MLA pleased more Inuit are graduating at Ecole des Trois-Soleils

George Hickes says shared facilities eliminates demographic isolation for some groups

By Trevor Wright Northern News Services Iqaluit

During an operations and maintenance committee meeting on March 6 at the Nunavut Legislature, education minister Pamela Gross said the shared use of gymnasium facilities between Iqaluit’s École des Trois-Soleils and the Aqsarniit Middle School is a positive example of commonly shared community values.

Gross said she hopes that dialogue will continue between the Iqaluit District Education Authority and the French school board to ensure that reciprocity is given back to Iqaluit and the other schools for the use of their facilities.

Iqaluit-Tasilik MLA George Hickes shared a similar sentiment, saying it “eliminates some of the isolation that some demographics may experience here in the city. We want all of our kids to get exposed to as many different people, cultures and activities as possible.”

Hickes said the ever-increasing amount of graduates, and even Inuit graduates at Iqaluit’s École des Trois-Soleils, is a positive sign for Iqaluit’s Francophone community.

“I attended the graduation at École des Trois-Soleils last year, and I missed the one before that,” said Hickes.

“But I was at the one before that, and there was only one before, and there was only one grad at that point. Last year I think there were six grads and four were Inuit.”

“I think that’s something worth acknowledging and recognizing,” said Hickes.

Hickes said it was a good example of how anyone can succeed in the territory with any three of Nunavut’s official languages, be it French, Inuktitut or English.

According to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, 4.3 per cent of Nunavummiut can speak both English and French, with 1.7 per cent of Nunavut residents claiming French as their mother tongue.

Seventy-seven of Francophones in Nunavut are born elsewhere

The number of graduates at Iqaluit’s Ecole des Trois-Soleils has increased in recent years. Trevor Wright/NNSL photo in Canada, with 10 per cent of those being born abroad and the remaining 13 per cent born in Nunavut. Most of Nunavut Francophones live in the Qikiqtani region (86 per cent) with most of them in Iqaluit with the territory’s only French school École des Trois-Soleils and Francophone Centre being located in the city. École des Trois-Soleils is currently in the process of getting its own gymnasium expanded by next September and the deputy minister of Education Martine St.Louis is hoping the spirit of cooperation between Iqaluit’s communities continues once it is finished.

“We’re hoping that the collaboration will continue and that the Francophone school board will be able to give back what they receive by sharing their gym,” said St. Louis.