EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I’m getting itchy just by listening to these comments. I completely understand how those people would feel about this issue.
Today, Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, according to RCMP figures provided by the Minister of Justice in response to my written question last June, approximately one-fifth of violent incidents that end up in court in Nunavut involve spousal violence.
That is how large the ratio is in Nunavut, at least based on the court cases.
The Family Abuse Intervention Act has been in force for over two years.
The legislation has caused issues in the smaller communities and they do not want to use the legislation. They want to be more involved in healing and in trying to reduce family violence, especially in dealing with couples and their issues.
However, some of the communities still have not received this information that can provide a lot of benefits and services available for couples who may be undergoing stressful situations or family violence incidents.
Can the minister update this House on how many communities across Nunavut have implemented the Family Abuse Intervention Act to date, which communities use the legislation and which don’t, and further, if it is not being implemented, why is it taking so long to be implemented in our communities?
I thank the member for those three questions.
Mr. Speaker, the Family Abuse Intervention Act is a very important Act.
It’s my understanding, based on the review of the Act by an independent consulting firm, that there were problems with the Act. They say it was rolled out too fast without all of the systems in place.
There were concerns with the hamlets not wanting to oversee the employees. There were problems of having a manager in place.
I believe and I think it’s rolled out in all of the communities.
But, as with anything in Nunavut, there is a capacity issue. People are employed and then they move elsewhere, but there is ongoing training that is provided to all of the officials.
There was a meeting in Iqaluit here last month with quite a few of the people involved in the Family Abuse Intervention Act across Nunavut.
I know the staff are working hard to implement changes, fix things up, and make it a better program.
As I said, it is an important Act and we believe that it can do important things for the folks in the communities.
I look forward to continuing to implement and strengthen the Family Abuse Intervention Act so that it does exactly what it was intended to do in the first place.
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) On March 22, 2010, the minister tabled a year-end report on community justice committees and the Family Abuse Intervention Act.
The report contained a lot of numbers but without real results, these don’t mean a thing.
Can the minister describe how his department is using this kind of data to evaluate the effectiveness of the Family Abuse Intervention Act?
Mr. Speaker, exactly what I said earlier.
We are getting that information, and we believe that the Family Abuse Intervention Act can be improved significantly, and we use those kinds of results to identify what’s occurring in the communities and how it’s being used.
So it identifies lapses in the Act and the implementations, and we are working to strengthen it so that it provides better service to the people who it was intended to serve, as it was originally envisioned.
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) Under section 17 (2) of the Family Abuse Intervention Act, community intervention orders can include a requirement to attend traditional Inuit counselling.
According to the minister’s reply to my written question in June, this provision was only used seven times in the past two years. Can the minister explain why the IQ component of this legislation is being ignored?
Again I thank the member for asking that question.
Mr. Speaker, again, it was our own information that highlighted the serious shortages in the Act. I know there are emergency protection orders.
There are more of those, but we believe that the CIOs, or community intervention orders, should be used more extensively in the communities.
That’s one of the areas we are going to focus on going forward working with our employees across the territory.
We have been providing training. I said we had the meeting last month and brought people in.
We will continue to work towards strengthening the Act so that future reports will indicate better results.
In a sort of strange way, you would rather not see any results. In a perfect society, there would be no need for a Family Abuse Intervention Act; people would be getting along in the communities, but we know that’s not going to happen.
I have been a strong supporter of improving the life and standards for all citizens in all of our communities so that people are entitled to live a safe life, a healthy life.
Our government remains committed to working towards that goal in all of the communities, and the Family Abuse Intervention Act again is one of the tools that we hope will assist us in that regard.
I thank the minister for responding to my question because it’s a very important issue and something that helps the communities have healthier relationships.
It has been two years since the Family Abuse Intervention Act has been in force. The people of Nunavut believe that there was going to be some workshops held so that they will know the contents of the Act. Has there been any workshops and training programs set in the communities for the teaching of the Act?
I thank the member again for asking the question.
I can’t answer with any detail, but I do believe that in all of the regions and all of the communities, there are people who work with our community justice outreach workers and the regional coordinators who work with communities to make people aware of the program and how it can assist them.
Question 498 – 3(2): Assessment of Housing Units (Schell)
My question is for the Minister of Nunavut Housing Corporation.
When was the last report done on the conditional assessment of all of the housing units?
I would need clarification on that.
That’s a very tall order.
At the same time, if the member would expand a bit on that, I’ll be prepared to respond to him.
My understanding is that there was a contract put out for an individual or a company to go to all of the communities and assess the housing units, and do a report on it. That’s what I’m referring to.
I think the member is asking whether there be condition ratings on all of the housing units in Nunavut.
My information is that the condition rating is being conducted and it’s going to be a little while before it’s ready, but there are not only public housing that we’re talking about, there are also staff housing units.
If the member is asking about both of these, it’s going to take a while to conclude that, but it is being carried out.
Could the minister let the House know who was awarded the contract and what the cost was?
Hon. Tagak Curley: Mr. Speaker, I would need to provide detailed information on that with respect to who the contractor was awarded and the detailed costing, so I will take it as notice, Mr. Speaker.
Your question has been taken as notice, Mr. Schell.
Question 499 – 3(2): Amendments to Nunavut’s Mental Health Act (Elliott)
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to receive a copy of the Nunavut Suicide Prevention Strategy, which was tabled in this House earlier this week on October 26, 2010.
I note that one of the three core components of the strategy is a full range of mental health services and supports.
Mr. Speaker, Nunavut’s Mental Health Act is a piece of legislation that was inherited from the Northwest Territories upon division.
Can the minister advise the House of what plans are in place to review and update Nunavut’s Mental Health Act in order that it can better meet the needs of our territory?
I am grateful for the support that the member is giving us with respect to the Suicide Prevention Strategy. I read the comment that the member made on that.
With respect to the Mental Health Act, I believe that what’s happening with that is that the whole Public Health Act is part of the work plan the department has.
That likely will go beyond this current Assembly’s mandate, but it has been mapped out as one that is requiring a complete overhaul.
The Public Health Act really has never been amended for the longest time, even through the NWT days; I believe it was acquired from there.
The plan by the department in my discussions with my officials is that a mental health provision should be included in there. At the moment, they are not. So the work will have to continue even as we plan.
It was too time constraining to try and complete that work during the life of this Assembly, so it will likely go beyond this current Assembly.
In recent years, a number of unfortunate incidents have occurred involving Nunavut’s residents who suffer from mental health issues. The NWT’s chief coroner has recommended that mental health legislation in both Nunavut and the Northwest Territories be amended to specifically address client needs.
Can the minister advise this House if he is aware of those recommendations and whether or not he has directed his officials to work towards bringing forward the suggested amendments?
Mr. Speaker, in my briefings with the departmental officials, they certainly take into serious consideration recommendations made by official independent groups and they are taken seriously.
Therefore, it is important that the Public Health Act be properly changed to reflect some of the changes that we require and to reflect the current challenges and needs of the mental health issues, and so on.
I certainly will be committed to carrying this issue forward.
In many cases, when individuals suffer from mental health diseases, their situation can be much improved with the right medication.
It is when they do not take their medication that problems arise. In many jurisdictions, community treatment orders can require an individual to follow a treatment program.
Can the minister advise this House as to whether his officials have given any consideration to the implementation of community treatment orders in Nunavut?
I would like to thank the doctor on the other side there for his recommendations.
Certainly I can assure the member that if an individual requires medical attention with respect to health or mental health, our officials are willing to take all of the help they need from the medical doctors.
I am not going to respond in detail to the kind of question that the member is asking me because I believe it’s the medical physicians who should be handling this kind of issue and issuing orders.
If they do so, our team, our officials will cooperate certainly with any help that they can give.
Thank you for giving me that designation. I don’t feel I’m being a doctor, but maybe the minister misunderstood my question.
What I was asking was in other jurisdictions or other provinces and territories, there is something that is called a community treatment order, which is almost like a legal document, not a doctor’s prescription, where you follow a certain treatment.
The question I was asking is if he would take that to his officials who are doctors and who are specialists to see if this is something that we could do in our territory.
To me, in conversations I have with constituents in my community, they want to have people who have mental health diseases in the community, but at times, they don’t take their medication and when they don’t their medication, that is possibly something having to do with schizophrenia, and whatnot, when people become violent and are a harm to themselves and to other people.
So my question again would be: would the minister be willing to take this back to his officials who do have the qualifications and the ability to make these decisions? I know, myself, I don’t have that ability as a regular member, but you, as a minister, have the ability to take this back to your officials and say, “Is this something that we could do to help people within the community and provide safety for everyone?”
It appears that we are debating something that may be going on already because we do have the Public Health Act, and so on, that entitles that any kind of a medical treatment requires a specialist to first identify exactly what is needed.
The only difficulty that I see is that most communities don’t have the specialists travelling as frequently as they should, but if and when they do come in, the people who require help are checked and, if they require further help, and I read some of the examples yesterday, they are sent down to facilities where the specialized care is required.
We cooperate with the provinces and there are inter-jurisdictional agreements in place that treatments are required.
Our officials cooperate with that. Certainly I think the advice the member is giving, I’ll certainly take it into consideration and pass it on to the department.
Question 500 – 3(2): Bedbug Infestation Public Advisory (Ningeongan)
Part of this question is in relation to what Mr. Rumbolt was speaking to.
During this ongoing review at the Kivalliq Inuit Centre, I would like to know if the medical patients who are arriving are being provided alternative lodgings, such as hotels, during the bedbug situation.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Ningeongan. (interpretation ends) Minister of Health and Social Services, Hon. Tagak Curley.
While I was in Winnipeg, as I stated earlier, I was briefed about this last month. While I was there, some of the rooms were closed because they were being fumigated and the bedbugs were being exterminated.
I do require a status update. If that update identifies it, then we will follow through with that.
If it becomes a big problem, then we would have to close the boarding home.
But at this time, we do provide alternative boarding if there is space available.
This is a significant and imperative issue and very disconcerting.
Furthermore, it’s quite obvious during this session of the Legislative Assembly that not all residents watch the proceedings on television nor does everybody listen to the radio. With this infestation, I want to know if the Kivalliq patients who return regularly for medical treatment have been advised about this. How has the department informed the patients about this matter currently being dealt with?
I do not have any information on whether all communities are aware of this matter.
However, if certain patients have to be informed, the chief medical health officer has been informed that he has to provide more information.
Further, I have written a brief outlining the direction we wanted to go and I copied him.
I am expecting that we will have a plan of attack.
The boarding home in Winnipeg is being inspected constantly.
Hopefully I will have updates to provide to the House tomorrow, as I had requested a briefing on this issue at my last meeting with my deputy minister just prior to our sitting today.
Question 501 – 3(2): Office Space for Health and Social Services in Sanikiluaq (Rumbolt)
My next question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services, but it’s not about bedbugs, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, in the summer of 2009, I wrote a letter to the minister regarding the need for office space so that counselling and other services provided by the mental health worker or social worker could be provided in a confidential and secure manner.
This summer, I noticed a government tender in the newspaper requesting office space in the community of Sanikiluaq. Can the minister provide an update on what success he has had in securing office space for mental health and social services in Sanikiluaq?
I certainly would like to thank the member for that question.
I think that he should have also said that he met with me, along with the SAO and my deputy minister, and we committed to providing an office facility.
I understand quite well that we take confidentiality requirements seriously.
I don’t have current information, but I will take the question as notice.
Mr. Rumbolt, your question has been taken as notice and the minister will get back to you.
Question 502 – 3(2): Courses for Nunavut Students (Schell)
I’m going back to the question I asked yesterday to the minister in regard to academic stream courses for entrance into universities. Apparently Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet teach some of the courses in the classroom and the rest through distance learning. The courses, whether in the classroom or distance learning, are paid for by the Department of Education.
I would like to again thank the [member] for bringing that up.
There was a little bit of confusion. Yesterday, I guess we had our wires crossed on exactly what the member was looking for.
Mr. Speaker, I believe if he’s talking about the distance learning courses that are available to any student in Nunavut, it’s my understanding that those courses are offered to students if they need to take them for entrance requirements for getting into any post-secondary program that they need and those courses aren’t offered in their community, a student can take the program. They will be reimbursed upon completion of the program for the costs incurred as a result of having to take those.
I did ask my officials and as far as I’m aware, and my assistant deputy minister assured me, even going back to the days when he used to be a principal, that it was always where if a case like this came forward, it was always where the students would just be and parents would just be reimbursed for those programs based on the successful completion.
Question 503 – 3(2): Update on Piqqusilirivvik in Clyde River (Elliott)
I was just wondering in terms of Mr. Tapardjuk’s announcement earlier today, and I know some of the projects that he’s worked long and hard on.
In terms of one of the projects, I know, in terms of briefings we have received from him, he’s done a lot of work on the file.
If he could just give us an update today on the Piqqusilirivvik Cultural School in Clyde River, how that’s coming along and when it’s planned to be opened.
With respect to the Piqqusilirivvik Cultural School, the project is proceeding smoothly.
We have already hired an executive director for the school and he is currently undertaking a hiring process for the future staff.
I believe I provided an update on this project either this spring or last winter.
The project was delayed a bit, Mr. Speaker.
We wanted to open in it December, but because there was some final details that had to be completed, we have identified February 2011 as the time when it will be completed.
We are expecting that once the facility has been handed over to the government and all of the furnishings and maintenance staff have been trained, we could plan for a grand opening in April 2011.
It will be completed by February 2011, but we require quite a bit of planning in order to prepare for that opening ceremony.
So we are expecting to open the facility some time in April 2011, Mr. Speaker.
I know, in conversations we’ve had with some of the staff at CLEY in charge of this file, there are also two feeder schools, one in Baker Lake and one in Igloolik. I was wondering if the minister could update us on that as well.
In talking about these two satellite campuses allocated to Baker Lake and Igloolik, at this point in time, both of these satellite campuses are already being used for projects, such as the Inuit place names. They have also identified old travel routes between Clyde River and Igloolik.
There were 14 young adults who were taught about survival on the land and how to look after oneself in the Arctic.
When they were talking about the old travel routes, they used them so that the knowledge about the routes could be retained.
Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, we undertook the same type of activities in Baker Lake in May 2009.
They undertook a trip to Gjoa Haven and there were eight students who partook in that.
They used the traditional route, which included survival on the land and self-preservation.
To date, some of the activities that we have undertaken are ongoing. Whenever we have any classes that are set for teaching outside of the communities, either in Baker Lake or Igloolik, the curriculum for those classes are determined by these two facilities.
They would also provide assistance with the operations of that cultural centre.
A lot of the curriculum will be developed between the three communities. That is the way it’s set up, Mr. Speaker.
Committee Report 005 – 3(2): Report of the Standing Committee on the Review of the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 Annual Reports of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut (Okalik)
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today of presenting the report of the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts on its review of the 2008-09 and 2009-2010 annual reports of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut.
*See Appendix for full text of Committee Report 5 – 3(2).
Mr. Speaker, Ms. Alexina Kublu assumed her duties as Languages Commissioner of Nunavut in January of 2009, in the final quarter of the 2008-09 fiscal year.
Her responsibilities as Languages Commissioner are prescribed by two pieces of Nunavut legislation: the Official Languages Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act, both of which were passed in 2008 by the Second Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
As you will recall, Mr. Speaker, the Languages Commissioner’s 2008-09 annual report was tabled in this House on March 18, 2010.
In September of 2010, her 2009-2010 annual report was backdoor tabled with the Clerk of the Assembly, pursuant to Rule 44(2) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly, and was formally tabled in this House on October 22, 2010.
The standing committee held its hearings on the Languages Commissioner’s reports from September 29 and 30 of this year here in the Chambers.
This was Ms. Kublu’s first appearance before the standing committee.
Witnesses from her office were also present.
The standing committee was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss various issues relating to the Languages Commissioner’s mandate and the activities of her office.
I would like to thank the Languages Commissioner and her staff for appearing before us.
Mr. Speaker, I will take this opportunity for the benefit of all Members of the House and the listening public to highlight the recommendations that emerged during the standing committee’s review of the Languages Commissioner’s reports.
Mr. Speaker, the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut has three main areas of responsibility: the investigation and resolution of complaints relating to language rights, providing guidance and support to various bodies and institutions, both government and non-government, and the administration of her office.
With respect to the investigation and resolution of complaints relating to language rights, standing committee members are of the view that in order to gain a greater appreciation of the work load and focus of resources within the Office of the Languages Commissioner as well as the effectiveness of her role in this regard.
It is important that a significantly greater level of detail regarding this element of the Languages Commissioner’s responsibilities be included in her annual reports.
The standing committee’s first recommendation is that the Languages Commissioner records, measures, and analyzes the nature, type, and number of complaints, concerns, and queries that are identified and handled by her office and provides a clear and detailed summary of these and any other relevant information in her reports to our Legislative Assembly.
The standing committee’s second recommendation is that the Languages Commissioner includes a detailed summary of the application and results of her office’s complaints resolution procedure in her annual reports.
Mr. Speaker, the Languages Commissioner has indicated her intention to conduct two systemic investigations into language services provided by the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Human Resources.