EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Keeping in line with my colleagues here with the forms of written questions, I also wanted to submit one as well to verify that our constituents’ concerns are being raised.
My written question is directed to the Hon. Minister Peter Taptuna, Minister of Economic Development and Transportation. The questions I would like to pose are two. The first part is:
With respect to the Development Partnership Agreement (DPA) between the Government of Nunavut and the Meadowbank Mining Corporation that was signed on February 17, 2007, how does the Government of Nunavut monitor compliance with the terms of the development partnership agreement in relation to:
Socio-economic planning, monitoring, reporting, and mitigation;
Education, training, and employment;
Business development; and
Other matters as provided for in Article 7 of the agreement?
Finally, Mr. Speaker, the second additional question with this is:
Within the meaning of Article 9 of the development partnership agreement, what were the contents of the 2008 and 2009 annual reports that are required to be produced under the agreement?
Tabled Document 111 – 3(2): Resolutions from the November 2009 Kitikmeot Mayors’ Conference (Ningark)
As I stated in my Member’s Statement earlier, Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a copy of a resolution from the Kitikmeot Mayors’ Conference which was held in November of 2009.
Mr. Speaker, as a courtesy to the government, I wish to advise this House that on Monday, I shall be posing a detailed written question concerning the government’s response to these resolutions.
Tabled Document 112 – 3(2): 2008-2009 Nunavut Fisheries Training Consortium Annual Report (Shewchuk)
I would like to table the following document: 2008-09 Nunavut Fishing Training Consortium Annual Report.
Tabling of Documents. (interpretation) There are no more?
Item 14. (interpretation ends) Notices of Motions.
Bill 22 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2010-2011 – Notice
I give notice that on March 6, 2010, that Bill 22, Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2010–2011, be read for the first time.
Just a reminder that there is a meeting of the Management and Services Board at half past one in the Tuktu Room, and number two, a reminder to all of those members that there will be individual meetings with the Integrity Commissioner for this weekend.
This House stands adjourned until Monday, March 8, at 1:30 p.m. (interpretation) Thank you.
>>House adjourned at 11:35
Monday, March 8, 2010
Pages 1168 – 1234
Opening Prayer 1168
Money Message 1168
Budget Address 1168
Ministers’ Statements 1176
Members’ Statements 1177
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 1183
Oral Questions 1184
Written Questions 1201
Tabling of Documents 1202
First Reading of Bills 1203
Second Reading of Bills 1203
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 1204
Report of the Committee of the Whole 1233
Orders of the Day 1233
Monday, March 8, 2010 1168
097 – 3(2): 2010-11 Government of Nunavut Budget (Peterson) 1168
098 – 3(2): Minister Tapardjuk Absent from the House (Aariak) 1177
149 – 3(2): Working for the People of Baker Lake and Nunavummiut (Aupaluktuq) 1177
150 – 3(2): Celebrating Cadets in Canada (Elliott) 1178
152 – 3(2): Health of Member (Arvaluk) 1180
153 – 3(2): In Support of Sport (Ningeongan) 1181
154 – 3(2): Birthday Greetings to Daughter (Tootoo) 1182
155 – 3(2): In Support of Youth (Aariak) 1182
228 – 3(2): GN Policy to Protect Freedom of Speech (Elliott) 1184
229 – 3(2): Economic Development in Smaller Communities (Rumbolt) 1185
230 – 3(2): Poverty Reduction in Nunavut (Ningark) 1187
231 – 3(2): Responsibility for Sport and Recreation in the Government of Nunavut (Ningeongan) 1188
232 – 3(2): Status of Baker Lake Airport Improvements (Aupaluktuq) 1189
233 – 3(2): Update on New Airport and Runway Replacement (Komoartok) 1192
234 – 3(2): Update on the Social Advocacy Office (Elliott) 1194
235 – 3(2): Definition of Poverty (Ningark) 1195
236 – 3(2): Freedom of Speech (Elliott) 1197
237 – 3(2): Apprenticeship Update with the Nunavut Housing Trust Strategy (Elliott) 1197
011 – 3(2): Government of Nunavut Responses to Resolutions Adopted at the 2009 Kitikmeot Mayors’ Conference (Ningark) 1201
012 – 3(2): Government of Nunavut’s Actions in Response to Motion 46 – 2(4) (Arvaluk) 1201
113 – 3(2): Correspondence to the Mayor of Baker Lake from the Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (Aupaluktuq) 1202
114 – 3(2): Government of Nunavut’s Submission to the Nunavut Impact Review Board Concerning the Kiggavik Project (Aupaluktuq) 1202
115 – 3(2): US Proposals to Transfer from Appendix I to Appendix II (Shewchuk) 1202
116 – 3(2): Arena Ice Plant Feasibility Study (Ningeongan) 1202
Bill 22 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2010-2011 – First Reading 1203
Bill 22 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2010-2011 – Second Reading 1203
Bill 22 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2010-2011 – Health and Social Services – Consideration in Committee 1204
Honourable Eva Aariak, Honourable James Arreak, Mr. James Arvaluk, Mr. Moses Aupaluktuq, Honourable Tagak Curley, Mr. Ron Elliott, Mr. Adamee Komoartok, Honourable Lorne Kusugak, Mr. John Ningark, Mr. Johnny Ningeongan, Honourable Keith Peterson, Mr. Allan Rumbolt, Mr. Fred Schell, Honourable Daniel Shewchuk, Honourable Peter Taptuna, Honourable Hunter Tootoo.
Speaker (Hon. James Arreak): Thank you. Before we proceed, I would like to ask Mr. Elliott to say the opening prayer.
A very good afternoon, Premier. Since today’s is women’s day, please have a wonderful day, members of the cabinet and my colleagues. The rest of Nunavut and the people of Clyde River, I am very glad that you will be able to watch the proceedings.
I would also like to welcome Mr. Arvaluk. Welcome back. Mr. Arvaluk had a doctor’s appointment in Ottawa, so we’re glad to have him back.
(interpretation ends) Members, please note that for this week, our pages are from the 795 Iqaluit Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron. I have also allowed for some pictures taken for the first few minutes of today’s session.
Members, before we proceed with the orders of the day, I would like to read the following communication that I received from the Commissioner of Nunavut:
Bill 22, Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2010-2011
Bills 23, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 2, 2009-2010
Sincerely, Anne Meekitjuk-Hanson, C.M.  Commissioner of Nunavut
Item 2. Budget Address. Minister of Finance, Hon. Keith Peterson.
Minister’s Statement 097 – 3(2): 2010-11 Government of Nunavut Budget (Peterson)
I rise to present the government’s budget for the fiscal year 2010-11.
Today, I will show how this government will achieve its commitments within the framework of fiscal prudence.
This government’s vision is spelled out in Tamapta: Building our Future Together. We committed to improve the quality of life for all Nunavummiut.
Twenty years from now, we see individuals and families that are active, healthy, and happy, communities that are self-reliant, based on Inuit societal values, and a Nunavut recognized for our unique culture, our solidarity, and our contributions to Canada and the world.
Let us pursue this vision with a clear-eyed view of what we can reasonably afford and the risks that we shall run along the way.
My budget provides for spending next year of $1.3 billion.
It is a balanced budget.
Prudence, Mr. Speaker. Prudence. The global recession may be ending, but the global economy is not yet growing with confidence.
Everywhere governments face bulging deficits and rising debt.  Our own deficit will probably reach $44 million in the current fiscal year, up $15 million from our projections, due partly to the $8 million we spent on the H1N1 pandemic.
To balance our books next year, we have set aside $55 million for contingencies and unexpected health care costs.
We plan to buy as much as two-thirds of our fuel supply before prices rise. We have also limited growth in government spending to a modest 2 percent increase over the revised estimates for the current year, as members will see when I table the main estimates.
Keep in mind that we do not generate very much of what we spend. Fully 93 percent of our budget comes from the federal government, which faces years of deficits.
We need to reduce our reliance on these transfers, Mr. Speaker. It would take years, but we must improve our ability to pay our own way. That means we must not only create jobs and wealth but also equip Nunavummiut to perform those jobs.
Improve education and training
Improving Nunavut’s education and training system is a Tamapta priority. In the coming year, this government will spend almost $220 million on education—our second biggest investment in Nunavummiut, exceeded only by our investment in health and social services.
Our plan to improve education and training begins with early childhood, where lessons shape entire lives. This budget raises daycare grants and contributions, improves staff training, and buys learning resources to improve the quality of care.
As these young Nunavummiut move into kindergarten and through to grade 12, they will need a curriculum that reinforces their language and culture.
To make bilingual education a reality, we are investing new funds in curriculum assessment and competency development.
We will invest $1 million more to train and develop Inuit educators…
… preparing them for leadership positions in the school system.
We will invest nearly $3 million more to develop the curriculum and improve school services, and provide a further $2.5 million to district education authorities.
Also, we will ensure that every school has a school community counsellor.
All of these investments share a common goal. We want to see students attend school more often, learn better, and complete grade 12.
Graduation should not be a challenge. Rather, it should be our expectation.
We are also investing more in post-secondary education, adult learning, and apprenticeships.
The Department of Education will review apprenticeship programs to ensure a better match between employers and employees. We will open the Nunavut Trade School and provide nearly $1 million to the trades program so we can provide mining and construction sectors with skilled workers from Nunavut.
Reduce poverty
In addition to these investments, we are acutely aware that poverty remains a real concern in Nunavut. Too many Nunavummiut remain at risk.
This government will develop a poverty reduction strategy in partnership with other governments, Inuit organizations, businesses, and anyone else with an interest in eliminating poverty.
Together with our partners, we will look at the path between welfare and work. Our social assistance rules often get in the way of a job.
Too often, these rules claw back the full value of a paycheque. People who move from welfare to work should end up better off. We will change the rules to make that happen.
Increase housing options
Mr. Speaker, housing remains a serious concern.
Overcrowding is still a critical issue. Certainly, the federal government has shown that it’s willing to help. Last year, we gained $100 million from them for housing.
We will start work this year on 285 additional homes.
It is progress, but we need much, much more.
We are looking forward to the final report from the Nunavut Housing Needs Survey. The Nunavut Housing Corporation, working with Statistics Canada and the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics, is looking at public housing, homeownership, and homelessness.
Their work will help us to develop a long-term, comprehensive housing strategy. It should also help us to make a clear case for long-term federal funding for public housing.
Hon. Keith Peterson: We must also deal with the growing problem of homelessness.
The Nunavut Housing Corporation will double the annual budget for homelessness to $400,000.
Help those at risk
Mr. Speaker, we must keep an eye out for those who have not yet secured their place in our society. Here are three steps forward. We have established the Social Advocacy Office in the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
It will coordinate a review of social safety net programs.
As well, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services will review child protection programs, services, and legislation to improve our children’s future. We have allocated $1.5 million over two years for this comprehensive review that will include public consultation and community engagement.
Thirdly, Mr. Speaker, we will establish the office of a child and youth representative within this government’s mandate.
Improve health through prevention
Mr. Speaker, this government is also working to provide Nunavummiut with health services that are efficient, effective, and accessible. We have comprehensively examined the services and staffing at community health centres, regional health facilities, our territory hospital, and out-of-territory facilities.
We will use the results of this review to develop a health services strategic plan for the territory.
As we do so, we will concentrate on improving health care through prevention. This is a better alternative to treating the consequences of unhealthy behaviours.
We must change course and focus on healthy eating, physical activity, and addiction reduction. A focus on illness prevention now will reduce acute care costs over the long term.
Tobacco consumption provides an excellent example. Smoking harms human health. Nunavut has the highest smoking rate of any Canadian jurisdiction. Fifty-three percent of our population lights up every day. Lung cancer accounts for more than half of cancer deaths in the territory.
Nunavut’s rate of lung cancer incidence leads the world. We must reduce tobacco use and the harm it causes to Nunavummiut. In the coming year, this government will develop and implement a Tobacco Reduction Strategy.
Address social concerns at their roots
We are also concerned about the alcohol and drug abuse that is breaking down families and driving up crime and suicides. Government can help, but we cannot reach into the homes of Nunavummiut. Here is a place where we must turn to our communities, to our volunteers.
Many people are already working with their relatives, neighbours, and friends to help them to break their addictions.
Great work goes on every day in each community to support mental health.
Our government is also here to help.
We will establish more mental health and addictions services and increase support for people who need to travel from their communities to receive services.
We will also consider ways to encourage a responsible approach to alcohol. The government has already launched a ministerial taskforce to review the Liquor Act.
My justice department is also highly focused on the issue of Nunavut’s high crime rate.
We want to attack crime at its source and are looking at how we can address the social concerns that lead to criminal behaviour in the first place. My department will continue to work in partnership with the RCMP to develop a crime prevention strategy that incorporates Inuit societal values.
Community justice committees play an important part in addressing the root causes of crime though Inuit counselling and community-based approaches.
We will help these committees grow and become more active by providing increased training and support.
This will enable more youth and adults who break the law to have the matters dealt with at the community level outside of the formal court process.
It is also important for the police to communicate better with the communities that they serve. The RCMP understand this well.
They have recruited four special constables who are Inuit and are looking for more. They will increase the number of Inuktitut-speaking operators at their call centre in Iqaluit.
And they will require officers posted to Nunavut to stay here four years rather than two.
In the end, Mr. Speaker, the RCMP will understand Nunavummiut better and therefore, serve them better.
Support community based sustainable economies
Mr. Speaker, one of the best crime prevention problems I know of is called a job.
The more we create jobs, the better we can address our social problems. The more we grow our economy, the more choice we give ourselves in how we want to see Nunavut grow.
The outlook for the coming year is a good one. By all accounts, Nunavut is rebounding from last year’s downturn, led by mining projects like Meadowbank. Many junior exploration companies like Baffinland and Sabina have announced their exploration intentions.
While a recovery in mining looks very promising, Mr. Speaker, we need growth that spans more than one sector. This government will continue to invest in economic development and diversification.
We will provide $100,000 more next year to the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association, $100,000 more to the Nunavut Broadband Development Corporation, $100,000 more to the Nunavut Economic Developers Association, and finally, $250,000 more for our regional business development centres to fund small and medium sized businesses.
Together, these organizations are helping the Nunavut economy not only to develop but also to diversify.
We will gain not only more jobs but also new skills, and we will do this right across the territory.
In the coming year, the Department of Economic Development and Transportation will work with each community to look at its economic potential and what it needs to develop sustainably.
Mr. Speaker, while I am talking about our great interest in economic development, I should also tell you that our commitment to environmental protection remains unshaken. We support land use planning, environmental assessment, and water licensing processes that are efficient and effective.
We are also meeting our commitments to manage wildlife responsibly.
The department will also lobby the federal government for greater access to fisheries resources and greater investment in fisheries infrastructure. The department will focus on the offshore and inshore fisheries research priorities outlined in the Nunavut Fisheries Science and Research Agenda.
This government will also approach the federal government for support in weaning Nunavut from fossil fuels. We need clean energy because climate change represents a genuine threat to our way of life.
Mr. Speaker, much of our success in protecting the environment will depend on the support that we receive from the public.
We can get good results when the public understands the issues and gets involved.
We will run a comprehensive anti-littering campaign this coming year, backed by advertising and other public education measures so that all Nunavummiut understand the importance of keeping our territory clean and proper now and forever.
Increase support for culture and the arts
Mr. Speaker, I have talked at length about some of our economic and social challenges and how this government is responding with measures that are appropriate and prudent.
There is another challenge before us. I think of it as a challenge of identity.
We are taking steps to support the Inuit language.
This government made commitments under the Official Languages Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act. We are working now to deliver on our promises.
The Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth will coordinate and monitor the implementation of a comprehensive plan to put these laws into effect.
It will also work with the Department of Human Resources to develop language training materials for our government employees.
Mr. Speaker, a year ago, I had the pleasure of describing our plans for the Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit. Today, this Inuit Language Authority exists as a branch within CLEY.
It will become an independent, arm’s length body in 18 months.
I am particularly looking forward to the Inuit Language Standardization Symposium that the Taiguusiliuqtiit will hold next fall.
This important meeting affords us an opportunity to talk about the development, use, and standardization of the Inuit language in Nunavut and the circumpolar world.
This coming year, we will see significant growth for Piqqusilirivvik.
The construction of the cultural school in Clyde River is well underway and scheduled for completion next year.
Connecting our community also means building better connections with our elders and our youth. Over the past year, we advanced the new Elders Strategy into our communities, gathering oral history from elders in Arviat and Chesterfield Inlet.
We have also held youth workshops on survival skills.
In the coming year, we will develop a strategy for collecting Inuit traditional knowledge and oral history across the territory.
We will also focus on developing reference materials for programs on the land to help teach our youth about where they live.
We will also work in the coming year with partners and stakeholders, such as the Nunavut Literacy Council, to put Inuit language resource materials in all community libraries.
We are also committing an additional $175,000 to the Nunavut Film, Television and New Media Program.
Nunavut holds real potential as a destination for film production. This program will help us to create opportunities for Nunavummiut to take part.
Strengthen the public service
Mr. Speaker, another centre of attention in this budget is the actions that we will take to strengthen our territory’s governance. Our priorities are people management and financial management.
Part of our capacity problem lies in our ability to recruit and retain the people we need in government.
The Government of Nunavut has nearly 900 jobs open—jobs we cannot fill.
We have vacancies in every category of employment.
While we are interested in filling all of these vacancies, we need to pay special attention to positions that require technical skills.
A government runs on its knowledge.
We need to retain the knowledge workers we have now and we need to recruit more.
We need more accountants, engineers, and computer specialists.
We seriously need certified trade workers to inspect and maintain our assets.
We have already stepped up our advertising in specialized journals and websites, and will continue our professional and technical recruitment efforts in the year ahead.
We are also working to ensure that the government’s finances are properly managed.
In response to the Auditor General’s report last year on financial management practices, my finance department has developed an action plan.
It addresses all of the concerns that the Auditor General raised.
Members discussed that plan last fall at the standing committee.
Now my department will put that plan in place.
Our interest in sound financial management extends to our territorial corporations. We will create formal agreements with each of these corporations to ensure a clear definition of governance, roles, and responsibilities.
Also this coming year, the Department of Community and Government Services will examine the condition of all government buildings. As members know, we have deferred maintenance on a number of structures, but there are real limits on how long we can delay repairs and improvements.
Already, we have set up a working group of facilities managers and project officers to examine the maintenance needs of every building that we own.
We will track building conditions and capital requirements closely so that we can keep our facilities in good condition and plan to replace them when we need to.
Connect our community
Another focal point for action, Mr. Speaker, is our Tamapta commitment to improve our connection to Nunavummiut.
As we saw in Qanukkanniq, the people of Nunavut feel that their government does not hear them.
Even a simple phone call often does not get through.
Mr. Speaker, our government is all about providing services to Nunavummiut.
Anyone who wants information about our services must be able to get it.
We will make information easier to find.
We are building a better website and we will set up a phone centre that anyone can call for information.
Our improved website should be ready in the coming year and the phone centre in 2012.
In the coming year, we will provide government liaison officers in 14 communities.