EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
For example, if the community had a situation around alcohol and drug awareness workshop or seminar, then they could come back to the cabinet and come back to the council, through the council, to the hamlets, to the Minister’s office and ask for some extra funds if they’re available and that’s what we have made available there.
We weren’t able to do different types of funding other than the amount that we have in place because we did not have that available in the budget for this fiscal year to increase it.
Turn the page, for the directorate increase of $20 thousand dollars, or on page 10-7, new monies.
This is new monies for $20 thousand dollars for nursing scholarships.
How many students is that intended for in the nursing program.
Mr. Chairman, the Member is correct.
That is for the Nursing Program and that is the Queen Elizabeth II scholarship that was set up in honour of the Queen’s visit to Nunavut and it is made available to the nursing students.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Is that through an application process as well for these nursing students or is it automatically given to these students?
Mr. Chairman, for the students who are in the nursing program who are doing very well academically with attendance and so on, they may become eligible for the scholarship and then it is awarded each year to those students.
They would make an application from the students themselves in the program, you know, to the faculty and then it would come to the Department.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): If I was a good student, I would be given at the end of the year according to the performance.
We wanted to increase the funding for these nursing students.
Is that as a result, even though this would be given at the end of each year?
It’s awarded to the two students in the program with the highest academic mark each year.
Those students in the nursing program, we requested that their funding be increased.
Is there a misunderstanding here or did I misunderstand you?
We wanted their money to be increased.
This $20,000 of new money is that as a result of our request to increase funding for their, because I know he is very good Minister and he listens to us.
So, my question is, is that as a result of our request to increase and then we hear this is given at the end of each year if they had high marks, can you please clarify that?
This increase, please explain it.
Mr. Chairman, the Chair of the Standing Committee of Health and a couple of years ago, they made a recommendation that we put in place for the other amount that he is talking about.
And this is the $20,000 and the Member is correct.
This is new money that was introduced this year on behalf for the visit of the Queen, it is called the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship and it is an extra program for our nursing students, but it is just for the nursing students.
But the Member is correct, that is an extra program from recommendations that had come forward from the Committee.
In regards to my Colleague’s question from page 10-6, it states here, well, it is written here in the explanation and we had asked questions to the Minister and he said that the larger communities would be receiving close to $8 thousand and the smaller communities would be receiving $5 thousand for community support for operations.
And we did not agree with that and we wanted to see the increase for all of the communities.
My question is whether this has changed or if there was no change in this at all.
Mr. Chairman, the Member on page 10-6, it did say contribution of $5 thousand per community in writing.
That is the typo, that is the error.
We did increase the amounts to all communities.
The first time we did this was in the 2001/2002 budget.
The member is correct, there is only $5 thousand dollars for every community, no matter how small or big they were.
On recommendations of the health committee, we went back and reviewed it based on what I had available, which was the $200 thousand dollars, and then we increased it.
So, for example, Mr. Chairman, almost every community received an increase.
Rankin Inlet, for example, went from $5 thousand dollars to $10 thousand dollars.
Arviat went from $5 thousand dollars to $75 hundred dollars, Pangnirtung went from $5 thousand dollars to $75 hundred dollars, and so on.
So there was an increase last year and we’ve maintained the same amounts in those increases for this year.
Yes, I thank him for supporting the larger communities because they can have better services.
And thank you for giving me the detailed figures for the larger communities.
Perhaps I can ask the Minister about my two communities, how much money they have received through this program.
Mr. Chairman, if you could just give me a second, I’ll add them up here.
Would the member want the amount over the last two years, how much has been given to the three communities, or by year.
I’m just trying to get clarification.
A contribution of $5 thousand dollars per community, whether this is annual.
For example, Arctic Bay, Grise Fjord, Resolute Bay, how much funding will each community receive annually,.
Mr. Chairman, for Arctic Bay, they receive $12 thousand dollars, over the last two years, that’s 6 and 6.
Grise Fjord received $10 thousand dollars, that was 5 and 5 and Resolute Bay received 10 thousand dollars also and that was 5 and 5.
I thought we were using these main estimates just for a year.
I thought we planned for a full year.
What I’m talking about is one year. I thought we were dealing with one year main estimates, not two year main estimates.
Is the Minister saying that the communities still receive $5 thousand dollars but if they do make an application, they would be given larger amounts.
Just for clarification, the money that is in the budget there is the same as last year.
When we first put the money in the budget, everyone received $5 thousand dollars.
And the committee came back and said, Minister that’s not enough and it’s not fair that a larger community only gets $5 thousand dollars when the smallest one gets the same amount.
What about the medium sized communities?
I only have $2 hundred thousand dollars to play with.
So we went back through, looking on them based on needs, per/capita and so on and we increased the budget last year per community.
So for example, Arctic Bay went from 5 thousand dollars to 6 thousand dollars and so on.
So this year, for example, Arctic Bay, will get $6 thousand dollars, the same amount that they got last year.
That money Mr. Chairman, is to support the committee.
It’s not to hire staff.
It may be used to pay honorarium, for example.
Some communities use it to pay honorarium. Cambridge Bay, the people don’t pay any honorarium at all, they use it to hold workshops and so on.
We give the money to the hamlets and they then with the community, it’s up to themselves to use the discretionary funding for the purpose of helping facilitate the health committee.
I appreciate the outline of the roles and responsibilities of the committees that the Minister just outlined.
My question was that, first we’re not always happy about the Federal Government giving us funding per/capita.
And we are doing the same thing as the Government of Nunavut to our communities.
So, that is what I am trying to say.
My question is Mr. Chairman, if Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord wanted more money, if they got $5 thousand, is this $200 available for that?
The, we have allocated $177 thousand,500 for this program, for this budget year, that is what we have allocated. When the total amount is available, there was $200 thousand.
So, if one of those communities came forward, then we would have $22 thousand,500 for that based on program, a proposal or a need.
And that way it makes it a little bit fairer for any community to access or uptake on some extra funds.
Mr. Arvaluk: I seem to recall when we started this Government; I will just follow up on Ms. Williams’ manner of questioning.
We dissolved the Health Board, Regional Health Board and the Education Board.
And I learn that from Coral Harbour that Education, DEAs are doing well, having a direct communication with the Minister of Education.
We also stated that we wanted to do more at the local level, give more authority and responsibility to local DEAs and Health Boards or Health Committees.
Yet, other than small increase that my Colleagues are talking about and as the Minister is talking about, we have not really done anything to have more community initiatives and assistance.
And for example, we have not really hired a Secretary Treasurer for the Health Committee, we have not really increased any Honorariums nor have a better communication between health centers and the Health Committees.
We lack resources to do that.
Will the Minister consider in the next budget to make the commitment that the Government made at the beginning of this Government to make that a reality by providing financial budget to do that?
Because when we are looking at, if we are looking at a DEAs funding for a year and the Health Committee’s funding for a year, there is a very big discrepancy for the same promise, for the same intent when the Health Board was removed.
When are we going to see dollars to help the local Health Committees to be more active with resources that are provided by the Government?
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. Minister Picco.
Mr. Chairman, first of all, I want to say that, when we looked at the dissolution of the Boards, the Education Boards as well as the Health Boards, it seems like a long time ago now that the Member who was the Minister at the time and is doing an excellent job and I want to congratulate him on the leadership shown.
Quickly, Mr. Chairman, on the Health Committees, I am honest to say that the Health Committees are really are active and again it depends on the community. The Health Committees are involved, for example, Brighter Futures, community wellness money that is distributed.
Some of the Health Committees get regular updates sent to my Office of the work that they have been doing.
I must say that the majority of our Health Committees are very active member of the Hamlets and they have been working diligently on the whole range of community health issues.
After saying that, Mr. Chairman, we have also, over the last two years, have held the training workshops in most Regions at least twice and we are attempting, over the next two or three weeks to be rewarding for, again, the continuation of training in our community wellness committees across Nunavut.
So, I think they’ve done some really good work and they are active and again the budgets aren’t necessarily for administration.
They’re actually there for support.
Do you have any further questions Mr. Arvaluk.
I hope that will change from a mouth piece to something that the community could stick with in the next budget.
My question is on the 10-5.
Compensation benefits, $10,824,000.
Mr. Chairman, I understand that this is for providing leadership and direction to the department and to monitor Health and Social Services programs.
In other words, this is for payments to the staff of the Department of Health and Social Services of the administrative and policy making levels, etc. for $10,000,000.
What percentage is that in comparison to what you pay to the doctors and contract nurses, travel costs to the patients outside of their community, medivacs, etc.
I guess what I’m trying to get at here is, what is a service needed for having nurses, doctors, transporting patients to the hospital etc., to $10,000,000 as an administrative cost to run the Health and Social Services.
Mr. Chairman, that is a difficult question.
First of all when it comes to compensation and benefits, the $10,824,000, that’s for the administrative positions that are located in headquarters as well as the three regional centres, Rankin Inlet, Pangnirtung, and Cambridge Bay.
They look at the percentage based on the doctors as the member knows, I believe we only have 10 or 11 base doctors in all of Nunavut, but on the physician costs themselves, they’re considerably higher because every time we sent someone outside, for example, to Yellowknife, Winnipeg and so on, we have to pay those costs.
It would roughly be about 11%, I believe, Mr. Chairman.
There is no doubt then for 10 million dollars worth, almost 11 million dollars worth, finding out what is the best way to run Health and Social Services in Nunavut.
What is the most cost effective way under the leadership and direction to the department that will eventually, some day, down the road that we will be able to make more efficient way of looking after the sick and health prevention etc., that we’re talking about because at the moment the way, we’ve been short on nurses and very high cost of transportation.
I mean, that’s for the year alone, for your sending the patients out you say was around 20 million dollars or over 20 million dollars for medivacs and etc.
You know, I don’t know how many planes we can buy with that, have our own planes just for medivacs like the cities do with their transit system instead of just running a taxi in Ottawa, they have bus services too and the rails in Montreal etc., owned by the city because they could run it more cheaply for their own citizens.
I hope we will start looking at our health programs in line like that at least to make the health programs and social services more affordable in respect of the total budget of the Nunavut Government.
I don’t think any other jurisdiction in Canada, I understand that transportation comes at a very high cost but in other costs, like to run the program other than the finance department, that is pretty heavy, $10 million dollars to run the Health and Social Services program.
That is, I understand, it’s not a professional position, these are administrative and management director positions including our support staff, for management, other than doctors and nurses and transportation, hospital fees etc.
I as a regular Member of the Legislative Assembly along with my other colleagues here, have a very hard time.
If I’m not a member of the Health and Social Services Standing Committee, okay, I have a very hard time reading between the lines of your budget because every page has very similar headings.
Compensation and benefits, grants and contributions.
I think we talked to the finance Minister on that one before to inform him that it’s very difficult to get answers unless we believe you.
I don’t know if politicians are easily persuaded by this but is there any way we can see, as regular members representing our communities, representing Nunavut, have a better picture as to where the doctors and nurses and transportation for sick people is being identified in this budget, where the management to run the Health and Social Services department is identified.
Where the health promotions and suicide preventions because we’ll be going to suicide prevention down the road I found it quite shocking how small the suicide prevention money is because some of it hidden maybe in the compensation and benefits.
It doesn’t give you a good picture.
The method that we’re using is the approved format that has been in place for the last several years and I understand the frustration of the member because under health for example, when you’re looking at, if someone went out for respiratory track infection, we wouldn’t categorize that as one specific type of illness.
For example, pneumonia, it would be covered under medical travel, we would have to send them out and then we’d have to pay for the bed and that would be medical services purchases outside the territory and so on.
For example, Mr. Chairman, on some of the costs, every time we send someone out for a hospital bed, when someone stays over night, right now the paediatric costs in Ottawa, just for example, is $1 thousand 786 dollars a night. That’s what your government pays.
So for every time we send a child out, we pay $1 thousand 786 dollars in the hospital. For an adult, it’s around $1 thousand 600 dollars a night that we pay.
So every time you have a patient that’s in Winnipeg or Yellowknife, Edmonton or Ottawa and so on, we’re paying $1 thousand 600 dollars a night if they’re at the hospital.
Those costs would be covered under different categories within the department.
That’s how you have to break them down so that for example, travel and transportation, supplies and so on and so forth, you’ll make sense in the way of the framework of the costs are.
But I can do, Mr. Chairman, for the Member, is we have put together a new document that I will make available to the Members over the next week or so.
I have to get it translated first, I had just gotten it today, and it gives me a breakdown by community of positions that tells me the top ten reasons for referrals.
For example, I am looking at Cambridge Bay right now, that tells me the population is 1,714.
There were 2,184 scheduled here, passengers travelled since 1999.
Last year, it was 626 and that was up by over a hundred from the year before.
And I also break it down, but you are asking for, James, in the capitation benefits and expenses for that community, then we can take that and then break it down into the budget, but that is a lot of detail.
I move to report progress.
You can ascertain the Speaker.
We will see you again on Monday.
Item 20. Reports of the Committee of the Whole.
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, your Committee has been considering Bill 30 in the Main Estimates and would like to report progress.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
Mr. Nutarak will second the motion.
A reminder to regular members that presentation with Minister of Finance on the supplementary budget is commencing at 2:30 p.m. but be there by 2:15.
Orders of the day for Monday, March 24, 2003,
Motion 020-1 (6)
Bill 33  Second Reading of Bills
This House stands adjourned until Monday, March 24th, at 1:30 p.m.
>>House adjourned at 14:01 p.m.  Nunavut Canada
Monday March 24, 2003
Pages 3070 - 3148
Opening Prayer 3070
Ministers’ Statements 3070
Members’ Statements 3075
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 3081
Oral Questions 3081
Tabling of Documents 3099
Motions 3100
First Reading of Bills 3101
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 3101
Report of Committee of the Whole 3146
Orders of the Day 3146
Monday March 24, 2003 3070
141 – 1(6): Social Work Week March 23-30, 2003 (Picco) 3070
142 – 1(6): Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit and Tuqtarvik (Akesuk) 3071
143 – 1(6): Government of Nunavut Video on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Okalik) 3072
144 – 1(6): World TB Day (Picco) 3073
145 – 1(6): Education Act (Kilabuk) 3074
479 – 1(6): Swim Patrol Program (Tootoo) 3075
480 – 1(6): Thankful to Government (Alakannuark) 3076
481 – 1(6): Inuktitut and Innuinnaqtun Not Recognized (Iqaqrialu) 3076
482 – 1(6): Sanikiluaq Arena in Need of Artificial Ice (Kattuk) 3077
483 – 1(6): Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Irqittuq) 3077
484 – 1(6): Conference in Rankin Inlet (McLean) 3078
485 – 1(6): Rankin Inlet Conference (Thompson) 3079
486 – 1(6): Skidoo Trip to the Cabin (Ng) 3080
487 – 1(6): Congratulations to Fauna Kingdon (Picco) 3080
475 – 1(6): Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Board (Alakannuark) 3081
476 – 1(6): Yearly TB Testing (McLean) 3082
477 – 1(6): Concerns and Recommendations – Standing Committee on Bill 1 – Education Act (Tootoo) 3086
478 – 1(6): Polar Bear Survey Project (Iqaqrialu) 3088
479 – 1(6): Setting Polar Bear Quotas (Williams) 3088
480 – 1(6): Working with Health Personnel in the Communities (Irqittuq) 3090
481 – 1(6): Funding for Coral Harbour Access Road (Arvaluk) 3092
482 – 1(6): Chemical Warfare Effects (Nutarak) 3094
483 – 1(6): Plans for Docking Facility for Baker Lake (McLean) 3095
484 – 1(6): Plans for Home Heating Fuel (Tootoo) 3096
097 – 1(6): The First Annual Report of the Inuit Qaujimajatuqagninnut Task Force (Akesuk) 3099
098 – 1(6): Terms of Reference for Noth the Inuit Qaujimajatuqanit Katimajiit and Tuqtarviit (Akesuk) 3099
020 – 1(6): Establishment of a Task Force on Suicide Prevention and Community Healing (Irqittuq) 3100
Bill 33 – Tobacco Control Act – First Reading 3101
Speaker (Mr. O’Brien): I would like to call on Ms. Williams to say the opening prayer.
Minister’s Statement 141 – 1(6): Social Work Week March 23-30, 2003
Mr. Speaker, Social Work for Social Justice as this theme for National Social Work Week in Nunavut from March 23rd to 30th.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we set aside this time each year to recognize the tremendous contributions social workers make to our society.
In Nunavut, they work in the communities to help individuals and families with the challenges and difficulties some face in dealing with our quickly changing world.
Mr. Speaker, working in the areas of Mental Health, Wellness, Child Protection, Adoptions, Corrections, Adult and Children Residential Services and Adult Services, social workers in Nunavut work with the communities to build healthy and stable environments in which adults can live and children can grow.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that my voice lead the many that will join with me in recognizing March 23 to the 30th as Social Work Week here in Nunavut.
Minister’s Statement 142 – 1(6): Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit and Tuqtarvik
Good afternoon, members and the visitors in the gallery.
I'm am very pleased, along with my colleagues, to announce a number of significant changes to the way that the GN operates and Serves Nunavummiut
(interpretation ends) As members of this assembly and Nunavummiut we often speak as the role of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in Government and the value of the wisdom of those with Inuit knowledge.
We want this wisdom to be available to each level, so that over time this government will grow more and more responsive to Inuit ways.
We know that as part of Canada, under laws, rules and a Constitution, there are certain processes and procedures we need to follow.
We also know that there are many areas where the Nunavut Government does have control over what we do and how it is done, and in these cases, we would like to see Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit guide our activities.
For four years this government has worked for ways to include Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into our daily work.
We are reminded that the Bathurst Mandate states “Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit will provide a context in which we develop an open, responsive and accountable public government.”
We have initiated the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Task Force - and I will be tabling that report today.
We have asked for funding for the Elders’ council. It was first announced last spring for the year 2002/2003 Budget Address.
We have conducted consultations with elders in Arviat, Rankin Inlet and Igloolik.
We have discussed this issue, as a Cabinet, most recently in Coral Harbour.
We have asked senior officials in several occasions to identify ways of getting Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into the Government on a daily basis.
The valuable input we gained from these consultations has now helped form a continuous framework inside the government, to assist and remind us of the main Inuit approaches in all that we do.
There will be the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit, a group of wise and talented people from outside of government who will continue in the path of the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Task Force.
They will be available and invited to comment regularly on and respond to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit issues within the government.
I will be tabling their terms and references today.
There will be the Tuqtarvik, made up of people from all GN departments, lead by the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth with the role of discussing, supporting, suggesting, commending and evaluating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit issues and initiatives.
I will be tabling the terms and references today.
There will be a full-time Tuqtarvik, inside each government department, responsible for coordinating, advancing, arranging, promoting and discussing Inuit approaches to work that we do.
Each department will be hiring and design the particular work of the Tuqtarvik.
Culture, Language, Elders and Youth will take a coordinating role in supporting the Katimajiit and Tuqtarvik and will, in effect, become the central agency for the advancement of these goals within the government.