EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Speaker, we do have assistance from the federal government, NRCan. We’re working in conjunction with them to try and determine an alternative power source, whether it’s solar or wind energy.
We haven’t come to the determination of whether it’s going to be a benefit for the communities, so this is still ongoing.
One of the things that we want to do too is encourage inter-settlement trade of country foods.
That’s one of the things that we’re trying to encourage and have the communities discuss and figure out a way or talk about coming up with an alternative to dealing with country foods rather than just building community freezers and just distribution to the local community. We’re talking about inter-settlement trade here.
That’s somewhat of a thing that we see that’s feasible for these communities to do.
With one month left in this fiscal year and if no community has received a new community freezer, what is the minister going to do with the funding that was allocated to this initiative?
As the member from Quttiktuq is well aware, we do usually carry it over to the next fiscal year.
This is a new initiative that the communities are rather apprehensive about and we want to continue to support them in their initiatives in making sure that there’s country food distribution. This fits into our Makimaniq Plan, reducing poverty in Nunavut, and food security has been the one important factor that has been identified in the six themes.
So we’re going to hopefully continue to try and push this forward with community participation.
Question 262 – 3(3): Air Ambulance Services - Learjet (Ugyuk)
This question is with respect to the air ambulance services since the contract was redone this winter just prior to the Christmas holidays.
People have informed us about certain situations where elders who are scheduled to go on the medical flights have had to wait long periods.
When the contract was let, quite a few residents had the assumption that we would have to wait longer periods prior to the flight arriving.
The government has contracted out the medical travel services. However, the new company does not have the jet available immediately. I would like to know when the company will be acquiring a Learjet for the flights.
In the past, the previous contractor had a Learjet they used for medical emergencies.
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank Ms. Ugyuk for the question.
Mr. Speaker, I have been following this air ambulance contract with great interest myself since it’s in the Kitikmeot and I have constituents who are also very concerned.
Mr. Speaker, my latest information is that a Learjet, as part of the contract, is in Ontario awaiting a paint job and at some point, it will be repositioned in Cambridge Bay.
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for that answer.
Many people feel that this is causing delays in service since there is no jet available.
We became spoiled by the previous jet service provided by the past contractor.
However, we were informed that the contractor is required to have two planes available for this service.
Based on the information, there is only one plane available and their hangar only has enough space for one plane, at least based on the simple assessment by people.
Can the minister provide more information as to whether the contractor will have a hangar that can house two planes or do we have to wait longer for this service if the other plane is not available?
Mr. Speaker, as I recall, the RFP that was issued last year called for or the proposal that Aqsaqniq Airways put in is a Learjet positioned in Cambridge Bay with a hangar and two backup King Airs in Yellowknife.
Again, because I’m quite concerned about air ambulance in the Kitikmeot, I have asked my officials to ask the air ambulance contractors if there’s a possibility to position a second aircraft in Cambridge Bay. I don’t know how those discussions are going.
This air ambulance service caused problems with quite a few medical patients this winter when it first began being offered. The people of Kitikmeot want to move forward and we would like to be kept informed of the service provision.
We look forward to the availability of the Learjet that will provide the services and the residents of Kitikmeot would like to be notified in that event. We are always interested in any updates to our services because we want to have the same level of service as other residents.
So we would be appreciative of being kept up to date on this matter.
I think it was just a statement; there was no question there.
You can respond if you like, Minister Peterson.
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank Ms. Ugyuk. I’m sure, Mr. Speaker, when the Learjet is repositioned to the Kitikmeot, the officials in the Department Health at the Kitikmeot offices will notify all communities that the Learjet is there.
If there are any concerns about the services, I encourage communities to let the regional office know and they will investigate.
Question 263 – 3(3): Scheduled Medical Travel and Air Ambulance Services (Curley)
I, too, would like to ask a question to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Last week, we heard the perspective of the Department of Community and Government Services on the government’s contracting procedures for air ambulance services.
Today, I believe that it is important that Nunavutmiut hear from the Department of Health and Social Services.
Can the minister clearly outline the most important criteria that the Department of Health and Social Services looks for when it develops the terms of reference for selecting air ambulance and scheduled medical travel service providers?
I find it very interesting that the former Minister of Health is asking the new Minister of Health about the most important criteria.
Mr. Speaker, the RFP that was developed last year was developed by the Department of Health working with Community and Government Services and another agency.
I think it was in January 2011. I believe it stipulated all the safety requirements that all the proponents had to abide by.
Mr. Curley: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the simple reason that I’m asking a question is that right now, I’m not responsible for implementing any policy or if there are any changes to the policy, I’m not aware of any right now.
My first supplementary, Mr. Speaker, is: can the minister inform the House what the position of the Department of Health and Social Services is with respect to requiring potential service providers with whom the government intends to sign its formal contracts to hold a valid air operator certificate from Transport Canada?
Again, Mr. Speaker, the RFP was issued last year and three proponents responded. The RFP was reviewed by a panel of five evaluators, four from the Department of Health, four experts, I presume, and the panel recommended the successful proponent.
Mr. Speaker, I would take it that safety was a high priority when they evaluated those proposals.
Mr. Curley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Precisely, that’s what I’m also interested in.
Can the minister clearly explain exactly why he supports the current approach, the current practice, to contracting criteria for selecting air ambulance and scheduled medical travel service providers who currently don’t hold operator certificates?
I have been the Minister of Health for, I think, 98 days.
I have a clock ticking here, but Mr. Curley was the former Minister of Health when that air ambulance contract was awarded.
I have asked the department officials that I want a full review of the RFP process to ensure and reassure myself that everything that we take to be important in future contracts, future RFPs, when those contracts come up for renewal in two or three or five years, as the case may be, that all the safety requirements are taken into consideration.
I think that’s a very important response. Nunavutmiut are concerned for the consistence and also the fact that safety issues are important and they should be regulated by federal Transport Canada.
Will the minister commit to reviewing these practices currently right now, the current practice being that no licences are required from Transport Canada in order to submit a bid for the requirements that Health and Social Services submitted, and will he commit to reviewing the criteria so that the public can have faith in this government for safety issues?
This government does take the safety, health, and well-being of all Nunavummiut very seriously.
I assure Nunavummiut out there that the RFP that went out, from what I have been briefed, contain all the important safety criteria to provide air ambulance service in the Kitikmeot.
Of course, the RFP was based on RFPs that went out in the Baffin and the Kivalliq regions. So we do take it very seriously.
Question 264 – 3(3): Bill C-10 and its Costs to Nunavummiut (Elliott)
I lost my train of thought there for a second.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Justice. My questions are regarding the proposed new federal legislation on crime, Bill C-10.
Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, on Friday, a number of my colleagues travelled to the Baffin Correctional Centre for a tour of the facility.
It was noted that the new legislation will have a significant impact on the number of individuals who will be required to spend time incarcerated.
Can the minister advise the House what steps he and his officials have taken to analyze the financial impact this new piece of legislation may have on the cost of providing correctional services in Nunavut and add to the already overcrowding which we witnessed on Friday?
And it’s only Monday.
As everybody is aware in the House here, Bill C-10 is a very important issue for Nunavut and could have very heavy consequences on us.
I thank the members who came on the tour of BCC the other day.
There is no question that it is going to have an impact on Nunavut, our correctional facilities, our court services, and our communities.
I will make the member aware that we are reviewing this right now.
As for our final cost implication, we are unsure, but it’s being under review right now.
Could the minister also commit that, once the number crunching is done, the analysis is done on it, and the business case is created, he would provide that information to us?
Again I would just say that Bill C-10 is very important and will have consequences on us as well as other jurisdictions across this country.
Everyone is reviewing how Bill C-10 will affect them and once that is done, I will commit to the member of giving him information that I have.
Nunavut’s correctional system also includes such programs as on-the-land camps. Can the minister update the House on how the proposed new federal legislation will impact the delivery of an important program such as on-the-land camps?
I thank the member for that question again. Currently, I believe there were three on-the-land camps that were operating in the Baffin region.
Again, Mr. Speaker, that will be part of the whole review of Bill C-10 and on-the-land camps and on how they were working previously and how we could move forward with them working into the future.
Will the new men’s healing facility in Rankin Inlet offset the demand caused by this new bill?
The answer is that the new healing facility in Rankin Inlet will just handle the overcrowding issues and the number of inmates we have in BCC at present.
It will not address the issues that are raised by Bill C-10.
Question 265 – 3(3): EU Ban on Seal Products (Tapardjuk)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Environment, my Annuraaqatik, as I call him in our language.
I would like to refer back to the Minister’s Statement just announced earlier with respect to the sealskin issue. The European Union, as it is readily apparent and which has been expected for quite a while, enacted a seal ban whereupon they made a statement that Inuit and the by-products of their subsistence harvests, namely, sealskin sales, would not be impacted.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether or not the minister can clarify part of his earlier statement as it relates to the EU insinuation that Inuit would not be impacted deleteriously by this sealskin ban and to be able to sell their sealskins. I would like to get further clarification on this matter, Mr. Speaker.
I thank Mr. Tapardjuk for his question.
Indeed, Inuit have been severely impacted by this EU sealskin ban, irrespective of the statement of the exemption.
Here in Nunavut, we don’t harvest our seals inhumanely as we don’t want our meat too damaged or to have the seals suffer.
However, I doubt that the European Union can tell the difference between the types of seals harvested here in Canada. In their perception, a seal is a seal, without any distinction between species.
With respect to this issue, we have kept trying to apprise the European Union that Inuit harvest different species of seals than those species listed in their ban.
However, we have been impacted because of this lack of distinction between species.
We will continue to relay our concerns and try to keep informing the European Union of the types of seals harvested here in Nunavut.
As per my earlier statement, we will utilize the EU seal ban report as well as other data and information to delineate the differences between seals harvested by Inuit and to represent the Inuit in trying to clarify this matter.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister of Environment for his answer.
In that same Minister’s Statement, it also states that the Department of Environment will continue to buy the sealskins from our residents at what is stated as being double the current market price.
Should the market for sealskins continue to slide, especially in the European Union and other markets, when will this government decide to stop buying sealskins from their residents due to decreases in sealskin prices?
When, where, and how will this government make a decision on this matter?
Our colleague who is raising these questions is spot on with his assessment.
We purchase sealskins at an average price of about $50 per pelt and we are selling them for about $22 per pelt at the market auction for furs.
This assistance is geared specifically towards full-time harvesters as seal meat is very nutritious and the harvested carcasses are generally shared in the community amongst its residents.
At this current time, we haven’t even set a date as to when we would stop buying sealskins.
In my Minister’s Statement, I stated that we will also be offering tanned sealskins for resale in Nunavut. This is another assistance program to allow for secondary processing of these skins for sale.
The market seems to be growing at this time, with more seamstresses requesting furs.
So at this time, I cannot inform my colleague when this government will stop buying sealskins from our residents.
We often hear of initiatives where Canadians try to market sealskin products outside of Canada, such as in Europe and China.
It was also announced that the Prime Minister, along with our MP and Senator, was promoting seal products while they were in Ottawa, even offering a seal dish in the House of Commons.
Mr. Speaker, we all know that not just sealskins are good by-products of seals; the meat is extremely nutritious and the blubber can also be manufactured into other products.
Is the Government of Nunavut looking at alternative markets we can access or are they preparing a strategy in case sealskins are not saleable and whether we can promote the usage of seal meat and blubber by-products to provide more economic opportunities?
That is a good idea which has been considered in the recent past. However, it’s hard to forecast whether that would be a good initiative here in Nunavut or elsewhere.
This government is currently only purchasing sealskins, but we are looking at alternatives to see how we could also sell other products. It hasn’t gone anywhere at this time.
Several barriers exist, such as the high freight costs associated with transportation, based on the studies done to date.
Seal by-products are hard to market and we aren’t sure whether we could sell them.
This is part of our overall review, but we will not stop trying to see if we can develop further markets for seal products.
In the announcement, it seems that the Greenlandic government is very active in fighting the sealskin ban by being in the forefront in marketing their sealskin products especially.
Mr. Speaker, my final question is this: is our Nunavut government collaborating closely with the Home Rule Government and, if so, what type of initiatives are they working on to market sealskin products? Can the minister provide some details?
We are working with all of our allies involved in the sealskin marketing trade, not just the Home Rule Government in Greenland. We are working with people in Newfoundland and Labrador. As per my earlier statement, we have worked with ITK and various parties when they took the EU to court to fight the ban.
We have kept up our correspondence with the federal departments of Environment and Foreign Affairs, as well as the EU institutions considering the sealskin ban on the issue.
We are not just working with the Greenland government, but with as many partners involved to cooperate on this sealskin ban issue.
Question 266 – 3(3): Seal Meat Products (Ningark)
With respect to Mr. Tapardjuk’s questions, I have what I believe will be one supplementary question related to the sealskin issue.
We are quite aware and I hope the whole outside world knows that sealskins are not the only product.
As a matter of fact, Inuit here in Nunavut and the north are aware that seal liver is one of the most nutritious, healthy, and delicious of all the marine mammals, perhaps even including terrestrial animals.
We are also aware, at least those of us who have travelled outside, why most people don’t consider seal meat palatable outside of Nunavut.
We have heard that it is due to the gamey, strong taste of the seal meat.
Perhaps if we were to look for local ingredients here in Nunavut to spice it up or even to add garlic to it to make it more palatable.
I wonder if the Department of Environment has ever considered how we can benefit further from these by-products.
Japan, from what we have heard in the past, used to be quite interested in seal products.
Will the minister look into creative initiatives to see how we can further market the seal meat?
The Inuit of Nunavut already consider seal meat very nutritious and tasty, but there are people who are not familiar with the meat and don’t consider it palatable.
Will the minister look at ways to make seal meat more palatable for non-Inuit?
Additionally, the seal liver is very tasty and nutritious, and we should market its health benefits to the rest of the world for their information.
That’s an excellent idea to consider and we will look into ways to make seal meat more palatable, including spices, as well as the seal liver, and so on. I thank the member for his ideas.
Oral Questions. Member for Tununiq, Mr. Enook.
Question 267 – 3(3): Nunavut Coastal Resource Inventory (Enook)
I would like to wish a good afternoon to my fellow residents of Pond Inlet, as well as all Nunavummiut.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to direct my question to the Minister responsible for the Environment specifically regarding his Minister’s Statement of February 23.
The statement speaks to population studies and it states that the wildlife studies have proceeded smoothly to date in Foxe Basin and Hudson Bay.
Can the minister clarify the usage of the term “proceeded smoothly” with respect to this study?
The population surveys for wildlife can proceed smoothly when the study is a success and we are able to gather pertinent data that we can then present to our partner organizations regarding that species.
That is what we meant by the usage of that term.
Could the minister elaborate on what he means by a successful study or report?
Is there information available that we can use to measure this success? Does this report include references regarding the new means of surveying populations?
Yes, these reports are usually made available when the survey has been concluded. The data is gathered and presented to the Executive Council for their initial review and approval.
The reports are then made available. The reports that have gone through this process of approval are available upon request.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to thank the minister for his response.
Additionally, the statement refers two different methodologies that the department had to use for various studies.
It states that in Lancaster Sound, aerial survey methods are not effective due to the terrain.
For that reason, the department had to use a different survey methodology for their population studies.
Can the minister elaborate on why the department has determined that aerial survey methods will not work in Lancaster Sound or off Button Point in Baffin Bay?
Hon. James Arreak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague for that good question.
The Department of Environment has two different methodologies that are utilized for wildlife population studies. We use the serial survey method and now we are utilizing a new method just recently that bases the study via biopsy darting that takes a small sample which our department uses for DNA-based surveys. It is becoming obvious that this method is quite effective in delineating populations of polar bears.
In the Baffin Bay region, the problems we face in conducting an aerial survey are highlands and rough terrain. Furthermore, the offshore ice is generally very rough, which causes problems for our aerial survey crews to complete their wildlife surveys because they can’t access the animals readily.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister.
As per the response, there are two methods of conducting surveys. One is the traditional aerial survey population study methodology and the other method uses biopsy samples for DNA tracking.
As per the Minister’s Statement, this was just recently undertaken as a survey method.
It also states that this method will be used in the future.
Does this mean that this new method using DNA sampling is the best methodology for conducting these surveys?
Hon. James Arreak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank Mr. Enook.
To date, this methodology seems to be the best method as it will allow the department to delineate the individual bears by identifying their DNA and population base.
This will allow us to determine its age, size, and home range.
So if a bear were to be re-sampled via this biopsy sampling method, it would identify this bear as being previously sampled.
This allows us to sample the different bears based on this DNA sampling, which biologists are stating is the least intrusive method as it doesn’t immobilize the bear nor does it cause stress to the bears when compared to the darting methods.
This is the methodology that people in this field are starting to adopt for identifying polar bear populations and I imagine this will be adopted for various other animal population studies.
Question 268 – 3(3): Child Advocate Independent of GN (Ugyuk)
This is a question for the Minister of EIA.
Many residents have expectations that an organization would be created to advocate on behalf of children and youth here in Nunavut.
This is something Nunavummiut have been promoting to ensure that one is created.
When we were still in the old NWT days, the social service workers would request that this type of office be created. We are now in the year 2012 with Nunavut having its own government and territory.
Many incidents of child and youth abuse are disclosed and there is no representative of these age categories. We also hear that many children are taken. One of my priorities is to have an advocacy office created that will represent children and youth.
I have spent quite a lot of personal effort to try to understand the status.
We have heard that the title of this office is still not determined, but I don’t think this is a good enough reason to hold off on the creation of this entity.