Nunavut needs ‘pipeline’ for young Inuit employees, municipal leaders told
4-day Nunavut Association of Municipalities’ annual general meeting kicks off in Iqaluit
Pitseolak Pfeifer, an Indigenous engagement consultant, speaks on the first day of the four-day annual general meeting of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities in Iqaluit Monday. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Nunavut should create more opportunities for young people who have an “enough is enough attitude” so they will participate in municipal politics, says Pitseolak Pfeifer, an Indigenous engagement consultant.
Pfeifer’s address Monday kicked off the four-day annual general meeting of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit.
“Let’s create a pipeline for young Inuit employment,” Pfeifer said, adding that engaging young people’s vision in politics might lead to positive changes in the Inuit way of life.
Mayors, councillors and senior administrators from most of Nunavut’s communities are taking part in the meeting. Delegates from six Kivalliq communities were stranded in Rankin Inlet due to poor weather but some are still expected to arrive in Iqaluit.
Pfeifer said when he was growing up in Iqaluit, the land where the Aqsarniit hotel sits now was a traditional spot for berry picking. Slowly, he said, Iqaluit has changed into more of a westernized community.
Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa, who is also president of the Nunavut Association of Municipalities, speaks Monday on the first day of the organization’s four-day annual general meeting in Iqaluit. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
He said it’s important for the municipalities association, with other organizations across the territory, to engage more Inuit to not only seek election but also to become senior staff officials in municipalities.
In her address, association executive director Marla Limousin said it will be a “facilitator” for sharing information about climate change, an issue she said is “on our doorstep and knocking loudly.”
She called the annual general meeting an opportunity for municipal leaders to share ideas, perspectives and concerns unique to their communities and work together by “uplifting each other’s voice and visions.”
“One match can break, but a bundle of 25 can’t,” Limousin said.
On Tuesday, housing issues are expected to be addressed at the conference and on Wednesday issues related to solid waste will be discussed.
There is a pipeline already free education and the only place in the world where they pay you to go college and how’s that going 🤣 all of the Inuit should be going to college comes with housing and hey they pay you 😂 🙄
Poor comment to smiley guy, this is what Canada has decided on, I never asked for it but it did me good, am I guilty?
Believe it or not they do have a pipeline. It’s called getting an education.
Blame my lack of knowing better on public education.🤪🤘🙃
You mean like school?
I’m sorry, but there is no affirmative action scheme that can overcome the skill disparity I dealt with when trying like hell to hire other Inuit.
I was able to attract some extremely talented Inuit employees but they didn’t make a double digit of everyone I was able to hire.
Nunavut has almost of all of the pieces needed for this pipeline. There is a young, capable population to create the workforce, an endless selection of educational programs from pre employment training all the way up to College and University programs, the most generous student funding programs in the country, and more employment opportunities, including preferred hiring practices, than can be filled by the current population. Motivation is the missing piece.
There’s a name already for that “pipeline.”
It’s called School. Show up, graduate, reap the benefits of an education.
How about a curriculum that fi. Not one that is so dummies down and high school “graduates” from Nunavut can NOT pass basic entry exams into college or university.
It’s the student failure. Big Time.
Stop blaming others and get rid of the Nunavut curriculum. Been failing for the last sixty years and Inuit are still building iglus, “oh woe is me. Residential school…” as the world moves on. Try to keep up Inuit.
The pipeline already exists. Education and themselves.
The total number of nonproductive man hours. That are removed from the economy of Nunavut each day. And depending what occupation. the individual has. The following is a list. That represents some of the areas were so many. hours of productivity are lost.
1. Absenteeism.
2. Poor work ethic
3. Lack of education.
There are others.
With out the mines. The annual GDP of Nunavut would be abysmal.
.
The problem is not youth of Nunavut. It’s the generation that presently makes up the work force of Nunavut. The standards are set so low. And they are considered acceptable.
What initiative does a young person have. To educate them selves. When they see the nepotism and corruption. That is so prevalent with in the GN all and all the other institutions and organizations. With in Nunavut.
The youth here need leadership. And that is not being provided.
Leadership is weak and meek,they had more than 25yrs to catchup and bring things up to the Canadian standard,yet still lagging way behind,get rid of this sense of entitlement and the nlca,that is a tumor,that has created a 3rd class workforce,that is not held accountable nor are responsible,that’s what’s in nu pipeline of incompetence, 1st hand experience with it..
Right on, years ago I applied to be on Certification and Apprenticeship board, didn’t qualify because I ‘m not a Nunavut resident. Later on checked, looks like board members, none of them were tradespeople. Nunavut needs proper leaders, especially for skilled workers training programs.