EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Then, from the Wildlife division they’re given to WCB and then WCB deals with that.
Question 079 – 1(6): Kivalliq Boarding Home Contract
Mr. McLean: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister responsible for Health & Social Services.
As I’m sure the minister is aware, I asked him the odd question in the last sitting about the Kivalliq Boarding Home contract and when it was going to be awarded.
I wonder if the minister could let me know if the contract has been awarded on the building of the new facilities and who is going to get the contract to run the operation of the facility.
Mr. Speaker, I think we can make that information available to the member.
Mr. Speaker, I know it’s not Friday yet, and usually Friday is the clown day but I didn’t expect it to carry over on Thursday.
Could the minister be more explicit on who got the contract to build the new facility because my constituents have wanted a new facility and I can speak for the whole Kivalliq that the Kivalliq wanted a new facility that this government dragged on building down there.
Who’s got the operational contract on that facility?
Can I make it any clearer Mr. Speaker?
Mr. Speaker, I’m trying to be clear.
He had asked me the question the last session and I answered that question at that time.
Mr. Speaker, he had asked me at that time to give a cost benefit analysis for the facility, who won that facility, was cost the major factor.
Mr. Speaker, I answered the question at that time.
I will repeat that answer again.
Mr. Speaker, the winner of the contract was the Kivalliq Development Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, they came in with a good contract proposal in answer to the RFP that we had issued at that time.
Mr. Speaker, the RFP at that time had asked for the development of a new facility to be used in Winnipeg for the hospital patients in the Keewatin.
Mr. Speaker, we confirmed that they had won that proposal to bring that forward. Mr. Speaker, the current facility is under contract with a consortium, a group that is running this facility.
There are I believe two or at least three partners involved with that facility.
That’s great to know.
Like I say, the residents of the Kivalliq will be finally pleased that they’re going to get a facility that equals anywhere else in Canada.
But Mr. Speaker, my second or third question is who makes up the rules for the day to day operations and is there a set of rules for the day to day operations of these group homes.
Mr. Speaker, the member, and I just want to clarify this, the member had asked me about the boarding home in Winnipeg, and then he had asked me just now, about the policies for these group homes.
Mr. Speaker, that’s two different issues.
And Mr. Speaker, for the boarding homes, and I believe that’s what the member was trying to say, for the boarding homes Mr. Speaker, we want the boarding homes to operate as close to a home environment as possible for our patients that are outside the territory seeking medical assistance.
That is the reason Mr. Speaker, for having a medical boarding home.
As the member knows, we operate these boarding homes in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton, in Yellowknife, and indeed Mr. Speaker, Churchill and as well here in Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, the policies and procedures at the boarding homes have two points.
One is in the contract award; there are policies and procedures outlined for the running of those facilities, as well as Mr. Speaker, through the Department of Health & Social Services, reviews the policies and procedures at the boarding homes.
I like the help of the minister in correcting me between a group home and a boarding home but I’m going to talk about a boarding home.
When these rules are set out and I know there is a set of rules because they’re public buildings funded by the Government of Nunavut and I’ve got some phone calls from constituents that there is a lot of this going on.
And that’s gambling, card playing in the boarding home in Winnipeg.
And I’m wondering if the people that make up the rules do they condone this type of behaviour because it’s disrupting the elders in those facilities and if the operators are condoning this type of practice in the facility can I have it stopped immediately on behalf of my constituents?
Mr. Speaker, the department does not have a written policy per se on gambling in boarding homes.
Mr. Speaker, in the last three years, I can honestly say that we’ve had three complaints to me as minister concerning gambling in homes and those were addressed here in Tammaativvik.
At that time we contacted the management of the Tammaativvik which is run under a contract by an independent society and asked them to make sure that indeed there was no gambling in the common areas of the Tammaativvik.
Mr. Speaker, this is the first time I’ve had an actual complaint rid or rode here in public concerning the boarding home in Winnipeg.
Mr. Speaker, I will contact the operators of the boarding home to indeed see what the options are available to them.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, what goes on behind closed doors in a facility, there are rules, regulations, privacy rules and so on in Canada and if people have their door open in a facility and people can see that they’re gambling, if they’re making noise bothering other patients, that is not acceptable.
If Mr. Speaker, the member or Ed Picco or anyone was staying at a facility, and I invite you or anyone else Mr. Speaker, to come into my room and we played cards, Mr. Speaker, the door is shut, we’re not bothering anyone, Mr. Speaker, I don’t think that the Government of Nunavut or the people of Nunavut should be interfering in that.
I believe, Mr. Speaker, that the laws of Canada will hold that.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, if there is a concern that people are gambling, that they’re disrupting other patients, Mr. Speaker, that they’re causing problems for elders, then Mr. Speaker, I’d like to see that in writing Mr. Speaker, and we will have that investigated and we will have it stopped.
Question 080 – 1(6): Financial Assistance to the Organizers of Dog Team Races
My question is directed to Minister responsible for Cultural, Language, Elders & Youth and the Status of Women.
We often hear about dog sled races and there was a race from Clyde River to Pond Inlet.
The next leg of the Nunavut Quest will be originating in Igloolik next year with the race heading towards Arctic Bay.
I was approached and asked whether we could assist the organization financially.
I in turn asked whether this could be something that could be exported to Nunavik, as they are losing their ties to the dog teams of the past.
I want to ask the minister if he is prepared to financially assist these kinds of organizations when approached for financial assistance, especially as huskies comprise a large part of our cultural past.
The dog mushing organizations could be informed or will be informed as to how they could put in proposals when they need financial assistance.
The organizers will be informed and we will try to find out what financial assistance is available.
I want to inform the member and the rest of the House, that for organizations that plan these kinds of events we are more than willing to assist these organizations financially because it promotes our culture.
We are most willing to assist the organizers of the Nunavut Quest but before assistance is made available they should know that the money that we assist them with cannot be used for prizes.
But we will be able to provide information, either through literature or as a presentation as to how these individuals could look into seeking assistance from the government.
We are free to assist them but we cannot fund them for prizes.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Thank you, for your preparations.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to see the department is willing to support these programs, but I want some further clarification.
There are offices of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth in Igloolik and Iqaluit.
Which office would I approach, or send the completed application forms for financial assistance?
The finance department for the Department of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth is in Iqaluit so they would be approached.
But in respect to the matter I alluded to earlier, we will provide information through the radio, and the papers such as Nunatsiaq News.
There are also advertisements in the paper as well.
I would like to inform the members that these individuals can give proposals not just through the mail but they could fax over proposals to Iqaluit.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): The funding that is being requested, usually there is a limit as to how much an organization can receive.
Let us use 5 thousand dollars as an example.
So will there be a limit as to how much an organization can receive?
I just want to get some clarification as to how much an organization can receive for such events.
Like we have stated to potential organizations that wish to receive financial assistance, if they are putting in proposals and seeking financial assistance for their operations, we are able to assist them up to a maximum of 15 thousand dollars.
If it is over 15 thousand dollars, we would require a report as to what that money was to be used for.
They have to report to us as to what they are spending that money for, especially if it is over this amount.
It can’t be used for prizes.
Question 081 – 1(6): Fur Price Increase
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Sustainable Development.
Last week he talked about the sealskin fur price increase in his Minister’s Statement.
He noted furs would be purchased by the department and auctioned in the south. My question is, the department will first purchase the skins for this and then the skins will be auctioned off in the south.
What does he expect the highest price to be for furs sent south, either based on his personal knowledge or the results of the last auction?
Your question is very clear.
During an auction, the price will vary depending on the quality of the fur.
The best quality furs are the most expensive.
Some years there were no sales of skins at these auctions.
In the past, we weren’t making very much money and as a matter of fact, we generally operated at a loss.
One positive example would probably be for the most expensive fur, approximately 100 dollars.
But even skins of this quality do not always get sold.
But the auction would be in North Bay, Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
If seal fur is purchased for 60 dollars by the department, I know the very good quality furs are purchased from my constituents.
My constituents are already sharpening their harpoons and gaffs so that they can harvest all the young seals.
I wish to inform the department that they will be receiving hundreds of skins from the Inuit.
If the department purchases seal fur for 60 dollars and sells it for 100 dollars, would that individual receive the 40 dollars later?
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) The increase in the price is a reflection of the actual costs of the skins and the individual will receive that initial sixty dollars.
The money that is being collected through fur sales, when auctions are done in the south it depends on the quality of the fur.
The amount is different annually as is the profit the department makes at these auctions; sometimes we lose money as well.
We will continue to look at the quality of the furs and to see if we would be able to make a profit.
But in respect to the question, yes, if the skin retails for over the price that we purchased, then we would look at increasing the average cost of the skins.
We will look into this in North Bay during that time.
We cannot predict how the auction will turn out, so at this time I cannot say that we will increase the price.
I can only say that we will review it when the auction is over.
Speaker: Supplementary, Ms. Williams.
Just to remind you minister, that this process is the same as the one used for fox pelts.
There are auctions going on with fox pelts and the prices that are garnered for the skins are sent back to the trapper.
How come the seal skins are not treated like the fox pelts?
The question is interesting.
It is quite difficult to even try to reply.
I can review this and find out more about it.
The sealskins are of different quality.
Furs from the sea mammals and also from the land, they are different furs so I can find out more about this.
Once I get the information on sea mammals, seals, and land animals fur prices, I will find out about this and be able to provide you with more information.
Speaker: Oral Questions. Supplementary. Final supplementary.
I understand your response and I think you are representing yourself well.
Inuit all know about hunting seals and which fur is the best.
We have heard the fur prices are much higher in Newfoundland.
We have heard that the price ranges from 74 to 100 dollars per pelt.
We heard this on the news and we want to be able to see this in Nunavut.
June is just around the corner and a lot of people will be after young seals.
I would like to know how much money we will be able to get before June so I can inform the hunters and the wildlife officers.
Yes, I will do my best to keep the seal hunters well informed.
Back to the first question about the land animals, I wish to add that the land animals’ furs are different from the seals.
Foxes have four legs, wolverines, wolves; they have different prices from seal prices.
The seals are not very big.
That is why the prices are not the same.
Yes, like I said, I will find out more about this as it relates to seals and our seal hunters and I will let you know the prices in Nunavut.
Question 082 – 1(6): Potential Federal Repercussions Due to Tax Cuts
Earlier in my member’s statement, I raised some concerns in regards to possible implications or risks that the government may face as a result of some of the tax measures that were undertaken in his budget address.
And don’t get me wrong Mr. Speaker, I’m not disagreeing with those actions and measures.
I agree with them and I think it’s great, a good step forward for the territory, but I’d like to ask the minister, do these cuts, could they pose some kind of risk to us as a Territorial Government and going to the Federal Government in asking for additional funds?
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest to you that there wouldn’t be any significant risks if any at all.
Given that the Federal Government has indicated, they’re trying to stimulate the economy, make Canada more competitive internationally and that works for the provinces and the territories overall in respect of lowering tax rates to allow that to happen.
So, I mean this is no different than what other jurisdictions are doing in moving down, the trend to move tax rates lower.
Mr. Speaker, I guess that’s one arm of the government saying that and the quotes that I read from the document, there is another arm of the Federal Government saying that they believe it implies that other jurisdictions have sufficient revenues to manage their spending pressures.
So I guess based on that I wouldn’t mind making sure that finding out which arms are we talking to and are they listening to it and make sure that it doesn’t pose some kind of a risk in the future.
I’d like to ask the minister, does he on behalf of this government have a strategy in place in raising the issues of our much needed support for additional funds in the way of infrastructure and healthcare to the Federal Government.
Mr. Speaker, first of all as you know, I’m not privy to what document the Honourable Member refers to as far as the reports or information that he has before him that has not been tabled in the House.
In respect of a plan or strategy, I think I have said from last year on the fiscal review of the situation of Government of Nunavut, besides what my honourable colleagues all across, around me as far as what they raise on a regular basis with their counterparts federally, what we bring up in federal and territorial meetings on the specific and unique circumstances of Nunavut.
That happens on a regular basis.
The fiscal review is a major initiative that Minister Martin has agreed to undertake between our two governments.
We are trying to identify the long term fiscal situation of Nunavut.
We hope that we will be able to identify certainly the challenges that we face in respect to inadequate infrastructure, obviously the high cost of delivery of our programs because our demographics or because of our young population or our high birth rate.
All those factors Mr. Speaker, all those factors are taken into consideration as we move forward with the forecast of our programs and how we move forward and the pressures on those programs as a result of these outside indicators.
So that is the first step to identify what is there and really for us to have a credible argument, we have to have sound information to substantiate what our claims are.
It is easy for anybody to say that we don’t have enough money.
Prove it to us.
That is basically where we are at and what we are trying to document.
It is good to hear that the government is finally looking at putting this information together.
I hope work has been ongoing since day one because I know it has been an issue and concern.
That is exactly what we needed to do to the federal government, I know from comments that I’ve made over the years.
Mr. Speaker I know that Nunavut alone faces many challenges as the minister indicated.
Even though we are unique within ourselves, I think also a lot of similar challenges are faced in the other two territories.
I was just wondering I would like to ask the minister, since two or three heads are better than one, if there is any kind of tri-territorial approach being looked at on behalf of all three territories to lobby the federal government on these issues.
First of all Mr. Speaker I think I should clarify the record for the member.
This isn’t something that is finally being done.
As members know I announced it last year as part of the budget address.
We had undergone two years of operations as a government and we had to get a track record, a history of where our expenditures are and what has taken place and what the fiscal pressures are.
It is really timely I think that it started in the third year and we are trying to put together that information in as timely a fashion as we can.
In respect to the question that the member asked about working with the other two jurisdictions of territories, I speak with both finance ministers on a fairly regular basis.
Not just prior to our FTP meetings depending on what the matter is, depending on circumstances in our jurisdictions, in the Yukon for example I think the formula financing agreement is more than adequate to their circumstances given they have a developed road system.
In the Northwest Territories as you know there is a significant economic boom.
The NWT is leading the country right now for GDP as was reported at the last meeting, through diamond exploration, the development of a new diamond mine is coming on stream, the oil and gas over there.
So our situation is different.
There are some common issues around the three territories and we do work on those.
Our officials meet on a regular basis to resolve and talk about a lot of issues prior to the ministers getting together.
Question 083 – 1(6): Update on Problem Grizzly Bears
My question today is to my favourite minister, Sustainable Development.
Mr. Speaker, as members of this House know, over the last three years I have been very vocal on the issue of Grizzly Bears in my community and the damage they were doing.
In the meantime, I heard from my colleague, Ovide that he had a problem up there and I also heard that they were having a problem up in Kugluktuk and that they were having a problem in Cambridge Bay.
I was pressing the minister at the time if he would initiate some kind of study to see if there is in fact a larger problem with the bears and an increase in them.
Could the minister update me on what’s happening with this request that I’ve made numerous times in the last couple of years?
Yes, in relation to the grizzly bears and the research that has been requested, we have approved the research funds to proceed in these affected areas.
Last year, the Hamlet Council in Baker Lake had to call a temporary state of emergency, as we’re well aware of, because there were wandering bands of bears in the community causing a lot of damage.
So the community had to destroy the problem bears and they were disposed of quite quickly.
It’s nice to hear that the minister finally responded to the community’s request and I applaud him for listening to the community.
On this survey that he’s graciously agreed to fund, is Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit going to be used in this study?
Yes it will be.
This minister is quite easy to direct questions to.
He’s precise; he gives me the answers I want.
He’s not like other ministers in this House.
Can the minister, so I don’t burn up too much question period, tell me when he expects this survey to be completed?
I could get back to my colleague there on the timeframes on the survey, the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit study.
Question 084 – 1(6): Chesterfield Inlet Fish Plant – Date of Operation
I’ve been waiting for a long time.
In regards to one of our favourite ministers, the Minister of Sustainable Development, I asked him previous questions about the fishing industry in Chesterfield Inlet.
The fishing plant in Rankin Inlet can only take so many fish and they tend to fill up quickly.
The minister met with other premiers, they travelled to other places, talked about trade and the minister also stated before that the Kivalliq Meat and Fish plant had an agreement with the other provinces to be able to sell northern food.
Can the minister tell me if the fishing quotas in Chesterfield Inlet which are not caught up to their full quotas in that community, will they be able to operate that fish plant this summer?
Your question is understandable.
Our premier went overseas on this matter and there was a signed agreement regarding fishing industries in Berlin.
We will find out more about this on trade missions.
If there is to be a fish plant outside of Rankin Inlet perhaps there will be more selling and buying of fish.
We are aware of this and we want to see an improved fishing industry in Nunavut.
When are we going to find out?
Because of course the fishing season starts in August.
Are you going to inform us before the commercial fishing season starts?
Of course we don’t want to just respond by saying that it is going to be a study.
But as a new government, we are probably going to have to do a study before we start any commercial fishing or hunting.
It is going to be an ongoing review.
Of course we will be responding to your questions in the future.
It is going to bring new sources of revenue to the Nunavut territory.
We would not only be concentrating on Chesterfield Inlet. We will be looking at other communities such as Igloolik, or Cape Dorset, or any of the Nunavut communities.
We are going to do all we can to boost the economy through commercial fishing and other ventures.
The government is all for supporting the communities and I think that I will have a more thorough response for you before August.
In the upcoming months we will be giving you updates on what is happening on this issue.
We are not looking for a new quota in Chesterfield Inlet. We have made repeated requests because we already have a quota set for Chesterfield Inlet.
When are we going to be able to fill the quota so that we can sell our fish to the Rankin Inlet Meat and Fish plant and also other countries?
The Rankin Inlet Meat and Fish plant, are they going to be able to buy the full quota that was made available to Chesterfield Inlet?
If Rankin Inlet was able to buy the whole quota, they would do so.
We will only be able to do that if we are able to finish the whole quota for the communities.
I would also like to thank the previous Minister of Sustainable Development for giving that quota to Chesterfield Inlet, and also to have proper freezer facilities.
We are aware that the freezers in Rankin Inlet are way too small and because of that, Chesterfield Inlet cannot finish their whole quota.