EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We ask people to come and teach by using contracts up to today.
We use the casual system less than using contractors.
As promised I’ll delve into the Inuit employment initiatives as a couple of my colleagues have already brought up.
One of the things that caught my interest was anticipating future retirements.
I’m talking about NAC page 9. Nunavut Arctic College has initiated succession planning and mentorship for the category of Inuit employment initiatives.
I understand how succession planning works where you’re bringing up people and teaching them to do your job, very similar to a mentorship.
Are these formal mentorship agreements that are done with employees?
Perhaps if our president, Mr. Shouldice, elaborates on this further.
We are using transfer assignments and we’re using internship. We’re constantly in the process of applying for those internship dollars for individuals.
We have had great success, we think, with 18 out of 25 adult educators being beneficiaries. It’s a category we could fill.
We think that in the trades training centre that’s another area that we could improve our track record. We’ve had a number of people that we have had in internships. Various reasons, we’re still running internships.
It’s something we’d like to see if to have bilingual instructors in the Nunavut trades training centre as a priority.
Within our senior management positions, we have a number of people who are on either transfer assignments or in particular, our senior business officer, just completed an internship and is now holding that position.
We have strategically hit a variety of areas.
The most difficult for us would be the instructors, of course. For example, the CARS instructors, both of them are beneficiaries.
When we get into some of the programs such as the nursing program, getting people with the correct degree and work experience is difficult for us.
We have got an internship that we’re advertising right now to pick up a nursing graduate to get them to complete their master’s degree and then to come back and work within the college system as an intern. We have strategic areas that we are actually working through the Nunavut Internship Program for.
And, your strategic areas are working very well, Mr. Shouldice.
You’ve just answered my next two questions with that last answer.
I commend your will to coordinate the interns with the, I’m assuming the Sivuliqtiksat who takes that program with the Government of Nunavut and I was going to be asking you about the internship position for the nursing…
I guess, my last question that I can think of, I’m not exactly sure where it is.
On 2013-14 in the departmental priorities, is to support individuals with diplomas, to transfer their qualifications to degree programs.
Can you update me on the status of this initiative and if there are any individuals who are taking advantage of this opportunity?
Perhaps if the president, Mr. Shouldice, could answer that.
Mr. Shouldice: Just briefly, as a framework for my answer. There are the degree programs we offer, such as nursing and NTEP. So, it’s a full program that’s offered within the college.
The degree is granted by a university in the south. We have 42 certificates of which nine are diplomas.
So a certificate is a ten credit program, runs for a year and then it advances into some more. The Midwifery Program, for example, has a one-year certificate as a maternity care worker, which is a Government of Nunavut job. People could exit and become employed.
They may stay for two more years and earn a midwifery diploma which they then can transfer into university.
So intend is to get all of our diplomas, we have five of them right now, transferable into university. Management studies is transferable with Athabasca University of Calgary, for example. The Environmental Technology Program has a number of partners that we have spoken about.
So the general direction is that we are trying to get the degrees, I’m sorry, we’re trying to make our diplomas viable where people are going south.
The number of people that are doing that, I do not know how many people have actually gone on to do that except a small number of people.
I think, the main thing for me always has been to tell students three things: One is that the instructors are very well qualified; that the technology that they are getting on the campus is as good as anywhere else in Canada; and three, the credentials they earn with Nunavut Arctic College are to a national standard and they can take them anywhere.
That’s been a very important thing and students like the messaging that they have something that is as good as anywhere else in this country but I do not know the number of people who are going on.
Before we go on to the next name, we will take a five-minute break.
>>Committee recessed at 17:43 and resumed at 17:52
Chairman: Order. Thank you.
Continuing on. Department Summary. Nunavut Arctic College.
I have a question just for clarification. First of all, I would like to say hon. minister that I believe all of us are support of the Nunavut Arctic College programs.
Many individuals have benefited a lot from the Nunavut Arctic College programs. We appreciate that.
As Inuit, I believe that we’re always expecting bigger and better.
My question, therefore, is the issue that you keep talking about Adult Basic Education that is provided in the communities, which is very good. Today, in the year 2014, how are you encouraging the students in the smaller communities and providing certification training programs in the communities?
In Pond Inlet, there was an environmental technology program that was very successful. There were 14 students and 13 of them graduated. How important is it to Nunavut Arctic College so that it could be spread out to the communities?
Chairman: Thank you. Minister Quassa.
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also would like to thank my colleague for asking for clarification. First of all, I would like to say there are community learning centres in all the communities, either through the hamlets or another entity.
They go through the local radio station and they ask questions to the public, what kind of programs would you like to see at the community learning centre and they go to the community asking the community what they would like to see in the community learning centre programs.
Yes, it is true that the community learning centres are open to everyone.
We deliver different programs, such as, (interpretation ends) camp cook, trades access, office administration, fur production, (interpretation) fur preparation, et cetera.
In addition, (interpretation ends) early childhood education certificate, (interpretation) for daycare workers, Nunavut education program, (interpretation) we deliver many different programs but we are open to Nunavummiut on what programs they wish to see delivered in their colleges.
I hope I responded to your question or do I need to have a supplementary response, Mr. Chairman?
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Also, if I can supplement my question.
What the hon. minister had mentioned, it seems like the programs you mentioned are short programs, delivered only part of a year. They’re taught one semester. I think I was talking more in line with the environmental technology programs in Pond Inlet.
It became evident when president Shouldice had gone to Pond Inlet and took part in the graduation of the environmental technology students. And, as Mr. Mikkungwak my colleague has stated, that some of us don’t want to leave our communities to further our training or to further our education.
The question that I am trying to ask for quite some time is, like the environmental training program. Those diploma programs, are you trying to disseminate them to the communities?
Yes, very much.
Even to date, like for Sanikiluaq and Pond Inlet, for example, and also in Pond Inlet, the Environmental Technology Diploma Program, yes, these are programs that are being delivered in the communities.
These are diploma programs that are made available at the local level. It’s up to the wish of the community. We also follow as to how many people are interested and if there are not enough people interested then we don’t go ahead with the program.
We only proceed with these programs if we have enough participants.
And, I just wish to get further clarification on the one you just mentioned. When my colleague, Ms. Angnakak was asking questions, in regards to the NTEP program. There was a question posed, I think she was trying to ask, how can we retain those students or is there an incentive program that you have where you have to work with the Nunavut Government after you have completed your training program?
It is evident that after the students graduate, they move on to other positions and our government fights over the educated individuals.
Is there an incentive program or do you have some kind of criteria where it states that if you stay in Nunavut Arctic College, training for so long, that you receive this kind of a benefit?
As the hon. minister stated, that they can monitor. I believe that no matter how much monitoring we do, it is not too useful.
If I made myself clear, Mr. Chairman, this is my initial question.
Sometimes we seem to lose the graduates, but for nurses, I believe there is more incentive for that program.
There are not too many incentives for other training programs. We know that there are quite a few NTEP graduates working in schools.
As we stated earlier, no matter what kind of training program the graduates completed, we let them know of the potential places where they can work, telling them that we have graduates competing.
It could be considered as an incentive, but it’s not an incentive program. It doesn’t have teeth in it.
So that I can come across clear, I’ll explain further.
I’m mainly talking about students taking the training program in Nunavut.
I’m talking about the students who graduated and move on out of the territory.
I am very pleased for the graduates, but we want them to remain in Nunavut. That’s why I believe that we have that training program so that we can have our own people working within our government.
That’s why we seem to lose our graduates.
I’m not going to call it my last question, as I might be wrong, but Mr. Chairman, let me ask.
As the minister is aware, the Inuit language is very important to me and I will always hold it as a high priority and I also would like to utilize the Inuit language.
It’s totally up to other people if they want to have the Inuit language as their priority, and I believe in that.
One thing that I note is why the Interpreter/Translator Program doesn’t seem to be successful.
Maybe not too many people are interested in that program.
It states in your business plan that there’s not too many interested people out there.
Maybe there is not enough support for the interpreter training program.
Once I get clarification, I will have a full understanding.
It’s true that there are not too many people interested in taking the interpreter training program.
However, we should make it more visible, I believe, in the Baffin, Kivalliq, and Kitikmeot regions and we will definitely have to do that.
There are not too many people interested in the interpreter training program.
I believe that we will have to do more encouragement as Nunavut Arctic College and push for it.
Next name on the list, Mr. Savikataaq.
I don’t have many questions.
One of them is academic affairs office in Arviat. How many PYs are there? How many of them are filled?
I would also like to thank my colleague, Mr. Savikataaq, for the question.
To date, there are 13. Eleven in Arviat with decentralized positions and one position is vacant.
The same office in Arviat, the Business Service Office. How many PYs there and how many are filled?
The figures that I just gave out. It’s in there.
It’s among the numbers I said earlier. There are 11 PYs as I said, 13 altogether.
Let me break it down to who is where.
There are four finance department staff members, two receptionists; one is more of a senior officer type of position.
That’s all they are right now, Mr. Chairman.
Part of the president’s office, the public affairs officer. Is that position in Arviat, too?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Yes.
I thank the minister for that quick response. On another matter, the nursing program is a four-year degree program.
When it first started it was a two-year diploma program.
Can the minister tell us why the change? What is the reasoning to go from a diploma to a degree program?
It’s been like that for about ten years now.
It was changed initially so that the nurses can get an actual degree.
I hope I responded correctly to my colleague, Mr. Chairman.
I believe it was a diploma program or was it always a degree program?
Clarification. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Following what was being done all across Canada, we had to start giving out degrees.
We had to adapt our course to follow what was being done in the rest of Canada.
Next person on the list, Mr. Joanasie.
The first question that I have is sort of along the same lines as Mr. Enook’s question about the Interpreter/Translator Program.
The budget has not changed since last year. Why did you not any more fund to the Interpreter/Translator Program?
That doesn’t really come from my department.
Like I said in my opening remarks it gets funded by the Uqausivut Program for the interpreter/translator position for all three regions.
They get funded by the Uqausivut Program. It’s administered by them.
Those people who apply to the Interpreter/Translator Program, has the budget limitations kept you from accepting all the students that have applied for the program?
I can say no to that and add by saying that not many people have applied to get into the Interpreter/Translator Program. The money has been lacking. It’s the fact that too few people apply to the Interpreter/Translator Program.
How many people have applied?
Let’s use last year as an example.
Ten people applied last year.
I will now move on to something else. In your business on page NAC – 11 in English and in Inuktitut it’s also on page 11.
You said that you were going establish a Centre of Excellence for Inuit Language and Culture within the Nunavut Arctic College. What are your visions for that idea? How would it be set up?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) The Centre of Excellence for Language and Culture, (interpretation) as it’s written in English.
It is part of our mission at the college and what we envision as our principles.
It’s also the Nunavut government’s goals for the future to have the Inuit Language and Culture, and heritage and their traditional knowledge, combine all of those and you would call them Centre of Excellence for Language and Culture.
As the Nunavut government, this is what we want our goals to be. This is our foundation. Inuit language and culture are based on that.
The centre is based on all of those.
To move onto something else about the Piqqusilirivvik. Can you remind us about the Piqqusilirivvik, how many students can it accommodate in a year?
It has the capacity of 26 students.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Is that for the whole year or is that half of the year?
There are 26 beds in that place.
It can have up to 26 students if we are holding any particular course.
Thank (interpretation ends) There are 26 beds for one term. (interpretation) If that was clear.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Yes, thank you.
Moving onto something else. We are all aware that we need to have bilingual teachers in Nunavut.
Because of that, the Nunavut Arctic College has a teacher education program.
But I have seen that in your 2014-15 budget, the budget has not been increased from last year.
Why didn’t you request for more money? Even though we need more teachers, we need to increase the number of teachers that are bilingual.
The NTEP programs are held in the communities. There was one in Baker Lake that just produced graduates as we heard this week. The community programs are in year one.
For example, in Hall Beach they are in the first year of the program. In other communities they are in year two, or three, or four. They have different startup years.
There are different levels of advancement in each community. I regards to your question, I would like our president to expand on my response.
The program is funded from two sources. It has a base funding amount that we get every year, $2.6 million just to round it off.
However, the Department of Education gives us an additional $2.2 million. We use both of those to run the program.
We’re currently running in ten communities.
As the minister just explained, as the programs finish, then we start operating. Currently, what we have for capacity is the ability to run a Bachelor of Education program over several years in the same community in ten locations. That’s what we’re operating on right now.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for a possibly good answer.
To move on to something else again, (interpretation ends) the letter of expectation. As noted in the letters of expectation, the following gives a list of priorities of particular interest and one of the bullets lists is to improve delivery and student retention.
Could we get a bit of a rundown of what this alludes to?
Maybe he can clarify what page.
In Nunavut Arctic College’s letter of expectation 2013-14, on the second page, it has a list of “the following priorities are of particular interest.” In the seventh bullet, there’s a list of priority interests. With the seventh bullet, I noted that it says to improve delivery and student retention.
What factors are at play here that you need to improve delivery and student retention?
I would like to be able to respond to the member properly, but I can’t really respond to that right now. I think it was a letter from Mr. Shewchuk.
Perhaps the member can clarify that again because we don’t have the information.
Does the college track the student dropout rate?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Yes, we do.
Can he enlighten us on what the dropout rate has been in the last two or three years?
Nunavut Arctic College teaches various programs.
Different courses for us which is there are so many dropouts or whatever, we don’t have that… maybe Mr. Shouldice can give us some information.
But I can say that there are various programs and various courses There are different drop outs and stuff like that.
If it’s ok with you, Mr. Chairman, I will let the president respond to that question.
The national average is somewhere between 40 and 60 percent in post secondary institutions for dropout of students.
Our programs run depending on the program. Some of them are very successful and have as much as 80 percent retention, as low as 60 percent retention.
In all of our programs we would have numbers to track the exit of students. Part of their funding requirement is that they usually are asked on exit, “what was the reason you dropped the program or withdrew?” Often the reasons are family or money related for students if they’re not able to complete.
And personal circumstances more so than not.
To improve retention we are looking in the programs, especially certificate diploma at providing more tutoring for students. We have the campuses open in the evenings allowing more time in the lab. We’ve hired a number of casual tutors in various programs for people so that they can get extra time in subjects that they need; math, English whatever it is.
The number that I have suggested to people is important is how many graduates are we getting from certificate diploma programs? It has increased slightly. It usually averages somewhere between 300 and 325 over the last three or four years.
I think the long term, what I want to look at is we more successful, are we graduating more people? Apparently, at a slow pace but it is going up.
Our enrolment, if you’ve looked at our enrolment, when we average it out, our enrolment tends to stay the same with the exception of where we had a third party project or something. Then there’s a bump in the enrolment. Our enrolment seems to have stayed the same long term however our graduation rate is going up.
That’s the retention piece that we are monitoring.
I have no more questions but I appreciate all the answers were provided and wish the college the best in their endeavours.
Actually, my final question can be, is the college going to become a university?
There has been some kind of encouragement from Agnico Eagle.
We have looked at what the university would look like or what goals the university could be like.
Those different kinds… for the Inuit communities as to how the Greenland people run their university. Those are the types of things I’d like to find out from other Inuit communities.
We have looked at it, but we haven’t really looked at it that much.
Department Summary. Nunavut Arctic College. Nunavut Arctic College.
Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $32,204,000.
Chairman: Does the committee agree that Nunavut Arctic College is concluded?
Chairman: Closing remarks from Minister Quassa.
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank my colleagues for their questions on the information that they wanted to get.
This kind of meeting give us more ideas on what we should be doing at the Nunavut Arctic College. People who have not completed their grade 12, we would like them to be able to come and receive more education in the Nunavut Arctic College, or adult education training.
I would encourage the people in the communities should be given information that Nunavut Arctic College is open to all residents.
I wanted to say that, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to my colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman: Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort officials from the Chambers.
All those in favour. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) Opposed. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) The motion is carried.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) This House stands adjourned until Wednesday, June 11, at 1:30 p.m.
>>House adjourned at 18:35
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Pages 849 – 937
Opening Prayer 849
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 849
Report of the Committee of the Whole 936
Orders of the Day 936
Wednesday, June 11, 2014 849
Bill 02 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015 – Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs – Consideration in Committee 849
Bill 02 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015 – Culture and Heritage – Consideration in Committee 888
Bill 02 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015 – Environment – Consideration in Committee 906
Speaker (Hon. George Qulaut) (interpretation): Can you say the opening prayer, please, Mr. Shooyook.
Speaker (interpretation): Member for Baker Lake, Mr. Mikkungwak.
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I seek unanimous consent to proceed directly to Item 19 on the order paper. (interpretation) Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I ask all members to remain at their desks so that you can proceed immediately to the Committee of the Whole.
Chairman (Mr. Akoak): Good afternoon, Inuit and all Nunavummiut.
Good morning to Gjoa Haven.
We wish to commence with the review of the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, followed by the Department of Culture and Heritage, the Department of Environment, and, if time permits, the Legislative Assembly.
Chairman: Are we in agreement that we first deal the main estimates for the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs?
Bill 02 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015 – Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs – Consideration in Committee
I would now like to ask Premier Taptuna, do you have officials you would like to appear before the committee?
For the record, Premier Taptuna, please introduce your officials.
Hon. Peter Taptuna: On my right is Mr. David Akeeagok, Deputy Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs. On my left is Mr. David Pealow, Director of Corporate Services.
Please proceed with your opening comments, Premier Taptuna.