EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
My department produces and distributes a wide range of information, ranging from permits and licenses to wildlife and environmental protection.
All these documents and publications currently are being revised and translated to make them more accessible and understandable to people.
Mr. Speaker, as part of our efforts to simplify and enhance business support programs, we will continue the implementation of one stop program delivery with our partners in each region.
At first this will involve linking our programs with those of the regional community future organizations and we will continue to work toward one stop program delivery with the Inuit organizations as well.
We will continue to support Nunavut Development Corporations.
My department will maintain our assistance to Nunavut Tourism, the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association and the Nunavut Economic Developers Association.
Organizations whose work directly effects our economic prospects in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken about some of the ways my department will support the Bathurst Mandate in the achievement of three goals, healthy communities, simplicity in government and self-reliance.
Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by referring to the fourth and last goal, learning.
Much of the work of my department depends on training and capacity building.
Our people must have the knowledge and skills to take full advantage of our rich economic prospects.
In the mining industry for example, we have identified opportunities for trades training that can be delivered in Nunavut and Nunavut Tourism was recently recognized as Nunavut’s Training Council for the tourism industry.
We will work with our partners in Education to help ensure Nunavummiut are able to assume important roles and the majority of the jobs in the development of our mining industry.
We have a labour force in Nunavut, Mr. Speaker, with distinct characteristics, some of which are unique among working people in Canada.
My department has described these characteristics and will work with other departments and in particular the Department of Education to ensure that education and training is available for all our working people, including those who work in the traditional economy.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, I feel very confident that we have a good working team at the Department of Sustainable Development.
That we can pull our weight and help to ensure this government reaches the goals that we set in Bathurst Inlet.
The time limit for Ministers’ Statements is over.
Member’s Statement 23 - 1(3): Mr. Douglas Lem's Business Anniversary
Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday, along with my colleagues from Iqaluit East and Pangnirtung, I had the honour of taking part in a wonderful anniversary celebration for one of my constituents, Mr. Douglas Lem, who celebrated three years of business here in Iqaluit.
This celebration was held in Mr. Lem’s business premises and it was truly an uplifting Chinese ceremony.
Douglas Lem, along with his father, operates Nunavut Catering and Consulting in my riding and regularly provide services to us.
Doug is a Town Councillor and a tireless worker and provides food to the less fortunate in our community.
Whenever I attend a meeting involving the improvement of the less fortunate in our community, I have come to expect Mr. Doug Lem in attendance, supporting services and volunteering services to these organizations, which reflect his true commitment to our community.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I wish to reiterate my gratitude to Mr. Lem and his staff for the wonderful ceremony and encourage him to continue his great work in our community.
Member’s Statement 24 - 1(3): Coral Harbour Bridge
I stand today concerning the bridge that was built recently in Salliit, Coral Harbour.
I just came back recently and I was able to use that bridge myself and I wanted to mention that today.
The government staff and the community people are benefiting from that because Coral Harbour residents have been working really hard towards getting that bridge.
Maybe about 13 years ago when I lived in Coral Harbour this issue was just starting to be talked about and the MLA’s worked really hard to try and get the bridge in place, Manitok Thompson as one of them.
I think we should definitely recognize that when they were trying to establish the community and set up the bridge, the community was very helpful and we would like to thank the contractors as well, Louis Bruce is here today, and I would like to recognize him later on during Recognition of Visitors.
The contractors, even though it wasn’t in the terms of reference of the contract, did over and beyond the call, in trying to get the project done.
Even though it is not quite complete the bridge is being used and it’s really obvious that it has benefited, and it has shown that it benefits the people in the community of Coral Harbour.
It has really encouraged them that Nunavut is there for them.
I am sure that a lot of people who would have just stayed home without having transportation are able to use the bridge to go out on the land and relax.
I am sure it is obvious that it is going to help them spiritually and it will benefit the people.
Member’s Statement 25 - 1(3): Absence from House
I would like to inform the House, Mr. Speaker, that I will be leaving the House at 3 o’clock this afternoon as one of my constituents has invited me to a graduation ceremony.
I will be gone for the rest of the afternoon, but I will be back tomorrow.
Member’s Statement 26 - 1(3): Suicide Prevention
I rise today to make the same statement that I made when we were opening up our first meeting in April in regards to suicide.
Suicides in my community started in the 60’s and from there I have lost three of my immediate family members to suicide in the 1980’s.
I used to think, Mr. Speaker, that after I lost three of my immediate family members through suicide it was too late to do anything about suicide prevention.
Afterwards I found out that suicide is not going to stop and we have to work hard to prevent it.
I would like to tell all Nunavummiut that I will do anything I can in helping to prevent suicide and will make the same statement that I made last session, and you can either take it or leave it.
I know that even if we use a lot of money, suicide will always keep happening, there is not much we can do.
We can never find out what causes suicides, because there are a lot of reasons that make people commit suicide.
Those who are very serious about committing suicide will never tell anybody what their reasons are.
It is only after the fact that we find out how serious their problems were.
I would like to re-emphasize that at 12 o’clock, we have to pray with our children so that there is less suicide in the communities, whether in Iqaluit or in our home communities.
I would like to urge the members here, through my third statement, that we have to help our people of Nunavummiut.
I am speaking from my heart when I say that we should pray together with our children in order to prevent suicide from happening.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Irqittuq, for your wise words.
Member’s Statement 27 - 1(3): Sanikiluaq 4 Wheeler Accident
This summer an accident happened in my community and I have a need to say thank you to the people out there.
We had a 4 wheeler that went overboard and the people also went in the water.
There was no serious damage but I would like to say thank you to the people that helped pull us out.
Markossie Sala, Luccasie Arrugatainaq, Joanna Kulualuq, Johnny Meeko, and Lucassie Meeko.
Also Lucassie Meeko pulled and saved the littlest one who went in the water, I am very grateful to Lucassie and also to the other people that I mentioned who helped save the people.
I was one of the people involved and I would like to extend my gratitude to those people.
We’ll help you if you want to have those names included in the Commissioner’s Awards for Bravery.
Member’s Statement 28 - 1(3): Recognition of Daughters Birthday
This is going to be part of what I am saying, but first of all I would like to say thank you and recognize a person that I am sure everybody knows.
He is a singer, and I would like to thank him because I adopted a little girl from that person.
It is my daughter’s birthday today and she is in Rankin Inlet.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Anawak, and happy birthday to your daughter.
Members’ Statements, Mr. Picco.
Member’s Statement 29 - 1(3): Congratulations to Kirt Ejesiak
Uqaqti, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate a constituent of mine, Kirt Ejesiak of Iqaluit.
Kirt was recently named winner of the Young Entrepreneur Award for Nunavut by the Business Development Bank of Canada.
Kirt was invited to Quebec City where he was presented with this award.
Kirt is well known in Iqaluit and Nunavut.
He has been involved with our Land Claim organizations and his Uqsiq Communications company is second to none in Nunavut.
As well as holding down a full time job, running Uqsiq Communications, Kirt also started a new venture this summer, he is renting out kayaks from his Apex beach location.
Kirt is an avid paddler and he passes this enthusiasm on to his many customers.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity and ask that you and this House join me in congratulating Kirt and his wife Rannvah, on winning this prestigious award.
We will send a congratulatory letter on behalf of the Legislative Assembly and the members.
Going back to the Orders of the Day, item 4, Returns to Oral Questions.
I would like to recognize a person who always takes the initiative and a leadership role, whether it be in business or recreation, without being told to do it.
She always takes her own initiative and is always a leader in her community.
Also, again, the same thing especially with the elders, helping out with the elders, Leonie Duffy is from Coral Harbour.
Last of all Mr. Speaker, for Kevin O’Brien who is not here, from Arviat, Hadi Adlariaq, my brother’s wife.
I would like her to be recognized.
Leonie Duffy is Manitok Thompson’s older sister and Louis Bruce is her brother.
Hon. Manitok Thompson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was going to go first, but it is okay, since Mr. Arvaluk is the MLA for Salliit.
It is our Inuit tradition not to say our relatives names.
Hadi Adlariaq, my father’s sister, is the minister in Arviat, and my older sister Leonie Duffy operates a hotel and store in Salliit, and also my brother, like Arvaluk said, has his own business.
I would like them to stand up again.
Speaker (interpretation): As I said before, welcome to the Gallery.
I would like to recognize someone from my home community.
To give you a brief profile, you all know a little bit about her.
She is my constituency worker and she also used to work at the Hamlet Council.
If she is given Inuktitut copies and if there are no typos, she will read it like I am speaking to you today.
Ms. Anne Curley if you would rise please.
At this time I would like to recognize two people who helped very much with the planning of Nunavut.
Our first MP, Peter Ittinuar, and the other one is Paul Quassa, who was one of the signatories of the final Land Claim Agreement.
Question 31 - 1(3): Integration of Health & Social Services
I have a question that I will direct to the Minister of Health.
I think it was on the 22nd that you made some comments and this is in relation to that.
In your opening remarks you said you would give the communities more authority in the future.
I know there is going to be an amalgamation of the three Health Boards.
In regards to community empowerment, how long is it going to take to give more authority to the communities and fully implement community empowerment.
Hon. Ed Picco: Qujannamiik Mr. Speaker.
The process of integration, as I just explained in the opening comments, has been a long one and it started shortly after April 1st , when the announcement was made that we were going to integrate the Health Boards into the Department of Health.
With that, we are trying to figure out what we will have after April 1st, 2000.
For example, in the Education system, with the three Education Boards, we know that we have local education authorities on the ground after they are dissolved, after the Education Boards are dissolved.
But in Health, we didn’t have anything on the ground except in some communities we had sub-committees of Health under the communities or Community Health Committees.
What I am trying to say is that I have, over this past couple of weeks, had the department on conference calls with every single community, with every Mayor, every region of Nunavut has been contacted to see exactly what we have on the ground after April 1st, do we have a sub-committee of Health on the ground right now and where we don’t have one we have talked to the Mayors to see if they would be interested in setting up a sub-committee of Health for the Hamlet.
Now that way Mr. Speaker, you would have elected officials dealing with health issues as part of the restructuring that we are trying to do with health, indeed Mr. Speaker, it’s part of the fundamental shift that we are trying to do in health care and the delivery of health care in Nunavut.
We should have a community based approach, looking at empowerment issues.
So I appreciate the member’s question.
And again, you said that there was almost a 9 million dollar deficit with the Health Boards.
In regards to this deficit, what caused the deficit and why was there an accumulation of all these deficits over the years.
Mr. Speaker, to use a phrase; that’s the sixty four thousand dollar question.
But, to be serious, the 8.9 million dollar deficit as of March 31st of this year, was announced because the three Health Boards tabled their audited statements.
It would indicate that the debt, the 8.9 million dollars, that has been discussed publicly, was previous to the Nunavut Government being set up.
Through our analysis that we are trying to do right now within the Department of Health & Social Services, it seems to be consistent underfunding in the Department of Health since the GNWT.
It looks like, as we are tracking this through, around ’93, ’94, ’95, ’96 fiscal years, the expenditures on Health in Nunavut, specifically in Nunavut, did not keep up with the amount of money that was being transferred to the three Regional Health Boards.
Over the past several years the Health Boards have come forward with supplementary appropriations within the budget framework to be able to re-float or to re-base the Health budget in the GNWT.
As of April 1st when Nunavut took over we inherited that 8.9 million dollars.
What we are trying to do right now is to analyze this debt to see what caused it and there are different causes for it, Mr. Speaker, and I think what the member is trying to say is what are the causes, was it the expenses that we have in medical travel, is it the morbidity, people are getting sicker, we are seeing more instances of diseases that we did not see Mr. Speaker, five years ago.
We are seeing instances of diabetes, we are seeing increases in cancers, indeed Mr. Speaker, we are seeing increases in other diseases like RSV and respiratory diseases.
So these types of problems come forward and we need to look at how we are going to re-base our budget, how we are going to deal with the deficit situation, so that not only can we enhance the delivery, but we can enhance the delivery of Health and Social Services at the community level.
The Government of the NWT had quite a huge deficit and I believe it was in the 32 million dollar range, where they had their deficit.
You didn’t pay the GNWT’s deficit of 32 million dollars when we became Nunavut.
I believe that is included, did you pay for the GNWT deficit, Mr. Picco?
Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the member could repeat, I only got part of the question.
If you could rephrase your question Mr. Nutarak, he didn’t hear part of the question.
The GNWT, I believe there was a deficit of 32 million dollars and I think that in part of your report, did you pay for part of that 32 million dollars from your budget or did you pay for it from out of the GN pocket.
Did you pay for that 32 million dollar deficit from the Nunavut Government.
Mr. Speaker, I can only answer as to what has happened after April 1st, as before that it was another government as you know and the debt that we have now on the books from the department of Health and Social Services, the 8.9 million dollars, I can speak directly to that.
The debt that was there previous to April 1st was another government, we inherited that debt and the way the formula financing agreement is set up between the GNWT and the Government of Nunavut, the assets and liabilities negotiations are ongoing, and this does not fall within that framework.
There was an agreement reached with the Office of the Interim Commissioner, and the GNWT and the Federal Government, that those debts incurred by the Health Boards, and indeed, the Education Boards, prior to March 31st was assumed by each incoming government.
So that’s all I can speak to Mr. Speaker, not the 32 million, if that is the question.
Question 32 - 1(3): Government Support for Unilingual Businesspersons
My question is for the Department of Sustainable Development regarding the Minister’s Statement.
You mentioned about supporting the small business in the communities, about having a credit union or having some kind of grants and loans programs for the small businesses.
My question is can the unilingual people who can’t read and write English, how are you going to improve the benefits for them from the statements that you made earlier.
Because at times, small business owners who are unilingual, when they try to get funding from the government or different organizations, they have road blocks along the way as they can’t speak or read English.
I think we should definitely have something simple in place like an application form to be used by unilingual people.
Are you going to come up with something like that for them?
I believe you had two questions there, there was one for Sustainable Development.
Since we just started with the Department we have been reviewing all the application forms and all the forms that have to be filled out and how to make proposals.
I reviewed that this year.
For the unilingual who can’t speak or write in English as you mentioned earlier, we have been trying to review forms to make it simpler for everyone, not just for unilingual people.
If they want to start a small business, we are trying to set up a place where they can apply for funding.
We are trying to put together consistent application forms for everybody.
I have a question for the Minister of NTPC.
Speaker (interpretation): Mr. Iqaqrialu you have to ask your questions to only one Minister on the same subject.
So if you are going to ask a question of the Minister of NTPC you will have to wait for later.
Mr. Iqaqrialu, do you have a question for the same Minister.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): We have to leave very shortly, I can ask tomorrow.
I don’t want to stop you or anything but when you are asking a Minister a question, you have to direct your questions to the same minister before you ask another question.
Question 33 - 1(3): Definition of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
I have a question for the Premier.
During our present sitting, you kept mentioning Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit when we are sitting in the House.
What exactly does Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit mean.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is interpreted in several different ways, but we try to use it in the best possible ways.
We do meet with our elders and just last month we met with them through the Department of Sustainable Development on trying to put ideas together on how to use Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in the daily business of our departments.
We are now in the process of looking at the legislation of the government and our elders are our mentors in trying to get Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit implemented in our laws.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit had been misinterpreted in the past and right now our department is reviewing all of this information and putting it together.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, you want to include this in your departments or in the Nunavut Government.
If you are going to use Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit for example, is that going to give us more power in our activities or in our governance?
My question is, through Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit we had a very viable and beneficial Inuit society, but now that we have the constitution and laws of Canada that are standard and we have to use them in Nunavut, I don’t know if you can include Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into that.
As I mentioned earlier, we are trying to use Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit as much as possible and we are going to review how we can better use it in the department and we are getting direction from the elders.
We are all using them as our mentors to include Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and how we can better use it in our daily business.
So we don’t just leave it on the side because I am sure it is really going to benefit us in the future.
Question 34 - 1(3): Housing for Social Worker
My question is directed to the Minister of the Housing Corporation.
The social worker doesn’t have any housing available in Kimmirut.
Have you looked into finding possible housing for our social worker.
I think the only problem we have right now is housing for that person.
The public housing and staff housing policies are separate from each other because they were transferred over from the previous government.
We are reviewing through our Task Force how we can improve our housing policies.
The staff housing constructed by NCC are not being used right now because of the policies that are in place.
The staff housing for the government and for housing authorities are separate policies and the concern that was raised by the MLA for Kimmirut, we are looking into it right now at this very moment. Also this morning I was able to talk about this with one of our staff and I will go and check on it as soon as possible.
Item 8, Returns to Written Questions. Returns to Written Questions.
Petition 01 - 1(3): Alcohol Import Permit Fees
I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of Kugluktuk residents not being happy with the Alcohol Import system in place since we have become the new Nunavut Territory.
Mr. Speaker, the petition contains 34 signatures of residents of Kugluktuk and Mr. Speaker, the residents request that the residents of Kugluktuk would like to bring alcoholic beverages from Yellowknife without an alcohol import permit.
Tabled Document 06 - 1(3): Toward a Healthy Future
I would like to table the second report on the health of Canadians called, “Toward a Healthy Future”.
This report was released by the Government of Canada at a recent meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health which I had the opportunity to attend in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
The information in this report will provide valuable decision making tools for all governments of Canada, including the Nunavut Government.
Tabled Document 07 - 1(3): Responses to Petitions
Mr. Speaker, in the second session of the Legislative Assembly, eleven petitions were filed by members.
All petitions were responded to by the appropriate minister and copies of these responses are attached to this tabled document.
Item 14, Notice of Motion. Notice of Motion.
Item 15: Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills
Bill 6 – An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act - Notice
Hon. Paul Okalik: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, October 27, 1999, I shall move that Bill 6 – An Act to Amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, will be read for the first time.
I seek consent to give second reading to Bill 1 – Loan Authorization Act.
Speaker: Mr. Premier, I’m sorry we are on Orders of the Day, item 16.
Item 18: Second Reading of Bills
Bill 1 – Loan Authorization Act, 1999/2000
I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Rankin North, that Bill 1 – Loan Authorization Act, 1999/2000 be read for the second time.
Bill 1 has had second reading and accordingly is referred to the standing committee.
Second reading of bills.
Bill 2 – An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act
I seek consent to give second reading to Bill 2 – An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act.