EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We will be talking with them to try and find out what they can do in regards to economic development for that community.
I am very sorry we won't be able to go to that community on March 2nd.
Perhaps after the budget session we will be able to visit that community and to work with them to create economic development.
I am sure the visit that we will be having with Coral Harbour residents will help those people from Coral Harbour, so we will be able work with them to create economic development for that community.
The Premier was just overseas in Germany on the Trade Mission to help out the people of Nunavut.
The Premier, along with the Prime Minister, was in Germany a while ago on a trade mission and I feel that the promotion of meat or the promotion of tourism is very good for Nunavut.
Does he support that trade mission that the Premier went to?
Yes, I’m in support of the trade mission that our Premier has just attended.
I am happy to say that Sustainable Development is very appreciative of the trade mission that our Premier went on to Russia and Germany to promote the products that come from Nunavut.
The Premier worked with the Department of Sustainable Development to promote the products of Nunavummiut recently and we will be working with him again on those endeavours.
Perhaps I misunderstood.
If we can’t go to Coral Harbour on March 2 because of the budget session can he state in this House that at the beginning of the New Year, on April 1 that he would be able to go to Coral Harbour.
I would like to be able to talk with the Member from Nanulik to make arrangements as to when we would be able to go to Coral Harbour together after April the 1st.
Perhaps today or tomorrow I would like to be able to speak to him to make arrangements to see which dates would be the best to go to Coral Harbour with him.
Question 446 – 1(5): Update on Student Financial Assistance
Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Education.
During his presentation at the Leadership Review last November, the minister indicated that he would be undertaking a review of the financial assistance for Nunavut Student Program.
He indicated that he would be revisiting the policies of this program to make it more reflective of Nunavut students and their needs.
Can the minister tell us where he’s at with that review?
As I stated before during the leadership review, the people who are attending Arctic College and outside universities get Student Financial Assistance and I stated at the time that I would be looking at the Student Financial Assistance because of the fact that the students lack money.
So what we have been doing is looking at the Student Financial Assistance that is provided to the students and I will be bringing in some supplementary funding for more Student Financial Assistance.
That’s good news for all those students out there that are trying to live day to day but are having difficulty due to the lack of enough Student Financial Assistance.
Can the minister tell this House how many students have been funded for post-secondary studies through the financial assistance program this year?
I could tell the member that in 2000 and 2001 there have been 401 students that have received assistance.
In six months of 2001/2002, there are 319 students that have received student financial assistance.
It’s good to see that most of our students are going out and attempting to get their post-secondary education because we certainly need them in this government.
Can the minister provide us with some details on the types of qualifications that our students are working towards with assistance from the student financial assistance program?
I don’t quite understand his question.
I got lost on his last remark about qualifications.
Speaker: Mr. McLean, can you re-phrase the question please.
Mr. McLean: I will try to re-phrase Mr. Speaker.
Can the minister provide us with some details on the types of qualifications that our students are working towards with assistance from the financial assistance program?
Can he give me a brief outline of what most of the students are taking in general?
I am sorry to tell the Member from Baker Lake that I don’t have that information, but I will provide him with that information later on about the people that are taking Arctic College or university studies and what they are taking.
The majority of what we do is train Arctic College students for job preparation, but I will endeavour to give the member a response.
I would like to say that I have been getting numerous phone calls about financial assistance for Nunavut students in my community.
Is the minister working towards any other sponsorship programs for Arctic College students?
For example, I know there are grants from the government for students.
Is there, like down south people going to university or programs can borrow from the bank and I don’t think our students have a lot of that type of support here.
Is there any kind of sponsorship outside of our grant programs only?
What we have done is we have tried to provide some grants for the students and we also have a loan program where a student can apply for a loan.
As the member said, he has been getting numerous telephone calls and some students that would like to go to school at the university or college level have had difficulty acquiring funding elsewhere.
Question 447 – 1(5): Core Funding for Shelters Review
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services provides funding for safe shelters for abused women and their dependent children.
RCMP statistics shows the number of reported spousal assaults in Nunavut have nearly doubled from the year 2000 to the year 2001.
Mr. Speaker, if this was a disease these kinds of rates would justify us declaring a state of emergency.
In fact yesterday Mr. Speaker, I heard through the media that the department has actually provided emergency funding to the Cambridge Bay shelter just to keep it open.
Mr. Speaker, despite steadily increasing demands for the services of the Qimarvik women's shelter to address the affect of violence against woman, the amount of the core funding has been stagnant for over a decade.
I'd like to ask the minister if he could tell the House how often funding for safe shelters is reviewed and what kind of conclusions are drawn.
Mr. Speaker, actually it's been since 1992 the last time the Qimarvik women's shelter received an increase in the funding.
So it is actually 10 years.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure the member and the Members of the Health Committee will remember and the Members in this House, how I have asked several times for increases in my budget so that I could do all the things that have been asked for by the members and by the public at large.
Mr. Speaker, we are in the process right now of reviewing the operation of not only the Qimarvik women's shelter but also the shelter in Kugluktuk and the shelter in Cambridge Bay and the other emergency shelters that we have in place and the transitional homes in Iqaluit.
Speaker: Supplementary Question.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister tell this House what the possible impacts are in these kinds of services if the funding is not adequate to meet their needs.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and to have an opportunity in this House to talk about a very serious issue.
I believe it is the first time in three years in this House we have discussed the issue of family violence and the funding for shelters.
I would suggest too Mr. Speaker, that the shelters are not funded properly, or adequately.
People may not be serviced well.
Indeed Mr. Speaker, I know in having met with the shelter staff in Kugluktuk recently as well I met with the regional Aggvik Board at least three times in the past three years, the most recent one being about six weeks ago, the concern of the centre with holding on to their staff.
I know for example Mr. Speaker, they have some staff that have been there since 1991, 1992, 1993.
People that started off with 11 dollars an hour Mr. Speaker and now they are probably making 11 dollars an hour.
So Mr. Speaker, those are all the impacts that Mr. Tootoo is talking about when he asked a question if the centres are not adequately funded.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services, this minister, this government is aggressively moving forward on a review of all family violence programs within Nunavut and the amount and the funding dollars that are available to the shelters.
Mr. Speaker, that is an on-going effort right now within the department.
Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the minister is looking at my questions as well because his answer leads right into my next supplementary question.
Can the minister update the House on what kinds of initiatives and the review he talks about that his department is considering to address the very serious impacts of spousal and family assaults in Nunavut?
Can he update us on that review other than the fact that it is on going?
Mr. Speaker, I said about a year and a half ago in this House and I believe Mr. Speaker, several times in the Health and Social Service committee, that the Department of Health and Social Services is undertaking a major mental health strategy, which included alcohol and drug programs as well as family violence programs and shelters and social services.
Mr. Speaker, we have just completed that thorough review and Mr. Speaker that review has been presented to me, the minister about a week ago and that review has provided several recommendations.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be sharing that report with the Standing Committee on Health and Social Services.
Hopefully, I will be in a position Mr. Speaker, where we will be able to implement some of the recommendations.
Supplementary. Final supplementary.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing the minister’s recommendations on the matter.
I would like to ask the minister if he has approached his cabinet colleagues to plead for extra funding for this fiscal year so that the department can adequately address the very serious needs for services such as those provided by safe shelters across Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, as every member in this House knows, and the people in Nunavut, when Mr. Ng did the last supplementary appropriation, he said during that debate that the minister is always coming cap in hand asking for more money for the Department of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, I have been after more money for Health and Social Services for the past three years, like every other jurisdiction in this country, every other Health Minster.
Mr. Speaker, this issue has not forced me, asked me, or made me go forward for extra funding for the department to the government, because I can say Mr. Speaker that I am always asking for more money.
The Auditor General Mr. Speaker, noted that I had an overage I believe of about 300 thousand dollars last year and it will be very interesting when the Auditor General has a look at this year’s figures as the Supplementary Appropriation indicates publicly in this House.
Question 448 – 1(5): Rent Scale Review
I will try and rush with my question. I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.
This is about the rental scale.
There was to be a review done and I was wondering about progress on this review.
Mr. Speaker, we are to the point now where there are actually some suggested proposed changes that are on the table with the local housing authorities.
They have taken them back for consultations.
As you know, I have offered and the Standing Committee has accepted a briefing on that as well, that we are trying to arrange for next week.
So all members that are interested will have an opportunity to see what is being proposed as it stands now prior to moving forward to the next step of consultation and before finalizing them.
We have mortgages for private homes, some as long as fifteen years.
These mortgage holders have jobs and they have to work to pay their debts.
Does the review include mortgage payment rates for private homeowners, or are you looking at ways to help them if they need assistance with their mortgage.
Are you also reviewing that aspect as well?
Mr. Speaker, yes we are but not as part of the rental scale review.
There are also obviously concerns about other programs such as the Access Program and some of the payment criteria and the amortization, the mortgage amounts and those types of things.
They are under consideration as well and step by step as we go through it, we are trying to work through all the policies and see what we can revise in trying to make things better for the people that we serve.
Homeowners have mortgage payments, insurance and they also have to pay for the land lease along with other expenses like groceries and they have to keep their homes heated along with very basic needs.
If I was being paid 30 thousand dollars a year I wouldn’t be able to afford my mortgage and my groceries.
If I wanted to get into the homeownership program I would have to make close to 50 thousand dollars.
What about those employees who don’t get any form of assistance, are you reviewing that aspect also?
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Yes, thank you Mr. Speaker.
Yes, Mr. Speaker as the member indicated the whole issue about income, household income, cost of living in the communities, I indicated earlier that everything really is on the table for review right now and we are trying to bring some consistency overall between all the Housing Corporation programs, in trying to improve those programs.
Question 449 - 1(5): Plans to Ensure Essential Staff have Housing
I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Public Works and Services since we have not asked him questions for a long time.
(interpretation ends) I had a Member’s Statement last week in respect to the shortage and inadequate GN housing, GN staff housing in Arctic Bay.
As I was told, one staff member had to move to Nanisivik and since Nanisivik is closing this summer there are about nine teachers sharing three units in this same community.
My question is, what plans are in place to make sure GN essential staff have houses to make sure they can continue to provide government services.
Minister responsible for the Department of Public Works and Staff Housing.
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): Yes, thank you Mr. Speaker.
Today as a government we are well aware of the staff housing shortage at the community level.
We’re focusing on those decentralized communities more today.
We know that the other communities need to have proper staff housing in order to provide the services.
I concur that staff housing funding is insufficient.
That’s how I can respond to your question.
Perhaps the minister can initiate a program at this time because we require staff housing in the smaller communities.
Perhaps the minister can ask his fellow cabinet members to make staff housing a priority because in some of the communities we’ll probably be losing some staff due to the lack of GN staff housing.
Yes, I am well aware of the issues raised in my colleague’s Member’s Statement regarding staff housing.
As you may recall we agreed it would be the responsibility of the portfolio of the Housing Corporation's minister.
The Housing Corporation is responsible for Government of Nunavut staff housing.
My question is how much preparation the government has done on this issue.
It was stated that the government is focussing more on the decentralized communities and this is not right.
This is becoming urgent and it is the government’s responsibility to provide houses for the staff.
Will the minister be working with his cabinet colleagues on this?
The Cabinet is making staff housing a priority, along with housing for the public.
This is a common problem not only for a particular location but the problem is all over Nunavut.
I agree with the member’s comments.
The minister just agreed with me so I want to ask when are you going to start looking into this matter, this month or next month, Mr. Speaker.
I cannot give you an answer to your question right now but we are working on the issue.
Tabled Document 080 - 1(5): Letter from the Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board to the Honourable Peter Kattuk Regarding the Condition of Gasoline
I would like to table a signed letter from the Qikiqtaaluk Wildlife Board to Minister Kattuk about the state of gasoline in the Baffin region.
Bill 20 - Interim Appropriation Act, April 1 to June 30, 2002 - First Reading
I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Iqaluit West that Bill 20, Interim Appropriation Act, April 1 to June 30, 2002 be read for the first time.
Bill 20 - Interim Appropriation Act, April 1 to June 30, 2002 - Second Reading
I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Hudson Bay that Bill 19, Interim Appropriation Act, April 1 to June 30, 2002 be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the Interim Appropriation Act, April 1– June 30, 2002 is to allow the Government of Nunavut to make expenditures in the new fiscal year of 2002-2003.
The Main Estimates will not be introduced until after the new fiscal year has begun.
In total we will be requesting authority for 169 million, 331 thousand dollars.
Speaker: Minister Ng, for the record, will you repeat the Second Reading of Bill and identify it as Bill 20.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Sorry, Mr. Speaker.
That was Bill 20, Interim Appropriation Act.
Are there any nays? The bill is referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Bill 19 - Supplementary Appropriation Act No. 3, 2001-2002 – Second Reading
Mr. Speaker I move, seconded by the Honourable member for Pangnirtung that Bill 19, Supplementary Appropriation Act No. 3, 2001-2002 be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of Supplementary Appropriation Act No. 3, 2001-2002 is to allow the Government of Nunavut to spend an additional 2 million, 642 thousand dollars in this fiscal year.
Of this amount 2 million, 442 thousand dollars is made up of Operations and Maintenance and 200 thousand dollars is made up of Capital.
Bill 19 has had second reading and accordingly the bill is referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Tabled Document 067-1, Bill 19 and Bill 20 with Mr. Iqaqrialu in the chair.
Before we proceed to the Committee of the Whole, we will take a 15 minute break.
>>House recessed at 3.04 p.m. and resumed at 3.28 p.m.
Chairperson (Mr. Iqaqrialu) (interpretation): We can begin again.
Welcome everyone, all my colleagues.
I would now like to call the Committee of the Whole to order.
We have Bill 19 and Bill 20 to deal with.
What is the wish of the committee?
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry, I just gave you a promotion, Mr. Chairman.
Members wish to deal with Bill 19 first and if time permits, we can proceed on to Bill 20.
Do we agree that we’ll deal with Bill 19 and then Bill 20?
Minister responsible for this bill, Mr. Ng. You may do your opening comments now.
Bill 19 – Supplementary Appropriation Act No. 3, 2001-2002  Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I’m pleased to appear before the committee today to discuss Supplementary Appropriation Act No. 3, 2001 - 2002.
Mr. Chairman, the Supplementary Appropriation Act is to allow the Government of Nunavut to spend an additional 2 million, 642 thousand dollars in this fiscal year.
Of this amount, 2 million 442 thousand dollars is made up of Operations and Maintenance and 200 thousand dollars is made up of Capital.
Under Operations and Maintenance 1 million 152 thousand dollars is for the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, 243 thousand dollars for the Department of Finance, 815 thousand dollars for the Department of Education and 232 thousand dollars for the Department of Sustainable Development.
And Mr. Chairman, under Capital is 200 thousand dollars for the Department of Finance.
I look forward to comments and questions from the committee members.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Ng. Mr. Ng are you going to be bringing your officials down to the witness table.
Does that committee agree that the minister bring in his officials to the witness table?
Chairperson (interpretation): Sergeant-at-Arms, can you escort the officials into the chamber please.
Thank you, Minister Ng. Can you introduce your officials please?
To my left is Victor Tootoo, Assistant Deputy Minister, to my right is Mr. Roger Perchard, Director of Expenditure Management.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Ng. At this time we’ll deal with Supplementary Appropriation Act. No. 3.
If you have a copy we’re on page 6, Bill 19.
Before we start asking questions on Bill 19, I would like to ask members if they have general comments or questions.
For your general comments you have a 10 minute time limit.
Are there any general comments on page 6? Mr. Tootoo.
On page 6 the first item there deals with additional funding for the Nunavut Household Survey of 360 thousand dollars.
I am just wondering if the minister can indicate if that is the total cost for that survey.
I think Mr. Chairman, that the kind of information obtained in that survey is vital for us and I believe good ammunition for the ministers to take down to Ottawa to argue for additional funding.
But I guess it’s also important that we find out how much it cost us to obtain that information.
I wonder if they have a total number for the Household Survey.
At this time Mr. Tootoo I will allow your question to go ahead but we’re on general comments at this time.
If you understand his question, Mr. Ng.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.
I thought there were no general comments and we were onto the detail but anyway, Mr. Chairman, the total cost of the survey was 460 thousand dollars.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ng. Mr. Tootoo do you have any further questions.
Mr. Chairman on the next item there.
I apologize I thought we were on page 6.
I went into my questions.
Sorry if I rushed ahead.
The other item on that page deals with supplementary funding for additional resources related to program review.
I just wondered if the minister could he indicate what those resources are.
You can ask questions.
I just wanted to give opportunities to the members for general comments.
Go ahead. Mr. Ng.
Mr. Chairman, it is 82 thousand dollars for compensation and benefits, 49 thousand for travel and transportation, 6 thousand for materials and supplies, 5 thousand dollars for purchased services and 74 thousand for contract services. Another 48 thousand for other expenses related to computers and office furniture.
Mr. Chairman you could correct me.
I was wondering is this the first supplementary money or is this all that we are going to see expended on program review.
Or does the minister have an idea of how much or an estimate on how much it is going to cost us.
Mr. Chairman there are already plans on the base adjustment for the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs in the upcoming budget of approximately 595 thousand dollars to support the on-going program review exercise that we are undergoing.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ng. Any further questions?
We are page 6.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs for O&M not previously authorized.
Not previously authorized, total 360 thousand dollars.
Are there any questions or comments?
Total Communications and Policy Planning, 244 thousand dollars.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs not previously authorized.
Total Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, 488 thousand dollars.
I don't quite understand. (interpretation ends) Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs Deputy Minister and Executive Secretary, 548 thousand dollars. (interpretation) So if you can clarify that to me on what the contents of this are for.
We already had a Deputy Minister so why do we need a Deputy Minister for Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
We had a Deputy for that department and also what else are you going to be using the half a million dollars for.
Mr. Chairman what happened was the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs had been funding the position from vacancies and funding under spent from other areas.
But they ran out of that room to be able to deal with that matter on an on-going basis.
That is the reason for the supplementary appropriation here.