EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The next time we don’t want to do that and perhaps can give them a full month of notice. We would like to do that, but if were late in increasing the price, then it would have been more expensive.
That is why we used those days. If we had given one day notice there would have been a public outcry.
I do understand your question and I feel your question. I too, would like to provide more days of notice before increasing the price because we do purchase fuel once a year.
I looked into that and it is not the case because this fall we already purchased some fuel too.
We tried to purchase the fuel at the lowest price, but I don’t know why this year seemed to be totally different from the previous years.
At the end of October they said that they are still purchasing fuel.
That is what was briefed to me and I understand your question.
Question 010 – 2(3): Violence Against Women (Peterson)
This question is to the Minister for the Status of Women.
Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to hear about the campaign to reduce violence against women. The Cambridge Bay Hamlet Council and Wellness Centre also have been dealing with this for many years.
Mr. Speaker, the minister, in her CBC interview this morning, stated that 906 women sought refuge in women’s shelters last year, up 50 percent from 2002. Can the minister tell the House how these numbers were calculated?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Ms. Aglukkaq.
The numbers that we arrived at were from the information that we have received from the shelters that we operate in Nunavut.
I believe there are six shelters and the numbers are from 2002 to today.
I thank the minister for her answer.
There are 25 communities in Nunavut.
We have raised this issue in the past. What are the numbers of crisis shelters in Nunavut and can the minister clarify for the record how many crisis shelters are currently operational in Nunavut?
I believe there are six crisis shelters in Nunavut. One is in Taloyoak, one is in Cambridge Bay, and the one in Kugluktuk is not operational right now. There is also one here and I believe one in Kivalliq somewhere.
So, five or six are operational.
I thank the minister for her response.
The numbers again, there are 25 communities and five or six crisis shelters.
That means there are 18 or 19 communities that don’t have a crisis centre.
My question for the minister is: how does the government help women and their children who live in communities where crisis shelters do not exist?
In terms of the numbers that I presented in the press release for discussion yesterday, I made a statement that 906 women were in shelters in Nunavut last year, up 50 percent.
That is a major concern to the government which is one of the reasons why we are looking at a symposium to be held in January to talk about the problems associated with violence against women and to come up with programs or additional resources to support the abusers as well as victims of families, the children, and the women.
How do we deal with individuals in the community who are victimized where there are no shelters?
Women escape to family members’ houses, to RCMP stations, to friends and families, and in most of the cases those individuals are shipped to other shelters in Nunavut such as Iqaluit or Cambridge Bay or, to Yellowknife or Taloyoak where there is a shelter and where there is space.
Thank you, Minister, for the candid answer.
We do have a serious problem it seems, to me, in Nunavut.
Are there any situations financial or otherwise where the government would not move quickly to provide a safe refuge to a women or her children who are victims of violence even if means relocating to a shelter in another community or a safe jurisdiction?
I am going to clarify the original question. There are currently five shelters in Nunavut with one in Kugluktuk that is closed. In total there are 43 beds for women.
In situations where a woman is a victim of violence the first and foremost priority is to provide safety for women. In most cases, women escape to the detachment of RCMP stations from violent situations, and from there on, support is sought through social services to ship the woman outside of the community to escape the violent situation until such time as the social workers and individuals providing assistance to the woman are able to make an assessment of the situation.
In some cases, the woman stays in a shelter for an extended period of time until such time perhaps that the male goes through the court system and what not.
So in most cases, a woman’s safety is first and foremost along with the children.
Of the 906 number that I talked about yesterday, one should note that often does not include children. Children, for the most part, also escape with the woman to the shelters so the 43 beds, a lot of times, are not enough to deal with that situation. I would just like to state that the assistance is to ensure safety foremost and we look to every opportunity and option available to us to provide that shelter for the woman.
Tabled Document 001 – 2(3): Photo of Boat Near Whale Cove Involved in Tragic Incident and Death (Curley)
After there was an accident in the summer there was a petition about the boat that had the accident.
I would like to table that document. Thank you.
Speaker (interpretation): Tabling of Documents. I would like to table a document.
Tabled Document 002 – 2(3): Statutory Requirements for Tabling of Reports Documents (Speaker)
Today, I wish to table the Statutory Requirements for Tabling of Documents.
This list is regularly updated by the Legislative Assembly and tracks the status of legal tabling requirements for the government’s annual reports, financial statements, and other documents.
The current version of this document indicates what documents have been tabled as of November 15, 2005.
I trust that all members will find this useful in monitoring a timely production and tabling of legally required documents in this House.
Tabled Document 003 – 2(3): 2004-05 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Nunavut (Speaker)
I wish to also table today the 2004-05 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Nunavut.
A reminder there is a meeting of the regular caucus at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning in the Tuktu Room.
Orders of the Day for November 16:
Speaker (interpretation): This House stands adjourned until November 16, 2005 at 1:30 in the afternoon.
>>House adjourned at 17:12
Minister of Health and Social Services; Minister Responsible for Status of Women’s Council
Minister of Environment; Minister Responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation; Minister Responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board
David Alagalak
Chair, Standing Committee on Health and Education
Chair, Full Caucus  Hon. Levinia Brown
Deputy Premier; Minister of Community Government and Government Services
Chair, Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Housing and Economic Development
Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole; Chair, Regular Members’ Caucus
Minister of Economic Development and Transportation; Government House Leader; Management and Services Board
Chair, Standing committee Ajauqtiit
Chair, Standing Committee on Government Operations and Accountability; Chair, Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges
Premier; Minister of Justice; Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs
Hon. Ed. Picco
Minister of Education; Minister of Energy; Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism, Homelessness and Immigration
Minister of Finance; Chair of the Financial Management Board
Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth; Minister of Human Resources
Deputy Speaker  Nunavut Canada
Tuesday, November 16, 2005
Pages 46 – 116
Opening Prayer 46
Point of Privilege 46
Ministers’ Statements 50
Members’ Statements 55
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 61
Oral Questions 63
Written Questions 81
Returns to Written Questions 82
Petitions 82
Tabling of Documents 82
Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills 83
First Reading of Bills 84
Second Reading of Bills 84
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 85
Report of the Committee of the Whole 115
Orders of the Day 115
Wednesday, November 16, 2005 46
001 – 2(3): Mid-year Fiscal Update and Capital Estimates (Simailak) 50
002 – 2(3): Loss of Assembly Broadcasting (Kilabuk) 54
003 – 2(3): Makivik Agreement (Okalik) 55
015 – 2(3): Tribute to Pat Lyall (Aglukkaq) 55
016 – 2(3): APTN Broadcast (Barnabas) 56
017 – 2(3): Decaying Infrastructure – Qikiqtarjuaq Health Center (Arreak) 57
018 – 2(3): APTN Broadcast (Tootoo) 57
019 – 2(3): Economic Development in Nunavut (Peterson) 58
020 – 2(3): Congratulate Graduates (Brown) 59
021 – 2(3): Federal Support for Deep Water Port (Picco) 60
022 – 2(3): APTN Unfair (Curley) 60
023 – 2(3): Disappointed at APTN Broadcast (Kattuk) 61
011 – 2(3): Waiving of Inuit Employment Clause (Tootoo) 63
012 – 2(3): Dry Cargo Re-Supply Survey (Netser) 65
013 – 2(3): Funding Support for School Information Technology Position (Curley) 65
014 – 2(3): Nunavut’s Annual Growth Rate (Peterson) 68
015 – 2(3): Update on the Food Mail Program (Barnabas) 71
016 – 2(3): Core Funding for Illisaqsivik Society (Arreak) 73
017 – 2(3): Fuel Supply in Arviat (Alagalak) 74
018 – 2(3): Supplying Lumber to the Communities (Kattuk) 76
019 – 2(3): Changing Time Zones (Tootoo) 77
020 – 2(3): Tabling of Dry Cargo Re-supply Survey (Netser) 78
021 – 2(3): Coast Guard Standards (Curley) 79
001 – 2(3): Recidivism Rates and Rehabilitation Programs (Netser) 81
002 – 2(3): Administration and Enforcement of the Liquor Act (Peterson) 81
Return to Written Question 031 – 2(2): Private Accommodation for Medical Travel Clients (Clerk) 82
Return to Written Question 032 – 2(2): Nunavut Teacher Education Program (Clerk) 82
Return to Written Question 033 – 2(2): Government of Nunavut Expenditures on Advertising (Clerk) 82
001 – 2(3): GN Staff Housing Policy (Barnabas) 82
004 – 2(3): Photos of Decaying Water Pumps (Evyagotailak) 82
005 – 2(3): Conflict of Interest Allegation (Tootoo) 83
006 – 2(3): Letter of Instruction to the New Nunavut Commissioner (Okalik) 83
007 – 2(3): A Report of the Health Literacy in Rural Nova Scotia Research Project, June 2004 (Tootoo) 83
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2006–07 – Notice 83
Bill 08 – Statistics Act – Notice 84
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2006-07 – First Reading 84
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2006-07 – Second Reading 84
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2006-07 – Health and Social Services – Consideration in Committee 85
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Speaker (interpretation): Good afternoon. I would like to ask Mr. Netser to say the opening prayer.
Point of Privilege  Speaker (interpretation): Mr. Premier, Members of the Legislative Assembly.
I would like to rise on a Point of Privilege.
Your Point of Privilege, Mr. Tootoo.
I rise today under the Rules of the Legislative Assembly to raise a Point of Privilege pursuant to Rule 20(1).
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by expressing to you my appreciation for your having granted me leave to raise this matter today. I regret that the time of the House needs to be used for this purpose, but I feel obliged to respond to published allegations that have been made against me.
I do not think that any Member of the House will be surprised to learn that I intend to use my time today to refute allegations that have been made against me in connection with the questions that I have raised in the Legislative Assembly concerning the awarding of the contract to construct the Kivalliq Health Centre.
Mr. Speaker, to put it bluntly, it has been suggested that my voice and my vote are for sale to the highest bidder.
Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Iqaluit Centre are entitled to have confidence in the integrity of their elected representatives.
They deserve no less, and I am glad to finally have the opportunity to publicly respond in this House to the smears that have been made against me.
Mr. Speaker, the July 29, 2005, edition of Nunatsiaq News reported that the former MLA for Cambridge Bay via Yellowknife and Chairman of the Financial Management Board requested the Integrity Commissioner of Nunavut to investigate what the former member termed as a “potential conflict of interest” in relation to my raising questions in the Legislative Assembly concerning the government’s contracting and leasing practices.
It is this point that I will address in detail today.  For the benefit of all members and the listening public, I would like to review the nature of the Rule in question.
Rule 20(1) states as follows:
“With leave of the Speaker, any member may explain a matter which, although not a contempt or breach of privilege, concerns the member in his or her capacity as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. In particular, the member may explain that he or she has been misquoted or misunderstood, or deny published accusations against the member.
The explanation must be clear and concise and no debate shall be allowed.”
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be tabling a number of items. These will include the article published in the July 29, 2005, edition of Nunatsiaq News.
The title or the headline of this article is: “Former MLA’s Conflict of Interest Allegation Fizzles Out.”
Mr. Speaker, I believe that a brief chronology will be helpful.
As you and a number of other members will recall, I raised a number of questions in the House during the First Legislative Assembly concerning the government’s decision to disregard the advice of departmental officials in the awarding of a major contract to construct the new Kivalliq Health Centre. The government decided not to award this contract to the lowest bidder.
In a letter to me dated June 30, 2003, the Minister of Public Works and Services of the day stated:
“In conjunction with this decision, officials of Public Works and Services were instructed to both negotiate a $200,000 reduction in the proposed contract of Sanajiit/Clark and to insist that the component on Inuit employment be increased from the proposed 25 percent to 32 percent.”
Two years later, in a letter from the Minister of Community and Government Services to me of August 22, 2005, I was informed that:
“Unfortunately, the contractor did not meet the specified 32 percent Inuit labour and therefore has been informed that there will be a monetary penalty as per the relevant clause in the NNI Policy.”
Mr. Speaker, as you can anticipate, I will be posing further questions on this matter during our sitting, including questions to clarify whether this public money has indeed been recovered.
I would also note for the record that it was I who voluntarily made the effort to table a number of documents, including correspondence to me on this matter from relevant parties, over two years ago.
Mr. Speaker, as I noted at the beginning of my remarks, the allegations made against me by a former Minister of the government and a Member of this House pertain to my reasons for raising this matter.
The allegations suggest that I raised this matter not out of concern for the integrity of the government’s contracting process, nor out of a desire to see that the contractor live up to its promises with respect to Inuit employment.
Instead, it has been alleged that I raised this matter because of my position with Arctic Insurance Brokers.
It has been insinuated that I used my position as the elected MLA for Iqaluit Centre in order to further the commercial interests of certain local Iqaluit companies in relation to their unsuccessful bid for this contract.
I can only infer that there are hints that I sought to benefit personally in some fashion.
Mr. Speaker, I formally refute these allegations in their entirety.
Mr. Speaker, later today, I will also be tabling correspondence to the Integrity Commissioner of Nunavut that makes it clear that the allegations are without merit.
I would note that while the Integrity Commissioner did not proceed with a full inquiry, I would absolutely welcome his doing so at any time.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is only fair to acknowledge that I have gone on the public record in this House as being in favour of enhanced protection for public servants who disclose wrongdoing in the workplace.
If the Integrity Commissioner were of the view that amendments to our own statute in this regard would be of use, I would certainly be the first to vote in favour of them.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to persistence in asking questions and scrutinizing decisions and actions, I plead guilty.
Some questions may be uncomfortable for the government and for outside interests, but our system of responsible government demands that they be asked and answered in a forthright fashion.
However, I believe that no Member of this House should be smeared or bullied when they do their job and seek to protect the interests of the public purse and our tax paying constituents. I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, that I won’t be intimidated into silence. I will continue to ask the tough questions that need to be answered.
Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that in his attack against me, the former member did not challenge the substance of what I have said, or offer an explanation in response to the concerns I have raised. In essence, he said that asking questions is somehow in and of itself a conflict of interest. That is ridiculous, Mr. Speaker, and an insult to every Member of the House.
I must also note that it did not escape my attention that the allegations against me were raised by an individual who has some experience of the process involved in conflict of interest matters.
As some of us recall, the 1998 report of the NWT Conflict of Interest Commissioner into the so-called Morin affair raised the issue of how some Cabinet Ministers were willing to sign their names to a document that the Commissioner found to be inaccurate.
Mr. Speaker, I would also note for the record that if my goal as an MLA were to use my position to financially enrich myself, I would have voted for, and opted into, the supplementary pension plan.
As you know, Mr. Speaker, I chose not to do so, at considerable financial cost to me and my family.
Mr. Speaker, I also wish to address the issue of scrutiny of Government of Nunavut leases.
In the former member’s correspondence to the Integrity Commissioner, he implies that I spent too much time scrutinizing some leases held by the GN, and not enough time scrutinizing others.
Mr. Speaker, I think that this may be the first time ever that I have been accused of asking too few questions, rather than too many.
Nonetheless, I would simply point out that I and other Members of the House can only work with the information that we have in front of us. In this case, the information provided by the government included detail on some leases, but not all.
Mr. Speaker, there may indeed be a time to take another look at the others, and I note with interest the former Chair of the Financial Management Board’s comments in this area. Indeed, now that he is no longer in a position to take the heat, I would welcome any light that he may care to shed on this area.
Mr. Speaker, frankly I am very surprised that someone who is very busy, someone that lives in Edmonton, Alberta, someone that is a director for the Business Development Bank of Canada and an employee of Pacific Western Trust has time to worry about little things like this, he must have too much time on his hands.
Mr. Speaker, I also think that the Gomery Commission’s recent revelations concerning financial irregularities and kickbacks to the Liberal Government ought to reinforce the importance of ensuring that our scarce public dollars in Nunavut are spent wisely.
And Mr. Speaker, I know for myself that I fully intend to use my voice in this House to do so.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Tootoo for making a Point of Privilege. Your Point of Privilege is noted and does not require any action from this House.
We have a letter that I will be reading.
It is directed to Jobie Nutarak, Speaker of the House, Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut the passage of the following bills during the Third Session of the Second Legislative Assembly: Bill 1, Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2006-07; Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation Act #2, 2005-06; Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act #2, 2005-06; Bill 4, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act #4, 2004-05.
Sincerely, Anne Mikidjuk Hanson, CN, Commissioner of Nunavut.
Going to the Orders of the Day. Item 2.
Minister’s Statement 001 – 2(3): Mid-year Fiscal Update and Capital Estimates (Simailak)
At this time I would like to make a statement on the Mid-Year Fiscal Update and Capital Estimates to the Members and all Nunavummiut to date on the current fiscal situation of the Government of Nunavut.
(interpretation ends) The Government of Nunavut will continue to reflect the priorities that have been set out in the Pinasuaqtavut document by maintaining a sound fiscal position, while maximizing the benefits from the financial resources that are available to us.
Mr. Speaker, in October 2004, First Ministers met to discuss the problems associated with Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing.
As a result, the federal Finance Minister announced an Expert Panel to undertake a review of transfer payments.
The Department of Finance has been engaged in discussions over the past few months with the federally appointed Expert Panel on Equalization and Territorial Formula Financing.
This past August, I had the opportunity to speak with the Expert Panel in Yellowknife, at the first ever roundtable discussions on Territorial Formula Financing.
In addition, representatives from the panel have traveled to Nunavut in order to get a better understanding of some of the true costs of trying to deliver programs and services in Nunavut.
To complement the work of the Expert Panel, Canada’s 13 Premiers announced the establishment of the Council of the Federation Advisory Panel on Fiscal Imbalance in May 2005.
The mandate of the Advisory Panel on Fiscal Imbalance is to provide an independent review of the fiscal imbalance in the federation.
This panel has been asked to look at ways to ensure that provinces and territories have the resources to provide services that are vital to the well-being and prosperity of its citizens.
As part of its independent review of fiscal imbalance the panel has already directly consulted territorial governments during the course of the past few months.
We have taken this opportunity to reinforce our contention that the delivery of programs and services in Nunavut is different than in the rest of Canada and that the fiscal resources available to us, provided to us via our transfer agreement, need to reflect this reality.
Our financial agreement with the Government of Canada in future years could be influenced by the recommendations of these panels.
During the past few months I presented a series of sound arguments and presentations to these panels to complement the work of my officials.
We have argued strenuously that the current formula financing arrangement is inadequate to meet the growing social and economic needs of the territory.
I am optimistic that Nunavut’s changing economic and social needs will be well reflected in the reports of both the Expert Panel and the Council of the Federation Panel and that the Government of Canada will respond in an appropriate manner.
However, the uncertainty about the outcome of this review compels us to remain fiscally prudent in our fiscal outlook beyond 2005-06.
No changes to our current Formula Financing arrangements will be made during the 2006-07 fiscal year. Any recommendations forwarded by both the Expert Panel and the Council of the Federation to the federal government will not be reflected in our Formula Financing transfer until at least 2007-08.
Our revenues for 2005-06 are now estimated to be $982 million. The current revenue forecast is $ 9.6 million higher than estimated in the 2005 Budget. This increase is mainly due to funding from the Northern Strategy Trust Fund.