EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The students, when I say your names I would ask that you stand up and be recognized.
Lizzie Nakik, Margaret Nutaragaitok, Marie Airut, Nagleena Nattar, Pitari Kavavau.
I should also mention Mr. Speaker, that in Igloolik we still have other students in the same program who are doing a work placement in Igloolik.
I would just like to mention their names and congratulate them also for being involved in the diploma program in social work.
Selena Arreak, Evi Kunuk, Leah Ivalu, Sheppa Idlout and Norm Makpah.
Mr. Speaker, over the last several days in this House we have had a lot of concerns with social worker placements and Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure and I am sure the members of this House, to say that we have people training from Nunavut to take over these responsible positions in our communities.
I would also like to congratulate the students.
Although Mr. Picco had recognized the students, he did not pronounce their names properly because all of these students come from my constituency I would like to recognize all the students and I will properly announce their names.
They could stand up together.
Marie Airut, Lizzie Makik, Margaret Nukarakituk, Naglinag Nattak and Takarie Takowgak.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a friend of mine that I worked with about ten years in Tuktoyaktuk and also an individual that I was on the volunteer fire department with in Tuk, ten years ago.
Just a quick reminder to Patrick Galbraith, who is in the gallery here, I just want to let the members know that Pat and myself were the only volunteer firemen to get the fire truck stuck in the mud on the way to a fire.
>>Laughter/Applause
Welcome to the gallery and to the Legislative Assembly.
Question 278 - 1(3): Housing Corporation Capital Spending
Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Finance.
I would just like to confirm that there isn't a misprint on Table 4 of the Budget Address.
It states that the capital spending for the Nunavut Housing Corporation for the year 20009/2001 is lower than the spending last year.
I would like the minister to confirm that this is actually the case, that the overall capital spending for the Housing Corporation has been cut.
I referred to Table 4, is the honourable member speaking about the 19 million and 60 thousand referred to in 1999/2000 versus the 19 million.
The 60 thousand difference.
If that is what he is referring to then he is correct.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for confirming that capital spending is down for housing this year even though it is only 60 thousand, the fact of the matter is that it is down.
Could he explain to the House how this is consistent with his budget address in which he stated that housing is one of the two core priorities for this government.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Mr. Speaker, I would say that it is consistent in how you re-profile the dollars within the department or the contributions to the Housing Corporation to begin with.
We have moved from 90 million dollars in all various capacities of spending for capital estimates in the Housing Corporation and we moved 15 million dollars, and the minister will get into the details when the budget comes before the Committee of the Whole, 15 million dollars is specifically targeted for social housing, built housing, owned and operated by the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
In addition to that Mr. Speaker, we have another million dollars again, when the minister brings forward her details to the Committee of the Whole that they will get into the details of the estimates.
Mr. Speaker, regardless of whether it’s been profiled or not, it totally surprises me the fact that this government has said that housing is it’s top 2 priority Mr. Speaker, on a number of occasions.
It’s printed in the Bathurst mandate that housing is one of the top 2 priorities and there is an actual decrease in funding for it.
I can’t believe that happened and look forward in getting an explanation to how that could have happened.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: The honourable member is suggesting that 60,000 decrease.
It’s like an adjustment.
We’re talking about 19 million dollars and the honourable member thinks 60,000 are significant.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Ng. Oral questions. Mr. Tootoo.
My next question is for the Minister of Finance.
I asked for some clarification Mr. Speaker on table 1 on the summary of fiscal position for the government of Nunavut.
On the year 2000-2001 main estimates, it has estimated appropriation lapses of 5 million for capital projects.
Mr. Speaker my interpretation of that is they plan of lapsing 5 million dollars for the capital.
I’m just wondered if its money they plan on lapsing.
Why is it in the budget.
You were asking a different question than your first one.
Minister of Finance Mr. Ng, would you like to respond.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Mr. Speaker, the plan is to carry over approximately 5 million dollars.
Capital projects for the 99-2000 year that will not be completed on March 31st.
So, there is approximately 5 million dollars that will go over to the 2000-2001 year.
I just like to thank the minister for clarifying that.
So, than that 5 million out of this year’s capital projects that’s going to be carried forward to the next years capital projects.
Is that correct Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker I’d like to ask the Finance Minister if during the departmental briefings if we’re going to be provided with what projects the 5 million-dollar consists of.
Yes, we will try to provide as much information as any member wants.
Question 279 - 1(3): Budget Detail
I have a question also to the minister of finance.
In reference to the budget information that we received.
I don’t have any detail.
I’m assuming that when we access to further information we’ll get the information required.
But under page 25 and 26 it says that the Keewatin and the Baffin.
It says the Baffin region and the Keewatin.
There’s reference to the Baffin and the Keewatin regions that when you look at the numbers they all indicate 0 for the year 2000 and I’m wondering why this is the case.
I just would like to clarify that for me Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the honourable member may be referring to the 2 departments, the Legislative Assembly and the Executive and Intergovernmental affairs where there is no distribution of budgets outside of headquarters.
Having said that all the departments have the details.
They’re the ones that provided and we summarised it in the budget estimates.
When it comes before the committee of the whole, all the details will be provided as much as possible.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Ng. Mr. Iqaqrialu.
In reference to the detail of the budget.
There is a great difference in the numbers provided and thank you for telling me that we will be getting the finer details.
But when you look at the breakdown of the dollars, it’s difficult to assume what the numbers are and I’ll be looking for the information later.
I did not hear a question. Orders of the day.
Question 280 - 1(3): Distribution of Income Support Programs
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker I believe it was last May when we met I asked a question to the Minister of Health and Social Services concerning the income support programmes and how they are distributed differently in the communities.
At that time he said he would gather information throughout the winter months.
And, I’m just wondering if he has collected the data required for the information particularly for the Baffin region.
Hon. James Arvaluk.
Mr. Speaker, no we have not done that at this time.
But, the staff is working on it.
I was asking for the comprehensive review as to the income support program and how they are being distributed.
This has been an on going effort and as we know the department has not been expanded since 1995.
That is not the main concern but what we want to find out are ways as to how we can better access that program and how we can make our people less depended on the Nunavut government.
And, so we wanted to do a whole review.
So in the following week, I’ll be able to inform you as to who will be in the working group.
They’ll be coming to your communities for visits for consultations.
And, they’ll also be some discussions as to whether there should be a whole meeting to that effect.
At first I was thinking, Mr. Speaker, that maybe they should be able to meet and discuss the issue that the member raised concerning the Baffin region.
However, we’re looking at the bigger picture and we decided that there should be a complete comprehensive review and I’ll be able to tell you who will be on that working review committee.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. minister.
The minister indicates who will be on that working review committee members in the following week.
I understand that this has been on going for a while now and he said it hasn’t been worked on.
I know that the people who receive the income support cheques in different forms.
So he says there will be people that will be doing a review.
How soon does he expect the committee to perform the review.
The review will be comprehensive.
They will include every aspect of the income support programmes and how they are distributed and we also know at this time much of the information that we want to find out just exactly how we can improve the distribution of the income support cheques, programmes and other services.
For example, for those who get income support, they only need temporary aid.
For example people who work throughout the summer months need to get unemployment insurance benefits.
Because it's such a tedious process that they come to income support for assistance.
And so we’ll be looking at all the aspects of the income support programmes and I look forward to working with the Yukon and the Territorial governments.
The ministers on the area are planning to meet in Whitehorse to discuss these issues along with the Federal Government minister regarding income support programmes.
This is scheduled for late May, early June.
What we want to do is look at this with the Federal Government to see if we can make changes or improvements in the way the income support programmes are being handled and for better staff management within that field.
So what I’m trying to say to the member is all of the programmes will be comprehensively reviewed concerning income support along with the student financial assistance from Arctic College programmes.
All of these components will be looked at.
I look forward that we should have the information at the end of three months.
Supplementary to my question regarding income support to the minister.
He indicates that he’ll be holding meetings with other counterparts and we’ll he able to respond to my question at to their review and what processes they plan on taking to their review.
No I will not.
What I was trying to say was this.
What forms of review will take place.
We want to look at the individual components, we want to be able to discuss all the components either by teleconference or in person.
We want to get access to people’s suggestions and ideas and consult with the people.
We want to make it an all-inclusive review over the next three months.
My final supplementary to my question to the minister responsible for income support.
In my first preamble to my question, I indicated that income support cheques are distributed in different forms in the Baffin region.
People are interested in obtaining a response as soon as possible where by they can get their cheques issued is a consistent manner across the board.
This was my question last fall and now he tells me he can’t answer me until a few months from now.
So this is a question dating back to last spring.
It involves the distribution of income support cheques.
If I could go back to that, I may have to repeat myself in June and I understand that I’ll be able to getting a response only then.
Although I did not hear a question, you may respond Mr. Minister.
I myself did not hear a specific question but I would like to respond anyway.
It being Friday I can go and find out right away.
In fact this coming week I can give him a written response because there are different reasons for many different forms of distribution.
It depends on you status and your family members.
And so even if I don’t give him specific numbers at this time as to how things are distributed differently.
I can give the information next week.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Minster.
Member for Baffin South, Mr. Akesuk.
Question 281 - 1(3): Capital Spending for the Department of Education
My question will be directed to the minister of education.
In written form looking at the information that was presented concern 15.3 million dollars allocated for capital projects.
According to the written information I had not seen in front of him whether there is room for expansion under the capital projects because their classrooms are filled to capacity.
Our population numbers continue to grow and for the job entrance numbers, we also expect an increase for the working force.
And this figure of 15.3 million dollars seems to me there should be expansion of school.
That is my question to the minister.
Hon James Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Yes, what we do is put together.
Somebody was mentioning Clyde River, Pond Inlet and Kugarjuk Schools.
As well as schools in Repulse Bay.
Just make a brief comment.
This is what happens if there an emergency or if there is a safety hazard or life threatening situation or if the building is not up to standards whatever the reason may be as well as space not big enough.
I could indicate individually say for example in Baker Lake it’s a health hazard.
You walk into the school and there are pieces falling on your head.
We can also say concerning the schools in other regions, for example in Kugaruuk they're very overcrowded.
So, within the 15 million dollars, the community hall is being used as a school and there is room for over crowding and expansion provisions but also I want to add even though I said this in Rankin Inlet.
That for the five year plan, these capital projects which are bound for the schools are not defined well enough in the 5-year plan.
We want to do is a 20 year plan instead.
So that we can assess emergency growth and other issue like that expansion of population numbers per capita numbers.
Is there an economy that is prosperous.
All these other issues that have to be looked at and we’re going to start this 20 planning basis rather than a 5 year plan.
He indicates that he plans to do a 20 year planning assessment.
You have many communities within Nunavut, will it take a while before these communities will be reviewed or will there be done on a priority basis.
We want to do this as a priority because in the next budget these same issues will be raised and so this is going to be we want to do this as a priority in this fiscal year.
Back to our orders item number 6, oral questions.
Question 282 - 1(3): Inadequacy of Hall Beach School
Before I raise a question I would like to thank the people that I stayed with in Rankin Inlet.
I tried to thank them yesterday but they didn’t hear me over the TV.
However my question is directed to the Minister of Education.
As he indicated if there are safety hazards in schools or there is overcrowding.
Then it becomes a priority.
In the capital plan, I indicated that my community school should become a priority because it’s become too small.
We have requested an expansion of the school for the last 5 years and they have extended up to grade 8.
They have not done anything about this expansion.
Now they have the school is too small now for the students who are attending.
Perhaps the minister can look into this.
There was a plan that would continue to be utilized as it was because they didn't have any health or safety hazards in that school.
So they thought that maybe they could still use that school for a number of years.
There were some other schools that were a higher priority.
When we went to Pond Inlet we entered the school and there were classes even being held in the hallways.
So this 20 year capital plan, once we start considering this plan we will surely consider the other school as well and try and extend or put in classroom additions.
The funding that is being used by the Government has to be used by all schools equally and there are some capital projects such as arenas and upgrades of airports and airstrips, all of these capital projects have to be considered in one plan.
So on this 20 year capital plan we can look towards expansion and with the funding that we will have I think we will be in better shape than we are today.
During our first session last year I tabled a petition coming from my community requesting a school expansion.
I tabled that letter and also in Rankin Inlet when we had our session, they also requested the school's expansion again this time in a more urgent way.
The minister replied last year that if we could find funding for the school then we could work out some solutions for that particular school.
They had already indicated that they had the design for the school expansion however, they started having problems with that and that's why I have been requesting for the minister to look into our school because this is becoming quite urgent for the students in our community.
I don't know how else I can convince the minister to look into this serious matter, it is becoming a very serious matter because of overcrowding and it could create health problems for the children in that school.
Aren't these things considered urgent.
The plan that we used required funding and as we indicated there are some other priorities that we have to consider especially when it concerns health hazards.
In regards to the design of the school expansion, it was put out by GNWT and we will indicate again that they didn't have the actual funding for the expansion, they just made plans for the construction.
They didn’t even have any contractors to do the work, although they already had the designs planned within the five year capital plan.
They were just in the planning stages at the time when the GNWT decided not to go ahead with the expansion, there were a lot of things that were planned for schools, however they were not put forward by the GNWT.
So the GNWT decided that the Nunavut Government would be able to take on this responsibility, the funding for capital projects and although we knew that we wouldn't have enough funding for these capital projects we had to take on this responsibility.
So we have had to decide which schools needed attention, and I would like to inform the member that in the GNWT's five year plan, Hall Beach was not included for a school expansion.
There are 26 communities in Nunavut, and if he could look at all the schools in the 26 communities perhaps he could see that Hall Beach is after all, one priority that should be considered because there are some schools that are just in bad shape.
Yes I can see that Hall Beach has an overcrowding problem but there are other communities that need more attention right away.
I know that there were some plans made for some schools but they didn't go ahead with the plans.
For that reason we have had to decide which communities needed the attention more and looking at the budget today, we just don't have the funding required for all the schools to be repaired.
Therefore, like I indicated we decided that maybe it would be best to have a 20 year capital plan so things could be in better shape in the future.
Yes I understand his response and his concern.
It is his job to decide which schools need more attention and which should be a priority and I understand his response.
However, I am representing my community and they have had their concerns raised regarding schools.
When he was in my community we had a public meeting and he was asked by someone other than myself, I think he knows very well who asked him the question, his reply was that he was very happy to be asked the question because now he knows that I am not the only person that wants to deal with this issue.
One of my constituents asked this very same important question and he indicated that he would be happy to deal with this issue right away.
I just want clarification on this response he made to one of my constituents.
I think I understand where the member is coming from.
At the time when we had the meeting I stated that if the school is too small for the students and it is becoming a serious problem that perhaps we could consider it.
However, we have said this to every community in Nunavut.
That's why we would like to do this comprehensive review and forward it to the communities so we could work well together with the community.
Yes, we understand that there are schools that have this overcrowding problem and this has become serious in some places, I didn't say in Hall Beach that we would build a school next year, I didn't say that.
We have to deal with all the schools and if all the schools say that they have a serious problem then the government has the responsibility to look into serious matters and that is how I responded to his constituent.
Going back to the orders.
Perhaps, if I can just remind members that during oral question period if you get a good response from the minister please try and make your supplementary questions short.
This is just a reminder to the members.
If you have supplementary questions, try and make them short please.
Question 283 - 1(3): Criteria for Culture, Language, Elders & Youth Funding
Mr. Speaker, sometimes on this side of the House we don't have any questions and sometimes we have too many.
I am just trying to sort out who is going to be the lucky minister today; I have questions for Education, for Culture, Language, Elders & Youth, Minister of Housing, the Premier.
In yesterday's budget speech, the Minister of Finance made a nice presentation on the budget.
There were many good things in the budget, I guess there were a lot of things I would like to see there but unfortunately that's the way it is.
There are only so many dollars to go around.
My question then today is to the Minister responsible for Culture, Language, Elders & Youth.
Mr. Speaker, the Minster of Finance indicated that there was 500 thousand dollars allocated for youth centres throughout Nunavut.
My question to the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth is what criteria is the minister going to use to allocate these funds throughout Nunavut given the fact that we have many communities that are in need of this money.
I know for a fact that my home community of Arviat will get very excited about this funding and would like to know how to access it.
Minister of Finance, Mr. Ng. I'm sorry, Minister for Culture, Language, Elders & Youth, Mr. Havioyak.
I would like to answer this a little bit later, but Mr. Speaker, on the 500 thousand dollars for youth centres.
The communities when they see that we have funding for such projects, or for renovations or for youth centres in communities, when the communities are given a house or a building they may also require funding for operations.
That is how it will be dealt with, perhaps that will answer your question.
Mr. Speaker, I don't think the minister, as a matter of fact the minister did not answer my question.
My question is again, what criteria does the minister have in place so that the selection process of who will actually be able to access this money, is there an application process in place, what is the criteria, so that the various communities can apply for this funding.
Is there criteria in place for the allocation of this money.
Today we have finalized these types of applications for funding for such projects.
I will try to answer your question.
This application we use will be handled through the department to decide who will get the funding.
We will look through the process in the department once the regions have requested contributions or grants from our department for these grants we will go through this process.
If I didn't answer your question, I will try to answer your question through the written statement that you make.
Mr. Speaker, the minister is correct he did not answer my question.
We are on oral questions, this is not posed as a written question.