EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Speaker: The member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement.
Proceed Mr. Tootoo.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you Mr. Speaker and colleagues.
The honourable member noted that the Heritage Centre will cost 525 thousand and the larger gym would cost 395 thousand.
Perhaps the people of Cambridge Bay would also agree that this money could first help meet these priority needs in other communities if they knew about some of the problems facing schools in other communities in Nunavut.
But when the department brings forward a 20 year capital plan showing every school in Nunavut, showing when every school in Nunavut can look forward to a Heritage Centre and a larger gym I will wholeheartedly support such an initiative in Cambridge Bay.
Until then I hope Mr. Speaker, I hope the community of Cambridge By will be able to carry out some of the heritage programs with elders and youth that the honourable member spoke of yesterday in their already existing elder’s centre and their beautiful visitor’s centre.
I wish the community of Cambridge Bay well and am glad to hear that they have begun raising funds towards these additional facilities they desire.
I believe that all members are in support of replacing the high school in Cambridge Bay, which has an overall budget over 14 million.
When the temporary facility renovations are added in, the overall budget is over 16 million.
Mr. Speaker, the honourable member has stated previously that the insurance on this school may only result in 10 million.
The Government of Nunavut will have to pay whatever the additional costs will be and that will be a measure of our support for this school.
Mr. Speaker, I want to state emphatically that members must be able to raise concerns about priorities and fairness, without impugning their motives or their overall support for meeting the basic needs of a community school such as that proposed in Cambridge Bay.
It is part of our responsibility as members of this House to raise such concerns and I do it out of great respect for the honourable member and the residents of Cambridge Bay, and out of great respect for the overall needs of all Nunavummiut.
Returning to the Orders of the day.
Return to OQ 157 – 1(3): Fuel Subsidy Calculations
Hon. Manitok Thompson: Mr. Speaker I rise today to provide a response to an oral question posed to me by Mr. Tootoo on February 17, 2000.
The member wanted to know the subsidies are determined for the different fuel products.
Mr. Speaker subsidies for different products are determined as follows:
PPDs mandate is to recover all operating expenses from retail sales such as:
Actual product costs;
Actual transportation costs;
Commissions for local fuel sales, dispensing and delivery services;
Operating and maintenance expenses;
Product evaporation/shrinkage; and
Taxes (where applicable)
Return to OQ 318 – 1(3): Grise Fiord School Project
I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Barnabas on Wednesday March 29, 2000.
When reviewing the historical GNWT capital planning list it was noted that Grise Fiord received 150 thousand for the design phase of a proposed school addition.
The design work was done in the fiscal year 98-99 with the construction planned for the year 99-2000.
Prior to the creation of Nunavut, the GNWT deferred the project and it was taken off the 99-2000 capital program the Nunavut government inherited.
The Government of Nunavut cabinet established a very strict capital assessment criteria to maximize a limited capital budget and our emergency/safety criteria required us to address the problems faced by the schools in Baker Lake and Clyde River first.
I have asked that the Grise Fiord project be reactivated and have place 200 thousand dollars in the estimates to cover the costs associated with updating the design of the school.
I believe the Grise Fiord project will benefit the children of the community and relieve the pressure on the existing facility due to overcrowding.
I was pleased to learn that the Government of Nunavut will be establishing a 5-year capital planning process and this will coincide with our 20-year capital study which will enable my Department to better address the capital needs of all Nunavut educational facilities.
Speaker: Returns to Oral Questions.
One of the people I was going to recognise has left the gallery.
First I would like to recognise a person who is a very close friend of mine from Gjoa Haven, Charlie Cayhill.
Charlie in 1991 moved to Gjoa Haven and to date he still keeps going back to Gjoa Haven.
People of Gjoa Haven are very proud of him for all the good work he can do.
He has been our economic development officer, and we see all the things that he initiated in Gjoa Haven.
I would like Charlie to enjoy his visit here.
First of all, I would like to recognise and thank Mr. Don Revail and his wife Marge.
Mr. Revail is the Chief Legislative Drafter for the Province of Ontario and he worked with the Nunavut Department of Justice and the Office of the Interim Commissioner to assist in establishing our legislative drafting capability prioir to April 1 last year.
I also would like to recognize a person from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Government Assistant Fire Marshal Tim Hinds and his wife Michelle Ashby.
I would like to recognise someone, although you had recognised him in the beginning.
I would like to recognise my daughter Saimayuk Akesuk.
She is one of the pages here and I would like to thank the Assembly for hiring her as a page and also Jeannie Manning who is also from Cape Dorset but she now resides in Iqaluit.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker I would like to recognise a person who is named after my grandmother, Okpik Tigularak.
I would like to recognise three people from Greenland, who are here visiting.
Aleqa Hammond from the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and Fali Kleist from the Knud Rassmusen Folk High School and Ove Berthelsen who is from Suliasrrtut Folk High School.
Also our staff Sue Ball whose working for the school in Arviat.
They are here to visit Iqaluit for scholarship programs in Kallaliit through the Inuit Circumpolar Conference.
They are here working with the students and also meeting with our staff to work on a scholarship.
They are here to talk about the sponsorship that is readily available now.
So I would like to welcome the delegation to the Nunavut Legislative Assembly.
We are very happy thay you are able to visit Iqaluit because we have the same culture and the same language.
I would like to my colleagues to thank them and on behalf of the Nunavut residents and my collegueges to welcome them to Iqaluit on the scholarship program.
Speaker: Welcome to Nunavut and to the Assembly.
It is very rare for me to recognise a person from my community.
I am very happy to recognise my wife who has been able to come here today.
Also I would like to thank her for her patience.
We do have many children and many grandchildren.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Merci Messieur President.
I often envy people that recognise relatives.
So, it is very seldom I get to see a relative in the Legislature.
So I am really pleased to see my cousin Julia Saimaiyuk here in the gallery today and welcome her to our Legislature.
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognise Sue Ball.
When she was a school principal she was one of my constituents in Arctic Bay.
Mr. Speaker, It gives me great pleasure today to recogise someone that I know some members here have known for a long time.
Probably longer than I have been around and whom some members met in Rankin.
I would like recognise this time and welcome my father.
Please welcome him to the gallery.
And Mr. Speaker I also like to recognise with him a resident of Rankin Inlet as well Jane Aupaluktuk and her children.
Question 401 - 1(3): Nunavut Minimum Wage
Research confirms that the minimum wage in Nunavut according to the Labor Standards Act says 7 dollars an hour for isolated communities while for employees under the age of 16 the minimum wage is 6.50 an hour.
This minimum wage came into affect with the old GNWT.
In two other jurisdictions, the Yukon is at 7.20 an hour, and British Columbia is at 7.15 an hour.
My question today is for the Minister of Justice.
Can he confirm to this House or will he look at and review the minimum wage for Nunavut.
At this time the Department of Justice is not reviewing the minimum wage.
However if there is a desire to discuss or review the minimum wage then we would want to consult with the Justice community, the workers, general public before any decisions are made to make the changes.
Speaker: Supplementary.
It is good to hear that from the minister.
I know that we're into union negotiations.
One has been settled, one is not settled.
But for those that toil for minimum wage I do not think in the last few years that the minimum wage has been reviewed to reflect the consumer wage index in Nunavut.
I am sure our cost of living has gone up in the last ten years since the minimum wage was raised.
So will the minister commit to look at the minimum wage issue.
If there is a desire by the member or the members of the Legislative Assembly and the general public supports that, we will take a look and I also would like to state that the Department of Education is doing a labor market survey.
The results might be good to have too before any changes are made to the minimum wage.
So it would depend on getting some information before hand to go forward on this.
Speaker: Supplementary, Mr. McLean.
That is reassurring that the minister answered my question.
So can the minister give me a time line when they will collect this information and get back to the Members of the House regarding revisiting the minimum wage in Nunavut.
We will start the process of reviewing that immediately.
Speaker: Item 6.
Question 402 - 1(3): Legal Consequences over Time Zone
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker, I have a question to the Minister of Justice Mr. Anawak.
Yesterday the Government Leader or the Premier stated that the Hamlets do not have any authoriy on the change to the single time zone.
(interpretation ends) Under the laws of Canada and Nunavut what are the specific legal consequences for the Hamlet or Town Council that decided to ignore the provisions of the Interpretation Act that established the single time zone for Nunavut.
Hon. Jack Anawak: Thank you Mr. Speaker (interpretation) While we already know that having a single time zone for the whole of Nunavut is very good for everybody our Premier has said yesterday that we should do a review and see whether we are going to keep to the single time zone.
There is not much we can do to the communities that do not want to follow the single time zone but I am sure it is going to create a problem. There are only three communities that do not want to change their hours and I am sure they are going to run into a problem.
It will create a problem for Nunavut Government employees because they will be operating in a different time zone, that would be the problem.
But our Premier said that he would do a review.
Mr. Speaker, if the Hamlet or Town Council in Nunavut passes a resolution to continue to operate on their time zone other than the Nunavut time zone, what specific actions will the Government of Nunavut take against that Hamlet or Town.
Obviously we are not going to take specific action against the Hamlets however it would be wise for the Hamlet or community to get onto the same time as the rest of the communities in Nunavut.
Because again if we get any employees in communities who are working for the Government of Nunavut obviously they are going to be working at the same time as the Nunavut population.
Such as the time in the headquarters here in Iqaluit.
So that might be the problem.
If they are in a different time zone than Nunavut then that might create some problems for that community.
Not the rest of Nunavut.
My supplementary is, if the Government is going to take formal action against such a Town or Hamlet.
Would it be fair to say that Hamlets and Town Councils can feel free to operate under whatever time zone the majority of the local population prefers without fear of reprisal from the Government of Nunavut.
Obviously the people of Nunavut prefer the one time zone because at this point only three of the communities are under different time than the rest of Nunavut.
I would suggest that those three communities go along with the rest of the population that want the same time zone.
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you for that clarification.
So we find that there are only three communities that are operating on the eastern time zone.
Are the three communities going to be forced to follow with the single time zone.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Like I said, it is going to create a problem for our Government of Nunavut employees because they will be operating in a different time zone.
It is going to create a problem for the community but I also know that in the Baffin area it was a problem for the Baffin region.
But today we would get used to it.
So we are hoping that all Nunavut communities should go on the single time zone.
But like our Premier said yesterday there will be a review done and we'll find out from the people.
We will find out in less than six months.
We will inform the members and also the people of Nunavut.
Question 403 - 1(3): Diving Instructor
I asked yesterday about sea diving and recreational diving.
I will ask the Minister of Sustainable Development or Human Resources, I usually want to ask one particular minister but I have to end up asking questions to two.
Is there a commercial diving instructor in Nunavut.
There are no instructors in Nunavut and the required courses for these commercial divers are outside of Nunavut.
I am not quite sure where they had their training.
Could you tell me where they got their diving training.
I believe there are sixteen who took recreational diving not commercial diving.
If anyone of these sixteen went to that training course they knew that they were not qualified to do commercial diving.
That is how it goes.
You have to go to the first level and I am sure the students very well knew what they were taking at that time.
Supplementary. Mr. Iqaqrialu.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker Are there any other communities outside of Qiqiktarjuaq that do commercial diving.
We all know that there is some diving around here in Iqaluit.
But for further clarification there are sixteen in Nunavut who took this diving course and every single one of them can go diving for clams but they can not sell them commercially.
I want that difference to be known.
Question 404 - 1(3): Discrepancy in Return on Fuel Price Subsidies
There was a return to oral question asked on February 17 asked by Hunter Tootoo and the Minister of Public Works and Housing made the reply.
I would like you to look at this carefully, look at the English and Inuktitut because there is a difference at the last part portion of it.
In the Inuktitut it says there is a five cent increase per litre and the English it doesn’t have that bullet in there.
I was not listening, not intentionally of course; you will have to re-phrase your question so that I will hear it.
Speaker: Mr. Nutarak could you repeat the question please.
My question will be to the Minister of Public Works and Housing.
It is a return to oral question asked by Hunter Tootoo on February 17, 2000 and the Minister of Public Works and Housing made the reply.
The Inuktitut and the English are different because, in the English there are six bullets and there are five in Inuktitut and there is a diamond bullet that says there is a five cent per litre increase.
They have to be the same in both languages.
We will get this rectified.
We had quite a lot of returns on the petroleum products and we will get it fixed and bring it out again.
Speaker: Thank you Ms Thompson.
Oral Questions. Mr. Akesuk.
Question 405 - 1(3): Community Freezers
My question will be directed to the Minister responsible for Sustainable Development.
Some communities do not have community freezers.
Are you going to do a review to see if you can get some funding for community freezers.
This is not the first time that this has been raised as an issue.
Some years ago the Hamlets were given more authority, they were also given the authority of operating and maintaining the community freezers.
Once that occurred it was not a departmental responsibility.
I know they were provided for by the governments originally but now they are held by the hamlets.
Speaker: Oral Questions. Oral Questions.
Question 406 - 1(3): Hamlet By-Laws
My question will be directed to the Community Government & Transportation Minister, Mr. Anawak.
Mr. Speaker, the hamlets are able to make bylaws and according to bylaw 2-9, this bylaw allows hamlets to make their own by-laws by way of resolutions.
Mr. Speaker, this bylaw 2-9, is it able to be overridden by the government.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): When the hamlets produce their own bylaws to govern themselves the Minister for Community Government & Transportation has to approve those bylaws, so yes therefore he can override them.
Speaker: Supplementary. Mr. Irqittuq.
Mr. Speaker this bylaw 2-9, gives authority to the hamlets, it seems to me that this bylaw is strong so that the ministry cannot override it.
That seems to be the case Mr. Speaker.
That is because the hamlets fall under the Department of Community Government & Transportation and you cannot be in conflict with one another.
Because of that, bylaws are produced by the hamlets based on the Act and the minister, who is in charge of the portfolio of Community Government & Transportation, has to in effect approve the bylaws to ensure that they are not in conflict with the Nunavut Government Acts.
Mr. Irqittuq (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, but this bylaw is already a part of the authority.
It is already in effect, it is already a bylaw.
For instance we are also delegated powers by the Federal Government and we’re also delegated powers from the government here but this is where I get confused because there’s already that authority given to us.
So, what does this mean.
The Federal Government has Acts, laws and then the provincial governments have their own Acts that cannot conflict with the Federal laws and it is the same idea with Nunavut.
You can make your own bylaws within your own communities to govern yourselves but they can’t be in conflict with the Territorial government's because the territorial governments have that authority to create Acts and that’s why they can’t be in conflict with one another.
The Nunavut Government’s laws are always stronger than the community laws.
On October 19, 1999 the Igloolik mayor received a letter that said this “the hamlet of Igloolik are welcome to set their own time zones in their hamlets” and this came from the Premier.
Are they no longer welcome to set their own time zones then.
As far as office hours go, the hamlets can do what they wish. If they want to start coming to work at six in the morning that will be at their discretion but the Nunavut Government has set hours and because of that if a community has different time zones this is sure to create a problem.
People from Igloolik will have to work within the Nunavut time zone if they work for the government.
As far as the hamlets go they can set their own time zones, but if we want to ensure that we have proper working business hours than it only makes sense to have one time zone.
Prior to the time that we did this central time zone it would be 8 o’clock here in Iqaluit employees would start going to work then but the people in Cambridge Bay wouldn’t get to work until 10 o’clock Iqaluit time and so to make it uniform for all our employees we thought it best if we all went to work at the same time and we all got off at the same time.
Item 6. Oral Questions. Mr. Barnabas.
Question 407 - 1(3): Status of Apprenticeship Programs
In reference to my Member's Statement I would like to ask the Minister of Sustainable Development if he could update us on the status of apprenticeship programs that were provided for the two mines I represent.
Yes, there was an agreement in 1974.
At that time it was between the Federal and Territorial governments and with Nanisivik.
During it’s life span of 25 years there was an agreement that provided for co-operation on apprenticeship training.
This was supported by the Federal Government.
They would provide apprenticeship in Nanisivik but the position that was supposed to be in charge of the apprenticeship training programs was never filled.
To this day there’s still no position that has ever been filled although it was supposed to be long ago.
Yes, I understand that stipulation that he is referring to because I met with them and we discussed that.
My question is this, I know that they are designing apprenticeship over in Nanisivik and other areas.
I’m just wondering if the Government of Nunavut plans to pursue this matter, to provide apprenticeship training at those two mines that I represent up in Polaris and Nanisivik.
Last year when I was recently elected as minister for the department we went and visited the community along with the member for the High Arctic.
At our visit we discussed a number of times later on that there should have been an apprenticeship co-ordinator and that we should pursue the matter.
Now, Mr. Speaker at this time we are still talking within the Department of Sustainable Development, with the Education Department and the Federal Government.
Further to the question regarding the co-ordinator of the apprenticeship programs, this is a position that we plan to create in conjunction with the Minister of Education and to sort out what the duties would involve.
Question 408 - 1(3): Time Zone Effect on Non-Decentralized Communities
In my community there is also a different time zone and we do not expect any decentralized positions.
I seem to understand that the new time zone will be enforced in the decentralized communities and will not affect those smaller communities that will not get decentralized jobs.
They will not be affected by any time changes so I would like some clarification on this.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Mr. Speaker we are not trying to make you think that we are against those communities that have their own time zones.
We are not trying to create a problem by using the employees in the communities but there is going to be some new jobs being relocated so we are going to have to override that bylaw in some instances.
Because you are going to have some teachers in your communities as well, you are going to have some employees in the communities.
You can’t keep beating a dead horse and we would like to come to an agreement whereby we all have on Central Time zone.
But if the hamlets wish to do something else they have to realize that the employees for the Nunavut Government will have to have separate times for themselves to work by.
Mr. Speaker, he responded to me very clearly and I appreciate his attentiveness.
However, they keep saying that they are going to do a review to find out the wishes of the people. If that is the case do you plan to ask the communities about whether they are in agreement with the time zone as it is.
There was some opposition but I have not heard of any opposition from the Keewatin or from the Kitikmeot and it is much better now that these hours are set at the same time zone.
Are people happy with the current time zone without continually changing.
Is it better to remain on the same time frame that we have been using.
For example in Saskatchewan they don’t do a day light savings time or change their clocks throughout the year, they stay as one Central Time zone.
Many people were unhappy with going back an hour and we wanted to look at whether we want to do a time change on an annual basis in order to accommodate daily savings time.
We need to be on the same clocks, even if we are on a large piece of land there is not that many people.
Question 409 - 1(3): Firearms Officer
Over the last couple of months in my community of Baker Lake I have been getting quite a few complaints about people having difficulty accessing the federal chief firearms officer to get an ok to purchase a weapon at the local Northern Store.