hubley: That is an encouraging program.
How do you view programs such as North of 60, the excellence awards, or the famous movie that everyone is hoping to see, Atanajurat: The Fast Runner? Are these positive things for the Inuit?
Mr. Buscemi: North of 60 is Dene. It is not Inuit.
Senator Hubley: There is a common error we make, then.
Mr. Kusugak: There are actually quite a few programs. One is for youth in Inuktitut on the APTN channel. Inuktitut is an oral tradition. Traditionally, we did not have a writing system. Everything that passed down from generation to generation was by mouth.
People do listen to radio and many watch television. When there are programs such as Atanajurat or an APTN show, for example, they are well used. We are encouraging reading, of course. As is the case with white youth, you try to encourage them to read but they tend to watch a lot of television.
Senator Hubley: Yes, they do.
Senator Sibbeston: It is nice to see you, Mr. Kusugak. I remember in the 1980s when I was in government and you were in Rankin Inlet, you were with the CBC. We have both come a long way since then, have we not?
There have been many changes in the North since then. The Inuit people have aspired for self-determination. They have Nunavut and their land claims. I have always been impressed with the Arctic, with the North. The Inuit people are trying to make the change from a traditional society to living in communities. Now, with the government of Nunavut in Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit, I think many southern Canadians would be impressed to see the development and involvement of Inuit people.
I wish to get your views on the phenomena of Inuit people coming from a traditional lifestyle, living off the land in igloos, to living in communities now with the creation of Nunavut. Where are things for the Inuit people, particularly the young people? I would be interested to hear your comments on the future of Inuit people, particularly Inuit people as society is changing in the North.
Mr. Kusugak: That is an excellent question. When we were first working at the Inuit Tapiriit, the organization at which I am now president, it was at the end of the sixties and the beginning of the seventies. I was 21 years old when I first came down here. We did not have a manual regarding how to negotiate land claims or how to start thinking of splitting the territories into two. It was a real learn-as-you-go development politically for Inuit.
At the same time, as much as we tried to learn from Inuit traditional knowledge, we also had to learn about the qallunaat — the white people — way of negotiating, for example. If we say that this jug is worth $10 in Inuktitut, the qallunaat negotiating side would offer us $8. However, it is really worth $10. We had to start learning how to lie like other people in Canada.
It was a learning process. At the same time, after the land claims were finished, it was a new world. We are encouraging them to continue education and to be children for a while. We had to grow up rather quickly. When I was Mr. Buscemi's age, we were doing political work, negotiating land claims, and so on. I now have children who are past grade 12 and going on to university. I encourage youth to stay in school. All my friends who have gone to school in Churchill or Yellowknife or Iqaluit are also encouraging their children to stay. As leaders for the Inuit, we are also trying to encourage parents to keep their kids in school.
There are so many opportunities right now that we are fighting between universities trying to attract them and governments trying to hire them. There are other institutions that are trying to get them as well. It is a big fight. There is a lot of opportunity. I know through the youth committees and those types of organizations that they can encourage them to be youth for a while.
One of our mistakes is to tell our youth that they are the leaders of the future. Sometimes telling them that shows you that the future never comes. We must learn how to talk about the future with youth and also to understand the present. We should ensure that our youth develop the tools now that they need for their life tomorrow.
I know that this will be on CPAC, for example, and there are people watching. We are constantly trying to teach, through television, that message of developing the tools now for tomorrow.
We have one more land claim being ratified in Labrador. Once that is done, there will be amazing opportunities for our youth. Looking 10 years down the road, there will be many opportunities for them to develop through business. We have multinationals knocking on our doors to develop partnerships in those areas.
Senator Carney: I should like to leave this session on Mr. Kusugak's powerful statement about what they are trying to do and how the world will unfold, hopefully, for Mr. Buscemi.
Thank you very much. You proved an observation that I have always held: Inuit are a self-reliant people. You do not ask for much. You solve your problems your own way. Your record as a people in Canada proves that. You are a very powerful part of our country.
Mr. Kusugak: Do you live in Yellowknife?
Senator Carney: Yes. From there is how I visited some of your communities and got my impression of your people. You do not need a lot of patronizing help from Ottawa. You have been good at pushing the people from Ottawa out the door.
Senator Gill: You have an agreement in Nunavut. You have agreement in northern Quebec, in Nunavik. You now have an agreement coming to Labrador. Is this creating many problems for the national organization because the agreements are all different?
Mr. Kusugak: No. When I was with the Nunavut Tunngavik, the land claims organization for the Nunavut region, I made a point of superimposing the objectives of the land claims organization with the national organization of which I am now president.
The land claims organizations vary because they are negotiating different things. If you are from a different region, you negotiate differently. Ultimately, however, those are negotiated, modern-day treaties.
There are many other issues, including health, education, communication and youth, which are outside the negotiated claims. All the issues that have fallen outside the land claims negotiations forms the work that we are doing.
We have an opportunity to focus on youth issues. Many of the land claim groups are working on business, wildlife, parks and those kinds of issues. We are the peoples' organization and focus on more than land claims issues.
The Deputy Chairman: Mr. Buscemi and Mr. Kusugak, thank you. You have enlightened us tremendously today. We admire your courage and everything you have said to us.
I hope our committee can portray your situation with fairness and with respect to your Northern culture and roots. We will endeavour to do this knowing that you are facing new challenges in the south, as we have discussed thoroughly.
I wish that we had more time. However, you have made a difference and increased our knowledge of you and the young Inuit. Thank you for making an appearance here today.
If you should like to speak with us after, you are welcome to do so.
Mr. Buscemi: I would like to thank you and Mr. Kusugak for giving me this opportunity. It has been a great opportunity for me.
The Deputy Chairman: You have been a valiant soldier and have done a terrific job. Keep up the good work.
Mr. Kusugak: Thank you for this opportunity. You are joining us at the beginning of our work in the youth area. I am sure that we will have other opportunities to supply you with the statistics that you want. Good luck to us all.
The Deputy Chairman: It is wonderful to know that our timing is dead on in terms of meeting with you.
The committee continued in camera.