EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
And also, across from George, our representatives of First Air, Mr. Bob Davis who is the president of First Air and next to Bob is Jim Ballingall who is the Vice-president and next to Mr. Davis is Rick Lefevre, a well known facilitator for First Air.
Now Mr. Speaker, I want to say very quickly on behalf of Minister Kilabuk and the members, there was an excellent lunch served by First Air today.
I was not able to be at that lunch that First Air had today, but I understand that my constituent, Mr. Douglas Lem’s company catered that excellent lunch that I was not able to attend and it was a very good meal had by all.
So we would like to thank First Air for that lunch for the MLAs and I would also like to thank Doug Lem from Iqaluit, my constituent who did an excellent job.
Mr. Speaker, you’re doing an excellent job of banging on the drum and the glass and with that, I will say thank you and thank you to the people of Pangnirtung.
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Picco for that presentation.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize someone in the gallery that I met way back in 1992 – 1994, I can’t remember exactly when.
Since I’m a carver, I used to travel within Canada, and even outside of Canada representing the carvers.
One time when I was carving, I had to teach a carving course in Ottawa and I had to travel down to teach some carvers, and I had 6 students.
There was one person who came with me to Ottawa back in 1992 or 1994, I can’t remember which year it was, but I am happy to recognize Davidee Akpalialuk who went to Ottawa with me that time.
As carvers, sometimes we like to carve only what we like to dream about.
We told our carvers to make any kind of carving even if they didn’t like it.
So after that, Davidee told me at that time that he had said that I’m the only one who can tell carvers to carve even if they don’t like the carving.
But he’s a real carver, Davidee Akpalialuk and I wanted to recognize him in the gallery because I accompanied him to Ottawa.
There are a lot of people here so maybe I won’t have enough time.
First of all, I’d like to recognize someone even though his name was mentioned previously, he had gone already yesterday and I’m sure a lot of my colleagues know him and the residents of Pangnirtung know him for sure, and within Nunavut.
Back when we were still under NWT, he used to be in different organizations.
First of all, I would like to recognize Peterloosie Qappik, if you can get up.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to recognize him first as he had gone yesterday, and I also would like to recognize him, even though my colleague mentioned him already but he’s in the elders’ society as a board member, Davidee Akpalialuk, please stand up.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, there was recognition at the Angmarlik Visitor’s Centre today for someone who has helped many different people, from the Acting President, Thomasie Alikatuqtuq from QIA through Sakiasie Sowdluapik and I’d like to recognize the person who gave the recognitions, Sakiasi Sowdluapik.
Even though my time is almost up already, back in April 1999, lots of us didn’t have the proper clothes to wear and I’m pretty sure we were all like that, but when we got sworn into the Legislative Assembly, the person who made my outfit and for whom I’m always thankful is Ooleepeeka Kanayuk, if you can stand up.
I’d just like to recognize the residents of Pangnirtung.
So, I’d like to welcome the residents of Pangnirtung.
First of all, to the person who sidestepped my recognition yesterday, I would like to recognize Peterloosie Qappik and he’s a long time acquaintance of mine.
I also have a representative, a constituent here Sandy Kusugak, who is from Rankin Inlet and even though there are a lot of people whom I recognize here, I’d like to recognize someone I met in 1970’s back in Repulse Bay.
We had a person who stayed with us and that person was a very young man, Jack Maniapik.
He was taking an Observer Communicator Course when he was very young so when I see him, I am glad to say he still looks the same.
So, I’d like to welcome him, Jack Maniapik.
Speaker: Recognition to Visitors in the Gallery.
I would like to recognize Peterloosie Qappik, I have known him for quite a long time.
Even when we were in ITC and after there was a general meeting here in Pangnirtung where ITC had their first initial meeting here and I was an Interpreter for ten days all alone.
So I fully understand how the Interpreters feel, how tiring it is.
I don’t think Keenainak is here and Solomon Nakoolak and his wife, who is originally from Coral Harbour.
I wanted to recognize those people.
(interpretation ends) I’d also like to recognize Bob James, First Air President and his staff.
Thanks for lunch today, a beautiful lunch.
I also would like to recognize for the first time, my best friend, Lisa Sowdluapik.
You probably hear her voice every time you are on First Air.
Every time her voice comes on everybody says, “I could hear clearly now.”, and her uncle Sakiasie.
(Interpretation) I would also like to recognize him, and I would like to thank the residents of Pangnirtung for feeding us constantly while we are here.
I would also like to recognize the gang from First Air.
I believe they also provided box lunches for 500 hundred students today and some Halloween pumpkins and Halloween candies and supplies, so hats off. Thank you.
Item 6 Oral Questions.
Question 205 – 1(6): Funding for Teaching Staff Salary Increases
I really wish to ask a question to the Minister of Education.
We hear now that the number of students is quite high for our Student/Teacher ratio.
It is something like thirty to thirty-two students to a teacher, a class with one teacher.
The Minister of Finance mentioned yesterday that the salary of the teachers would be increased by 9% over a period of three years.
I would like to ask the Minister, where that funding will be coming from for this 9% increase, which is to be used for this purpose?
First, I would like to clarify that what my colleague mentioned yesterday, that this will be an increase for the salaries of the present employees.
That will be implemented over the three years, and that is what my colleague mentioned and this funding is not to increase the number of teachers.
Now I would to ask if you can afford to give them that raise, yes I am grateful that they are getting a raise as they deserve that raise.
But, some of the really good teachers, especially in the lower grades, like from Kindergarten to Grade 3, perhaps even to Grade 6.
These teachers have the largest number of students.
Can you look for additional financing in order to be able to get more teachers especially for those whose ratio is lopsided?
The Minister of Finance stated that there would be more funding for teachers, additional finance funding in order to be able to get more teachers especially for those whose ratio is quite high so they can instruct or teach, because I thought that we agreed up to twenty per teacher, but now the ratio is thirty to one.
A lot of people have told us that the number of student enrolment in some communities is quite high, especially in some schools, even though it is not constantly like that.
There seems to be more numbers of students in the lower grades and that is where the ratios are lopsided.
This is an ongoing concern to all of us.
The DEA Chairpersons and the Principals, we had meetings in the Kitikmeot, Kivalliq, and the Baffin, and we told them about the number of students.
We want to try to keep up with the new enrolment figures that we encounter every year, so that we will be able to keep up with providing teachers so there will not be a shortage for the next year.
As to how much more funding we will be giving to provide more teachers at those levels, I cannot answer at this time until after it is approved by the House.
The plans that you are mentioning and you said that it has to be approved by the Legislative Assembly first.
Does this mean that in order to lower the ratio, it will be based on those figures and once we raise questions in regards to the figures used during that process, will you be able to state, all this is one question Mr. Speaker.
What I am trying to say is, there are 26 communities and quite a few different schools within Nunavut, the present funding that we provide to the students and to the teachers, is that using a ratio of twenty to one per school?
The funding that we presently receive, and I am happy to inform my colleagues that we go by the number of enrolees per school within Nunavut, and as to how many teachers that we will require, but on top of that, there was mention that there should be a increase to hire more students.
The DEA authorities in the communities will be able to get somebody locally who will fill in or teach in some areas, but the ratio presently per student to a teacher is not consistent.
It is very difficult to keep within that range when we don’t have enough funding.
So after doing more studies on the problems faced within these grades, we will be coming up with recommendations as to how we could best keep up with the ratio.
I fully understand you, my final supplementary.
The Government also mentioned that they will do an overview of the different Departments.
During that review, which ones will they prioritize as they all require more funding.
In which area will they be able to provide more funding, increase their funding or in areas where there are surpluses, decrease this line item?
The present student/teacher ratio, will that be in the research?
Yes, we have checked to see how they are funded; both the DEA and the schools.
We will try and resolve these issues, especially the student-teacher ratios.
The reviews that we have done to the schools, we will be using the reviews we have done, Thank you.
Question 206 – 1(6): Community Wellness Coordinator
I would like to raise my question in regards to my statement earlier today to the minister of Health and Social Services in regards to the Community Wellness coordinator position.
As I stated earlier, in Kugluktuk, the community wellness coordinator has a very stressful job and as we know at times, the funding or the salary is inadequate.
I would like to ask the Minister, will there be a review as to how the salaries are based.
First of all, the wellness money, the community wellness money that we administer on behalf of the federal government is one of the most successful programs, last year we ran out of 215 programs in Nunavut, out of that pot of money.
It’s very important to note Mr. Speaker, that the community wellness coordinators, in most cases, are employees of the Hamlet and the monies that are given to the Hamlet through the community wellness/brighter futures money is allocated towards salaries, so it’s up to Hamlet with the funding that they received to allocate the base salary for that employee.
Supplementary. Mr. Havioyak
I just want a little bit more clarification in regards to the Brighter Futures program, this is regarding our young people.
Also if you are having an alcohol problem or a drug problem because of the fact that we already used the funding for the brighter future position, I think there should be additional funding that’s coming into our community and for this but for our community wellness centre, there should be a separate funding for community wellness center employees.
If you don’t have adequate funding for the employees in the community wellness centre because the brighter future has its own funding but I think we should be given a separate funding for the community wellness centre.
This community wellness coordinator should have an adequate funding, so I want to know whether they are seeking more funding for this particular issue that I am asking about.
As I said earlier the brighter futures money comes from the federal government and there administered by the department of health, as I said earlier we round out 215 programs across the territory.
It’s a very successful program and it includes programs like community mental health, child development, healthy babies, parenting skills, nutrition programs and so on.
Mr. Speaker, the actual salary dollar allocation is based of funds that are received by each Hamlet.
So for example in Kugluktuk, if the community gets 250 thousands dollars, they allocate that money and the programs that about to run as well as the community dollars for the community wellness coordinator and the member is correct.
We are in negotiations ongoing with the federal government trying to increase the amount of dollars that are available to us under these federal funded programs.
What I can do Mr. Speaker I would commit to do for the member is to review the allocation with him for the community of Kugluktuk to see if there’s economies scale in regards to amounts of dollars that are being spent for the salary base for the community wellness coordinator.
Thank you, very much for your response Mr. Minister.
How are you going to commit this funding to our community?
So this way we know when we are going to hear about this. When are we going to make a commitment to our community of Kugluktuk, because the community of Kugluktuk is patiently waiting for more funding for the community wellness centre? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Minster.
These monies that we just spoke about are projects specific; the community of Kugluktuk would submit an application through the Kitikmeot Inuit Association which is the facilitator in that region, for these monies from brighter futures.
With that money that is contributed based on the program that Kugluktuk was about to run or trying to run, in that are salary dollars, what I have said is I would commit to work with member to see what the allocation of dollars are for Kugluktuk and have our people out of the regional office in Cambridge Bay see if there is an opportunity to increase or to look at the allocation of funds to bring the bear, to situation and to and the issue that the member has so well articulated tonight, Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 207 – 1(6): Treatment Centre in Nunavut
My question today is to the Minister of Health and Social Services and I read off couple of sentences from the statement from yesterday.
We will be adopting a two found approach to substance abuse and addictions treatment in this approach we will set up a limited detoxification services so the person needing treatment has access to medical expertise.
Mr. Speaker my question to minister today, is does this mean that there’s going to be a drug and alcohol treatment centre opened in Nunavut.
As the Premier indicated several weeks ago and following up our mental health strategy that member had a chance to table in this house, yes the answer is yes to the members question that the Department of Health and Social Services moving towards a limited detox centre as well as continuing to do treatment programs with holistic approach based on the community treatment knowledge.
That’s good news for the residents of Nunavut that we will be able to access this treatment without leaving territory and we all know what it’s like when residence of Nunavut has to leave the territory to seek a specialized treatment.
In this approach to this, and if he is going to establish a drug and alcohol treatment centres in Nunavut, is there going to be one centre built in Nunavut or are they going to look at establishing a smaller centre in each region.
Mr. Speaker, let’s be careful in what the way we are using the phraseology.
Speaker there’s two types of centres, there’s as a detox centre one in Inuktitut the Pannirsivi and the other one is the treatment centre the mammisarnirq, which means you get treated for the holistic approach to your problem.
Mr. Speaker, in the past we’ve had a detox centre and that’s where someone physically/ mentally addicted to a drug and addicted to alcohol, and Mr. Speaker those cases they may need a detox centre to wean them off the alcohol or the drugs.
Mr. Speaker we are in the process of looking at opening up a limited detox and at the same time. Mr. Speaker, the department believes that when you are running these types of programs, in most cases in Nunavut, we don’t have people who are addicted to hypodermic needles.
Mr. Speaker, We have people who binge drink, Mr. Speaker we have people who have a different type of addiction and those addictions should be treated at home.
Why should we take a person out of Pang and send them 5 hundred miles to Rankin or Whale Cove or Iqaluit and treat them for six weeks and get them off booze and send them back to Pang, and deal with the same problems that they had, that’s not helping someone Mr. Speaker.
What we tried to do is increase our mental health workers and alcohol drug workers and Mr. Speaker for the first time, through strategy the mental health strategy with psychiatric nurses in communities so that we can help people with their problems why they are drinking.
So Mr. Speaker the member is correct we will have a limited detox in Nunavut but we will also combine it with the wellness centres which we have already in place.
I would like to thank the Minister for his lengthy response and I’m not as well versed in the phrases of detoxifications and things like this.
Can the Minister explain to me what he means by detox services if he’s not talking about building a centre or smaller centres, Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker when we say detox, we’re talking about a person who has most cases clinically been personally referred for substance abuse problems, that’s where they are physically addicted to the problems, whether it be alcohol and now Mr. Speaker it is sad to say in some cases we’ve seen cases in Nunavut who are addicted to drugs.
Mr. Speaker, in those cases that person needs to be clinically monitored in a community where you have a detox centre, were you have a nurse, we have medical professionals to help them get away from the addiction. After they’ve been detoxified, that their addiction is broken, then you put them in a wellness program, a treatment program to help them with the problems, why were they binge drinking, why were they addicted to needles and so on.
So that’s the difference with detoxification program and a wellness treatment program.
Mr. Speaker we have the wellness programs right now in Nunavut who would like to bring back a Nunavut culturally aware using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in the process for the detoxifications. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary. Mr. McLean
Mr. McLean; Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It’s nice to get the same answer twice and I’d like to thank the minister, I’m not quite getting it yet, but when he talks about limited detox services like, I don’t think there’s that many communities in Nunavut that can provide a limited detox service, not that I’m aware of, unless the minister has set up one or two up in the last little while we don’t know about.
So can he be more, direct in what he means by limited detox, is it about, is in the process of designate a few communities to provide these services or is there communities now that are providing these services that we don’t know about.
Mr. Speaker specifically on the area of detox, as the Premier has indicated in a National speech given in Montreal, the Government of Nunavut in the mental health strategy is moving towards putting a limited detox facility in a non decentralized community.
Mr. Speaker, the Premier has made it very clear that we would like to have this type of service in a community which does not have the benefit of decentralized jobs and is one of the smaller communities.
Mr. Speaker, the government has not selected that community yet, and Mr. Speaker, we’re in the middle of putting together the detox program that would be used at the limited treatment centre.
Before we move onto the next question, just to remind members that at 8:00 we will break for a swearing in ceremony, so that’s in 15 minutes time.
Question 208 – 1(6): Status of Proposed Mammography Machine
I would like to direct my questions to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Recently on the news, there were request for proposals for mammography equipment in Rankin Inlet.
Perhaps the minister can tell us what the status of it is today.
Speaker: Minister for Health & Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, the proposed mammography machine, that was for a private company that was bringing forward in Rankin Inlet.
I think the name of the company is Piruksaijiit.
Mr. Speaker, I can’t give the member an update on that.
That’s a private matter of a private company.
What I can say is that Government of Nunavut has not endorsed a for profit private to deliver health services in Nunavut, number one, and number two, the proposed mammography machine that is being contemplated by the company in Rankin has not been certified or licensed for use in Canada or the United States.
For those reasons Mr. Speaker, the Government of Nunavut fails to for best servicing the people of Nunavut and not allow unlicensed equipment to be used in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t know what the status of the programs or plans of the private company are, but that is the direction that the Government of Nunavut and the stance of the Government of Nunavut has taken on the private medical plan in Rankin Inlet.
The response was very good and the clarification is very well.
I’m glad that the government is transparent and I’d like to ask the Minister if he could tells us what the status is on either in the health centres, if there is similar diagnostic equipment for those kinds of things.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member raising the issue and over the last several weeks, especially on the local CBC, on the radio, on the phone in shows, there have been comments that me as a Minister of Health for the Government of Nunavut have not been interested or taken the issue of breast cancer serious enough.
Mr. Speaker, let me say here and categorically state it factually that Mr. Speaker, the amount of breast cancer in women in Nunavut is very small, however, how small it is it is very important.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, the cervical cancer rates in Nunavut for women are 35 times the national average.
We have women dying today Mr. Speaker, because of cervical cancer.
Mr. Speaker, as the member has just said, the best education for breast cancer awareness is sell examination as well as education that is done through the nursing stations in wellness clinics, which we are doing right now.
Mr. Speaker, I will not as the Minister of Health and Social Services allow untested, unlicensed equipment to come into Nunavut and have people, women in Nunavut, my wife, my mother-in-law, my relatives, women to be treated by untried equipment that should not be allowed.
We are not set up as a government for experimentation by other jurisdictions or other pieces of equipment.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Nunavut had in the last week, has done a thorough investigative work on this piece of equipment.
I can say, Mr. Speaker, in this House, that categorically today with the information that has been provided to us, there is no way that we will endorse that piece of equipment.
And at the same time, Mr. Speaker, the Member had asked me earlier, the Government of Nunavut is looking for the opportunity to bring in quality, tried and tested equipment that is licensed in Canada, that is licensed in the world to look at the opportunities for mammography.
We are doing that, but we are not interested in untried, and untested equipment for use on all residents.
Perhaps the Minister didn’t understand my last question.
However, he elaborated a lot better than I could.
I thank him for making sure that we will have good licensed, proper equipment in Nunavut.
He elaborated that a lot better than I could, I thank him for that. But I am asking the Minister if he can tell us what is in place right now; services that are available in Nunavut?
Mr. Speaker, again I appreciate the clarification the Member is questioning.
Right now in Nunavut, every Health Centre across Nunavut and in Iqaluit, in the Hospital, we provide well women clinics for women.
Where the need is generated, women have to opportunity of learning how to do self-examination.