EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
For example, if an employee needs to be hospitalized, or sick, or taking vacation leave, or any type of leave, one of the benefits of being employed by the government is that they can take a leave of absence and the details of that leave of absence are, if I were to say it in English, (interpretation ends) personal information.
(interpretation) With regard to the different types of leave that are provided by the Nunavut government, that information is not put out to the public but access of this type of information is permitted for administrative purposes.
(interpretation ends) The Government of Nunavut is in compliance with the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. (interpretation) Those have all been removed from the Internet (interpretation ends) and out of caution from the GN public website to ensure that no personal information remains on them.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, this is something that’s very important to the people of Nunavut.
There’s information available on the Internet if you want to find something in particular and to see what types of services are provided.
As I said, this has been removed from the Internet.
It will be put back on the Internet as soon as the personal information is taken out. (interpretation ends) I’ll say that again in English in case I’m misunderstood. The staff list will be reposted as soon as we can confirm that no personal information is being disclosed.
We welcome these matters being brought to our attention, but we would ask for everyone’s help in keeping personal information confidential.
We recommend that all MLAs, and I would like to thank the member who brought this up, for notifying us yesterday, make these matters known to us personally or ensure that the names of innocent third parties are removed before making documents public.
Disclosing them without that care makes that information more public than it should otherwise be.
The GN, through the ATIPP manager and the records manager, provides ongoing training to all GN employees on preventing the unauthorized collection, use and disclosure of personal information by public bodies.
(interpretation) We empathize, as a government, of the pain that is caused by inadvertently exposing personal information to the public. We will have more oversight on the protocol for the disclosure of information.
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I am pleased to see that the website has been taken down.
I appreciate the efforts of the government, but my job is to try and make sure that these things don’t happen and that we follow the laws that are in place to protect everyone.
This was publicly available to everyone and I believe I was doing my job in the interest of openness that is so often coined in various legislatures.
In light of the breaches that took place, I’m not asking for a ministerial accountability at this time but I ask that those that were impacted by these activities by this government be written a letter of apology. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to thank the member for his comments.
We will conduct a review on this matter for which I believe he is asking that this government write a letter of apology to those individuals who were impacted by this event.
Speaker: Your second supplementary, Mr. Okalik.
From a legal perspective, the rights of these people were breached and they were not the only people impacted.
There were quite a number of individuals from different communities affected by this event and they need to be provided with an apology for having their rights abrogated by this government.
I prefer that we not see anything of this nature in the future by anyone, but these people have already been affected by this.
I didn’t hear a question but if you would like to respond, Madam Premier.
I don’t believe that there was a question but rather a clarification on the matter. I thank the member for that clarification and we will undertake a review on the matter.
Question 038 – 3(1): Part-time Workers in RCMP Detachments (Schell)
Today, I won’t be picking on Hunter Tootoo on the first question.
I have a question for the Minister of Justice, Keith Peterson.
I had a request from the local RCMP in Cape Dorset and they used to do this about 10 or 12 years ago, they used to hire a part-time secretary to work in the office.
As you are probably aware, probably half of the work that the RCMP do is paperwork and if you would hire a secretary, it would obviously be done a lot faster and they would be able to do the things that they are supposed to do that they don’t have time to do.
My question to the minister is: would you take a serious look at, and I’m sure every community has the same issue, maybe supplying some funding so they could get a part-time secretary and if that secretary could also work as a translator?
Minister of Justice, Hon. Keith Peterson.
I thank the hon. member for asking that question, a timely question in fact. I had a conversation with the chief superintendent last week.
We have discussed that and we were discussing how we can provide clerical support to the detachments that require it and be local hires so that they can communicate with the folks in the communities in their dialect.
Question 039 – 3(1): Reviewing Income Support Regulations (Rumbolt)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Education, whose department is responsible for the Income Support Program.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I spoke about the high cost of living and the difficulties faced by the residents of Sanikiluaq in making ends meet.
I would like to ask the minister if he has any plans to review Nunavut’s Income Support Program in the near future.
Minister of Education, Hon. Louis Tapardjuk.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to thank Mr. Rumbolt for posing that question.
In regard to Nunavut’s Income Support Program, the last increase was in 2005 and to date, the same rates still apply.
We haven’t considered exactly what we will be doing in regard to the Income Support Program.
I can tell the member that we have heard the concerns. I would also like to tell the member that we haven’t taken anything into consideration nor do we have any plans for making changes.
That’s how it stands as of today, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Your first supplementary, Mr. Rumbolt.
Mr. Rumbolt: I thank minister for his response.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Department of Education’s Income Support Division conducted a review of the food allowance rate zone allocation for Sanikiluaq a short time ago.
Can the minister indicate what is taken into consideration during such a review and what the results were?
In regard to the food allowance rate zone allocation, the rates are set by the federal government through INAC.
The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada sets the food allowance rate according to the cost of a food basket for a family of four.
There are five zones in Nunavut and these food allowance rates that are provided through monthly income support payments are set according to each zone, depending on airfreight and the cost of living in the community.
For those reasons, the rates are set by INAC and it’s not one of the programs we administer, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Your second supplementary, Mr. Rumbolt.
Again, I thank the minister for his answer.
As I stated, the GN recognizes the cost of living in Sanikiluaq to be higher than in Iqaluit. Yet, income support pays less to a family of nine, as I stated yesterday.
I am confident that the minister will agree that there are some inconsistencies between the way the government determines the appropriate community-based northern allowance rates as compared to the way it determines the community-based food allowance rates.
Will the minister commit to consulting with his colleagues in other departments so that similar standards and criteria are used to measure the impact of the cost of living across Nunavut communities for all residents?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated, this is the responsibility of INAC and they are the ones who set the rates.
The reason why there are five zones is that airfreight in some communities are considerably higher and that also raises the price of retail items, so they have higher rates in order to offset those extra costs.
I can commit to reviewing this matter further and if I want to make any changes, I will have to seek the approval of Cabinet.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate that INAC is responsible for those rates and we follow the rates that are set by them.
I can also commit to see if we can take all this into consideration, but again, I will have to get the approval of Cabinet. This hasn’t been entirely spelled out, but I’ll commit to informing the member as information becomes available, Mr. Speaker.
Member for Nanulik. Mr. Ningeongan.
Question 040 – 3(1): Status of Medical Travel Review (Ningeongan)
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I tabled a series of resolutions that were passed at the Kivalliq mayors meeting held in Coral Harbour. One of those resolutions reads:
“Be it resolved that the Kivalliq Mayors express grave concern over the level of air service being delivered to the citizens of the Kivalliq Region when on medical travel. We want a review of the present contract as it relates to patient care and comfort. Therefore the Kivalliq Mayors petition the Minister of Health to address this issue.”
I understand from reports in the news that the Minister of Health and Social Services will be spearheading such a review in the near future. Can the minister confirm that such a review will take place and when it will occur?
I would also like to thank the member for posing that question. We recently received the information on the meeting in Coral Harbour when it was tabled in the House. It’s currently being reviewed by our department.
I can tell the member that the concerns in regard to medical travel will definitely be reviewed.
At this time, what we are going to be doing, whether we are going to be setting up a program directly related to this, will have to be done on a case-by-case basis as it will have financial implications.
What I can tell the member is that we will definitely deal with the concerns since some of the patients are elderly and require more assistance.
We would appreciate any further information that the member may have and I want to be kept well-informed.
With regard to this matter we are discussing, such as the elderly or people with disabilities, or those who get tired easily but require medical travel are reasons for looking into this matter.
They face a long ride with the medical travel directly from Rankin Inlet to Winnipeg discontinued.
Previously, they were given the option of staying overnight in Rankin Inlet prior to travelling to Winnipeg and there were less stops along the way, which caused less disruption and it was more comfortable for the patients.
Will the minister consider the impacts on outlying community medical patients when they are looking at this issue? There are a number of stops along the way on their travel to Winnipeg and it is tiring when you are not a medical patient. So I would like to ask the minister if he can fast-track the review of the medical travel issues.
I would like to thank the member for asking those questions. I know exactly what he’s talking about. I do feel for the medical patients in the Kivalliq region, especially the elderly and the patients who had just had surgery.
Last year was an especially bad year as I was told by this elderly individual who was trying to go home from Winnipeg that he might not make it all the way to Rankin Inlet because he couldn’t stay in one position for a long period of time.
He did manage to make it but he ended up on the flight we call the milk run.
It’s something that we have to consider, especially for the elders and for the people who just had surgery, not just for Rankin Inlet but also for the outlying communities of Repulse Bay, Coral Harbour, Baker Lake, and Chesterfield Inlet.
Due to this reason, Mr. Speaker, I can state this: I have informed my staff and we finally signed off on a medical travel contract last year and the airlines were restricted to the contract deliverables.
Prior to that, it was entirely a free market.
At that time, any available seat on any airline was used.
We now have a signed contract.
They will have to use specific airlines; 65 percent for one and 35 percent for the other.
We do have to abide by the contract that we signed and not wanting to break it, I asked my department staff how we could address the needs of the sickest people without breaking the contract.
In the upcoming two months, our department is preparing a review and we would like your support to come up with recommendations to ensure that we have the best service available to meet the needs of our people.
I commit to ensuring that I treat this matter seriously.
For those of us in the outlying communities, we have to go through harder travel routes, especially for Coral Harbour and Chesterfield Inlet.
I am very pleased with the minister’s response in regard to better accommodations of those in need and it looks like he is going to be reviewing the matter.
I wrote down a list of the concerns for medical patients and I will be giving that correspondence to your department, especially the concerns about the boarding home and the accommodations.
I will provide the minister with a list of concerns that we have and also things to be considered.
I don’t think a question was posed, but I take the concerns seriously with respect to the boarding home in Winnipeg. Some of the patients spend a long period down there and some of them cannot stay at the boarding home.
Some patients have had to get an apartment to continue their treatments.
The assistance we provide, the Non-Insured Health Benefits, have restrictions on what it can be used for.
However, for people who have terminal illnesses or long-term disabilities, they have to be allocated an apartment to continue their treatment.
We will continue to take these concerns seriously when they are expressed to us and we will continue to monitor the situation.
Once we have more information, we will provide it to the members and I would be able to meet with the members on this matter at any time.
Question 041 – 3(1): Accommodation for Family of Cancer Patients (Komoartok)
Approximately two weeks ago, a resident of our community was sent to Ottawa for medical attention. This person is an adult, but younger than I am, and the children are still quite young. This person was sent to Ottawa for a check-up and they diagnosed him with cancer and that it had spread throughout his body.
When this person was in Pangnirtung, over the course of an entire year, he kept going to the medical centre in our community and the nurses just kept giving medication such as Tylenol and since he also had abdominal pains, he was given Ex-lax.
This occurred over a period of a year and it was not until he was sent to Ottawa that the cancer was finally diagnosed and this person now requires radiation treatment.
This person is younger than I am and when this happens to younger people, it tugs at your heart. He would be returned home after each visit to the medical centre and he was never scheduled to see a doctor either. All of a sudden, he was placed in a precarious position once the proper diagnosis was done with the news of his sickness.
This is a difficult situation to be placed in and it has affected all of us who know him.
His children are still quite young and once the diagnosis was done and the cancer discovered, his spouse was immediately sent down to Ottawa, but his children couldn’t go. Our community held a fund-raiser over the weekend where they raised over $5,000 so that the children could be sent down to see their father. They were sent down to see their father while he is still relatively healthy.
In some ways, Mr. Speaker, some of the people who go to the medical centre complaining about ill health are downplayed and quite a few are never referred to a doctor, although some people do get referred. This health situation we face today requires a lot more improvement in the way medical services are provided because when people are sick, only a doctor should be diagnosing the person as the nurses do not have the proper medical training to do a proper diagnosis of the ailments being complained about.
I would like to hear from the minister with respect to the health centres personnel, to stress to the nurses working in the communities not to downplay or trivialize the people who keep returning to the health centres and to refer them to a doctor in a timely manner.
I would like the minister to send a directive to all of the health centres on this matter as most communities don’t have a doctor, although we occasionally get doctors visiting our communities. I would like to get clarification on this matter.
Hon. Tagak Curley (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for disclosing the situation regarding this individual’s plight and for keeping that person’s name off the record. However, I would like to meet with the member in my office so that we can discuss this matter and get more information pertaining to this particular matter.
I would also like to state that in the smaller communities where they don’t have a doctor or medical practitioner, many people are misdiagnosed and some of the illnesses are really hard to spot and seemingly in hiding. But once a proper diagnosis has been done, they finally can deal with the sickness and we need to thank the health care professionals for providing the required services.
The visits to the communities are too infrequent and what we’re trying to do is at least provide those visits once a year but it’s very hard to do and it’s hard to provide diagnosis, especially in the smaller communities.
If possible, we would like to see more frequent visits to the communities and to revise the scheduling.
It’s a lot better than it was a few years ago but there’s also room for improvement.
As I get further information, I will make sure that the House is updated so that there’s better diagnosis provided to the patients in Nunavut.
Question 042 – 3(1): Housing Authority Staff to Assist Homeowners (Ningark)
My question is directed to Hon. Tootoo, my friend, my colleague.
I will carry on from my colleague’s, Mr. Pauloosie, questioning.
In a small community, Mr. Speaker, many of the homeowners do not have the certification to fix the mechanical things in their private homes. However, every small community has certified people working at the local housing office.
Mr. Speaker, the minister has the authority to instruct his staff to do something for the people that own their own homes who are not able to fix their own furnaces, check the electrical stuff, to do the annual checklist.
Will the minister do that?
Hon. Hunter Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my colleague and my other colleague for raising this important issue.
In the communities, I think that is something important that needs to get looked at.
Having said that, Mr. Speaker, when we were trying to address that issue, like I said in the last year, there were 17 pre-trades courses that were offered through Nunavut Arctic College and I think there’s the target of 35 to 40-some apprentices being trained through the construction of the Northern Housing Trust units to try and help alleviate that.
Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I know that that’s more of a long-term and hopefully permanent fix if we can identify and provide training opportunities for apprentices and people to become journeypersons in their communities, they’re always going to be there to provide that service.
Mr. Speaker, the public housing stock across Nunavut is I think around 4,200 units.
The number one priority for the local housing associations in each community is to look after the inventory, the public housing units that they have in their control. I know of some cases in the past, and I’ve experienced it myself when I was living in smaller communities, where there was a request that would come in for an oil burner mechanic working for the housing association to go in to look at somebody else’s unit.
But I would say that the decision on whether or not they’re able to do that would be a decision of the local housing association board of directors, they have a say in that as well. I again say that their first priority is to look after the public housing units that they have and that they’re mandated to look after.
I recognize the priority of the local maintenance people is to maintain public units, we knew that, but my request is to do an annual check on mechanical parts in private homes.
Will the minister commit to perhaps talking to his people to direct the local housing association of my concern?
Like I said, the local housing associations have their priorities and their mandate to look after, and the staffing to look after. They’re barely keeping their heads above water and keeping their maintenance people. They barely have enough time, in most communities, just to do what they need to do for the public housing units.
I think the whole issue is if there was some type of a program to provide staffing positions, maintenance-type positions, whether it is within the corporation or through the LHOs, to provide maintenance services to homeowners, it would be a different issue.
But like I said, right now, given the limited resources that we have to work with, we don’t have the manpower to be able to go out and do that to every single house in Nunavut.
I thank the hon. minister. The concern that my colleague from Nattilik and I have is that I think we want to encourage homeownership. We’re looking for incentives and we’re looking for safety factors.
Will the minister at least consider looking at our concerns and get back to us in the near future?
I am sorry, I apologize to my colleague. I should have said I would have no problem bringing that issue forward to get some feedback from my staff at the corporation to maybe come forward with some proposals or some ideas as to what it would take in order to provide a service like that throughout the territory.
But like I said, Mr. Speaker, my guess is, right now, given our current fiscal situation and manpower situation, we just don’t have the people to be able to provide that service in the communities. I will ask my staff to bring forward to me an idea of how and what it would take to be able to provide that service throughout the territory.
And, Mr. Speaker, like I said earlier, I know it has been done in the past through the housing associations but I think that the important thing is, as my other colleague mentioned, that those services are paid for, it’s not a free thing because that person’s time is worth money.
So if a program like that is developed, it would be a on a fee-for-service type basis.
Question 043 – 3(1): Suicide Prevention (Okalik)
She made an announcement along with NTI on March 12 to launch a program entitled ‘Talk About It!’
They made a statement about starting up the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.
I believe this was used by our employees in the past. Is that true?
We, as the Government of Nunavut, are collaborating with NTI on this issue. Additionally, we are working with the Embrace Life Council.
With respect to the question he posed, I didn’t hear it in its entirety, so if he could repeat his question, please.
My question was with respect to training, specifically the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.
This seems to be mentioned and I seem to recall in the past that we had employees who undertook this training. It seems to have appeared recently as a new initiative and that is why I asked the question.
Wasn’t this training already used in the past?
This was something we brought up at this meeting when we discussed suicide prevention training and there was a meeting of the trainers who trained people who would do that in the communities.
They have added new training modules which are currently being revised in Calgary, where this training initiative originated from and it’s still ongoing.