EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Just recently that same elder came in to visit and he remembered my advice about the receipt when he went to make a payment to the housing association. He was told that he owed $800.
He said, “Hold on a moment,” and then went home. He grabbed all of his receipts because he had kept them and he brought them all up to the housing association. When he showed them to the administration, he ended up not owing any money.
We will try to provide more assistance. Perhaps if you can explain some of the issues, I would be very happy to send departmental officials to speak and to provide answers to the people who need help.
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): I thank the (interpretation ends) Hon. Minister Tagak Curley. (interpretation) If I were to raise this question regarding the correspondence I had sent: has he not received a copy of this correspondence?
Perhaps it’s sitting on his deputy minister’s desk.
I’ll look into that personally. I haven’t been provided a copy. It may have just gone up the line or directly to the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Once I look into this matter, I’ll provide an appropriate response.
If the minister didn’t receive a copy, I’m able to provide a copy to him tomorrow. Perhaps if you can inform me tomorrow whether or not he has a copy, then I can provide a copy to him.
I’ll be able to do that and I’ll inform the member as to what the status is.
Question 034 – 3(3): Government of Nunavut’s Fiscal Position (Schell)
It seems like it’s his lucky day today.
Yesterday’s Budget Address mentioned the word “deficit” a total of seven times.
However, the minister did not mention the other “d” word: debt.
Mr. Speaker, CBC News over here is reporting that the minister plans to ask the federal government for an increase in our borrowing limit, which was set at $200 million in 1999 by way of a federal Order in Council.
Can the minister confirm if this report is accurate, and, if it is, why did he not mention this in his Budget Address yesterday?
I thank Mr. Elliott or Mr… .
Mr. Schell is looking like Mr. Elliott.
I thank Mr. Schell for that question. Yes, I met with the reporters yesterday.
They seemed quite keen and eager to ask me about whether we’re going to ask for an increase in our debt cap. They are obviously well aware that the Government of the Northwest Territories is asking for an increase. They were trying to pin me down on a number.
I said, “Yes, $200 million is our level now to give the government flexibility that we would, at some point, probably be talking to the federal government about increasing it.” Again, it’s all preliminary.
We would meet with the Department of Finance. I believe Finance Canada has actually sent out questionnaires or surveys to all of the territorial governments to ask about increases in our debt cap.
The last time I spoke with my bank about getting an increase in my Visa limit, I had to explain why I needed the increase and demonstrate that I would be able to pay my bills.
Can the minister give us a sense today of how much of an increase in our limit he will be asking Ottawa for and can he tell us how he will use this borrowed money?
Mr. Speaker, we haven’t figured out an amount that we’re going to ask Ottawa for; it’s way too early.
I’m well aware, I have credit cards as well, and I know that if you get credit, you have to use your money wisely, make the monthly payments, and stay in good standing. So it’s too early.
Yesterday, when I talked to reporters, I didn’t give them any timeline of when I’m going to meet with Finance Canada.
Obviously they’ve got their own issues and concerns to deal with. They are dealing with their federal budget and they are dealing with a significant deficit themselves.
So when I know and have further information, I’ll let Mr. Schell know.
Another word that the minister banned from his Budget Address yesterday was “taxes.” I can’t say that I was sorry to see that word missing.
Can the minister state for the record today whether the government considered making any changes to our tax rates before introducing this year’s budget and, if so, what did it conclude?
Mr. Speaker, I didn’t indicate in the budget speech yesterday that there would be any taxes.
We will be introducing some bills to amend some income tax regulations to bring our tax regulations in compliance with the Canada Revenue Agency.
I have run my own construction company and one of the lessons I learned from that experience is that your own employees, especially frontline employees, often have the best ideas about ways to save money and improve efficiency.
I know that the federal government has an Employee Innovation Program where public servants who come up with money-saving ideas that do not reduce programs or services are eligible for recognition.
Would the minister commit to introducing something similar here so that frontline GN staff can submit ideas for ways to save money and improve efficiency in the government, yes or no?
I thank Mr. Schell for that very good question.
If the ministers are eligible for that, I would certainly have a lot of submissions in there because I have a lot of ideas on how to save money.
I receive emails and letters all of the time and people telling me on the street, in the stores and airports how the government can become more efficient and more effective.
I don’t know if I could commit to something like that, but I could certainly talk to my cabinet colleagues about a way to allow Government of Nunavut employees and other people in Nunavut to submit their ideas, suggestions, and thoughts to the government.
I would hope that they would, rather than bring it to cabinet, actually talk to their immediate supervisors in the department and through them, up to the directors and to the assistant deputies and deputies, and that their supervisors and bosses actually take their suggestions seriously and look at them.
I don’t know if that was a yes or a no, but I’ll have to examine it further.
Question period. (interpretation) Member for Amittuq.
Question 035 – 3(3): Investigation into Child’s Death (Tapardjuk)
Earlier in my Member’s Statement, I spoke about certain issues.
As I stated, we are experiencing a tragedy in our community because another child has just passed away.
I know that the health minister is very responsive to crises and is very sympathetic to requests for assistance.
Can the minister inform this House, along with the listening public, as to whether this issue will be dealt with by the Department of Health and Social Services? I’m referring to the crisis in our community which appears to be causing deaths amongst young children.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. That question is directed to the Minister of Health.
Yes, we are very sympathetic and we feel for the families who have lost their loved ones. We know that they undergo stressful times, especially when children are involved and people tend to be more loving towards them.
This time of year, we can see sickness moving throughout Nunavut.
I want to reiterate that flu season has arrived in Nunavut.
We sent out public service advisories where the chief medical officer notified the public about the results of the laboratory tests that it was an influenza-like sickness.
I’m not sure whether this is the cause in this particular case, but as you will recall, people who wish to have flu shots generally get them in the fall. This public health initiative is supposed to protect you from influenza.
There is another public service advisory that I’ll be able to provide tomorrow. At this time, it has been released to the newspapers.
I can’t state what the reasons or cause of deaths are at this time, but the coroner’s office will be investigating the cause of death.
However, with regard to the public service advisory announcements, we have provided an additional nurse to Igloolik to provide support for the time being.
There are currently five nurses with one head nurse, totalling six.
There are also two licensed practical nurses to provide further assistance.
We also have a home care nurse.
They are all working together to deal with the crisis in Igloolik, especially during this flu season.
We are trying to provide more support and resources to the community of Igloolik. We are aware of the families who have lost their loved ones and who are undergoing a stressful time.
I also thank the minister because they are trying to deal with this as quickly as possible.
It’s very unfortunate when people pass away before their time, and it makes you really wonder and brainstorm how the problem could be resolved.
Is it a result of ineffective health services or a particular strain of sickness?
I don’t want to blame anyone because the nurses are always working to their utmost to provide services to the communities and I know that they are impacted by any incident.
As the minister stated, the coroner’s office is currently looking after the issue. Is there any way the minister could make a declaration that it’s not due to influenza or a particular sickness that hasn’t arrived in Nunavut that may cause more concerns, or can the minister provide some sort of update as to what the cause was, Mr. Speaker?
With regard to the coroner’s office investigations, we don’t deal with their findings, which have to go through the justice department.
It’s only after we receive the coroner’s report that we’re able to make the information public.
Due to this particular illness, we’re trying to deal with these crises as they develop.
We’re trying to provide more resources for the nurses, as well as other services where we can provide it.
Whenever there’s a sudden death, it causes a lot of worries.
It’s unfortunate that there may be a lot of unnecessary anxiety, especially where families have sick children.
For those reasons, we have sent more nurses to Igloolik.
At this time, we can’t stop the illness, but what we want to do is provide assistance to those in need.
I also thank the minister for his response because the health department has really come out to help our community.
A lot of us have lost family members in the past when we used to have all of these illnesses. I personally lost a family member who died suddenly due to illness.
This can cause a lot of undue stress and anxiety.
I would like to know if the minister has spoken with the federal Minister of Health to look at the pandemic plan and whether this is something that may lead us down that line.
For that reason, I would first like to thank the Minister of Health, but I also want to comment that I consider this a crisis and a very urgent matter.
Perhaps we may falsely be scared by an illness with no foundation.
That’s why I would like the department to provide as much public information as they can to let them know that this crisis will be dealt with and that all processes are being dealt with.
In particular, families that have small children under the age of one are the most worried.
I would like the minister to inform my constituents exactly what their plans are and what they’re going to do.
As I stated earlier, we have sent additional nurses to the community to provide more support.
We also have two nurses who are on call 24 hours, especially during crisis or the flu season.
Right now, they’re being looked after properly. In some cases, each child is being looked after for two hours to see what their symptoms are.
If there are any children who are suffering from the flu or who are very sick, then they will look into those cases.
That’s where the situation stands right now in Igloolik.
I’ll be receiving updates from my officials and at that time, I’ll speak with the member representing Igloolik.
The Member for Hudson Bay would now like to ask questions.
Question 036 – 3(3): Sanikiluaq Airport Parking Garage Issues (Rumbolt)
Mr. Speaker, the Municipality of Sanikiluaq recently informed me of the urgent repairs needed to the airport maintenance garage in Sanikiluaq.
Last fall, high winds lifted the roof on the building and to this day, they are using large tires to hold down the roof.
Mr. Speaker, there is only one furnace operating, which does not provide sufficient heat for the building; the garage also has broken chimneys; the electrical system requires upgrades; and other maintenance issues.
Has the minister been made aware of the issue with the airport parking garage by his staff and does he know when an assessment on the facility was last conducted?
Yes, I have been made aware and some of the infrastructure that we have in Sanikiluaq is rather old, dilapidated, and in need for real repairs.
It’s just not in Sanikiluaq, in some communities also, but as the member is well aware, we do have limited resources in getting some of these infrastructures that we need for the Nunavut airports. Yes, I am aware of the situation in Sanikiluaq.
Part of the question he didn’t answer was if there was an assessment done on this facility and when.
The municipality had a contractor assess the facility and provide a detailed price quote on the work required to bring this facility up to code.
It is my understanding that this information was provided to the minister’s departmental staff. Can the minister confirm if his departmental staff will be conducting their own assessment on this garage or if the detailed price quote is sufficient to allocate funding for this project?
My departmental officials will work closely with CGS officials to determine, assess, and evaluate the necessary repairs that are needed for the garage there in Sanikiluaq.
Once that’s determined with a class “A” estimate, we will move forward from there.
Again, Mr. Speaker, he didn’t answer my question directly if the assessment provided by the contractor was sufficient for this project.
Mr. Speaker, the type of work required for this project will need materials to be shipped through sealift and as we all know, the logistics involved to purchase and ship materials takes time.
Will the minister commit to addressing this issue with his departmental staff as soon as possible to ensure work can begin on this project as early as in the summer?
With the assistance of CGS officials, we will make the appropriate determination of what’s needed.
I don’t think it’s acceptable to have big tires holding a roof down in any of our buildings within the communities.
Certainly we will take a close look at the assessment that has already been done and make our determination from there with the help of CGS officials.
Looking at our orders of the day, (interpretation ends) Item 7. (interpretation) Written Questions.
The Member for Nattilik has a question.
Written Question 002 – 3(3): School Non-attenders (Ugyuk)
I have a written question for the Minister of Education regarding school “non-attenders.”
(interpretation ends) Nunavut’s new Education Act came into force in July of 2009.
Section 34 of the Education Act refers to the “duty of a student” and states:
34. (1) A student shall attend school regularly and punctually.
Section 34 (3) provides for specific circumstances in which a student may be exempted from attending school.
However, if a student has not received an exemption and they do not attend school, they are a “non-attender.”
For the 2009-2010 school year, broken down by age and community, and within the meaning of section 34 of the Education Act, how many Nunavut children and youth were school “non-attenders”?
As of February 28 of the current 2010-11 school year, broken down by age and community, and within the meaning of section 34 of the Education Act, how many Nunavut children and youth are school “non-attenders”?
There are no more hands up. (interpretation ends) Item 8. (interpretation) Returns to Written Questions.
There being none. (interpretation ends) Item 9. (interpretation) Replies to Opening Address. (interpretation ends) Item 10. (interpretation) Replies to Budget Address. (interpretation ends) Item 11. (interpretation) Petitions. (interpretation ends) Item 12. (interpretation) Responses to Petitions.
Before we go to (interpretation ends) Item 13, (interpretation) we will take a 20-minute break.
>>House recessed at 15:18 and resumed at 15:42
Speaker (interpretation): We can now resume our meeting, Sergeant-at-Arms.
Going back to our orders of the day. (interpretation ends) Item 13. (interpretation) Reports of Standing and Special Committees on Bills and Other Matters.
The chair of the standing committee, Member for South Baffin.
Item 13: Reports of Standing and Special Committees on Bills and Other Matters
Committee Report 001 – 3(3): Report on the Review of the 2010 Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut on Human Resource Capacity in the Government of Nunavut (Schell)
I have the honour today of presenting the report of the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts on its review of the 2010 Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut on Human Resource Capacity in the Government of Nunavut.
The standing committee held its hearings on the Auditor General’s 2010 report from September 27 to 28, 2010.
Witnesses from the Office of the Auditor General, the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Education, and the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs appeared before the standing committee.
The Auditor General’s report presented 15 specific recommendations.
Planning;
Staffing;
Training and Development; and
Human Resource Tools.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to note for the record that the standing committee concurs with the recommendations of the Auditor General and notes that the government itself substantially agreed with all of the Auditor General’s recommendations.
I also note that the Department of Human Resources presented an action plan in response to the report of the Auditor General at the commencement of the committee’s hearings.
Mr. Speaker, the issue of the Government of Nunavut’s lack of human resource capacity has been a recurring theme in recent reports of the Auditor General to the Legislative Assembly.
For example, in her 2009 report to the Legislative Assembly on the financial management practices of the Government of Nunavut, the Auditor General observed that:
The standing committee’s hearings on the 2010 report of the Auditor General allowed members to engage in a dialogue concerning the fundamental challenges facing the government in this area, including such specific issues as the distinction between training and education.
As the Auditor General observed during her testimony to the standing committee:
“I think increasingly in governments in Canada, governments are requiring a university education.
I would say even, for example, if you take our office, we require either accounting designation or a master’s degree.
So the requirements are increasing over time, and will only continue to increase.
So it is troubling when you see that there is a very low rate of students completing high school.
So there has to be much more emphasis on having students complete high school and then going on to post-secondary education.”
Mr. Speaker, the government’s own statistics support the standing committee’s view that improvements in educational attainment constitute the long-term solution to the issue of human resource capacity and achievement of the government’s obligations under Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
For example, the 2011-14 business plan of the Government of Nunavut indicates that while less than 25 percent of beneficiaries in the territory have obtained a degree, certificate, or diploma from a university or college, approximately 60 percent of beneficiaries between the ages of 25 and 64 have not graduated from high school.
The standing committee recognizes that the Department of Human Resources itself does not have the mandate or resources to improve overall educational outcomes in the territory.
Nonetheless, our hearings provided an important opportunity for witnesses from the departments of Human Resources and Education to address areas where collaborative action would be useful.
The standing committee also notes the role of Nunavut Arctic College in this area.
The standing committee also notes the importance of pre-employment training initiatives being accessible to residents of smaller communities as well as residents of regional centres.
Mr. Speaker, the challenge of meeting the Government of Nunavut’s obligations under Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was a major theme of the standing committee’s hearings.
It is important to acknowledge that while significant progress has been made since the creation of Nunavut in 1999, the path ahead is a long one.
According to statistics in the government’s quarterly Inuit employment reports, a total of 925 beneficiaries were employed by the government in June of 2001.
By June of 2010, this number had increased to 1,524.
This represents an increase of almost 65 percent in less than a decade.
However, it is also important to note that ground has been lost in some occupational categories in recent years.
For example, in June of 2008, 18 beneficiaries were employed in the executive category.
By June of 2010, that number had dropped to 14.
In June of 2008, 34 beneficiaries were employed in the senior management category.
By June of 2010, that number had decreased to 29.
The standing committee notes, however, that there have been some moderate improvements during this timeframe with respect to beneficiary employment in the middle management and professional categories.
Mr. Speaker, for a number of years, the Government of Nunavut had a target of achieving 85 percent Inuit employment across all occupational categories by the year 2020.
In her report to the Legislative Assembly, the Auditor General candidly noted that “it is clear that representativeness will not be achieved in each occupational category by 2020.”
During the standing committee’s hearings, the government’s lead witness ultimately conceded the accuracy of this observation following repeated questioning on the point.
The standing committee notes that the new GN-wide Inuit Employment Plan contained in its 2011-14 business plan indicates that the government has set an interim target of 53 percent Inuit employment by March 31, 2012.
However, this target is a government-wide figure; the government does not anticipate meeting this percentage in the executive, senior management, middle management, and professional categories.
It is also important to note that the government no longer appears to have a clearly defined target date for when fully representative levels of Inuit employment across all occupational categories in its departments, Crown corporations and agencies can or will be achieved.
During the standing committee’s hearings, members sought to obtain clarification with respect to when the government anticipates being able to achieve fully representative levels of employment across all occupational categories.
Testimony from the government’s lead witness suggested that the Department of Human Resources does not anticipate being able to develop a more realistic projection for when this goal can ultimately be achieved until the year 2015.
As the government works towards setting a new target date, the standing committee notes the importance of being competitive with other employers in Nunavut, including companies in the expanding mining sector of our economy.
The standing committee also notes the observations in the report of the Auditor General concerning such issues as the availability of housing for employees.
Mr. Speaker, as I noted earlier, the standing committee fully recognizes that achieving completely representative levels of Inuit employment across all occupational categories in the GN is a significant challenge. I will illustrate this point by using the government’s own numbers.
According to the government’s most recent, publicly-available employment statistics, the GN had a total of 3,910 positions in its departments and major Crown corporations and agencies as of June 30, 2010.
As of that date, a total of 1,524 beneficiaries were employed by the government.
In order for fully representative levels of Inuit employment across all occupational categories to be achieved, a total of 1,800 new beneficiary employees would need to be hired, assuming a fully staffed public service.