EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I will have Mr. Blais give a supplementary response.
As I understand, the question is what process the department uses to recruit social workers, is identical to the process of the recruitment of any other employee. It really is no different.
Typically, if we have a beneficiary that can be directly appointed into that job, which we have had, we just directly appointed a beneficiary into Rankin Inlet who had a master’s degree, who graduated from British Columbia, recently.
Where that is possible, we always use that particular vehicle.
Typically, it’s a general posting and we interview those candidates who qualify.
There are different levels of social workers.
We have social worker 1 and 2.
We have a social worker 3, 4 and 5.
So, depending on the level that we are looking for, the qualifications for those individuals will vary as well.
Hopefully that answers your question.
It is identical to any other recruitment of any other person in the government.
The community residents just get totally confused when a social worker does something wrong.
They don’t even know who to turn to so they go to their Members of the Legislative Assembly.
It’s not my job.
It’s very difficult to assist the individuals when they ask for assistance, especially when they’re not believed.
The social workers are believed no matter what they say by the RCMP.
They put Inuit down.
Even though we’re experiencing all these problems, the RCMP will continually believe the social worker or the headquarters, her superiors will definitely believe the social worker.
Right away the community has no say or no opportunity to voice their concerns.
Who is responsible for dealing with social workers at the community level?
Who is the superior worker for the social workers at the local level?
I agree with your comments.
I do agree with you that social workers face challenging tasks and difficult situations.
I’m sure that’s how it is in all the communities.
Down south, I’m sure it’s like that with the social workers.
If there are such incidents, I personally would like to hear about that.
The superior guys are the ones beside me.
You can even approach me about these kinds of problems.
If you approach me, I will take part in resolving some problems.
I come from a smaller community, myself, and we do see those.
At times it becomes very difficult to look for somebody to face.
They can even come to me or my Deputy Minister and let us know and inform us about any kind of incident similar to that.
Likewise, with Mr. Mapsalak’s constituency and my constituency, it seems like we’ve experienced the same situations, especially within the Department of Social Services.
The social workers work in the community for a short period of time and when the government finds out about their capabilities, they move the social workers to headquarters, and at times this creates problems.
This has been a problem with social workers for quite some time.
Even when there are positions for social workers, they don’t get filled for a long time.
So we have been experiencing similar problems in my constituencies.
There were many people in our communities that need to be assisted by the social worker and they have no place to look to, especially when we have different time zones because my constituency in the High Arctic is one hour later than eastern time, and the offices here close even before our offices in the High Arctic close.
For the communities that have no social workers, I believe that these vacant positions have to be filled right away because they have to right to these services.
I forgot to welcome you and your officials, Madame Minister, to the Witness Table.
My question is if we are on H-7 in regards to $150,000 Nunavut Arctic College, Maternity Care Services in remote Nunavut communities.
Which community are we talking about?
Are we talking about the Baffin region or is this split between all of the three regions?
I will get them to answer, although we dealt with that page already.
We have been working on this quite a bit.
They were looking for an instructor, perhaps they will find one this fall.
They will get an instructor this fall and start this fall.
So we have to do some recruiting and get some students and stuff like that.
So that’s the way they do it, so that’s what they are going to do.
Yes, thank you for the response.
In regards to midwifery training, there used to be some midwifery training in Ottawa, and we have never heard it further.
There was an elderly woman that went down to Ottawa to teach midwifery and she doesn’t seem to have done any training whatsoever.
Where is that at right now?
Chairman (interpretation): Madame Minister.
I would also like to get the name of that elderly woman and the Manitoba Government wants to be involved in our training in midwifery, as well as Quebec.
This is ongoing, and we would like to be able to have those midwives be recognized, even outside of Nunavut.
Apparently they could do it in Northern Quebec.
The training that is going to take place will probably be very good and I would like to see that midwifery training.
Perhaps I can get the name of that elderly woman and give you the name, Madame Minister, and find out from her first.
I just want to know if it’s in H-8 or H-10, let me know.
If I say it in English. (interpretation ends) Can the minister tell this House what assistance is provided to individuals who have special needs related to long-term condition or disability?
Mr. Chairman: Thank you Mr. Barnabas, Page H-9 and H-10, Madame Minister.
I will get my Deputy to answer that question.
Chairman: Mr. Blais
Mr. Blais: I’m wondering if the question could be repeated, I didn’t get the full comprehension of the question itself, I apologize for that.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Barnabas could you repeat your question.
Can the minister tell this house, what assistance is provided to individuals who have special needs relating to a long term condition or disability?
We have a number of programs under the NIHB agreement, special devices like wheelchairs, and other things can be provided or obtained from that source.
As well the department provides today, home and community services, and each community across Nunavut.
And there are services available for children with special needs or adults for that purpose.
So those are the services that I’m aware of currently that we provide.
During the Government of the Northwest Territories days, there was some assistance given to those people.
The lack of employment especially in non-decentralized communities makes it really difficult for people without jobs to be able to afford special items such as wigs.
Not everyone has access to sources like the Internet to be able to order specialized items like wigs and other things that make their lives more normal.
What help is available to individuals who need it such things as wigs or other items relating to long term health condition or disability?
Chairman: Thank you Mr. Blais.
I’m not aware that such a service is available, but I would suggest that I think our department could accommodate that similar request in foreseeable future.
So patients who require wigs or those accessories and I think we can certainly make every effort to ensure that they have that service.
Mr. Barnabas: (interpretation): Mr. Chairman I will allow my colleagues to ask questions.
I would like to thank the department, and I will notify those individuals that needed a wig.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Barnabas.
I’d like to get back to page H-7 on midwifery, you mentioned that.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Evygotailak we already agreed to that page.
If we could go to H-8.
Mr. Evyagotailak: Mr. Chairman if you can get my colleagues to go back.
That’s why I asked if I could go back to H-7.
Chairman: Thank you. I am going to give you maybe 2 questions at the most, with the discretion of the chair, so please proceed.
You mentioned that you were looking for midwives to come to Nunavut?
Chairman: Please answer, Madame Minister.
What I said was that we are looking for an instructor presently.
The training for midwifery will probably begin this fall because they have to get an instructor and call for people that would like to take midwifery training.
It will also include Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
I have a couple of ladies in Kugluktuk that know about midwifery.
One of them has been delivering her babies in the early 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.
I’m sure that she can remember all the knowledge that she had.
She’s an Inuk and I don’t think any of her children who are living today were born at the health center in the hospital.
I remember that she delivers her babies at home.
So, if you’re looking for instructors, I have a couple names from Kugluktuk.
Does anyone else have any questions on the directorate before we approve H-7.
Does anyone have any questions on Page H-7. H-5, 6 and 7 are all combined.
So, I’m going to give you two questions, Mr. Peterson.
I guess I better make them good questions.
I would like to ask the Minister if she can update the house on the savings that the Care Closer to Home Strategy are going to bring to Nunavut in say over the next two years, financial savings.
I cannot answer that question specifically.
I guess it will depend on a number of factors; if we are successful in our recruitment and we are able to implement our plan as we have anticipated.
It will also depend the creation of an Inuit workforce which is part of our strategy as well.
We will be hopefully redirecting our resources to achieve that objective.
Our major hope is that we can flatten or at least level off the levels of increases that have been a major concern for this government and the previous one as well.
Our main objective right now is to try and flatten out the cost increases through repatriation.
At the same time, we need to know that we have to redirect some resources to achieve the training of an Inuit workforce including social workers, maternal care workers and midwives.
So, I’m not sure that in the next three to five years we will see a significant savings if those resources are to achieve the overall goal of care closer to home.
We have to create a workforce that is going to deliver that service as well.
Mr. Peterson, your last questions.
We’ve mentioned this KPMG report cost us quite a bit of money.
It came out with a lot of recommendations.
We’ve talked about the care closer to home strategy.
That is supposed to save us money, in theory.
We’ve got some health facilities opening soon.
You’re recruiting nurses that you say are going to hopefully stay for two to three years and a whole number of other things.
Yet, health costs seem to keep going up.
You're also hiring more staff.
I think you’re adding 39 positions this year all in the directorate.
I’m wondering, just for my own comfort and maybe the comfort of some of the members on my side, what guarantee can the Minister offer us that the department is not going to overspend its projected main estimates in 2005/06.
I think I feel pretty confident that the budget we have received this year will at least be able to deliver the services that are currently required in Nunavut.
I can say that I wasn’t as confident maybe last year.
If Health and Social Services was predictable, we could know that we won’t have an influenza outbreak this year or as public health officials are predicting that we will have a major pandemic epidemic of influenza in the foreseeable future.
We are preparing for that.
I think that health is one of those services that I’m not sure anyone could predict the future on that one.
We don’t have an assembly line on that of process.
But I feel very confident that in terms of the services that we are putting in place, we are recruiting eight more physicians because there is a lot of service that we send out of territory currently that could be done here.
We have demonstrated in the dental health area, for example, we have 757 children that require major work.
I understand that at least 60 percent of that work will be done in Nunavut or has been done in Nunavut for the first time ever.
So, we are looking at quite a number of repatriation of out of territory clients.
All I can say is that I feel quite confident that with the care closer to home and the initiatives that we have put into place that we will see a leveling off, if anything else, of future cost increases.
I wish I could provide all members in the House with a guarantee, but it’s not possible.
I don’t believe anyone in my position or the Minister’s position could provide that guarantee.
Mr. Arreak is next on the list.
The Minister stated care closer to home more than five times and the chairman of the standing committee referred to it.
It’s also mentioned in the business plan.
In Clyde River, they’re trying to work on to the problems in regards to alcohol or drugs.
This is being worked on within the community.
They try and ask for funding from different agencies.
When these kinds of services are being provided, is that referred to as care closer to home.
Again, our hope is to try and support communities with initiatives that they feel will help them improve the health status or reduce issues such as alcohol and drug.
I think in the past we have not had the resources to support a lot of these initiatives.
But our hope is this is exactly where our investment has to be made, public health and improving the health status of communities and to hopefully provide that level of support.
So, we will be refocusing if you want, more of our energy and resources on the public health side.
Again, I think that this is a major direction for our department, which is somewhat different than where we were in the past.
Chairman: Thank you. Mr. Arreak.
Mr. Arreak (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairman.
Yes, this is part of public health.
The previous manager met with different organizations and when the communities are in the negative state, they try and get access for funding so they can make a healthier community, for the whole community.
Once this kind of service is initiated within the community, it should be supported more, even though there’s an allocation of only $949,000, I wonder of some of that can be given to communities for core funding.
Mr. Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Blais
You will note on the grant and contribution federal, that there is an allocation to Clyde River of $50,000, so the resources that are currently outlined on this page have already been committed too at this point.
Mr. Chairman: Mr. Arreak.
Mr. Arreak (interpretation): it’s ok.
I wanted to ask on the same item too, why this has never increased, even though a service like this was provided in the community where people would come down from different communities and if we distribute this to 26 communities, it would come out to $44,000 per community.
I wonder how we could increase the funding because some communities are going through a very difficult time in hiring councilors, I wonder what we can do to increase the amount and there are a lot of young people who require counseling and they need to be properly trained, and those things are not available.
I wonder if the minister can tell us how we could increase this amount.
Mr. Chairman: (interpretation): Thank you.
Minister, did you wish to respond.
We seem to be lost, I wonder if he could repeat his question.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): On what my colleague mentioned, alcohol and drug treatment, the amount hasn’t increased in three years, $949,000.
There’s only 40 something thousand per community.
I wonder if why it’s always like that, and the people who require treatment or counseling, there’s no service available in the community, they don’t know who to go to, and drug and alcohol abuse and substance abuse is increasing.
I wonder how we can increase this amount.
Mr. Chairman: Mr. Blais.
Mr. Blais: Thank you very much Mr. Chairman, I think that’s a good question, I’m not sure that I have a good answer to that, again part of our review this year for care closer to home is that mental health.
There are two sections that are very important that we’ve identified as priority, and one of them is addiction and the other one is suicide prevention.
We have already started a process and have supported a major initiative on the suicide prevention piece, and we will undertake this year, to develop a more comprehensive plan on mental health and hopefully be able to reflect some resources to address this issue.
We also have a task group with NTI, where we’re looking at hopefully the merits or whether or not we could substantiate the development of addictions rehabilitation center in Nunavut.
That process is underway, and we hope by spring to have a response to that.
So there is a lot of activity, but to say at this point in time whether we can allocate it, I think it will depend on the outcome of the work that’s being done in regards to the mental health portfolio.
Mr. Curley: Thank you. (interpretation) Yes, this has to be considered in the long-term process because it’s not just mental health; it’s for those people who have addictions. (interpretation ends) Some of them are at a pretty good mental state, but we don’t have to look all that far to know that some people need treatment and that stuff.
What does it take for some members who do want actual help?
I know that you do provide some out-of-Nunavut treatment.
What would it take for individuals to get an out-of-Nunavut treatment for substance abuse and alcohol related habits?
It’s not a very complex issue, I think, that once an individual has been seen by a care provider and has been identified as requiring that level of support or help, we make arrangements then to have that service made available for that individual.
I am actually trying to find out because I know there are people, are they on their own when they go for treatment like out of Nunavut.
I have seen people that do go out.
Are they provided with some assistance from the department or are they actually on their own?
What my colleague just brought up is what I know.
What usually happens is they go down to Thompson, or outside of Winnipeg, and they are in an institution for 28 days.
Once they go, they have to write in a log book, along with somebody to supervise them, but that’s how it usually was.
When they are serious enough about getting help, and a lot of times when they go back to their communities, they are not given proper support.
In a lot of cases, they have to go back, but they are constantly supervised, and I will let my Deputy supplement the response.
Chairman (interpretation): Did you want to add to that?
It’s not so much what happens out-of-territory; I think it’s when they return to communities.
The lack of support to help them continue with their treatment is not always available, or if it’s available, it’s not to the degree that it should be.
So the services that are provided in the south, I think, are pretty reasonable, but it’s when they come back to Nunavut that I think the system is not robust enough to provide that follow-up that most of these clients need.
That’s the direction that we are trying to address currently.
Mr. Curley: Thank you. Yes, I appreciate your response.
My question in short was trying to get a confirmation that there are help available through the counseling help that they get from community they do want to carry on because I know that Hay River is one of these sites.
Does the department actually help them out?
Or like the second part of my question, or are individuals responsible for their own arrangements?
That’s what I am trying to find out.
No, the department will normally arrange for all of that to take place.
So it’s really a departmental responsibility.
The second part of my other question will relate to dental activities assuming that most of that work is handled through the contract services in the amount of $13,451,000.
I would assume that the major chunk of the cost of that division here.
So how many of these dental agencies or services do you know that we have contracts with that provide dental services for children as well as adults within the Nunavut’s three regions?
This is a NIHB area, so I think there are four providers in Nunavut, and off the top, I can’t remember their names, but I believe there are four providers of dental services in Nunavut.
A follow-up to my question is: has the care provided by the dental care to youngsters and adults being reviewed at all in terms of whether or not they are providing the best care possible?
I have seen, and actually have heard from dentists, that there are major problems with some of what’s being done, and if we were familiar with the liabilities because you know many of these cases could be done, but we are not in the United States, so we are doing pretty good.
So, actually, has the department thought about or has carried out, had major reviews of these services, or whether or not, the care that’s provided a top quality?
I am glad to say that we have.
In March of 2004, based on what I was looking at and observing, I asked my staff to do a full review of all clients in Nunavut waiting for major dental surgery or major dental work.
It took about six months to do a full review.
That means every child or adult has to be visited, examined, and categorized.
We then proceeded to establish a task group and we met with Health Canada for another six months.
We were successful in getting them to provide additional funding to do a catch-up of these 757 children mostly that were identified, which the two adults, but mostly children, and as of the end of this month, out of the 757, 500 of them will have been done, and the balance of them would be completed by September.
So we will have basically eliminated the waiting list.
So, again, Health Canada has really been probably one of the few times where they have come to the table and recognized this need.
The other thing we did last year is we looked at the consistency of dental service in Nunavut.
As you know we have dentists coming, they are not always the same dentists coming in to our communities.
So with the help with Health Canada, we developed a tender or a Request For Proposal where we will hopefully we would attract certain dentists that would want to take up permanent residency, and I think it was the Kivalliq Region that we tested as a pilot project.
I was very disappointed and I thought the proposal that we put together was very attractive. We didn’t get one single application to take up that offer to become a permanent resident in a strategic location in the Kivalliq region.
So we had to revert back to the current system.
So having said that, now we are looking at again, another approach with the hope of achieving permanent dentists in Nunavut.
The third piece of that is dental assistant or dental technician, which is the prevention piece of dentistry in Canada.
We have had a serious shortage of dental therapists in Nunavut and also Canada is experiencing the same problem.
Out of 17, I believe we only had six or seven dental therapists in Nunavut.
So, over the years, we have lost that front end provider that does mostly the prevention piece.
I am glad to say that in the last year, we have managed to recruit four more dental therapists to the Kitikmeot region.
We are sending out a team in May, and hopefully, we will attract some of the graduates out of the Saskatchewan program.
There’s only one school in all of Canada, and if we were successful, that would be another piece.
And fourth, we are working with Health Canada as well, who, we hope, will provide funding to train dental aides in Nunavut.
This will be an Inuit workforce again, and we are quite hopeful that in the next two to three months that we will reach some kind of an agreement where they will provide some funding to help train dental aides in Nunavut.
Those are the four major areas that we have tackled in regards to the dentistry program.
I appreciate the Deputy Minister’s response.
These services are really quite important to many of our community members and I believe the centres are normally pretty full not only from the communities but particularly that serves the whole region.