EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
(interpretation ends) Income Support programs that supports important safety net for many Nunavummiut.
Last July, the department introduced increase in food allowance rates and senior citizens’ benefits.
It’s good to hear that the new budget proposed for 2005 - 2006 once again proposes an increase in food allowance rates.
However, it doesn’t appear that the department is proposing any further increases to senior citizens’ benefits.
At the appropriate time, Mr. Chairman, I will be asking questions on this issue.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Arreak. (interpretation ends): My apologies to the minister.
Could you, for the record, please introduce the lady to your immediate left?
We have been joined at the table on my immediate left is Ms. Janice Hobbes, the Comptroller as well as Acting Director of Corporate Services for the Department of Education.
Chairman (interpretation): Welcome Hobbes.
There is another person on my list.
I thank you for giving me an opportunity to make a general comment to the Department of Education.
(interpretation ends) First of all, I would like to thank the minister for addressing the issue of Co-op patronage refunds being considered as income.
As members know, last week 161 residents of Pond Inlet petitioned the Government of Nunavut to amend the social assistance regulation so that social assistance benefits will not be reduced by the amount refunded to the Co-operative members who are also income support clients.
During the Arviat Full Caucus Retreat, one of our collective goals was to develop Nunavut’s economy, private sector and job markets.
The Co-operative movement in the Nunavut places an important role in fostering the economic growth of the communities and the residents.
Community individuals who are Co-operative members receive a form of patronage rebate, which is a refund based on the money that they already spent at the Co-op.
In the remote High Arctic communities such as Arctic Bay, Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, and Pond Inlet, community residents face extremely high cost of living.
I believe that every effort to meet these high costs should be supported and not penalized.
The government’s previous policy of considering Co-op refunds to be an earned income and therefore reducing the amount of social assistance provided to income support clients put the same people who are trying to make good spending decisions at an unfair disadvantage.
I would like to thank the minister for reconsidering the government’s policy on this issue and listening to the members such as myself.
I am very pleased that Co-op dividends will no longer be considered as an earned income for income support clients.
While I am on the same issue, I am pleased that this year’s proposed budget proposes a further increase to food allowance rates across Nunavut.
This will certainly help a lot of families with low income.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank the minister and his officials for coming down here on short notice.
It’s always a pleasure to have them here.
I think the Minister knows very well that I’ve been a strong advocate for education in Nunavut over the last five years.
I still think that our education system is going to be the key to our success of our territory in the future and that we have to find ways to improve the level and quality of education throughout Nunavut so that our students, our children are given the tools that they need to do the jobs that we’re going to need them to do in the future; whether that be to go to a trade school; whether that be to go to Nunavut Arctic College,; whether that be a choice for them to pursue post-secondary education at a university or college in the south.
I think that our education system should be at the same standard and level as anywhere else in the country.
I know we’re not there right now.
We need to move in that direction and I think that one of the things that we need to do and as a Government and the Department of Education is admit that things aren’t perfect and try to work with everyone involved, the teachers, the parents, the District Education Authorities, the communities to find solutions.
Don’t be afraid to say well this isn’t working right.
It’s been referred to in the past as ostrich mentality when you stick your head in the sand and pretend that nothing is wrong.
I know that this minister doesn’t like to stick his head in the sand so hopefully we’re not going to have that problem this time around.
There are a number of things that I think are very important.
Delivery of education at the community level and I know that the Minister himself knows, and will recall that when this First Assembly dissolved the Divisional Boards of Education, the District Education Authorities were told by the department of the day that this would enable more control and power and authority to be devolved down to the community level.
I think that this is something that we need to make sure and hopefully this time around it is adequately incorporated into the drafting of the new Education Act, not in the way that the department develops their budgets, not that it is not someone that sits in an office building, that you have to get on airplane to go to one or two time zones away, or whatever that knows what a community needs.
In a lot of cases the community knows what the community needs.
Now, granted there must be certain standards and criteria that are in place for everything, but in areas of say the Minister mentioned special needs programs and things like that, the community knows what those needs are in their community.
I think that we’ve seen too many times where, one example that the Minister is very familiar with, is like a postage stamp type rate for power.
It doesn’t fit everywhere.
So, the same things with special needs programming and what may need addressing here in Iqaluit may be different than what the community needs in Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Arctic Bay or Arviat or anywhere.
It’s different.
I think that there needs to be a way to allow a community to have some input into that.
The whole idea of re-doing the funding formula for schools, as I said earlier, is a good step in the right direction, the technology that was a problem.
We need to try and address it.
I acknowledge the Minister and the department for taking steps in doing that.
One of the things that during the review of the public hearings on Bill 1 in the First Assembly, there were a number of recommendations made at the public hearings, and the Standing Committee of the day, on things that are pertaining to the formula; things like taking the principles of the formula; different things like that I think urged the Minister and his staff to go back and review and make sure that they haven’t forgotten what people had to say back then because I know that the Standing Committee did some quite extensive consultations and that was something that a lot of people had something to say about, so, hopefully, that is something that the Minister will ensure that his staff do in developing this new formula.
On that one of the things that I look forward to getting a very clear and precise response from the Minister on during the appropriate sections in the estimates is exactly what has been done to date.
It says they are reviewing it and changing it and they will be implementing over the next few years.
It also states that Phase 1 is done.
It has been implemented.
I think that a lot of people are very curious to hear exactly what those changes are and why they were made.
What does it mean to the schools?
What does it mean to the teachers in the classroom?
What does it mean to the principals for the schools or the DEA for the community?
I look forward to getting a pretty precise response from the Minister on that, which I am sure that he will be more than prepared and happy to do.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my general comments for there.
I am sure that other members may have some comments that they would like to make as well.
Since this department is very important and all the public out there, especially with children, are very proud of that department.
I am sure that I would like to thank the officials too and welcome them.
Mr. Chairman, thank you too for acknowledging me.
I would like to make a short, brief general comment.
The Minister’s opening comments, I liked them and I thank him.
I don’t believe that the Arctic College President should be sitting in the Gallery; he should be allowed to sit on the witness table, because I do have questions for Arctic College.
The younger people are now getting enrolled into Arctic College and we are very proud to see young people trying to enroll to Arctic College of whom we are very proud of.
I want every one of you to know that it is very beneficial.
The issues that I wanted to raise under comments are, that Minister I know that you have a lot of responsibilities and I know that you toured the communities and consulted with them.
I am sure that you visited many communities, but I still can tell you that you still require assistance and support from the public out there, especially for Trades Schools. They call it Trades School.
We talk about Trades Schools and that it is very appealing.
If I say it in English (interpretation ends): Where is the beef?
Where are your plan and your scope and your objective?
I don’t believe that we cannot just say that it is good because there are Trades Schools in Nova Scotia, Red Deer, Alberta.
I sometimes ask the individuals from the communities, I ask them how big was the Trades School?
They could take 12 students.
I think there is a trades school in Rankin Inlet which can enrol 12 students.
Perhaps the Minister, instead of just making it appealing, I know that you’re planning for trades schools, why don’t we actually start getting the trades school next year and start implementing it.
At least start it small so that our young people won’t have to travel outside of Nunavut to attend post-secondary education.
They have children of their own.
When they leave Nunavut to further their education, they start worrying about their children and they end up going home even before they complete the trade program that they’re taking.
Perhaps the Minister instead of saying that they’re working very hard, perhaps should start talking about the plans and perhaps get a permanent committee for that to start the actual implementation.
I would prefer it to go that way Mr. Chairman.
I hear about consultation in regards to school curriculum, the use of Inuktitut and English language because the larger communities are not as informed as the smaller communities especially the District Education Authority board and the majority of them are non-Inuit and so that’s why sometimes we miss the information.
Perhaps, if you could publicize the information and notify us ahead of time that these officials are coming in because we can hear, we know how new communication technology in Rankin Inlet.
Yes, you can air them out through the local radio station.
With all this new technology, you can consult now.
I would like to tell the Minister in regards to the use of language, the language of instruction is very important.
Is it up to the communities how many communities want Inuktitut curriculum or English curriculum?
Who would be responsible for the decision if there were two that want to get into Inuktitut or English curriculum, which would be responsible for the decision?
I heard the Minister say it would be up to the District Education Authority.
If all the District Education Authorities won’t be able to agree, perhaps at what age that they can go into the classroom.
I can speak Inuktitut and I believe I can fully speak Inuktitut and it’s in your department, if they speak Inuktitut but they are not being used according to what I see.
They’re not making more money and it seems like the public out there aren’t too proud of it.
I don’t know what that really means that are we using Inuktitut culture?
I believe that we’re not incorporating Inuktitut culture within the government although I live in my everyday life because it’s my identity.
I want to get further information when we get onto the curriculum part.
I would like to thank the Minister for educating the teenage parents.
I know that this is going to be very beneficial for them.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to state that Nunavut Arctic College in the Keewatin Region, we want the programs such as management studies, aside management studies, Inuktitut translators/interpreters, there is a high interest for Inuktitut translators and you could use it as a private business if you can include that in that programming.
Perhaps you can say that interpreter/translator could start this year or the next fiscal year because that kind of training program in Cambridge Bay or Kugluktuk.
And I’ll be asking questions in regards to that.
I thank the minister and his officials for coming here today, as my colleague said, on short notice.
I was prepared, but I don’t think you were.
I saw Ms. Hine huffing and puffing when she ran into the building.
So I appreciate you guys coming on a very short notice.
Mr. Chairman, education is very important to all of us and it will be to Nunavut.
I don’t think anyone here would disagree that we talked about our economy, the Minister of Finance talked about mining and our economy over the next four to five years.
We have talked about devolution, and talked about a number of exciting things that are on the horizon, but none of it will be exciting unless we have skilled and educated workforce.
I mean not just in the matriculation like the scientists and the doctors, but also in the trades and the technical areas.
I have talked to a lot of people out there, business people.
There’s a great gap in the number of people out there that have trades training; the shortage of electricians, plumbers, and those kinds of folks in Nunavut.
So we have to do a lot of more work in our regard.
I am very encouraged by the minister’s comments of establishing a Nunavut trades school within four years.
It’s going to be a very challenging initiative.
I think it’s necessary.
If we have kids going into school, and kids are pretty smart.
You know we think they don’t see their future, they have a rough idea.
Some want to go to university and some want to go onto the technical and trades schools, but we have to give them those opportunities.
Not everybody wants to go to the south, but then again, there are a lot that do want to go south.
So we have to prepare our kids when they graduate from Grade 12 and hopefully they will make it to Grade 12.
It’s very sad to see when you start Kindergarten every year when you go to see the kids when they start school, they started all happy.
There are 30 or 40 in Kindergarten, if you track their passage through a school and get to Grade 12 there are only two or three of them left.
That means a lot of them have dropped out for a number of reasons.
So we have to find ways to encourage them to stay in school and see the value of a good education.
I have always said that you can take anything you own away from us, but you can’t take away good education, and as adults we continue to learn.
I am very encouraged by the minister’s opening comments.
He is asking for more money, he’s putting money into a lot of different areas that I think will help kids in school.
One of the things I have talked about with the minister over the last year, I think it was one of his first trips was out to Cambridge Bay, out to my riding, I talked about the need for a high school counselor in our high school.
We have a very nice facility there and it’s going to be nice to see a lot of kids graduating out of that high school every year, not three, four, and five, but 12, 15, and 20 eventually.
I have talked to kids and they would like someone in the school to help them make decisions about their future.
Sometimes it’s hard for them to talk to their parents and sometimes the parents have a hard time talking to their kids, but a school counselor is a person that can help with that discussion.
We also have special needs kids in our schools, I have talked to the minister about the special needs kids suffering from FAS or FASD and you have to develop these individual education programs and individual action plans and that require resources.
We can’t forget those kids. They do need the education and the best we can provide to them.
We have to provide the resources to the teachers to help them out.
On the income support last year, I tabled a document and I have discussed this over the years with various ministers even before I became a Member of the Legislative Assembly that maybe take some of that income support funding and use it for remote worksite assistance travel to get to places where there are jobs.
I know there are a lot of people that probably want to work but they can’t afford the ticket to get to another community.
A point of hire, for example, there’s an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement, where they could get there and two weeks in, two weeks out employment.
It probably would require a change in policy I’m sure.
I believe that to some degree, it’s probably a very small number of people that are affected by this but it becomes a disincentive to work if you can go every two to four works and get money and not really have to look for work.
I’d be concerned about that.
I have employers in Cambridge Bay tell me that some people don’t want to work because they can get on the income support program.
So, we have to look at that.
Again, one of my all time favorite subjects is Nunavut Arctic College, in the past they’ve tended to put on training courses that didn’t always help people find a job, a productive career.
I think that’s changed in the last couple of years with the new Board of Directors, the new President, some of the directors in the various regions.
That’s very encouraging.
The Nunavut Arctic College can play a key role in helping the private sector and ourselves to train people for the opportunities that are going to be out there in very short order.
I know that in our region, with the mining and I keep talking about mining because that’s something that’s there.
It’s real.
We have the Tahera project, the mine that’s opening next year in 2006 and the Miramar won’t be very far behind and the Diavik and Ekati Mines.
So, we need a trained and skilled work force from our region that can take advantage of the opportunities not only just to work at the mines but also to maybe start up businesses that can provide services to mines.
You can set up businesses in a community and then you hire other people to work, people that don’t really want to necessarily work at a mine but we need those people.
Nunavut Arctic College has a very important role to play.
They’ll have to continue to do their consultations with the communities, with ourselves to find out what the communities and what the people want in terms of training to prepare their residents for the opportunities that are coming over the next few years.
Those are my opening comments, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you very much for your eloquence.
(interpretation end): I have no more members on the list for general comments.
We will now proceed with a page by page review of the departmental estimates, starting with page G-5.
Before we proceed with the page by page approval of the 2005 - 2006 main estimates for the Department of Education, I would like to take this moment to remind the members that we are considering two separate documents, the main estimates and the departmental business plan.
From time to time, members may wish to pose questions that relate to information in one document or the other.
Please be specific as to which document and page number you are referring to when posing questions or referring to specific questions.
(interpretation): We’ll then begin with page G-5 in the main estimates.
I’m taking the advantage of looking at the item directorate, because I believe that there’s a main policy and what not, including, I would say Nunavut Arctic College.
I can do firstly, a particular area but I want to ask the Minister exactly, what are their long term plans for the development of the trades school and whether or not we’re going to see something other than just a good idea, the government supports this?
We have to start offering something to our young people, the younger generation and I certainly support my colleague from Cambridge Bay because we do have an opportunity to build an economy.
It’s most promising that we will have some number of mines developed within the decade for this facility if you’re up for some of that.
I would like to ask the Minister if he would reassure us a bit, that these kinds of areas are in good standing, as far as work safe terms.
I know that the Minister understands this fully and you have made a number of remarks on it.
Could you again say something that would inspire us a little bit for the next few years?
Thank you for the question and the opportunity to elaborate on the PVT.
Before the caucus in Arviat, when I first became the Minister of Education last March, I had approached the President of the College and met with the Board of Governors in Arviat, and discussed with them what I thought were some of the needs of education in Nunavut, especially on post-secondary.
The overly resounding feeling from the Board of Governors at that time was that we needed a dedicated facility, as a pre-vocational training school itself.
Bringing that forward, as the Minister, we had some discussions with the President and so on and then out of coming out of the Arviat caucus where the members recommended a pre-vocational training school being set up.
So that is where we bring us to today, right now in the budget where we looked at where we actually have money allocated to do a RFP.
What form or shape should the pre-vocational training school take?
There are some models out there.
Mr. Chairman, there are different types of models that we could look at.
Right now we have a systematic system in place that includes different campuses of Nunavut Arctic College, which includes three major campuses in Rankin Inlet, Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay, as well satellite Community Learning Centres in most communities across Nunavut.
So we have that type of infrastructure in place.
Right now when training is done, is done, as the member is saying, at an ad hoc basis.
We might deliver carpentry training in Iqaluit, and then we might do heavy equipment in Hall Beach two months from now, and so on and so forth.
As an ad hoc kind of when the money is available, let us do it.
I believe the direction that I would like to bring us in as the Minister responsible, I believe the members and the public at large has echoed this, is to look at an opportunity to a stand alone pre-vocational training school where you would do the majority of your pre-vocational training.
Whether that be mines training, trades training, electrical, carpentry, plumbing, heavy equipment and so on, and have that based on one central area.
That would be the optimum and that would be a physical building where we would be able to do that.
Right now, Mr. Chairman, I think it is important to point out, if you are going to on to the Red Seal, or the inter-provincial apprenticeship journeyman certificate, in many cases we have to send that student to NAIT, or Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, or to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, NAIT or SAIT, to Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith, or any other place.
What we would like to do is house all these types of principal trades under one building.
However, we are cognizant at the same time that there is a need to provide an economic stimulus.
So, there is an opportunity, Mr. Chairman. We are actually devised the three major training groups within the three areas of Nunavut with your campuses.
So you have a stand alone facility in Rankin Inlet that would do electrical, carpentry and plumbing.
Maybe Cambridge Bay, because it is close, we would do all mines training.
We would also look at heavy equipment operator training.
Maybe Iqaluit would do all the academic studies programs and some of the other programs that are currently delivered.
That is how you would have it.