EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The feasibility study we’re talking about will be covering various issues, for example, whether there exists enough student demand of such an institution; what legal or legislative steps need to be taken by the Government of Nunavut to create a university; what governance and oversight structure would be needed; what types of programming would most effectively meet the needs of Nunavummiut; and what physical and technological infrastructure would be needed.
With the feasibility study, we will be looking at various issues that we would want to find out first before we move on, on this, for example, again, what ongoing funding would be needed; what additional capacity at the Department of Education would be needed.
Those are the areas that the feasibility study will be looking at to look at the possibility of a standalone university in Nunavut. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We are all aware that the Department of Education faces a number of challenges in producing graduates who have the necessary educational levels and abilities to continue in post-secondary education.
There are also ongoing challenges and financial constraints to providing enough post-secondary education and training through Nunavut Arctic College and its cultural institute, Piqqusilirivvik, to fill current needs in Nunavut’s labour force.
Can the minister clarify why he feels that this is a good time to look at establishing a university in Nunavut?
We are all aware, as you stated, we have grade 12 graduates now and if they want to proceed to further education, we need to have a university.
It’s apparent that we need to have a university in Nunavut.
In the world, in the Arctic, we’re the only ones left that don’t have a university.
Looking at the students who get grade 12, whenever they want to go to university, they have no choice but to go south. They are very far from home communities and they get homesick.
Once we have a university in Nunavut, our precious grade 12 graduates will be able to have more options to further their education.
Obviously, we have many young people in Nunavut who go south to universities already and many of them come back from university.
They would be able to go to university in Nunavut and it’s going to really benefit everyone in Nunavut.
We say that in the land claims agreement, there are certain things that we have to follow. It will help us follow the lands claim agreement and all the things that are going to come out of the lands claim agreement, especially Article 23. This will really support that once we have a university in Nunavut.
I thank the minister there for his explanation.
I don’t disagree about having a university in Nunavut, but I believe that we have to make sure that we have the number of qualified graduates so that this university can be filled by people of Nunavut.
We know that for a university to be sustainable, it has to have students and lots of students.
If there are not enough students in Nunavut, well, they’re going to have to come from elsewhere.
I believe that we have to work on producing a much higher number of graduates and a much better qualified student in order for this university to be filled by Nunavut.
That being said, I understand that this feasibility study will be done by the end of March.
Will the minister commit to tabling the results of this feasibility study in the Legislative Assembly as soon as it’s completed?
As I stated earlier on how a university can be here, it would be a great benefit to the residents of Nunavut and we also know that we already have graduates who qualify for university and this is not something new.
Once we have a university, as I stated earlier, this would be an enhancement for people graduating from grade 12.
Presently in our schools, we are still trying to improve the literacy and math skills of our students and we are working very hard on that right now in our schools for them to be prepared once we get a university.
I wanted to add that on, that the university is well supported.
Our youth in Nunavut, around 60 percent of the population, not only go to school in Nunavut; they go to other schools outside Nunavut like Nunavut Sivuniksavut and universities are already well prepared.
That’s the main reason that a Nunavut university is well supported by Nunavummiut and people outside of Nunavut and they also want to see it.
The feasibility study will be carried out and we’re expecting for it to be completed by early spring. I’ll be able to table it so that we can explain what is needed in the university and I can present it at that time.
Question 091 – 4(3): Tourism Initiatives (Mikkungwak)
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) My questions are for the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation.
As I am sure all members will agree, Baker Lake’s natural beauty is unsurpassed.
Mr. Speaker, there is significant potential to develop Baker Lake’s tourism potential in the areas of ecotourism, hunting, and sport fishing.
These provide employment and business opportunities for my constituents.
One of the goals contained in the Government of Nunavut’s current tourism strategy is to, and I quote, “provide modular tourism training courses for delivery in communities.”
Mr. Speaker, this includes training for guides.
Is the minister aware of how many such courses have been offered in Baker Lake over the past five years?
Last spring, we were able to approve funding to Nunavut Tourism for them to hire a training coordinator this summer. That person is already well on his way.
There will be Guide Level I and Guide Level II training here starting in Iqaluit. Up to March 2016, there will be two other courses. We are not sure which communities they will be delivered in yet in the two other regions.
I know she elaborated in a general fashion, but can the minister describe how her department is currently working with organizations such as Nunavut Arctic College, Kivalliq Partners in Development, and Nunavut Tourism to provide tourism training courses in communities?
It is presently being worked on by Nunavut Tourism and they have a lot of members.
They are having discussions right now and anybody can contact them or call them with their ideas on what type of training programs they can provide.
They say they will welcome any callers.
Right now, some ideas are (interpretation ends) Wilderness First Aid, small vessel operating efficiency, and customer service. (interpretation) Those are the types of courses that are being designed right now. To elaborate on the position, that’s being funded by Economic Development and Transportation, but they have applied for funding from CanNor for their operations. They can apply for funding anywhere they want.
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I thank the minister for her response.
The Government of Nunavut’s current tourism strategy, as the minister is aware, indicates that one of the partners in developing this sector of the economy is Parks Canada, which is a federal agency.
Will the minister commit to inviting her new federal counterpart to visit Nunavut, including the community of Baker Lake?
An Hon. Member: And Pond Inlet.
Hon. Monica Ell-Kanayuk (interpretation): I thank the member for his questions.
I met with my counterparts last year and in the coming year, we will also be meeting with them in January, but we expect for them to come to Iqaluit in November and that’s what we have arranged.
We asked them last year whether the ministers can visit here and they have agreed to do so, and I am happy that that can be arranged, but if they want to go anywhere else, they will identify it.
When tourists come and visit, they are urged to visit other places and where they want to go will be up to them.
Question 092 – 4(3): Longstanding Vacancies (Enook)
Earlier this year, the Legislative Assembly approved supplementary funding for the construction of new staff housing units.
At that time, we were informed that the government would be conducting a review of longstanding vacant positions, which I understand was undertaken by the Department of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on many occasions about how Government of Nunavut staff housing units in my community of Pond Inlet have stood empty and unused for significant periods of time due to positions in the community remaining vacant.
Can the minister tell us today what actions the government will be taking to address the issue of longstanding vacancies in decentralized communities like Pond Inlet?
I thank Mr. Enook for the question. I’m aware of his concerns.
He has been eloquently speaking about it for years. Mr. Speaker, it begins with the departments. The Department of Finance can only process the job action requests when they come forward and it’s incumbent upon each department to prepare the necessary paperwork to initiate the competitions.
Usually on staff, they’re saying that we can’t fill positions because there’s no housing. In Mr. Enook’s case, there’s housing, but we just can’t fill the positions. Our department is aware of it and they continue to work with all the government departments to fill vacant positions where housing is available.
Usually before the positions are advertised, if they require housing, we’ve got to ensure that there is housing before they even go to competition.
In the meantime, they will continue to staff positions where possible with qualified casuals or contractors.
I’ll ask it this way.
In cases where a department is being unreasonably slow in going out to competition to fill a vacant position, what actions does the Department of Finance take in that case when they are not filling the vacant positions?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, our staff in the Human Resources Division constantly reviews and monitors departments. We’re aware of the vacant positions in Pond Inlet.
I got an update yesterday, again, when he was asking some of the ministers questions about vacant positions in his community.
Mr. Speaker, we do follow up with the departments and there are a number of reasons provided.
Many reasons are tied to, if you run a competition, eligible people are ruled ineligible because they don’t screen into the position for interview. They continue to use casuals where necessary and/or contracts, as I indicated before.
Many of my constituents are understandably frustrated when they see that perfectly usable units in the community stand empty for significant periods of time for those who are not working for the government are always short of housing.
I do recognize that staff housing units need to be available for such life-and-death positions as nurses, but I believe that we need to think carefully about what to do with the chronically vacant units for government staff.
Let me ask the minister: how is the Department of Finance working with the Nunavut Housing Corporation on this issue? Have you had discussions on this?
Mr. Speaker, here in Iqaluit and at the regional levels, there are staff allocation committees that work with all the departments to assign houses to positions that are ranked as a priority.
I believe there are positions that are higher priority for employment for housing in all the regions.
I think teachers, for example, would be one; doctors and nurses.
I believe that the Department of Finance is working with the housing corporation to review the whole staff allocation process.
I just can’t give him an update today on exactly what they’re looking at, but I will ask my officials to give me an update.
Question 093 – 4(3): Problems with Medical Boarding Home (Keyootak)
Yesterday, I brought up a concern from my constituents in regard to the Tammaativvik Boarding Home.
There are concerns from my community with the Tammaativvik Boarding Home. To date, the way it is set up is not adequate for people with disabilities. Many patients stay at the Tammaativvik Boarding Home and I was asking questions in regard to this.
I know that some of the issues have been resolved.
However, according to the concern that was given to me, their telephone system has no PA system in the kitchen, outside, or in the rooms. Some patients don’t even know that there was a family member calling into the boarding home because there is no PA system.
Can the minister agree to look into the PA system for the boarding home?
The operators of Tammaativvik meet four times a year. They met in August and they were advised of the contract requirements to provide proper services and security. Some of these issues have been resolved and that’s what I hear.
Only after we hear about a concern, we can make improvements.
If any patients have any concern, they can call 1-855-438-3003 or make a complaint to patientrelations@gov.nu.ca. If they can inform us about those, we can look into them.
I will look into that through my officials.
I would like to thank the minister for his response in regard to the concern.
Mr. Speaker, in the Tammaativvik Boarding Home, there needs to be improvement work done. The boarding home is a place where patients just wait. They sit around and there is no activity place.
Some patients have to stay at the boarding home for quite some time, waiting to see a doctor.
For the patients staying at the boarding home, there is no activity place for men or women. Some women would recommend that there should be a sewing room or at least an activity room for men.
Can the minister commit to planning for such a thing for Tammaativvik so that at least there would be activities for the patients? At least they will have something to do when they have to stay at the boarding home for a long time.
The boarding home is run by an independent entity and we have a contract with that entity.
The funding does not come from the Nunavut government; it comes from the federal government, so there is hardly any leeway for us, but we can voice our concerns.
I will have my officials look into that to see what can be done.
I would also like to thank the minister for his good response and that he would look into it.
I expect that something will be done on behalf of my constituents and I believe that my constituents will expect to see something about it.
Can you commit to making sure that this information is provided to the entity? I received that concern from my community and it doesn’t just come from my constituency; it also comes from the Baffin region. There are patients who stay at the boarding home that come from other communities in the Baffin region, not just Qikiqtarjuaq.
On behalf of Qikiqtaaluk, I’m just making this comment.
Yes, we keep monitoring to make sure that they’re following the policies.
I said that we meet with the operators four times a year and we remind them that they have to follow the contract.
We keep advising them that they have to follow the contract, but I urge people to call this phone number that I mentioned earlier.
The only way we can find out about the concerns is when people let us know.
Question 094 – 4(3): Hivuliqtikhanut Leadership Development Program (Joanasie)
I’m sorry that I was not prepared for my oral question, although the Speaker recognized me.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my questions to the Premier, who is the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, regarding his Minister’s Statement today.
(interpretation ends) The [Hivuliqtikhanut] program, the minister announced that there are 24 students enrolled. Can he give us the number of applicants that applied to this program and of that, how many were beneficiaries?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister responsible for Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Taptuna.
I don’t have the detailed number of applicants that applied for the program.
As I indicated in my Minister’s Statement, 71 percent of the participants are beneficiaries and we hope that it will increase in the future. As I indicated, once we do a number of these programs… .
There are three levels of programs for this and of course, the first one being the emerging leader and I indicated supervisors and senior managers.
Once we get established on this, we hope to increase the number of beneficiaries participating in this program.
That leads me right into my next question. According to the latest Inuit employment statistics from December 2014, the beneficiary employment rate at the senior management and middle management level are 21 percent and 24 percent respectively, and those are the lowest out of all the different levels.
Can I ask why this [Hivuliqtikhanut] program not geared towards beneficiaries?
As a public government, we’re open to all of our employees within the government.
As the member has indicated, there are low numbers of beneficiaries in senior management positions.
Hence is that program. We want to increase the percentage and the number of beneficiaries in senior management levels and we intend to do that through this program.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) Can I get the minister to commit to the Nunavut employment targets?
As this program is not specified for Inuit, I just used those two different senior management and middle management levels.
If they’re not targeting leadership programs to Inuit, the number of 24 students… .
Well, there are 24 students and 71 percent of which, if my calculator is correct, is 17 out of the 24 that are beneficiaries, which is still a high number, but those seven positions in this program could have been filled by beneficiaries and we would have had 100 percent.
I’m just trying to get some commitment that, perhaps, future programs for leadership in the public sector can be specifically targeted for Inuit the next time around.
As I indicated, as a public government, we’re open to training all the government employees for emerging managers, supervisors, and of course, higher senior level supervisors.
Mr. Speaker, I responded to a question earlier asked by the MLA from Quttiktuq on how the Inuit Training Corporation is going to operate. That is strictly for beneficiaries with our partners from Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
As the member can recall, last May, when a settlement was reached with the federal government, there was money given to NTI and we’re using that to increase the number of beneficiaries working at three different levels: at the territorial government level, the Nunavut government, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, and the federal government.
With that in mind, that is specifically for beneficiaries only.
With this program that we run as a government, it’s open for our GN employees to get these upper management, senior levels, and whatnot.
As the member has indicated, we target our beneficiaries for these positions also.
Question 095 – 4(3): Income Assistance Review (Hickes)
I would like to direct my questions today to the Minister responsible for Family Services.
Mr. Speaker, in the 2013-16 business plan from that department, it lists a priority in the 2014-15 section, “To complete the comprehensive review of all government income assistance programs.”
And then in the 2014-17 business plan, it changed that priority to “Initiate a review of the income assistance programs, daycare subsidies, senior fuel subsidy, senior citizens supplement benefits and others.”
Earlier this sitting the minister announced through a Minister’s Statement a $25 a month or a $300 a year increase in the Senior Citizens Supplementary Benefit.
I have been requesting an increase in this and other income assistance programs, even requesting numerous times to increase the minimum wage to one of your colleagues.
When will these reviews actually be completed and recommendations implemented?
Hon. Jeanie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I would also like to thank the member for his questions regarding the subsidies and when the review is going to be done.
Our target is March 2016.
My first question out of that would be: is that all of those programs that fall under income support?
I’m sure the minister will respond to that.
The minister also made a recent statement of the stage the social assistance review is in.
The minister stated that it’s in the community consultation stage.
Income support hasn’t been increased in some time and there have been numerous consultations, like the poverty roundtable as an example, numerous reports to highlight the cost of living increases in Nunavut.
Why is it taking so long to complete the review of income support funding and when can we expect that to be completed as well?
It’s an ongoing review of the Income Assistance Program.
From what I understand, there will be an additional $20 million included into that budget. The income assistance review will be completed by March 2016.
I’ll disregard my second supplementary question I had prepared from the response from the first one.
With the $20 million increase in the income support budget, is that going to be spread out across the different programs or is it going to be just the income support component which, from I recall, is around $40 million right now? That looks like quite a hefty increase that’s forthcoming to income support recipients.
Maybe if I could just get some clarification from the minister on how that $20 million increase is going to be broken down across the different programs.
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that question.
Maybe I didn’t come across clearly. We’re still at the review stage and looking at the cost of living, we would have to increase it by $20 million. We don’t have the $20 million.
We are also looking at realigning the income assistance program, employment assistance, and other programs through our department.
We had numerous questions about increasing the Income Assistance Program.
We’re at the $40 million stage here and we would have to increase it by $20 million in order to catch up with the cost of living.
Tabled Document 023 – 4(3): Department of Justice’s Response to the Standing Committee: Reviewing the 2015 Auditor General Report on Corrections (Okalik)
Tabled Document 024 – 4(3): Nunavut Correctional Facilities Strategy, 2012 (Okalik)
I would like to table two documents, the review of the 2015 Auditor General’s report on corrections in Nunavut, and the other one is to table the Nunavut Corrections Facilities Strategy 2012.
Bill 07 – An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage) – Notice
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I give notice that on Monday, November 2, 2015, that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage), will be read for the first time. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I request consent of this Assembly to waive the two-day notice requirement to allow the first reading of Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage).
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The minister is seeking consent to waive the two-day waiting rule so that Bill 7 can be read today for the first time. Do members agree?
Please proceed, Minister of Justice, Mr. Okalik.
Bill 07 – An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage) – First Reading
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker and my colleagues. (interpretation ends) I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Iqaluit-Manirajak, that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act, be read for the first time. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I request consent of this Assembly to waive the one-day notice requirement to allow the second reading of Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The minister is seeking consent to waive the one-day waiting rule so that Bill 7 can be read today for the second time. Do members agree?
Bill 07 – An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage) – Second Reading
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker and my colleagues. (interpretation ends) I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Iqaluit-Manirajak, that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act, be read for the second time.