EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We are currently under negotiation with Health Canada to have those rates increased.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Voth. (interpretation ends) And the minister will not sign any document until it’s increased, I understand, good minister.
For the record, I have a small correction for the hon. minister. He did call me the MLA for Nattilik. I am the MLA for Akulliq.
Chairman: Good comment, Mr. Ningark.
I believe you’re an MLA for everybody, so you’re a strong MLA, our elder. (interpretation) Are there any further questions?
The Medical Client Travel Policy has been in effect for just over a year and yet, there still appears to be some confusion over how the policy should be applied.
What kinds of initiatives has the department considered to better explain the Medical Client Travel Policy to the public and to ensure that staff responsible for implementing the policy are up to date?
Hon. Tagak Curley: (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to be able to give you a clear understanding of the travel policy, especially for patients covered under the Non-Insured Health Benefits.
The escort policy and the client escort, for example, if you’re too old or if you’re an elder, or some other reason, it’s sometimes quite hard to administer this policy.
For example, if they’re going to be gone for a long time, some of them want to go back because they have to go back to work and then the department ends up paying for two escorts for one patient.
So it increases the expenditures quite alarmingly.
We want to make sure that the people out there understand the policy and even I can’t truly tell you what the escort policy really is. For example, the information has to be given to the people out there by the health centres and give them what criteria they use to determine whether you can get an escort.
We need to improve that area and we want to hear of any ideas.
Chairman: (interpretation) Thank you, Minister Curley.
Are there any further questions on page H-4?
I would like to ask the minister: now that the department’s three regional facilities are all operational, have you seen a reduction in the costs of out-of-town travel and treatment?
Mr. Campbell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) We haven’t been able to determine the cost-effectiveness of those facilities at this point.
But I could provide information that we are starting to provide some of the day hospital services for the Kivalliq as well as the Cambridge Bay facility for this fiscal year.
We just started that, so some of the patients will be observed at those centres before they’re flown out if, in fact, they require to be transported out.
Again, it will be some time before we realize the potential of those facilities, but we are staffing up and we are slowly opening the different services that we were proposing in our strategies on those facilities.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Campbell. (interpretation ends) Mr. Schell, do you have more questions?
I do apologize for having to ask so many questions, but Ron Elliott’s not here and I promised that I would take up the slack there.
Does your department have a formal process in place for Nunavummiut to bring forth complaints or concerns about Health and Social Services?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Chairperson. (interpretation ends) That’s a very good question; I think that’s an ombudsman’s job that I have been asking for.
Mr. Campbell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) We do have a process to deal with complaints, Mr. Chairman, but it appears that, through the concerns that have been raised in the House as well as in communities, we do have to do a better job of informing the clients and the patients who are travelling of who to go to and where to get some of the services.
We do have a client travel services coordinator based in the Kitikmeot, in Cambridge Bay. We do have a person here in Iqaluit who deals with complaints. We also had pamphlets distributed about a year ago to all of the health centres that they’re supposed to be distributing the type of services and where to go when they do have those concerns.
We’re also going to be developing an updated pamphlet. I’m just going to show the sample here of the pamphlet that’s going to be issued for each region and this one is for the Qikiqtaaluk.
They’re being produced I shouldn’t say as we speak because I don’t know where it’s at, but we are producing more of these pamphlets that are going to be issued in the next few weeks.
How will the funding for community-based committees of council be distributed and what are your expectations of these committees?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Schell. (interpretation ends) I think Mr. Ningeongan was asking about that too earlier.
I’ll probably respond in English at the moment.
I indicated to another member earlier that I have raised the issue of trying to make the committees more effective with my departmental officials.
At the moment, we still have not come to any policy initiatives yet, but we are in the discussion stages. We believe that we could probably improve the role of the committees in each community; I think there’s tremendous room for that.
We recognize the fact that we have other partners, including hamlets and related groups, and so on, so we need to have a broader sort of a discussion.
So the minister will like to meet with some of these community representatives.
More and more, I know that NTI, our partner, particularly with respect to public health, is doing a pretty good job in raising some of the issues that the public and the government should be aware of.
NTI recently published a health report and we have responded to that.
I will also be tabling those formal responses we made to the NTI report.
So I think that question is really very important and I certainly would like to look at not only the role of the committees but also how we funded those groups because at the moment, they are, with the creation of local hamlets, not a society.
So it’s sort of an exercise where we’re scoping around how best to improve our relationships with the local health committees.
Thank you, Iksivautaaq.
You can ask any questions, so please don’t hesitate.
I have one final question under this page.
Before division, we used to have what we call a divisional board or a regional health board. I think they were wonderful things, they provided a voice for the community in their region.
Mr. Minister, do you ever do any evaluation of regional service delivery in Nunavut since we do not have a voice anymore?
He is pointing at me.
Minister, you’re a minister now, so you have to respond to questions.
Hon. Tagak Curley: Thank you. (interpretation) Mr. Chairman, I believe you were better able to respond as the boards were dissolved in the past by someone.
But your question is a very good question.
I could also say that the Premier has been considering that at the cabinet level and we have been working on that.
It’s a very good question to ask during the report card exercise because they are reviewing everything, but funding is limited.
In regard to the question about health committees, should we strengthen their role? Yes, I believe that we could strengthen their role.
I believe that our department is reviewing this internally and our Premier is reviewing this as a broad review Nunavut-wide.
The Department of Finance is looking at the funding that the Department of Health and Social Services is responsible for.
Your question is a very good question because we have to review and look beyond what we are doing and how to make sure that we provide good services at the community and regional levels.
When I became minister, I was asked by an individual to reinstate the regional boards but I’m not going to mention by whom.
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): I just want to advise the minister that he’s a very good minister.
I, too, have to view Nunavut as a whole and I’m not looking at it regionally.
I have a question here.
I know that the Department of Health and Social Services is a very busy department.
On some of the things that haven’t been reviewed, what has Health and Social Services done on health prevention? This area doesn’t seem to have been reviewed to date.
So therefore, I would like to ask the officials if this could be considered in the future in view of the fact that current practices are very expensive for Health and Social Services.
Perhaps if we start bringing back some of our old methods or practices.
I would like to ask the minister if he has considered this and what he is going to do in the future.
It’s a very good question.
We have public health committees and they’re not actual doctors but they do provide information on healthy living.
Last winter, they had a meeting and they invited elders Nunavut-wide in February and I was able to have a discussion with them.
It was very good to attend that meeting because they were making the Public Health Strategy and they also touched up on that and how it was in the past.
The report is being drafted according to the strategy and you can also see Bruce Petryshen, the individual who is responsible for the regions.
You may ask questions to that individual.
Mr. Chairman, your question is very good. We should perhaps allocate more responsibilities to the health committees, which I have mentioned to my deputy.
We will definitely take that into consideration and we know that our elders can support us now.
Mr. Aupaluktuq has his hand up.
Mr. Aupaluktuq (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) This is in reference to a comment made by the minister in regard to health committees.
I was actually going to wait until public health, but I think this would come along the lines of what we’re talking about in the meantime.
Health committees are a usable tool to bridge programs and services in Nunavut.
I’ve had a health committee member share with me before that they need to be empowered and they need to be validated.
I recall, over the last couple of years, that the health committee in one particular community had requested a letter of support from then Minister of Health and Social Services to empower these health committees.
The reason why is because it seems like another professional health provider stated this one committee as being a joke and it was really hurtful to the community members who wanted to participate in the health committee.
We didn’t have that kind of support and something could be said of the health committees in such a negative way.
It just feels like the health committee members feel powerless.
So I just wanted to make a comment that perhaps the minister or his officials might want to suggest providing an official letter of support to the health committee members to validate with the other health service providers that they are essential and core, and a meaningful body that you can use as a bridging program.
Hon. Tagak Curley: Mr. Chairman, Qujannamiiraaluk. (interpretation) I can say that the health committees are no joke to us because we rely on them when we start facing challenges and difficulties.
We have to make sure that we inform them because they are the ones who know the community more about public health and medical care even though the nurses are responsible for that. We have to partner with them on public health issues.
For them to gain society status would be more expensive.
So therefore, the municipalities and our department will have to consider finding the best alternatives.
As the minister for this department, we ask the officials to work with the health committees and partner with them.
That’s what we will be doing.
Chairman (interpretation): You have agreed, so we will move on to page H-5.
Social Services. Branch Summary.
Total Branch. $34,721,000.
Mr. Rumbolt would like to ask a question.
The Social Service Branch of your department provides a range of services for individuals with disabilities, including those who require residential care.
What factors impact the ability to deliver residential care within Nunavut? How does your department plan to address needs in this area?
Minister Curley, who would you direct?
Mr. Campbell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) As I indicated, we do have a wide range of services that we do provide.
As you know, this is another area that we are challenged to trying to fulfill our mandate due to capacity.
We have a number of positions that are currently vacant and we are filling those vacancies through a number of avenues, casual as well as agency social workers.
We do have staff that are also responsible for a number of areas that provide services under this program.
The rehabilitation program as an example, we have a number of areas that we do provide services there.
I can revert to some of the other areas that we do provide is continuing care that we will be providing in the communities, specifically in Igloolik as well as Gjoa Haven.
But we do have a number of services that we do provide.
So it’s a difficult question to try and answer without having the full array of resources to deliver that, but as a department, we do try to continue to provide a good service to Nunavummiut.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Campbell. (interpretation ends) Yes, those start sounding like another department that we have heard from, not enough staff all the time, but I’m sure you are working away at it very hard as always.
Mr. Schell
Your business plan indicates plans to review the Child and Family Services Act.
What direction are you setting for the review and what specific aspects of the legislation will you be addressing?
Mr. Campbell, can you answer that, please?
Mr. Campbell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) The proposal for the department is to develop a legislative proposal to do a complete review of the Child and Family Services Act.
Some time this fall, we will have a legislative proposal.
As you know, the legislative proposal will identify a number of areas that we need to change in the legislation.
In particular, we need to continue to Nunavutize some of the sections of the Act that we have been challenged to deliver.
On the more immediate horizon, we will be doing an amendment specifically to target the age group that had been omitted in the current legislation, the age group of 16- to 19-year-old youth that would be included in the Act.
So there is an amendment that will be purposed through the cabinet and the legislative committee to get that approved.
Are there any more questions on Social Services on H-5?
Mr. Ningeongan
I want clarification from the minister in regard to the last question that was posed.
Last winter, you mentioned that amendments need to be made to the Child and Family Services Act. Will you be considering changes to other legislation?
Minister Curley, can you respond?
Hon. Tagak Curley: (interpretation) Yes, in regard to your question, social services is a very big task to deal with.
We have various legislations that we are working on, including the child advocacy issue, which the Department of Justice and EIA will have to work together on.
Perhaps this fall, we will table the legislative proposal and get an office for the women and children. This is something that has been in demand for some time.
I am far more concerned with orphaned children because those with parents who take proper care of their children are by far greater in number.
In regard to providing social services, I would like to tell the member that we would like to get the support of the elders.
Perhaps in those communities that are most vulnerable, we should get elders to help the social services department.
We need to empower them to allow them to work with social workers in the communities.
We have to start discussing that as a department.
Although I haven’t informed my colleagues about this, we are discussing this internally within our department.
When new social service workers arrive in our community, sometimes they have to learn about the community over more than a year.
Perhaps our elders, whether they are male or female, can provide support in counselling.
I can tell you that within the social services side, the social workers regularly work beyond their mandate.
They end up working as probation officers at the community level and they have to work with individuals who have been released. That is not a responsibility within our department, but since 1999, probation officer duties were given to social workers.
They don’t even have the training opportunity and they work beyond their mandate, so they get exhausted as a result.
For that reason, we are trying to move that responsibility to another department because it’s their responsibility.
If approved, we would like to move that division because a lot of our social workers have a lot of work to do and they hear negative remarks from the public.
Chairman (interpretation): Minister, please try to keep your responses short.
He asked the question in regard to child services.
Mr. Aupaluktuq would like to ask a question.
It’s evident that social workers have faced many challenges and they deal with confidential and at times, controversial issues. I’m sure there are policies that they have to follow.
It’s evident that social workers work very hard at their jobs.
Using nurse training and recruitment as an example, we would also like to see social workers trained. Will your department continue to work to get more social workers?
Mr. Campbell, can you try and answer the question?
Mr. Campbell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Yes, the department will follow up on developing a strategy for all health care workers and social service workers as well in the next several months. It’s something that we’re working on and it’s something that’s part of our business plan, to develop a strategy around that. So we are looking for a more comprehensive health recruitment strategy.
H-5. Social Services.
Chairman (interpretation): That amount has been approved, so we will move on to Public Health on page H-6. $8,212,000.
It states here that in the development of the strategy in the communities, for example, it seems that the Kitikmeot is given the smallest portion.
As I mentioned earlier, it would be good to have a committee for the Kitikmeot.
I believe the region is still recognized by government.
We have the Qikiqtani General Hospital and we have health centres in the Kitikmeot. I know that they are recognized health centres. I believe the regional health centre in the Kitikmeot is the smallest facility.
I’m not asking a question.
If we formalized a regional body, it would make more sense even if it were to meet just once a year.
I’m just making a comment on that.
I would like to ask the minister this question. The nutritional status of many Nunavummiut has a direct impact on their health.
The federal government recently commissioned a review of the federal Food Mail Program. Did your department have any input in this review? What is your position on the recommendations that the program be administered by the federal Department of Health?
Mr. Campbell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Yes, the department will be preparing a preliminary response to the report that has been submitted by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.
We have reviewed the report and the department will be providing its response to INAC.
It’s not a comprehensive GN response. My understanding is that we will be, at some point, looking at it more from a holistic GN to have a formal response.
Because of the short timeframe, the short turnaround that they’re expecting some responses from the GN, we will be tabling our preliminary response to them.
We will watch with interest.
Mr. Schell: Under the grants and contributions section of your business plan, $400,000 will be directed towards the public health initiative.
How will these funds be spent and what does your department plan to achieve?
The grants and contributions for the Public Health Strategy were in last year’s plan, $1.2 million.
I would like to have the question clarified, please.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Voth. (interpretation ends) The member was asking about the business plan that outlines $400,000, I believe.
So that’s what he was referring to in the business plan, not last year’s expenditures. (interpretation) To the question, Mr. Campbell.
Yes, we will be providing contributions to the communities on a proposal-driven process on the $400,000.
If they have proposals for public health promotional activities in the communities, that fund is for that purpose.
Chairman: Okay, it will be proposal-driven.
According to your department’s business plan, the health promotion programming will see a significant increase in funding in 2009-2010.
What accounts for this increase in funding? What kind of additional services or programs will be provided to the people of Nunavut?
Mr. Campbell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) As I alluded to earlier, the government did table the Public Health Strategy a couple of years ago.
We’re in the implementation of that strategy and there are a number of initiatives contained in that strategy that would be funded by the department and funded in the communities as well.
Chairman (Mr. Ningeongan)  (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Campbell.
Nunavut’s Public Health Strategy indicates that one of its primary goals is to reduce tobacco use.
Federal funding to address tobacco use by Inuit and First Nations has not been renewed since 2007.
How will your department be addressing this issue?
The member is correct, in the federal aspect, the tobacco program had expired.
For Nunavut, we were able to negotiate an ongoing program on an annual basis with Health Canada officials, but we have been receiving some funding from them since that program was terminated.
We will be developing as well some initiatives under tobacco reduction this coming year for that program.
So just to answer the question, we were able to negotiate a fiscal arrangement with Health Canada to continue with our program.
Recently, the spread of the H1N1 virus across Canada and other countries has led to significant concerns.
Could you describe what steps have been taken to protect Nunavummiut from this illness and what pandemic preparation measures are in place for the territory?
I would like accurate information to be going out there to the communities and Mr. Schell’s question is very important.
Perhaps, Mr. Chairman, if I pose a question to you.
I believe that there are going to be more questions in regard to H1N1.
If it’s okay with you, Mr. Chairman, I would prefer to have Dr. Sobol respond to that question because I think there are going to be supplementary questions afterwards.
Chairman (Mr. Okalik)(interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Yes, the committee agrees.
We would like to invite Dr. Sobol to approach the witness table because of the importance of this issue.
It’s a very excellent question and we will wait for Mr. Sobol to approach the witness table to provide a response.
Hon. Tagak Curley (interpretation): Dr. Sobol is the Chief Medical Health Officer in Nunavut and he deals with emergency cases.
I can say that in Canada, there are lab tests going on everyday and he is in constant contact with the laboratory in Alberta. He is also in touch with the Public Health Agency of Canada at all times.
Mr. Chairman, through you, I would like to ask the member to rephrase his question so that Dr. Sobol can respond.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Curley. (interpretation ends) Mr. Schell, if you could repeat your question.
You had one warm-up practice already, so maybe you can clarify your question once again.
Recently, the spread of the H1N1 virus across Canada and other countries has led to significant concerns. Can you describe what steps have been taken to protect Nunavummiut from this illness and what pandemic preparedness measures are in place for the territory?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Schell. (interpretation ends) Dr. Sobol, if you could please answer the question.