EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
What I’m trying to find out is: what is the ratio on Inuit employment etc…; has it improved, stayed the same or gotten worse?
Yes I’m very pleased to inform the member the number of Inuit staff since I announced it in June has increased slightly to date. About 43% are Inuit staff within the Nunavut Government.
Perhaps you can correct me if I’m wrong but I think your department, the Department of Human Resources and also each department has their own Human Resources division.
My question is, in each department’s hiring division are they all Inuit people?
They’re not all Inuit in the division of Human Resources.
I’m looking at the telephone directory, I think it’s called divisional directors or managers, and each division has managers in each division.
I think that’s what you call them.
Do the managers of the divisions search, do they look for potential employees, or do you have Human Resources officers that screen the people or that look to hire Inuit people? Do they work together? I would like to get clarification.
Within each department of the Nunavut Government, if they want to open a position it’s given to the Human Resources department. We work with them to publish the employment opportunity and advertise it; post it through the computer, or through the media.
While the position is being filled the Human Resources Department would be responsible for it until it is filled.
Acknowledging the Inuit Employment Plan is to improve employment numbers for Nunavummiut; how do you ensure that all possible avenues are found so that a maximum effort is made to hire Inuit in different departments?
Not only to respond to that question but also to show the continuing work that we are doing in Human Resources, I made a statement in the House just the other day about the extra work we are doing in the department in removing some of the requirements that are going out on advertisements.
It is an ongoing process for us to work with the departments in trying to see how we can not only attract more Inuit, but also maintain those numbers within the departments.
Written Question 004 – 1(6): Vacant GN Positions in Regional Decentralized Centres and Communities
Mr. Speaker, my written question today is to the Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Decentralization Secretariat, regarding vacant Government of Nunavut positions in regional centres and decentralized communities.
As of November 29th, 2002, broken down by employing entities, how many positions are vacant in the Government of Nunavut’s departments, boards, agencies, and the crown corporations in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, and Cambridge Bay?
Part 2, as of November 29th, 2002, broken down by employing entities, how many positions are vacant in the Government of Nunavut’s departments, boards, agencies, and the crown corporations in Cape Dorset, Pangnirtung, Pond Inlet, Igloolik, Baker Lake, Gjoa Haven, Kugluktuk, and Arviat?
Part 3, how many positions have been moved from Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, and Rankin Inlet since April 1st, 1999?
Item 8. Returns to Written Questions. Item 9.
Report 007 – 1(6): Bill 21 – An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act
I wish to report that Bill 21, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act has been reviewed by the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit, and that the Bill as amended and reprinted is ready for consideration in the Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(5), and have Bill 21 moved into the Committee of the Whole for today.
There is a request to waive Rule 68(5), so that the Standing Committee’s report on Bill 21 can be immediately referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Then Bill 21 is referred to the Committee of the Whole for today.
Item 12. Reports on the Review of Bills.
Report 008 – 1(6): Bill 25 – An Act to Amend the Maintenance Enforcement Act
I wish to report that Bill 25, an Act to Amend the Maintenance Orders Enforcement Act has been reviewed by the standing committee Ajauqtiit, and that the bill is ready for consideration in the Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(5) and have Bill 25 moved into the Committee of the Whole.
There is a request to waive Rule 68(5) and that the standing committee report on Bill 25, can immediately be referred to the Committee of the Whole.
There are no nays. Bill 25 is referred to the Committee of the Whole for today.
Report 009 – 1(6): Bill 26 – The Inter-Jurisdictional Support Orders Act
I wish to report that Bill 26, the Inter-Jurisdictional Support Orders Act has been reviewed by the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit and that the bill is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 68(5) and have Bill 26 moved into the Committee of the Whole for today.
There is a request to waive Rule 68(5) so that the standing committee report on Bill 26 can be immediately referred to the Committee of the Whole.
There are no nays. Bill 26 is referred to the Committee of the Whole for today.
Item 12. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills. Item 13.
Tabling of Documents. Mr. Akesuk.
Tabled Document 067 – 1(6): Nanisivik Closure and Reclamation News
I wish to table the Nanisivik Closure and Reclamation News and detailed information on activities in Arctic Bay concerning the Nanisivik mine closure.
Tabled Document 068 – 1(6): Public Service Annual Report 2001-2002
With one line of questioning, Mr. Speaker, you’ll be interested in this one.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, the Public Service Annual Report 2001-2002.
Tabled Document 069 – 1(6): 2001 Annual Report of the NWT and Nunavut Workers’ Compensation Board
I wish to table the 2001 Annual Report of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Workers’ Compensation Board.
I have a document that I’d like to table.
Tabled Document 070 – 1(6): 2002 Auditor General Annual Report to Nunavut Legislative Assembly (2000-2001 Financial Statements)
I wish to table the 2002 Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Pursuant to the terms of reference of the standing committees of the Legislative Assembly the report is referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Services for review.
Tabling of Documents. Item 13. Item 14.
Notices of Motions. Item 15.
Extended adjournment.
I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Cambridge Bay, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when the House concludes its present sitting in Iqaluit, it shall be adjourned until March 4, 2003.
And further, that any time prior to March 4, 2003, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet in Iqaluit at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it had been duly adjourned to that time.
Speaker: The motion is in order. To the motion.
Bill 23 – An Act to Amend the Cities, Towns and Villages Act – First Reading
Hon. Manitok Thompson: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Baffin South, that Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Cities, Towns, and Villages Act be read for the first time.
Bill 23 has had first reading.
First Reading of Bills. Ms. Thompson.
Bill 24 – An Act to Amend the Hamlets Act – First Reading
Mr. Speaker I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Hamlets Act be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The motion is carried and Bill 24 has had first reading.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters; Bill 13, Bill 17, Bill 18, Bill 19, Bill 21, Bill 25, Bill 26 and Ministers’ Statements 072-1(6) and 095-1(6) with Mr. Iqaqrialu in the Chair.
Before we proceed to Committee of the Whole we’ll take a brief 20 minute break.
>>House recessed at 15.41 p.m. and resumed at 16.08 p.m.
Chairperson (Mr. Iqaqrialu) (interpretation): Thank you. We can start the Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Chairperson before I proceed I would like to take this opportunity to recognize some young individuals who are here in the House this afternoon.
Mr. Chairperson the individuals that I talked about in my Member’s Statement yesterday the Iqaluit Kids Against Violence are here behind me in the gallery.
No stranger to this assembly: Samantha Kublu a page last week, Wally Picco, Haley Anawak, and also Jamie Akavak, Tom Lyta, Phillip Kunuk and Steve Nattaq.
Mr. Chairperson those are the Iqaluit Kids against Violence Group and I’d like to commend them for what they are doing and wish them all the best of luck and ask Members to join me in congratulating them and welcoming them to the Assembly.
As Committee of the Whole we will be dealing with Bill 13, Minister’s Statement 072-1 (6), Bill 17, Minister’s Statement 095-1(6), Bill 18, Bill 19, Bill 21, Bill 25 and Bill 26.
I would like to proceed with Bill 18 and we will start with Community Government and Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Minister responsible, Ms. Manitok Thompson.
I have opening comments.
If I can go ahead, (interpretation ends) I’d also like to acknowledge the students that are here.
We’re all very proud of you with your committee against violence.
Mr. Chairman, I’m happy to be here today to present to the Committee of the Whole the 2003/2004 proposed Capital Estimates for the Department of Community Government & Transportation.
This Capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year is 27 million, 225 thousand dollars.
If accepted by the Legislature, this will be the largest capital budget for the department since Nunavut was created in 1999.
While this is definitely good news, we are still unable to fund all the capital projects for your communities, some of which need to be addressed urgently.
Priorities have been identified through direct input from MLA’s, meetings and correspondence with Hamlet Mayors and Councils and our regional staff visiting and consulting with the municipalities on a regular basis.
Departmental officials have been directed to ensure MLA’s and elected municipal officials are informed prior to these community visits.
This input and direction is reflected in the proposed capital budget before you today.
The majority of our capital dollars are being spent on water, sewer and sanitation projects.
We have several large projects taking place throughout the territory from sanitation sites to replacement of water supply lines.
The Canada-Nunavut Infrastructure Program Agreement, which was signed with the Federal Government late last year, will contribute to the costs of the major improvements that have to be made to the Gjoa Haven, Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay water supply systems.
As well, it will help with the work that needs to be done on the Pangnirtung sewage treatment plant.
Nunavut Airports has once again submitted applications under the federal Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP) and we now have an approved budget of 906 thousand dollars.
This money is used to fund equipment and necessary runway improvements.
The Strategic Highway and Infrastructure Program (SHIP) Agreement with the Federal Government was signed on October 22, 2002.
This initiative will provide joint funding of 6.7 million until March 2007 for priority transportation infrastructure projects in Nunavut.
The Department is working with the federal department of Transportation to ensure these limited dollars are spent equitably across Nunavut.
As decisions are finalized with the federal government, MLA’s will be kept advised.
The department has also placed emphasis on improving marine facilities in Nunavut.
Currently there are four initiatives underway at Community Government & Transportation to secure increases and new federal funding for this purpose.
First the department is in the process of seeking funding for building and supporting marine infrastructure projects under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ Small Craft Harbours program.
Second, as mentioned, the Department is in the process of identifying one marine project for funding under the Strategic Highway Infrastructure (SHIP) agreement.
Third, the department is in the early stages of developing a mandate to negotiate the devolution of Northern Remote Resupply Sites Program to the Government of Nunavut which will allow the department to take responsibility for the site, in the hope of obtaining more capital dollars for development.
And lastly the department currently has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the Canadian Coast Guard.
The MOU provides $500 thousand annually to the Department to maintain, preserve and enhance marine facilities in Nunavut.
Department of Community Government and Transportation is also exploring new and innovative ways to take our capital dollars further and make them work more effectively for us.
During standing committee discussions earlier this year, Members of the Legislative Assembly raised the urgent need for community halls and access roads.
In Whale Cove, we have the opportunity to work with the Department of Education on the construction of a new school/community facility.
In addition, with respect to community access roads, I have asked my department to develop a modest community partnership program to address this pressing need.
Again, I hope to report progress next time we meet.
The department has also entered into discussions with the City of Iqaluit for a six-year capital contribution agreement.
If this House approves the funding, this agreement will help the City plan ahead and address critical infrastructure needs.
CGT will be involved in the planning and design phases of projects and will provide additional assistance when requested.
In the interests of accountability there will be an annual review of progress under the proposed agreement.
Our Nunavut government identified priorities and we have been focusing our capital dollars on Education and Housing since 1999.
These priorities remain.
At the same time the Department of Community Government and Transportation will continue to address the critical community needs in other areas such as municipal infrastructure.
We need to put in place infrastructure that will promote economic development and self –reliance for Nunavummiut.
This concludes my opening comments.
(interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Committee of the Whole members for this opportunity to speak to you today. I am now available to respond to any questions you may have on the Department of Community Government and Transportation’s proposed capital budget for 2003/2004.
Would you invite your officials to go to the witness table?
Sergeant-at-Arms, if you would escort Minister Thompson and her officials.
Minister Thompson, if you would introduce your officials. Ms. Thompson.
On my right John Walsh, Deputy Minister and on my left Doug Strickland, who is the Director of Capital Planning and we have two other officials, who are the ADM’s, Methuselah Kunuk, I’m sure you know him, and Shawn Maley if you didn’t know him already.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Welcome.
Mr. McLean is the Chair of the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development.
Mr. McLean: As Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development, I am pleased to be able to provide opening comments as we begin the review of 2003/2004 Capital Estimates for the Department of Community Government and Transportation.
Mr. Chairperson, the Standing Committee had the opportunity in September to meet with the Minister of Community Government and Transportation to review the draft 2003/2004 Capital Estimates.
Mr. Chairperson the Committee’s pleased with the continuing effort to secure infrastructure funding from the federal government for various programs.
Once again however, with the on-going nature of negotiations, the Committee would ask to have more regular updates on the status of the applications and criteria by which the process are selected.
This information would allow Members to be properly informed and able to respond to questions from their constituents.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee is pleased that the Minister has succeeded in securing funding from Canada’s Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program.
The Committee notes that projects in Chesterfield Inlet and Coral Harbour were the first to be announced under the 6.7 million joint funding agreement; however, it remains unclear whether other communities will also benefit from the funding.
Mr. Chairman, the Committee noted with interest that Iqaluit will be receiving more than 7 million in block capital funding to allow more flexibility in their planning.
The Committee is concerned that the Minister maintain a regular accountability framework for the use of block funding and looks forward to reviewing a detailed annual report of the City’s capital projects.
The Standing Committee believes that healthy communities require gathering places.
Mr. Chairman, the Committee was pleased to note that the Minister is working towards a partnership with the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth with respect to the community halls and multi use facilities.
The Standing Committee recognizes the importance of sewage, water and solid waste management; however, Mr. Chairman, the Committee is concerned that only 300 thousand dollars has been allocated for recreation facilities across Nunavut in 2003/2004.
This is a negligible investment for this use in Nunavut and it is unclear what specific projects this money will fund.
The Committee strongly urges giving thought to working in conjunction with the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to identify areas of cooperation with respect to facilities for youth.
The Standing Committee noted with concern that the Canadian Coast Guard is currently pursuing a plan to devolve the responsibility for docking facilities to the Government of Nunavut.
The Committee urges that the department negotiate the best possible arrangement in order to ensure that the devolution does not occur without being accompanied by adequate resources to take on new responsibilities.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee noted that much of the planning for improvement to airports and air services across Nunavut is the dependant on the results of the recently started Air Services Study.
The Committee looks forward to the completion of the study and in reviewing its conclusions and recommendation.
That concludes my comments on the Capital Estimates of the Department of Community Government and Transportation.
The members are reminded that you have 10 minutes for general comments.
And afterwards we’ll open up the floor for questions.
Again you’ll have a 10 minute opportunity.
At this time I would like ask the members if anybody has any general comments?
And I thank the Chair of the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment for his opening comments.
I would like to make a few comments on the monies that the communities are going to be receiving.
The communities, as I have said earlier, do not just want to be sewage truck drivers.
They are, there’s an on-going need to get additional facilities like recreational facilities.
With the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth there are opportunities to work together in order to better the lives of the people of Nunavut.
As that is the case, the department keeps looking for outside sources of funds from the Federal Government and other agencies in order to finance these projects.
We have to look at innovative ways to secure the financing of capital projects.
For example, some of the communities have established businesses, be it small, and the heavy equipment operators in both of my communities, Chesterfield Inlet, and Coral Harbour, both have these.
What I see looking at Coral Harbour is one loader that will be going to Coral Harbour, and I am very glad, and I am sure that it is needed.
We have to look at the heavy equipment companies that run out of projects to do, especially in the winter when there is no gravel available and the Hamlet keeps going.
It is something that is hard for the private businesses; because of course they have one specialty.
They don’t have other means.
Usually in the summer, they might be running out of business to get new inventory or to pay for their wages in the summertime, because they have their financing over the winter.
Again I would like to urge your department, possibly through the program review, to look at how the communities can develop their community economic opportunities.
I will be asking questions on the monies that you mentioned that came from the Federal Government.
I think that it is 6.7 million dollars.
We are very glad that we will now be building Access Roads to our gravel sites.
We know that there is not going to be anything available for this coming summer and the lack of roads is very hard on the maintenance of the heavy equipment and other mobile equipment.
Again turning to transportation, I would like to mention two items.
As we know in Coral Harbour, we have 24 hour weather observation, seven days a week through the weather observation program.
In Coral Harbour it is the transportation hub of international flights.
I used to be one of those operators and you talk to every single airline that is flying over Coral Harbour.
It is under the responsibility of the Hamlet.
The money that we receive for this program is not enough and the wage increases are very, very slow.
We will have to look at this and see what we can do to improve these services.
The reason why I am talking about that is because the weather observers go to Winnipeg to take their course.
In the other communities, for those not on a 24 basis, usually what they do is just use their instruments.
In Coral Harbour they are talking about the balloons, weather pressure, and other specialties that they learn over and above being an observer and I think that should be recognized by the government.
And again with transportation and I’m using Chesterfield Inlet as an example, when we were still with the NWT, the docks were designed when they didn’t know the conditions, the ice conditions, the water conditions, and the topography and they didn’t know where to put those docking facilities. Because of that every year Chesterfield Inlet uses 40 thousand dollars just to upgrade and maintain the docking facility that was put in the wrong place at the beginning. There are big boulders underneath, there is erosion and the dock becomes unstable and causes safety hazards.
The people of Chesterfield Inlet know exactly where that docking facility should have been placed in the first place and how it should have been built.
I would like to urge your department to look into this further and because we have a 100 thousand pound quota for fish, they use those docking facilities to unload and to transport the fish they catch to Rankin Inlet.
We use a lot of money in the summer and in the fall and because of that I would like your department to review this further and in your opening comments you stated the communities did look at this, but I’m not sure it’s in here.
But they want to see a 5 year or longer plan so that if the government is going to provide adequate funds they have to do a 5 year plan or longer if we’re going to be able to stretch our resources.
I’ll have questions after.
Mr. Havioyak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairperson and thank you minister and your officials.
I’m sorry I forgot their names already.
I just want to make a short comment in regards to the 5 year capital plan.
For example, there are three capital projects that are written in the 5 year capital plan.
I know that the funding is not always adequate for every project or in each community within Nunavut.
I understand that part.
I would like some clarification on how these are put into 5 year capital plan for these particular projects; not only health and safety issues.
I can’t say it in the Inuinnaqtun.
Are you looking for other ways to prioritize these other things that we’re going to be using in the capital plans?
Okay, using Kugluktuk for example.