EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I could say, however, that the Department of Health and Social Services is in the midst of holding discussions in Rankin Inlet right now with the group called the Pamiqsaijiit Association of Community Living, and at the appropriate time, we’ll have a meeting with that group.
I would like to ask the minister this, because they’re trying to form a disability council that deals with all of Nunavut. They will be mandated to deal with people who have disabilities.
I wonder if the minister can appoint a certain department to whom the council can report to or talk to when they need assistance.
And, as my colleague from the Kitikmeot region, the Member for Cambridge Bay, likes to say, to do so without too much red tape.
Can you name somebody that could be the person whom the council would report to?
The formation of the disability council has been delayed a little bit, even though Rankin Inlet started that quite a while ago.
On the question that the member posed to me at this time, to see whether there could be someone that could coordinate or someone who could be an avenue in our department for us to talk with disability council: we will.
I know that there is a group in Rankin Inlet, but they would have to deal with it amongst themselves.
But, for the disability council that is being formed right now, I would like to be able to have a contact person in her department so the council could have a good contact person there.
That way, they will not have to wait for the things that they want to do.
We’re working with NTI in this regard.
I am sure that I will be able to find a contact person for the disability council.
Question 294 – 2(2): Upcoming Meeting with Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs
In my member’s statement, I said that I would be asking a question to the Premier.
The Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs will be coming to Nunavut, and I know that NTI will be having a meeting with Minister Scott.
My question to the Premier is, will he be meeting with Mr. Scott and what is the agenda for their discussions?
When the minister is here, I will be meeting with him as well as with Ethel Blondin-Andrew.
I will be meeting with both of them to discuss various topics that we have been dealing with regarding housing, devolution, Inuit employment under the land claims agreement, and I’m sure we will be talking about fisheries as well.
Those are the types of topics we’ll be taking about when we meet with the minister and Ms. Blondin-Andrew.
Yellowknife residents were able to have a meeting with the minister last night, and the subject of mining was brought up by various aboriginal groups.
What does the Government of Nunavut expect to see as improvements after the visit with the federal minister?
Yes, I am in regular contact with this minister.
We have also invited business people, and they will have an opportunity to meet with the minister and myself.
We have scheduled this for Friday afternoon.
What aspects of the Northern Strategy will be discussed?
This is slowly moving forward. We were able to come up with an agreement in December in regard to devolution and it’s scheduled to conclude in 2008.
We are slowly moving along.
Before that, it was just in a dormant state.
In three years, we have made slow progress. We are always seeking new ways of consulting each other and on what people think in Nunavut in regard to that.
We have also made this available through the news.
Question 295 – 2(2): Plan to Increase Tuition Fees at Nunavut Arctic College
I know in the report that the minister tabled, they outlined a number of concerns at the college.
It’s also my understanding that there had been a deficit reduction plan put forward by Nunavut Arctic College in the past.
One of the recommendations in there was to increase tuition and board and lodging costs.
I would like to ask the minister if that is something that they are planning on putting in place?
As part of the budget process last year, in 2003-04, the college took a hit of a little over $1 million.
So, the first priority of this minister was to have that money put back into the budget and we did that, with the support of the members, in 2004, in this House last spring.
At the same time, there has been an ongoing deficit issue with the college over the last several years.
So, I’ve asked, in cooperation with the college, to have that deficit reduced.
The college is working on two plans.
One is a deficit reduction plan and the second is a new formula funding arrangement for the college that would come forward.
Mr. Speaker, on the deficit reduction plan, it’s my understanding it was presented to the board of governors, which has to adopt it formally.
It is my understanding that they have not adopted that formally.
There were several ways of increasing the revenue stream to the college within that plan, which included issues around tuition and so on.
If this is going to be the case, much like the Minister of Energy had indicated in the past, that it’s the government that pays the majority of the fuel bills, in this case with education… .
It is my understanding that through FANS and through training programs run through the workplace, that the government is the major payer of tuition fees to the college.
If this increase were to be put into place, is the minister anticipating that there would be a requirement to increase the amount for financial assistance for Nunavut students as a result of this?
Again, it’s hypothetical, because the proposed budget has not been accepted by the board of governors of the college.
I don’t know what form it will take.
The member is correct: the majority of funding that comes from the FANS program, that goes to the college, for example, for tuition and so on, if those were increased, then there would be a cost to the FANS program.
But, that is no different than if we had 30 students attending a program anywhere else, and their tuition costs would be covered under the FANS program.
So, there is a reciprocal issue there.
But, again, I can’t say what that impact would be, because the plan had not been adopted by the board of governors and I don’t know what the rates would be.
If they were minimum rate increases, then the impact would not be that great.
I know from experience over the last number of years that I’ve had to go out hunting with students, so that they could get food, that lived in student accommodations and family accommodations here. I suggest that any increase in the cost of lodgings to these students under the current formula would be something that they could not afford.
I’m just wondering if the minister would discuss this with his cabinet colleagues and the board of governors that… .
Instead of coming up with any type of increase to the students, the money, he had indicated, is pretty much coming from the government anyway, if they could look at revisiting that issue, at the way that the college is funded through its formula.
The member is correct; that’s why I said there is a two-stage process here. One is to complete a new funding formula model for the college and the second is the deficit.
As the members know, as the Auditor General pointed out, the college has to get its ongoing deficit, that has had for several years, under control.
I have asked them to come forward with a balanced budget, where we can actually balance the budget, and they’ve made some proposals.
Some of the proposals include, for example, and are not limited to, increasing the administration cost they would charge to third parties for actually running programs at the college.
As we’ve said before in this House, the majority of programs by the college are third-party sponsored programs, so there is a revenue stream right there.
Mr. Speaker, once the budget process is accepted by the college, and that’s the directions to eliminate the deficit, there will be an impact, as the member has said, on the FANS program, because that’s where the majority of the money comes from, then I would bring that back through the regular process to the cabinet.
If the increases are in the FANS for tuition or whatever, then they would be covered off by the FANS.
There would be no less money being received by the students.
I know our former minister of health was always indicating that the department of health was chronically underfunded right from the get-go.
It appears that this might be the same situation here with the college.
Again, I would like to ask the minister, if, instead of raising the costs to students for accommodations, for tuition, and things like that, he would consider first looking at the formula for the way the college is being funded, to try and incorporate those costs into the formula so that their costs are addressed adequately before any increased costs are passed on to students.
Any increased costs that were passed onto students would be covered off by the FANS program, because FANS picks up those costs. That would be an equal add-in to those expenses.
The formula itself is to look at how the college is actually funded for its base programming and so on.
Some of the things the members have talked about in this House is the base trades funding, which we believe, and the members seem to indicate that they’re in agreement with, should be base-funded by the college.
The college shouldn’t always be out trying to get third party funding to run programs. That’s part of the funding mechanism.
So, what I can commit to the member, because again, we’re in the hypothetical here, because if something happens… . I can commit to the members that there will be very negligible increases to the students.
That’s one of the reasons why, when the budget came forward, there was a concern how that cost would be covered off so that the students would not be affected, and that’s why it wasn’t endorsed by the board of governors.
In conjunction and cooperation with that, that’s how we would present it, so that there would be no more costs to the students.
Question 296 – 2(2): Income Tax Filing Services for the Communities
Regarding the T-4 slips that we need to file income tax, there are services that are available, like McKay Landau and other accounting firms, to assist people with their income tax returns.
In the smaller communities, those services are not available.
So, I would like to ask the minister where people should go to get assistance in filling out their income tax forms.
In most cases, the member is correct that there are no agencies in the communities that provide the services of H&R Block, or accounting firms.
As it is right now, there is a group of volunteers that provide that service in most communities; a resource, to work through available people that are able to complete income tax forms on behalf of individuals.
But within the government itself, we don’t provide that service in the communities.
You said there are volunteers in the smaller communities.
For individuals in the communities who are not bilingual, can the minister provide me with the names of the volunteers in the community?
I recognize that concern and it’s a problem that we deal with in all of our communities in Nunavut. There are many individuals that have limited resources or services to go to get their income tax completed.
Individuals, themselves, volunteer to provide that service in most communities.
Who they are, I don’t know the names of those individuals, but there are some ads that do go out in the public to provide that service.
The other thing that people do in the community is they mail their forms to H&R Block in Yellowknife or here or to different firms.
I can provide that kind of information as to what agencies provide services related to completing income tax forms to the member and to this House.
But, what I’m not able to provide is the names of the individuals, because every year it changes, who volunteers and who does not volunteer.
Right now, I don’t have that information.
I understand her response, but Nunavutmiut should be treated equally. She mentioned that we can send them to H&R Block: if I’m here in this community, I can easily go to the accountant, but if I’m in my community, I have to send them through the post office.
Who would be responsible?
Can the people be paid for the postage stamps that they have to use?
Currently, any individual who uses the services of accounting firms or H&R Block pay for the fees to complete their income tax.
They also pay for their own postage stamps to get the forms to the agency.
The government does not have a program in place to complete income tax forms for the citizens of Nunavut at this point in time.
My concern is that I think the government has to look at the public equally.
Like here in Iqaluit, all you have to do is walk down to the accounting firm and pay for the fees.
When you are outside of Iqaluit or outside of Yellowknife, you have to pay for the stamps or the courrier fees.
So, my question is, how can the smaller communities get help from the government?
What I tried to outline is basically the services that are available are at the community level, that provide assistance to individuals who are trying to complete their income tax.
Filing income tax is a federal program.
There is a 1-800 number from Canada Revenue Agency in place.
At the same time, at the community level, individuals can also complete their income tax on-line through the Internet system.
The other thing is the services through H&R Block or accounting agencies, those are private companies in towns such as Iqaluit, perhaps Rankin Inlet, I am not aware of one in Cambridge Bay.
What we can do is direct individuals to those services.
The other thing that I am aware of in the communities: the Northern Store completes income tax for citizens in each community.
I believe that there is a ten percent fee for that as well.
There are some on a volunteer basis, individuals go to people they know, or send in their income tax to companies as well, or go to the system itself.
So, there are a number of different options that individuals have outside the government.
The Government of Nunavut does not complete income tax for Nunavutmiut.
Question 297 – 2(2): Number of New Positions in the Department of Education
To be understood clearly, I will speak in English. (interpretation ends) Can you confirm how many new positions for our classrooms across Nunavut will be a result of this budget?
Directly, through the Department of Education, there are over 82 new positions in the budget plus an additional, under the DEA hires, 73 positions.
For a total, there’s actually 156.2 increases in the staffing.
Some of those are DEAs, and over 82 positions are Government of Nunavut positions.
Does his department have any new positions for special needs?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.  Speaker (interpretation): Minister Picco.
Special needs are very important across Nunavut, and this budget reflects that.
There will be over 40, Mr. Speaker, 40, over 40 new special needs positions that will be hired after the completion of this education budget.
That means there will be over 40 new special needs positions across Nunavut in our schools.
That allocation, those 40 positions, will be based on the need of each individual school, so that’s very good news.
I would also like to thank the minister. (interpretation ends) How many new program support assistants will be available in Nunavut?
In the budget, Mr. Speaker, as I just said, we have targeted over 40 new special needs program support positions within the budget.
There are 13 new full teaching positions in the budget. As well, for the first time we are actually budgeting new counsellor positions in the budget. So, I believe we have actually targeted almost eight full-time counsellor positions that we will be hiring.
And at the same time, currently all of the classroom assistants are hired by the DEAs.
That has caused issues because when they are hired by the district education authorities, the salary levels are not comparable to the classroom education assistants that are hired by the Government of Nunavut.
So, we are transferring over 50 of the support assistant positions that are with the DEAs to the Government of Nunavut and making them GN employees.
They will see their wages increase, and all of these positions are hired locally from the member’s community.
In some of the schools in Nunavut, there’s an overcrowding of classrooms; usually the ratio is 25:1.
Are we going to be increasing the funds for these classrooms?
This budget allocates over 80 new positions directly for our schools.
For the first time ever, we actually have a position now targeted for a child psychologist, and that’s a specialist who will actually work with children through trauma and so on, for the first time ever.
So I think this is a really good news item for our teachers and our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I have said in the past, I am trying to implement a new school funding formula.
Phase one was implemented last fiscal year.
This fiscal year, we’re implementing phase two, which is the increasing of a whole range of positions like special needs, program support teachers, counsellor positions, and so on.
Phase three, we will look at the pupil-teacher ratio.
Right now, the pupil-teacher ratio in Nunavut is approximately 1:19.
There means one teacher for every 19 students.
That is a very, very good pupil-teacher ratio, Mr. Speaker, and it stands up at a national level.
So, that’s something that Nunavutmiut could be proud of.
Question 298 – 2(2): Consulting Nunavuumiut on the Northern Strategy
I want to follow up on some questions that my colleague from the High Arctic asked this morning on the Northern Strategy.
I am aware that extensive consultations have to occur in Nunavut with the public. My question for the Premier: how does the Government of Nunavut propose to consult with Nunavutmiut to ensure broad public input over the next three- to five months?
Over the last little while, you have probably seen ads questioning Nunavut residents to phone our offices, our Government of Nunavut office, to solicit their views on what they would like to see in the Northern Strategy.
So, that has been happening and will be ongoing.
Here in Iqaluit, while the minister is here, we’re going to be having a roundtable discussion with various business community members.
Those are just starting, and I look forward to hearing from my fellow Nunavutmiut on what they would like to see from the Northern Strategy.
I would like to thank the Premier for that answer.
I’m flying to Cambridge Bay tonight to meet the minister of DIAND.
I’m not sure if it’s all going to be on the Northern Strategy, but I’m sure there will be some discussions there with people.
The Premier mentioned in the March 3 Hansard that he would be meeting with his Northwest Territories and Yukon premier counterparts in Yellowknife next month to come up with a joint strategy for the North.
Can the Premier expand on his comments and explain to the House what he hopes to achieve at that meeting next month to discuss the Northern Strategy with his colleagues.
We haven’t set the agenda as of yet, but so far we’ve been quite successful in working together, whether it be on health care, this Northern Strategy, getting additional funding, devolution.
So, we’ve been very successful in our efforts by working together.
We try and get together at least once a year and that’s what we will be doing in Yellowknife.
As for the agenda, we don’t have it set yet; we’re working on it.
I’m sure one of them will be on devolution and updating each other on the progress we’re making on the overall Northern Strategy, what we would like to come forward with and what we would like to see for our territories.
I thank the Premier for his answer.
I hope that following the meetings the Premier will able to brief the House as per his commitment of March 3.
One of the issues that always concerns people in Nunavut, and probably the North, is that when we get money from Ottawa there is an administration and bureaucracy put in place and the dollars don’t all get down to the projects or communities that we target.
I’m wondering if the Premier could comment on what type of funding mechanisms he or his colleagues are proposing to put in place to ensure that the majority of the $40 million receives will go to important priority projects identified in the communities and doesn’t get chewed up in administration.
I would agree with the member, my colleague: that’s the objective that we sought on the $40 million and there are no strings attached.
It will be going to our government, so one of the things that we want to avoid is additional bureaucracy that will cost us additional money.
That’s something that we have accomplished to date and we want to see more progress on other files, whether it be housing and devolution.
We’ll keep pressing those issues that are very important to Nunavuumiut.
Speaker (interpretation): Fnal supplementary, Mr. Peterson.
Again, I would like to thank the Premier for that response.
Can the Premier tell us if the Government of Nunavut has specific priority projects already identified to receive funding from the Northern Strategy?
My colleagues are lobbying amongst themselves in trying to find the best uses for the money.
So, we’ll have to have a good discussion in cabinet and I’m sure that our colleagues will have some suggestions too.
We want to take the time and spend it wisely.
We’ve already set our goals in Pinasuaqtavut, what we would like to see in the next four years.
Those will be our guiding principles and whatever we do, we’ll do it in the best interests and the best use for the dollars.
Question 299 – 2(2): Hiring Special Needs Positions at the Community Level
I want to follow up on my colleague, Mr. Barnabas’s, question on special needs to the Minister of Education.
There are 40 new positions that the government is hiring: will they be hired in our communities?
The short answer would be, yes, that these positions would be hired, wherever possible, locally in the community.
I would suggest to you that almost 100 percent of these positions would be hired locally, at the community level.
Mr. Netser (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the minister for his response. (interpretation ends) My other question is: for the upcoming Education Act, when will they start doing consultations in the communities, and will the DEAs be part of the consultations?
I think our good friend Manitok Thompson is just chomping at the bit and ready to go on the road and start those consultations right now.
That process will begin as soon as the budget is complete, because the process is for the new fiscal year, after April 1, 2005.
At that time, she will begin those consultation tours, and she will also be in consultation with the community district education authorities in each community as she begins that process.
So, there will be excellent give and take and information gathering by Minister Thompson, Ms. Thompson.
I got confused when you said “Minister Thompson”.
I forgot what I was going to ask, Mr. Speaker.
Question 300 – 2(2): Attendance at Chamber of Commerce Meeting
I would like to ask you a question in regard to my statement yesterday about the chamber of commerce meeting on March 29 and 30.
You can actually charter a plan since all of you are invited.
I would like to ask the Premier: I know that the chamber of commerce has a lot of work ahead of them, and I believe they are waiting for you, as minister, if you will be attending their meeting.
Would the minister be open… .
There are six Nunavut-wide projects, and let me list them: the Nunavut Soapstone Strategy; the Nunavut road project; the 2005 sealift process and how the contract process is going to run; Nunavut Power Corporation. If the Minister of Energy is listening, they will be discussing the power rates.
They will also discuss Cumberland Resources, and the sixth one, entertainment by Charlie Panigoniak.
Will you ask cabinet members to be available during that meeting?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Okalik.
Yes, well, I never received a written invitation, so I regret not being invited there.
I will be missing Charlie Panigoniak. I would be really glad to receive an invitation letter.