EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
And number two, Mr. Speaker, as part of the GRA process, and as part of the work the Utility Rate Review Council is doing, they are looking at the rates.
Those rates would include what would be officially available after x number of dollars.
So, for example, right now, for the first 700 killowatt hours, there is a subsidy in place.
The revenue based has to be generated between that amount and what would be coming forward.
So, Mr. Speaker, I can commit to the member that, indeed, part of the process that we will be undertaking between now and April 1 is to look at what’s available out there in the different subsidy regimes that are in place and so on.
That would be part of the work that the power corporation has been looking at and will be continuing to look at.
And the member is correct; the rates right now are based on a rate that was set in 1998, and the subsidy is based on keeping power in 1998, 1999, and, I guess, 2000, based on what the cost of power was in Yellowknife, and it wouldn’t be any more outside of that.
That’s what the subsidy was set up for.
So, we’re in a position to be able to look at that in the coming months.
What the minister is talking about is because Nunavummiut people don’t really understand the power subsidy system.
Now the government has to say, today, because of the power rate increase, that there should be a Nunavut-made power subsidy, and I don’t think the minister should be looking at waiting for the proposal if it’s going to become 41 cents per kilowatt.
Some of the communities are going to get a smaller subsidy, and it has to be fixed.
My last question is: in 2002, the Nunavut Power Corporation executive was appointed.
They have had four CEOs since.
While they’re dealing with the new power rate, will they have the same CEO as they have presently?
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Curley is very articulate and very chronologically correct in some of his assessments and I want to point out first of all that subsidy rates... . I think the member is correct when he says that there is concern and confusion the way the rates are applied.
So, I will give, as I believe the member has mentioned, I think last week, the Iqaluit rate.
I will give an example and I will raise it out.
Mr. Speaker, in Iqaluit, the rate charged by Nunavut Power Corporation is 31.58 cents per kilowatt hour.
The subsidy paid by the Government of Nunavut on the first 700 kilowatt hours is 16 cents.
So, the rate paid by Mr. Tootoo and me and anyone else living in Iqaluit, homeowners, would be 15.22 cents.
That is the amount that is actually being paid.
Because of the cross subsidization that is going on, there are different rates in place.
I believe, at some point, over the last couple of days, I have been informed that there are over 100 different rates out there.
I agree with the member that we need to be able to standardize those rates and standardize those subsidies and be transparent.
That is what the Ikuma I, Ikuma II reports pointed out.
So, I would agree with the member that that is something where we would hopefully be in a position to bring that information to the House and to the people of Nunavut for clarity.
On the second point, Mr. Speaker, the member wants me to project into the future again and say who is going to be the CEO of the corporation in three or six months.
I believe that Mr. Okalik, as the Premier, who has the prerogative, has just appointed Ms. Anne Crawford.
Ms. Crawford has been on the file since 1999, and indeed was probably one of the chief architects of the Ikuma I and Ikuma II and then she is also a board member.
So, she knows the file really well, and I would expect that she would be in the position as the CEO.
Let us make sure that we are very clear on this: the second CEO that the member is talking about, and it is very unfortunate and tragic, that man did not leave of his own cognizance; that man left because of serious health issues.
That is why the man resigned from his position.
I know that the feelings of this House are with him and his family as he is going through this very difficult health issue, and I don’t want to get into it.
Let’s be clear on that.
The first CEO resigned his position, and I could categorically say again that it was not because of a dispute on their rates for the fuel stabilization rider.
I am now clear.
Although he agrees with the subsidies that require improvement... . It seems like in Nunavut, we have 29 nations because of the different rates; the subsidy rates are quite different in each community of Nunavut, and Nunavummiut would like to get this clarified.
So, you commit that the subsidies that you will be working on, and that once you make the subsidies new, when are you going to start considering it?
Mr. Curley, again, is correct that there are different rates across Nunavut.
The reason for those different rates was in 1997 and 1998... . Many of the members remember this, many of the members having been there, and so on, probably participated in those hearings.
Mr. Speaker, the power corporation at that time asked for three different things; they asked for a postage stamp rate, which is what the Qulliq Energy Corporation is asking for right now, and that was rejected.
They asked for a harmonized rate, which would be a blended rate, for everyone across the communities.
That was rejected, and what they came forward with were zone rates based on what it actually costs to generate electricity in each community.
In 25 different communities, there are 25 different rates because it costs a different amount to generate power in each community.
The problem with that type of rate, and Mr. Curley is correct, again, is that, for example, in Clyde River last year we built a new plant.
The capitalization costs were $4 million.
How would I expect the people in Clyde River to pay $4 million and increase their rates?
So, we did not do that because that rate zone program that was in place does have complications and doesn’t allow for capital costs or capital programs to be downloaded to the customer base.
That is an example. So, that is why we have those rates.
I have committed to Mr. Curley, and I will re-commit again on his question, that we will review the subsidy programs that are in place and try to be equitable.
As I said earlier, 80 percent of the power bills are paid by the government, whether directly or indirectly.
The other 20 percent are the private homeowners and businesses and so on.
I don’t believe that Mr. Okalik or the cabinet or the members in this House want to try to get blood out of a turnip.
We don’t want to squeeze that 20 percent for 40 percent of the income.
That is why we didn’t to the fuel stabilization fund a year-and-a-half ago, because we didn’t want to look at what was available through the revenue stream.
That is why we put the $14 million in lieu of the rider, so we could ascertain what the rate should be.
We asked the power corporation to come forward, and that is why this occurred.
The other point is that the member did ask and mentions that because of the fiasco that the minister would be fired.
I have met with the Auditor General of Canada several times, after the Auditor General’s report, since the Auditor General’s report, and before the Auditor General’s report.
The Auditor General never said mismanaging or political interference on the part of or for the minister; it didn’t say it was embezzlement, fraud, theft, stealing.
What she said was there were issues: logistically, administratively, and financially with the corporation.
You would expect a lot of that when you try to set something up from scratch, Mr. Speaker. So, I appreciate the member’s question and an opportunity in this forum to explain them, and we will do what the member has asked and review the subsidies.
Question 064 – 2(2): Tabling of KPMG Report
During our Committee of the Whole debate on May 20, 2004, on the main estimates for the department, I requested a copy of the KPMG medical travel study that had been commissioned by the ministers’ department.
Can the minister tell me why I haven’t received a copy of that report yet?
The document he mentions is not a public document yet.
I didn’t quite catch the answer to that.
But I was at a Kivalliq Inuit Association annual general meeting last month in Kugluktuk and representatives of the department talked about 20,000 airline tickets, 60,000 patient nights, and they’re looking at an $8 million deficit and we’re only up to November.
The Minister of Finance talked in her fiscal update about how costs are escalating.
I think it would be very important that we see that report.
I’m wondering if the minister could commit to tabling that report in the House this week.
Yes, the topic that he’s referring to contains general information and about patient medical travel.
I don’t know if I’m able to table that information with confidential information in it.
We had this discussion during the Committee of the Whole and the deputy minister also said that.
I indicated that I believe that since the government of Nunavut is paying for that document, it’s valuable information.
I keep hearing that health costs are escalating, and we don’t have any further information to base our information on or our decisions that we will be making in this House with respect to increasing the health budget.
Again, I ask the minister if she’ll commit to tabling that report this week in the House.
Yes, I will make it available to the House.
The Member for Kugluktuk, Mr. Evyagotailak.
Question 065 – 2(2): Update on the Departmental Process on the Official Languages Act
I would like to ask my question to the Minister of Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth. (interpretation ends) I spoke about the amendment to the Northwest Territories Official Language Act.
One of those amendments was to establish Innuinaqtun as an official aboriginal language of that territory.
I would like to ask the minister if he could provide the House with an update on his department’s process towards made-in-Nunavut language legislation.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, Hon. Louis Tapardjuk.
Yes, it’s true what you say in your question.
We adopted our current act, the Official Languages Act, from Northwest Territories.
The previous government struck a reviewing committee to review the Official Languages Act and to look at the proposed amendments.
This was tabled to the House back in 2003.
Mr. Speaker, the tabled reports are still being reviewed by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc and our department.
They are reviewing the current act and they’re reviewing how many amendments there should be.
The report will be given to the cabinet in March 2005.
That report is still being reviewed, and after they report on the review, then we will start working on the made-in-Nunavut Official Languages Act.
Mr. Speaker, the report is still being reviewed.
They will table the report in March 2005 and shortly thereafter we’ll deal with the Official Languages Act for Nunavut.
Can the minister tell us whether the timeline indicated in the documents he tabled on May 27, 2004 are we on track.
Yes, we’re still progressing well.
We’ll make a report to the cabinet in March 2005.
We are still working on the report that I tabled; it’s not delayed.
This will be my last supplementary.
Will the minister commit to ensuring that the Innuinaqtun-speaking communities will be given significant opportunities to participate in all studies and all consultations that are related to language legislation in Nunavut.
Yes, we’ve also started consulting with the elders and the staff.
We have to remember, once we get a Nunavut-made Official Languages Act, to involve the French- and English-language groups in our Official Languages Act.
We will have to consult with the English and French community.
Before the bill is implemented, it will have to be reviewed by the impacted groups, such as Innuinaqtun communities, and we will have them scrutinize the bill before it becomes an act.
Yes, we’ll just follow the regular procedures.
The Member for Quttiktuq, Mr. Barnabas.
Question 066 – 2(2): Insufficient Garage in Resolute Bay
It is in regards to his statement during his minister’s statement about the fire fighting plan.
When I was meeting with Resolute Bay Hamlet Council, they expressed concern that the garage is insufficient for the fire trucks, and that some vehicles had to be parked outside as a result.
So, I was wondering what your department is going to do about this.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Community and Government Services, Hon. Peter Kilabuk.
Earlier on, I spoke about the Fire Prevention Strategy and I mentioned the equipment.
Just recently, when we were in Taloyoak last fall, we had a happy moment with the community because we gave the community a fire truck.
I would like to identify to members that as we hear about the complaints from the communities.
Yes, we will be focusing on the strategy as it focuses on that.
This has been an ongoing concern with the garages, for the fire trucks, because the fire trucks and the equipment freeze.
Are you going to get garages more suited to the Northern elements?
I can tell the member and my colleagues that the Fire Prevention Strategy is geared towards Nunavut.
Member for Tasiujaq.
Question 067 – 2(2): Nursing Station Blood Samples
It’s Member for Tasiujarjuaq.
My question is brief, directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
There are a lot of Sanikiluaq residents who are confused about an issue, and I will just ask this question because I have experienced this myself; I have considered how to make improvements because of my personal experience.
I went down to our local nursing station for a health examination and they took a sample, but that sample has not returned to the community.
Later, the nurse said that she could not then take any samples during the weekend.
I would like to get clarification on what the policies are, because they denied me when I made a request to get a sample from my blood; they said that they don’t take blood samples during the weekend.
Speaker (interpretation) Ms. Brown.
Yes, I can look into the member’s question so that we can respond to him.
The minister is stating that she will take the question as notice and provide you with a response later on.
Question 068 – 2(2): Filling Vacant Nunavut Government Jobs
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, I have another question for the Minister of Human Resources, the Hon. Louis Tapardjuk.
In my earlier statement in the House, I mentioned that there are young, able people who are unable to get into the workforce, and they sometimes give up hope when they get interviews and never get hired.
There is one individual who has been working for the government for the past four years and he is still a casual.
There’s something very wrong with that system.
There is another individual who has completed his high school but has never yet had an interview. He never made it to the short list.
Why is that, in Rankin Inlet?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, that’s not only the situation in Rankin Inlet.
The member seems to be saying that there has been an individual who has been a casual for the last four years.
I will look into the issue, but I would like to say that I cannot respond to something that is only directed to one individual.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, in following the policies, I think only 40 percent of employees working for the Government of Nunavut are Inuit.
And I can say that the statistics that we have and the ones you have in December 2001 there were 47 vacancies, but in June 2004 there were 56.
Some of the young people who have been trained, have the job skills, and have graduated from high school are not getting onto the short list.
But I would like to ask the minister to look into it so that the young people will get into the workforce.
There are some young people who will be moving out because they can’t get jobs in Rankin Inlet.
Hon. Louis Tarpardjuk.
In regards to the statistics, in June 30, 2004, that is what I mentioned, but I would like to say that we put out reports quarterly on the government workforce.
In September 2004, I would like to say, in Rankin Inlet there were 297 jobs available, but to date we cannot fill all those positions, up to the end of September 2004.
But at least we have filled 234, and we still have 63 vacancies.
But one thing that I am very happy about is there are Inuit beneficiaries, where there are 117 at the end of September 2004, and that’s 60 percent of the jobs filled by Inuit beneficiaries.
In the other communities, the percentages vary with the number of jobs that are filled by beneficiaries, but I look forward to seeing increased numbers in there.
But I’m not happy with the numbers.
There were 115 Inuit in June.
In December 2000, there were 115 and then in June 2004, as I stated in my member’s statement, there has been no change.
I don’t think that there is an improvement if there is no change in the numbers.
I would like to tell the minister that if they are qualified individuals, you could make a direct appointment.
As ministers, they directly appoint instead of going through the competition process.
You could do that in order to increase the number of beneficiaries in the Government of Nunavut.
I would be more than pleased to make direct appointments and to see 100 percent of beneficiaries fill the positions within the Government of Nunavut.
I would be very pleased to see the numbers increase, but, Mr. Speaker, we do have rules and procedures.
We do have policies that we have to abide by.
We have to go through a process.
We have to go through an interview process and the short listing and so on.
We have to use our policies and our rules and procedures and, again, you don’t want to break your own rules.
We have a hiring practice that we have to follow.
In regards to your concerns in your department, we do look at the options during the cabinet meetings and no, we don’t say that we have to appoint an individual because they need a job.
But, again, I would like to emphasize that we do have procedures to follow and hiring practices and so on.
But I look forward to increasing the number of beneficiaries that fill the positions in the Government of Nunavut.
Speaker (interpretation): Your final supplementary, Mr. Curley.
Of course, it’s very good to see the competition process being used.
You could ask the Premier if you could make a direct appointment of an individual into a position that has been vacant for too long.
If there was a skilled individual, you could make a direct appointment.
Would you assure the House that you will ask the Premier?
There are two processes.
If Health and Social Services would like to get an employee, they would work with the Department of Human Resources to look at the position, or if any regional headquarters would like to fill a vacant position, the departments would work together, but the Department of Human Resources provides support to the government departments when they’re looking at filling a position.
But, I can tell you that there will be improvements and there will be an increase in the percentages of beneficiaries in the Nunavut government.
The Member for Iqaluit Centre, Mr. Tootoo.
Question 069 – 2(2): Explanation of Mismanagement of Funds
In response to the Minister of Energy’s point that he made, something jumped out at me.
My question will be for the Premier.
Mr. Speaker, the minister had indicated that it wasn’t because of mismanagement on the part of the corporation or the minister, political interference or anything like that, and yet in the Auditor General’s report, there are numerous places in there… . If you look at the governance of board of directors… .
I’ll quote paragraph 125: “The corporation has been weak overall in financial management and accounting expertise.
Senior people should have been aware of the corporations’ health and were not.
They failed to identify or take action on important indicators of the deteriorating financial situation.”
The next paragraph will say they discontinued a rider, the minister discontinued a rider, when they were short $4 million, before it was what it was supposed to get.
There is also another paragraph that talks about projections, that the board had actually approved, on behalf of management, projecting profit to $2.7 million and $1.6 million in two years, and instead they lost $13.1 million.
That’s a huge, huge difference.
There were several severe warning letters with copies to the board of directors.
There are other indicators that where there was overspending, there were bonuses that were paid out, they had to hire accountants to do basic accounting.
If that’s not mismanagement, I don’t know what is.
I guess the point that Hon. Ed Picco pointed out himself, that the current CEO had been involved with this file since the very beginning... . Given the mess that it’s in, I would like to ask the Premier how he could assure us that if they couldn’t fix the mess then, and they let it get into the situation that it’s in right now, how can he make us feel confident that they are going to do it now?
One term I’ve heard out there... . I’m sure a lot of people would like to feel comfortable and have some assurances that it’s not the case, that the foxes are back in the hen house.
I would just like to get an explanation on to how he expects this to turn around, given the current regime.
It’s under new management.
Mr. Speaker, isn’t the new management the same old management.
I mean, Hon. Ed Picco just indicated that he was involved with the file from the beginning.
He also indicated that the current CEO was on the board of directors and also handled the file from the beginning and did the Ikuma 1, did the Ikuma II reports in her role and her capacity as the deputy for Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
So, it may be a new title but it’s not really new management.
I’ll just ask the Premier again if he could give us some level of confidence why he feels that these individuals could turn it around now.
It’s the difference between managing day-to-day affairs and running it from a different department.
So, that’s why there’s new management.
The current president was my deputy, and I know that she’s quite capable of managing day-to-day affairs very efficiently and effectively.
So, that’s why she’s in place in that position because I have complete trust in her management skills and in being able to turn around a corporation.
I thank the Premier for that response, but he forgot somebody.
I’m just wondering why he has the confidence and feels that the minister responsible for the power corporation, having been the lead minister right from the beginning to where it is now, can turn it around now, if he hasn’t been able to do it over the last four years.
There’s something that took place that a minister can’t see day-to-day.
I believe that Hon. Ed Picco can help us out in serving out a lot of the tasks and problems that we encounter.
I believe the minister has learned from that experience; he is a learning minister.
He is the Minister for Education, so he has to learn things every now and then.
He has learned from his experience and I am giving him a second chance to show all Nunavummiut that he can do a better job than what took place in the past.
Speaker (interpretation): Your Last supplementary, Mr. Tootoo.
I guess there is some truth to that saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
So, I wish the minister better luck this time around.
I would just like to ask the Premier if this is something that his office would be monitoring very closely in case things don’t turn around.
Yes, we have taken measures; not just changing management, but we have created an agency to oversee all Crown corporations and agencies in government.
That is one of the steps that were requested by the Auditor General, and we have taken those steps very seriously.
We will continue to monitor not just the Crown corporations, but all agencies that we have some control over.
Question 070 – 2(2): Justice System in Nunavut
On the evening of September 30 and the morning of November 1, four ladies in my community were sexually and violently assaulted by a dangerous offender who just recently got out of jail for similar offences not too long ago; I think it was only about this time last year.