EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I was disappointed that there was no clear commitment to reinstating federal funds for literacy.
These recent federal cuts were among the most short-sighted and mean-spirited that I have seen.
Members on both sides of this House and some northern parliamentarians have been publicly calling, for some time now, for an enhancement to the northern residents’ deduction, which directly benefits citizens living in the north. This issue still needs to be addressed.
Mr. Speaker, I do agree we should not lose sight of the good news in the budget and I look forward to working with all Members of the House in determining how best to allocate the additional resources that we have derived.
Member’s Statement 065 – 2(4): Federal Budget Announcement (Arvaluk)
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back.
I hope you don’t get sick again.
We just had a blizzard and it seems like we’ve been stuck; now we finally came home and some of our family didn’t make it here yet.
Yesterday we were very interested to hear about the federal budget, especially for those of us who make statements in regard to financial impact. We watched TV all day yesterday to find out what kind of funding will be allocated to Nunavut, NWT, and the Yukon, all the way up to Newfoundland, especially the have-not provinces or territories. It looks like we were trying to pick mitts like we were looking for funding.
We will not be receiving very much, although we know that the Quebec province received huge sums of money.
Mr. Duceppe agreed and that he would be in support.
That’s the second richest province in Canada; Ontario is the first richest province.
I’m still frustrated from yesterday because we pay Income Tax as Inuit people because we want to be part of Canada.
We worked very hard to get land claims and to be part of Canada so that we could pay Income Tax. Why did they not include us when we are part of Canada?
What I would like to say to the Nunavut Government is that it’s an urgent case now that you lobby the federal government that we need royalties for mining and gas exploration.
I don’t believe we will be receiving any form of support because I know that there are Nunavummiut that work for the federal government. There are even people working for the federal government in Alert and they are provided all sorts of funding and budget because they work for the federal government.
Now, I’m urging the Nunavut Government to start right away on the Mineral Accord.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk, Member for Tununiq.
Member’s Statement 066 – 2(4): Workshops for Community Wellness (Peterson)
I rise today to draw your attention to some very worthwhile programs that are being held in Cambridge Bay.
As you know the community of Cambridge Bay has gone through some very difficult times recently. Although community members have worked very hard to overcome much trauma and loss, I am sure that you will appreciate that it is a difficult and ongoing struggle.
Earlier this month a workshop for high-risk kids was delivered in the community of Cambridge Bay by a group called The Recovery Foundation.
The workshop was the first in a series in an integrated program leading to community wellness. The next phase of the program is called Bridging the Gap.
The workshop for high-risk kids looks at how families and communities can play a role in setting up high-risk behaviours and works towards finding methods of prevention and harm reduction.
The next phase will bring adults and kids together to express concerns, feelings, and the needs of each other, and how they relate to the community.
The impact of sudden and violent death does not just grief the immediate friends and family of those who are lost; it also affects the caregivers and the helpers who provide support to those who are left to grieve.
Sadly, the community of Cambridge Bay is no stranger to violence, death, and loss. The community will also be hosting a second series of workshops on Suicide Intervention and Assessment, and this year there will also be a day of counselling workshops for caregivers, and those who are grieving lost ones.
I would like to express my appreciation of the hard work of the Cambridge Bay Community Wellness Centre, especially the Director, Mrs. Alice Isnor, for making these important healing events happen.
The road to achieving Community Wellness can be a long and hard one; it is not one that can be traveled alone.
I urge the officials from the Department of Health and Social Services to take note of these important issues and give real consideration to providing real support to the frontline workers in our communities.
Member’s Statement 067 – 2(4): Lisee Kavik – One of Canada’s Outstanding Principals (Kattuk)
Mr. Kattuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an important individual from the community of Sanikiluaq, Lisi Kavik.
Lisi Kavik is the principal of the Nuiyak School in Sanikiluaq.
Earlier this year Lisi was chosen as one of Canada’s outstanding principals for 2007.
(interpretation ends) The national selection committee, made up of our educational, community, and business leaders across the country picks the winners of the Outstanding Principal’s Award.
The non-profit group called the Learning Partnership organized this initiative.
Lisi was picked as one of 32 outstanding principals from all of Canada.
A few weeks ago, at the end of February, Lisi traveled to Toronto for a leadership training conference, where she met with her fellow winners.
During the conference, the award winners discussed their experiences with the leaders from the educational, social, cultural, and business communities.
Lisi attended a gala dinner to award and honour the achievement of all the winners.
Ms. Kavik has said that one of the biggest challenges of being principal of Nuiyak School is to get the community involved with the school, because of their past experiences with residential schools.
Many parents need to overcome their fears of getting involved in the school system.
I know that Lisi Kavik is doing a fine job and will be able to overcome many challenges in her role as Nuiyak School principal.
I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Lisi on her achievement.
Member’s Statement 068 – 2(4): Seal Hunt Protesters (Arreak)
I’m very pleased to get back to my regular seat, and I’m very pleased that you are back to your regular role.
Last week we watched protesters on the seal hunt on TV, and we continue to bring up the seal hunt here in the chamber because seals are very useful to us today. We use them for literally anything.
I want the public to know that we don’t harvest seal pups as much.
Personally, I tried to harvest seal pups but I was unsuccessful; I only caught one.
It’s the polar bears that harvest a lot of seal pups. They literally eat the seal pups when they’re still alive.
The polar bear is at the top of the food chain, so we are both hunting for the same animals for subsistence because the polar bears eat many seal pups and seals.
Right now, we hear that the population of the seals has gone down in some communities.
Member’s Statement 069 – 2(4): Staffed Weather Forecasting in Nunavut (Picco)
After raising the issue of the reopening of a staffed weather forecasting centre or office in Nunavut, after writing the minister responsible, and the Prime Minister, after having the national media, including the Canadian Geographic Magazine feature the issue in their magazine, and after speaking with our federal colleagues, I was hopeful that there may be an announcement in the federal budget yesterday concerning the issue.
This does not seem to be the case.
These past few days illustrate our concern with forecasts being made by computers 2000 miles away in Edmonton.
Later today I will be tabling the Environment Canada forecast to illustrate my point.
Friday’s 11:00 a.m. forecast indicated blizzard conditions for yesterday and today.
The Friday 4:00 p.m. forecast had no blizzard forecast, and at 8:00 a.m. this morning all blizzard warnings had ended.
At 8:14 a.m. this morning, low and behold Environment Canada introduced a blizzard warning when visibility was down to several hundred metres.
As I’ve earlier stated in the House, Gander was re-staffed with meteorologists because it was felt that the forecast from Halifax, 500 miles away was too far, and inaccurate.
Where does that leave Nunavummiut when our forecasting centre is over 2000 kilometres away in Edmonton?
Now, we learn that the aviation forecasts are also in jeopardy now with the Yellowknife centre being downgraded.
Northern people, hunters, fishermen, we also need accurate forecasts as much or more than our fellow Canadian citizens in the Atlantic Provinces.
Again, I will be writing our federal friends to again request staffing and reopening of a staffed weather station here in Nunavut.
I am very happy to recognize who is in the Gallery opposite from me, Johnny Tagornak, who is the newly elected mayor this year.
I would also like to welcome from Repulse Bay, William Beveridge, who now lives here in Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker and colleagues, it gives me great pride and joy today to be able to recognize some of our pages that are here that came in last minute to thank them for scrambling like that to be able to come in and fill in for the pages.
That’s my daughter Eden, over here to your left, and my daughter Teia to your right, their friend Miranda.
I would like to thank them for scrambling at the last minute to come in and help us out.
Also watching on the TV right now, as you may have noticed them running around behind me earlier, it’s my other two younger kids, Sipidique, and Osien. I would like to welcome them here to be at work today.
Question 078 – 2(4): Federal Budget – $23 Million to Nunavut (Tootoo)
Yesterday the federal budget indicated that the federal government would provide $23 million to the Government of Nunavut in funding to support the efforts to strengthen its financial management practices and system.
The government, undoubtedly, had some advanced knowledge that this money would be forthcoming. My question for the Minister of Finance is if he can indicate to the House today what specific areas the government will use this funding for.
In our discussions with Federal Finance over the last few months, we had indicated that funding was required in four areas: to strengthen financial management and those are skills development and training.
We’re, in fact, examining the possibility of an Akitsiraq-type program for accountants; secondly, the expansion of the accountability framework; thirdly, public accounts; and fourthly, systems such as increased bandwidth capability, which is likely our most important priority. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We all heard our Minister of Finance’s Budget Address earlier this sitting and he had indicated where it’s tight and there have been no forced growth issues. We heard from one department that they’re already forecasting over a $10 million deficit.
I would like to ask the Minister of Finance: will any of these funds be used to bail out any departments that have overspent their budgets?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Tootoo. Minister of Finance, Minister Simailak.
The $37.6 million increase in the formula, increasing the total TFF for 2007-08 to $893 million, will only start to address our government’s forced growth.
So we will be working with departments once the federal budget is passed to see how best we can spend that $37.6 million increase in the TFF.
The minister indicated a list of things that they’re looking at doing or initiating with this funding. Can he give an indication as to when those initiatives are going to take place, and if they have identified how much of that funding is going to go towards each of those areas, or have been allocated towards each of those areas?
If the member is referring to the $23 million increase over seven years to strengthen financial management, no we have not looked at how much will be spent in those four areas, but that $23 million is over a seven-year period.
In the minister’s budget address to us here, one of the things he talked about was recentralizing the financial functions within the government, and they’ve recentralized some functions already.
Given this announcement that they have funding for strengthening their financial management, is the Government of Nunavut still planning on continuing its effort to recentralize certain financial functions within the government, and which ones?
We are continuing the work of transferring the Health and Social Services finance people and also the Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs finance people to the Department of Finance as was announced here some days ago.
We are continuing with that initiative. In terms of recentralizing other positions, I’ve mentioned a number of days ago; we are still looking at that whole area.
I have no clear definition yet as to which positions would be transferred to which community. We’re still visiting that whole area.
Question 079 – 2(4): Funding for Small Port Projects (Arreak)
On Friday, he tabled a Small Craft Harbours Report. I have seen it.
Yesterday we heard that $33 billion is for infrastructure for the whole of Canada, and for Nunavut, $23 million for three territories will be spent over three years.
Is that funding for that purpose, and should we expect to see a small port project in Clyde River?
At this time the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is looking for funding for the projects for seven communities.
This is ongoing.
Yesterday, that $25 million is new. At this time I can’t say what it will be used for because yesterday was the first time that I heard it.
At this time we don’t know what it will be used for because they haven’t given us that information yet.
I’m not too clear as to what he said.
The new funding that was announced yesterday, is he saying there is other funding other than this? Why do they keep looking for additional funding?
I am referring to the $25 million as new because it’s 2007-08.
That is why I’m referring to it as new, but the $40 million that we seek for small harbour projects, we are still currently looking for that funding.
If they use the $25 million for three years, then that totals up to $75 million, even though I’m not very good at mathematics.
If they don’t construct the ports, is the Minister of Finance saying that funding will not come from the funding that he just mentioned?
Like I said, I can’t say. The $25 million that was mentioned yesterday, we haven’t understood as to what it will be used for and what policies or rules they have.
We are still waiting to hear from Ottawa.
We are currently still looking for $40 million funding and it will continue like that.
Question 080 – 2(4): O’Brien Report Recommendations (Peterson)
My question is for the Minister of Finance on his Ministerial Statement today.
Mr. Speaker, in his Minister’s Statement he said, “I am pleased that, by and large, the O’Brien Report recommendations are contained in Monday’s budget.” which automatically leads to my question: which recommendations were not contained in the report and why not?
At this time I haven’t gone back to the O’Brien Report.
I can’t say at this time whether it will be included.
That statement I made was written by my officials, so at this time I can’t say.
I hope that the minister will be able to provide that information, maybe perhaps through a Ministerial Statement during Committee of the Whole later in this session.
Later in the Minister’s Statement, he mentioned, “Improved incentives for us to increase our own revenues and to develop our economy.”
I wonder if the minister can clarify what specific incentives the federal government is including in the budget that allows us to generate our own revenues and develop our economy.
We are currently discussing this with our federal counterparts but we are specifying that the Government of Nunavut should be getting more funding. The $25 million that was mentioned in English is trade-related infrastructure and that was what was mentioned; we are still trying to identify it.
During this session to his first question, after I get more information, I will respond to him.
Mr. Speaker, the minister obviously looked with great interest to the federal budget yesterday and obviously, based on the Minister’s Statement, he’s not fully satisfied with the federal budget.
It makes a reference in here about Nunavut’s unmet needs in the base formula and they’re going to continue negotiations and discussions with the federal government.
Perhaps if I could ask the minister, can he clarify for the House what are some of Nunavut’s unmet needs in the base formula?
Obviously this $37.7 million increase is going to be very helpful and beneficial to the people of Nunavut.
But then again there are other infrastructure projects that we have to see. For example, the deep sea port and the small craft harbours.
There are a lot of unmet needs that Nunavut still would like to see if we’re going to become self-sufficient. Those are some of the issues that I can recall at this time.
I am glad he mentioned infrastructure needs in Nunavut, some of them. He did mention in his Minister’s Statement that we need some strategic investment from outside the Territorial Financing Formula, to help our government reduce dependence on the federal government.
I am wondering if the minister can clarify for the House; we’re in our fourth year, we talk about the Nunavut to Manitoba transportation corridor, the Bathurst Inlet Port and Road Project, and some other projects in Nunavut.
I am wondering if the minister can tell the House how he’s making out in Ottawa with regards to convincing his federal counterparts and other ministers to support investment in Nunavut so we can reduce our dependence on the federal government and reduce our dependence on the budget like yesterday where we didn’t totally get what we need.
There are ongoing discussions in Ottawa with different departments. Our Premier is now in contact with the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada minister, and also with the Prime Minister, talking about infrastructure needs in Nunavut, talking about the roads, talking about the ports.
The $25 million infrastructure money that was identified in yesterday’s budget, as I mentioned earlier, is for trade-related infrastructure.
All of that work is ongoing. We’re still in discussions with Ottawa and will continue to be in discussions with Ottawa, with Canada with respect to our unmet needs to make us more independent.
There are all the devolution discussions that are starting to happen and those we need to conclude, and so on and so forth.  So it’s ongoing work with Ottawa to make Nunavut more self-dependent.
Question 081 – 2(4): Problems with Passport Photographs (Evyagotailak)
My question today is for the Minister responsible for Immigration.
Last week my colleagues from the Baffin and Kivalliq regions had questions with respect to passport issues. I too would like to raise some concerns from my Kitikmeot region.
A number of students from my constituents in Kugluktuk are trying to go down to London, England in June of this year; I believe this is a great opportunity to put students to go on a trip like this.
However, like many other Nunavummiut they have run into problems getting passport photos and have asked for my help.
Can the minister update us today on the efforts he addressed with this issue?
Just very quickly, first of all, as I was saying last week in the House, the issuance of passports is a federal responsibility.
What the Nunavut Government has been trying to do is help facilitate passport applications where possible.
We’ve been doing that through our Ottawa office, along with help and cooperation from our Member of Parliament.
At the same, we realize one of the barriers to getting a passport in Nunavut is to have a good passport quality photograph taken for Nunavummiut who would like to have a passport.
To do that, we’ve had discussions with our federal partner on being able to look at bringing in a photographer around to different communities. Could we introduce a new camera that would meet the standards set by Passport Canada, so that the quality picture would be in place?
I can say that, as of the last two weeks, we have identified the equipment that is needed. We have identified that a trainer would have to be brought to Nunavut to train our staff in how to use the camera.
The outstanding issue now is the training dollars that need to be put in place as well as how logistically and financially are we able to cooperate with the federal government to send this person around to communities.
Again, it is the responsibility of the federal government to issue passports, and we want to make sure that there is a partnership between the federal government and ourselves to do this. So, that’s where we are with it right now.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister responsible for Multiculturalism, Homeless and Immigration.
Thank you, Minister if your department and staff are trying to help Nunavummiut.
Mr. Speaker, I know that there are Government of Nunavut staff who travel frequently to the communities. Is there a way for the government to look into having equipment available for them to use?
That is exactly what we’re trying to do right now.
We have 25 communities; we need to have that equipment in at least 22 of the 25.
Iqaluit does have a photographer for example, and there is some capacity in Rankin Inlet, and Cambridge Bay I understand.
So what we’re trying to do is in the majority of our communities, have a camera and the equipment that would meet the standards that were put forward by Passport Canada, and so that the pictures being taken would meet that standard.
That equipment is available.
There is some expense of course to it, and there has to be training given to our staff.
So, in cooperation with Community and Government Services, as well as other departments in the Government of Nunavut, we’re looking at purchasing this equipment and putting it into the communities.
Again, there is a dollar value associated to this, and that is some of the work that we’re doing right now with our federal partner.
I’m glad that there is a photographer here in Iqaluit. I think it would be a lot cheaper to send a photographer from Yellowknife to our community, and it would save your department half the cost.
Mr. Speaker, time is running out for my students in Kugluktuk.
Would the minister be willing to cover the costs for the photographer to travel to Kugluktuk from Yellowknife?
Right now we’re doing the debate on the budget, and as the members know, there is no line item for the department or the Secretariat of Immigration. That is one of the responsibilities as minister that I carry out within my own office.
We do have the assistance of the Assistant Deputy Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs Mr. Carson in Ottawa.
I don’t have funds to first of all, hire and pay the photographers, and second of all to be able to send them to a community and house them.
Those are the discussions we’re having right now with our federal partner.
It is very important that the people who need a passport and are travelling get those passport applications into Passport Canada immediately, because as we’ve heard in the news, right now you’re looking up to nine weeks delay, just a little over two months because of the backlog of passports. If they’re going to travel in June, they are cutting the timeframe very close.
The issue with the passports specifically, if there’s a group of 10 to 20 students or something in Kugluktuk, then maybe we would be able to look at what we can do to meet the requirement by Passport Canada or Immigration Canada to be able to facilitate the photographs in this case. That’s something that, as minister, I’d be willing to look at.
Thank you, Minister. The students in Kugluktuk probably have all their applications sent but there are no photos otherwise the passports would probably be completed.
Can the minister make sure that he lets this House know when there’s going to be a photographer going to our community?