EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
There was a strategy in place to look into how we could provide community freezers to communities of Nunavut. There is also a strategy that we’re trying to work on in coming up with community freezers where we use alternative energy, such as solar panels.
One of the problems in the past was with these old freezers that existed and some still do in our Nunavut communities.
When they do break down, there is a lot of difficulty in getting technicians in to fix the community freezers. One of the things that we want to pay special attention to is the cost of bringing in technicians and the cost of maintenance. We intend to look at that and come up with good alternative power or even other various means of how local people can maintain these freezers at the community level.
I don’t think getting a technician to come in would be a problem in Pond Inlet because Mr. Freezer from Baffin who owns a company that fixes all the community freezers lives and has a family in Pond Inlet. I don’t think that would be a problem.
The minister is also responsible for the Nunavut Development Corporation, which has a number of subsidiaries in different communities. I know that the minister also used to be a board member of the NDC.
What is the NDC doing to enhance economic development in Nunavut, especially in North Baffin?
Your third supplementary question is different from your original question.
I meant it to be a part of this question. Maybe if I rephrase it, you will get exactly what I’m trying to say.
The building of community freezers requires different strategies and probably different funding from different pockets of different funds of the government.
So I am wondering if the Nunavut Development Corporation has a program to assist the meat processing plants and community freezer programs for the purpose of economic development. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Of course, we will look into that. The more partners we get, the better it is. Of course, NDC is within our ED&T department.
The success of some of these meat plants depend on what they are going to be harvesting out there.
Most of us don’t believe that you will get another 600 narwhales any time soon.
It’s got to be viable; there’s got to be a feasibility study done on what type of meat plant and what animals are going to be harvested.
You mentioned Greenland, where they do have an open market for selling country foods.
Of course, we are hoping to look into various things like char fishing and whatever is within that area.
A good example of why meat plants are at such a high risk is an example at Southampton. The meat plant is located in Rankin Inlet, but the caribou that do come in are harvested from Southampton Island.
This year, there is a moratorium for commercial harvesting of caribou and that’s probably going to go on for two years.
So it’s a real risk and it has to be proven through a feasibility study where meat plants are going to be constructed within the communities.
Question 155 – 3(2): Status of Conservation Officer Investigation (Aupaluktuq)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Environment, Hon. Minister Daniel Shewchuk.
Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, November 26, 2009, my colleague from Nanulik raised the issue of a recent incident involving a conservation officer shooting two muskoxen out of season and in a closed area.
In response to questions that day, the minister indicated that an investigation had taken place and that no charges would be laid.
This morning, the minister was heard on the radio indicating that the investigation into this incident is being reopened.
The minister indicated last Thursday that we should not base our assumptions on what we hear in the media.
Therefore, could he take this opportunity to update the Members of this House on what is now being done to address this issue?
As I clarified in the House the other day with my return to an oral question, this investigation has been reopened and I will advise the House on the outcome of the case when it’s completed. At this point in time, I cannot make any further comment.
I also thank the hon. minister for that response.
Can the minister clarify who or which entity will be conducting the investigation on this incident?
Again, at this point in time, my department is working with the Department of Justice and the Department of HR to go through the process of identifying an independent investigator and this has not been completed yet.
I have received two letters from the Hamlet of Baker Lake and also another one from the Baker Lake Hunters and Trappers Organization.
The conservation officer in question is based in Baker Lake. There is, understandably, some confusion and division within the community on this issue.
When will the minister and his officials be visiting the community to publicly inform residents on the status and progress of the investigation?
I would like to advise the member that we’re going through the process right now of identifying an independent investigator. That investigator and a person from my department will be going into the community in the very near future.
Again I thank the hon. minister for that response.
It is clear that law enforcement officials must be held to the highest standards when it comes to upholding and enforcing the law.
What is the minister’s position on the fate of law enforcement officers within his department who break the law?
I take this very seriously. Not only officers who break the law in my department but any public employees who break laws in any departments, it’s very serious.
I think that there are consequences that will come out and apply to everybody, and that is from a written reprimand to a suspension, to a dismissal of employment within the department.
Question 156 – 3(2): Establishing Graduation Standards (Ningeongan)
Mr. Speaker, earlier, I spoke of the disappointment faced by parents and children when they discover that a Nunavut grade 12 education has not adequately prepared them for a post-secondary education.
Can the minister update this House on what resources and services his department provides to grade 12 graduates from Nunavut who find that they need further upgrading in order to be admitted into a post-secondary program?
The new Education Act is getting implemented and we’re working on getting resources and services that are in the new Education Act.
Also in there, it states that the educational programs have to be recognized by post-secondary institutions so that Nunavut grade 12 graduates can go directly to those post-secondary institutions without having to be upgraded to meet the standards.
There are 25 institutions that we utilized and are being used by the Nunavut grade 12 graduates. There are 25 institutions in Canada that take in Nunavut students.
We are currently working on upgrading the system so that Nunavut graduates can enter those post-secondary institutions if they wish, Mr. Speaker.
That was not much of a response to the question I raised. Currently, most of our grade 12 graduates in Nunavut find that their education is insufficient and that they require further upgrading when they leave for a post-secondary institution or when they have entered a southern program.
My question is: what further assistance can the department provide to these students who are placed in that situation whereby they find that the material that serves as graduation workload is totally inadequate when they go to other Canadian learning institutions? That was what I was trying to ask about with respect to the level of education we provide in Nunavut.
I did not hear a response to that question.
Yes, I think I get the gist of his comments, which is in relation to students who are faced with difficulties where they graduate from grade 12 but their level of education is insufficient to be admitted into a post-secondary institution.
I believe you wanted to know how we can be of further assistance.
However, I cannot provide that answer today and I will have to take this question as notice while I try to conduct research into other forms of assistance that would apply in those situations.
However, I would like to state, Mr. Speaker, currently, we are having this matter reviewed whereby all curriculum levels and proper grade assessments are being looked at.
Basically, this would be to ascertain which level the student is at, whether there are gaps in their knowledge, and this assists the teacher and student to ensure that the students who are graduating from grade 12 are properly educated.
This also applies to the recognition of the levels of education in other parts of Canada, primarily to the excellence of education and what barriers are present, what limitations we are faced with, and how can we better strengthen the levels of education taken by our grade 12 graduates.
We are currently assessing the entire system for all of these issues.
However, with respect to his question about the level of education in Nunavut, I cannot respond at this time as I have to research the matter, Mr. Speaker.
I apologize, Mr. Ningeongan. The question was taken as notice, so you will have to wait for your response.
Question 157 – 3(2): Shortage of Fuel in Pangnirtung (Komoartok)
My question is for the Minister of Community and Government Services, Lorne Kusugak.
As things progressed in our community of Pangnirtung during the year 2006 and again in 2008, our community experienced a shortfall of home heating fuel.
In 2008, we suffered a shortfall of aviation gas, home heating fuel, and last year in 2009, we also ran into shortages of gasoline where there was none available for a whole week in our community. So for that entire week, the whole community did not have any gasoline.
This also occurred at a very inopportune time, when many members of our community are harvesting arctic char. Residents fish for char immediately adjacent to the community in the marine environment and we have a community commercial quota of 50,000 pounds, which is a boon to our people.
The fishermen utilize the quota and their income averages around $75,000 for the sale of that quota.
Due to the shortfall of gasoline in our community, many community members could not conduct commercial fisheries and this occurred right in the heart of the char fishery in July.
It seems that the fuel purchases for communities is very poorly planned as we sporadically run out of certain fuels as if no one is paying attention to the historical amounts used by our residents, including periods of intense usage.
It just seems that all of the supplies dry up and there is nothing available, and this transpired at a very inopportune time.
Based on the historical continual shortfall we have experienced, it would be prudent for the PPD officials to conduct inspections of the local supplies, perhaps even as early as May, so that they can ration certain fuels and not run out prior to the arrival of the fuel ships.
I am thinking of those additional infrastructure needs, such as our newly constructed health centre, which will require additional fuel to operate for the year, including the new units that are being constructed by the local housing authority. They are building two five-plexes and these will require more fuel.
On top of that, they offloaded perhaps ten heavy equipment machinery which will also require more fuel during the spring and summer construction period.
These machines are to be used to construct our small craft harbour once the open water season has commenced and they will also require additional fuel.
Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the Petroleum Products Division to task his officials to conduct inspections or if there will be a pre-emptive inspection to ensure that we do not suffer another shortfall. I would like to get an answer on that matter.
Because the communities are growing, the tanks are not keeping up with the communities anymore.
It’s very obvious, especially in Pangnirtung, because they run out of fuel before the resupply is available.
We are going to be setting aside some funds to start making plans for tank farms.
We know that there is going to be a shortage in Pangnirtung in the spring. We will keep an eye on the amount of petroleum products that are in Pangnirtung.
As soon as it’s available, we will be sending the resupply tankers to Pangnirtung and Pangnirtung will be placed as a priority with petroleum products of all types.
Mr. Komoartok (interpretation): Thank you, Minister.
The only problem is that the co-ops, I believe, have the contract for the delivery of petroleum products.
I would like assurance that your department will work with the Pangnirtung Co-op so that we will be ready or we won’t run out of fuel all of a sudden. We did have a problem with the plane bringing the fuel in.
It would make things a lot easier if there is a close working relationship with your department and the suppliers and distributors.
I would like to ask the minister if he will be willing to work with the Pangnirtung Co-op to make sure that we don’t run out of supplies again.
I would like to remind everyone here that if you are going to be asking questions or making a preamble, make sure that you make your point as soon as possible and to be as brief as possible.
That is a reminder to the members.
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): It will be perfectly fine with me if you have a long preamble so that question period will be shorter.
Anyways, we work very closely with the fuel distributors and the people who have the contract.
Of course, we will be working with the Pangnirtung Co-op when we are dealing with this issue and keeping an eye on the amount of supply.
You also stated that in the case of an emergency, we can bring in petroleum products to your community prior to the tanker coming in.
There are different options that we can follow.
We will make sure that there is open communication between our department and the Pangnirtung Co-op, the distributors.
I would like to assure the member that if the conditions are right, the fuel tankers will be sent to Pangnirtung as a priority.
It is also possible to bring in some types of fuel by plane.
So there are different options that we can follow.
I will keep my colleague informed as to the amount of supply that will be available in Pangnirtung.
Written Question 002 – 3(2): Graduation Standards Across Nunavut (Elliott)
It was interesting to hear my colleague from Nanulik raise concerns about our graduation standards in Nunavut.
I can assure him that these concerns are indeed an issue for other communities across the territory.
I have a written question for the Minister of Education concerning graduation standards across Nunavut.
Within the meaning of section 124(a) of the Education Act, what are the names of the different types of diplomas that may be granted to high school students who graduate from secondary school?
For each type of diploma referred to in Question 1 and within the meaning of section 124(b) of the Education Act, what are the requirements that must be satisfied before each type of high school graduation diploma may be granted to a student who graduates from secondary school?
From 1999 to 2009, under the previous Education Act as inherited from the Northwest Territories, how many different types of diplomas were granted to high school students who graduated from secondary school?
From 1999 to 2009, broken down by type of high school graduation diploma as determined in accordance with the previous Education Act, how many high school students received high school graduation diplomas in Nunavut?
What mechanisms does the Department of Education use to track the number of Nunavut high school graduates entering post-secondary programs?
From 1999 to 2009, broken down by type of post-secondary program, how many Nunavut high school graduates entered post-secondary programs?
Within the meaning of section 34 of the Education Act, what is considered to be “regular and punctual” attendance at school?
To date and within the meaning of sections 36 and 37 of the Education Act, how many programs have been established by the minister, working in cooperation with district education authorities, to encourage regular and punctual attendance in Nunavut’s schools?
He is asking that we put his written question into the record as read.
Item 11: Reports of Standing and Special Committees*
Committee Report 002 – 3(2): Report on the Review of the Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Nunavut (Arvaluk)
Today, I rise to present the report of the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts on its review of the Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Nunavut to the Legislative Assembly.
*See Appendix for full text of Committee Report 2 – 3(2).
As members will recall, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Nunavut appeared before the standing committee on October 1, 2009.
This appearance was held in the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly and was open to the public and media to observe.
Transcripts from the appearance have been posted on the Legislative Assembly’s website and I encourage all members to review these with care.
Members of the committee engaged in a productive dialogue with the Information and Privacy Commissioner during her appearance.
The standing committee’s report provides a number of observations concerning the issues and themes that emerged during the committee’s hearings.
Mr. Speaker, the standing committee’s report presents ten formal recommendations.
I would like to take a moment to highlight the thematic areas that the committee has addressed in its report:
Access to information in relation to government contracting practices;
The disclosure of information in relation to adoptions;
The disclosure of information in relation to the H1N1 virus;
The application of access to information and protection of privacy legislation to municipalities;
The role of the Information and Privacy Commissioner;
Amendments to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act in relation to privacy reviews;
[Amendments to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act in relation to] the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s discretion to extend the time for requesting a review;
Electronic records management in government;
The development of health sector privacy legislation; and
The development of school curriculum materials to help ensure the protection of our children in relation to online privacy.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues for their thoughtful interventions and questions during the committee’s deliberations.
The increasingly complex world in which we live requires governments to ensure that their practices in the areas of access to information and protection of privacy are up to date. In Nunavut, we must also ensure that Inuit societal values are respected in our approach to these challenging but critical issues.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the work that our Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ms. Elaine Keenan Bengts, has performed on behalf of Nunavummiut during the tenure of her appointment.
The standing committee appreciated her frank and candid replies to our questions and suggestions.
I would note that the standing committee is requesting that the government provide a comprehensive response to this report and recommendations, pursuant to Rule 91(5) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
With that, I move that the report be received by the House and that it be entered into the record as read. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Our colleague is requesting that we accept the report and that it be entered into the record as read.
We have received the report and it will be entered into the record.
Tabling of Documents. (interpretation) Premier of Nunavut, (interpretation ends) Hon. Eva Aariak.
Tabled Document 074 – 3(2): 2008-2009 Annual Report Qulliit Status of Women Council (Aariak)
I am pleased to table today the Annual Report for Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council for 2008-09.
Tabled Document 075 – 3(2): Schedule for the Student Loan Fund for the Year Ending March 31, 2009 (Tapardjuk)
I am pleased to table the Schedule for the Student Loan Fund for the year ending March 31, 2009.
Tabled Document 076 – 3(2): Labrador Marine Infrastructure Ministerial Trip (Taptuna)
I am pleased to table the Labrador Marine Infrastructure Ministerial Trip Report from June 2009.
Motion 013 – 3(2): Renewal of the Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative – Notice (Okalik)
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I give notice that on Friday, December 4, 2009, I will move the following motion:
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet North, that this House calls upon the Government of Canada to work with Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon to renew the Territorial Health System Sustainability Initiative, including the Territorial Health Access Fund and the Territorial Medical Travel Fund, in a manner that recognizes the unique needs and circumstances of each jurisdiction.
Bill 11 – The Order of Nunavut Act – Second Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Quttiktuq, that Bill 11, The Order of Nunavut Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill establishes the Order of Nunavut. The objective of the order is to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the cultural, social, or economic well-being of Nunavut.
The motion is carried and Bill 11 has had second reading.
I seek unanimous consent of the House to waive Rule 67(2) and have Bill 11 moved into Committee of the Whole.
The member is seeking unanimous consent that Bill 11 proceed directly into Committee of the Whole.
Bill 11 is now referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Bills 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 with Mr. Ningeongan in the Chair.
>>House recessed at 15:24 and Committee resumed at 16:00
In Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bills 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.
We would like to continue with the review of Bill 8, starting with the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, followed by the Department of Economic Development and Transportation.
Bill 08 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2010-2011 – Culture, Language, Elders and Youth – Consideration in Committee
I would now like to ask Minister Tapardjuk of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to make his opening remarks.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to present the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth’s 2010-11 capital estimates.
Our Vote 2 minor capital budget in the amount of $60,000 will permit my department to complete minor renovations and purchase new office equipment and computers for departmental operations in the decentralized communities of Baker Lake, Igloolik, and Kugluktuk, as well as our head office in Iqaluit.
Our Vote 2 capital budget in the amount of $7 million for the Nunavut Heritage Centre will provide the department with sufficient capital funding to complete the project design.
Future capital funding will be needed to construct this important facility.
As expressed in Pinasuaqtavut, establishing a heritage facility in Nunavut stems from the recognition by the Government of Nunavut and key stakeholders of the need to ensure the security of Nunavut’s cultural legacy by implementing plans for a territorial heritage centre.
The Nunavut Heritage Centre will also play a key role in supporting Nunavut’s arts and cultural sector, which has been identified in Tamapta as a 2009-2013 priority for the Government of Nunavut.
I would be pleased to answer any questions that the committee may have.
Chairman: Thank you. (interpretation) Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort Minister Tapardjuk’s officials in.
(interpretation ends) For the record, Minister Tapardjuk, please introduce your witnesses.
To my right is Naullaq Arnaquq, Interim Deputy Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, and to my left is Mike Rudolph, Director of Corporate Services for the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
That is who we are, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome. (interpretation ends) Does the Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Wellness have any comments?
Mr. Aupaluktuq: Yes, I do.