EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Has the Government, at least the Department of Finance, the responsibility or obligation to respond to the claimant, whether it is being approved or rejected?
Do they have a way of ensuring that the claimant has been responded to, one way or the other?
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Yes, Mr. Speaker, we do through officials that are administering the program.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Ng. Orders of the Day.
The Member for Quttiktuq.
Question 352 – 1(6): Labour Standards Act Amendment
Mr. Speaker, as the Members are aware there has been an amendment to the Labour Standards Act, such as the Maternity Leave.
There was an extension of Maternity Leave benefits for women.
I think that it was a thirty-seven week extension for the Maternity Leave.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, it was announced in the Federal Budget last month, started new Compassionate Family Care Lease Benefit under the Federal Employment Insurance Act will take effect on January 4th, 2004.
This will cover permanent employees governed by the Government, governed by the Canada Labour Codes.
Mr. Speaker, individuals will be able to apply for this benefit and be entitled to six weeks of Employment Insurance Compassionate Family Care Lease Benefit to care for gravely ill or dying child, parent or spouse.
Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister is has this Department looked at amending our Labour Standards Act this year to ensure that Nunavummiut will be able to take advantage of this new benefit?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Okalik.
That is the Federal Legislation and we will have to adhere to it as it affects the people of Nunavut and the rest of Canada.
As is usually the case in legislation such as this, we will carry out this program in areas of benefit to Nunavummiut.
And as such, we will exercise our obligations to be open and receptive.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Oral Questions.
Member for Tunnuniq. Mr. Nutarak.
Question 353 – 1(6): March is Nutrition Month
The Minister responsible for Health and Social Services mentioned that in his Minister’s Statement about March being Nutrition month, and will deal with Nutrition issues Nunavut-wide.
I want to ask if it will be promoted and pursued not just for the month of March.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Minister Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, March is Nutrition Month across Canada and the statement that we gave today was just giving an indication of some of the good work that is occurring in Nunavut with Nutrition.
The Member is correct; nutrition information is dawned everyday across Nunavut, 365 days of the year, I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that the Nunavut Food Guide, which is unique that we unveiled in this House last year is being used now as a teaching tool across Canada.
And I think that is something that we here in Nunavut should be very proud of.
So, the issue of Nutrition is an ongoing thing on a day-to-day basis.
The month of March is a National Month of Recognition of Nutrition issues.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): I know that if you do not eat nutritious foods, you get sick much more easily.
It is part of healthy living.
The Minister made a statement about Type 2 diabetes and that people get diabetes throughout the year.
I just wondered could the Minister try to provide some good nutrition education not just in a month of March, but throughout the year by giving messages such as the examples that he gives during his Minister Statements.
I appreciate the Member’s support on issues around nutrition.
That’s one of the things that we’ve talked about before in this House.
There are a lot of preventable diseases that are affecting Nunavummiut.
For example, tobacco causes cancer.
We know that we’re seeing more and more Nunavummiut die and have cancer that can be prevented.
Mr. Speaker, 42 people attended a Prenatal Nutrition Program here in Iqaluit from 15 communities across Nunavut to learn more about nutrition.
Those people are actually back in their communities everyday dealing with and helping with issues around prenatal nutrition.
Mr. Speaker, on the area of diabetes, we know that type 2 diabetes is caused by a life style when we eat more processed foods; we become couch potatoes as it were.
We watch too much TV.
We’re not getting out and exercising and so on.
And so, those types of messages need to be expanded.
I think right now for example, on TV. you will see commercials, Mr. Speaker, talking about issues around type 2 diabetes and how life style changes can help prevent that type of disease.
So, it’s an ongoing thing and the Member is correct, it should be happening 365 days a year and that’s what we aim to do.
In his Ministers' statement, he talked about country food such as seal, Arctic char and caribou.
Are there other good nutritional country foods that are out there besides those that he listed?
Mr. Speaker, I was starting to say igunaq, but for me, I’ve never found igunaq to be something that is an acquired taste for myself.
But any type of country food Mr. Speaker; country food is not processed.
That means it doesn’t go to a process through factories.
It doesn’t have salt added, MSG.
Mr. Speaker, any type of country food whether it be ptarmigan, rabbit, caribou, seal, muktaaq, it doesn’t matter Mr. Speaker; we maintain the Canadian Food Guide.
Also, it illustrates, as well as the Nunavut Food Guide, nutrition is recommended and has for several years, that the best types of food we can make available to ourselves is country food, whether that be land based country food or sea based country food.
So I would suggest to the Member that it runs the whole gamut from berries to muktaaq to igunaq, to caribou and so on.
Question 354 – 1(6): Use of Agency Nurses Increased or Decreased
Mr. Speaker, as Members probably recall, about a year and a half ago, I was questioning the Minister on the use of agency nurses by the Department of Health and Social Services.
On December 4th, I received a response from the Minister, a very good response that indicated that so far, in the first three quarters of that year, the department has spent almost $2.3 million dollars for agency nurses in that fiscal year, 2001/2002.
I’d like to ask the Minister now if the department has increased, decreased or maintained the same level of usage of these agency nurses throughout Nunavut.
Minister Responsible for Health and Social Services. Mr. Picco.
Mr. Speaker, one of the major cost drivers of the deficit situation that the Department of Health and Social Services finds itself in on an annual basis is the usage of casual or agency nurses.
Those costs have increased.
Mr. Speaker, what we have tried to do in cooperation with this House in 2000, as you can remember, Mr. Speaker, I tabled a Naujaat Report, consisting of twenty-three recommendations on the recruitment and the retention of nursing staff.
One of those issues was to start having our own Nursing Program, and to have our home grown talent, and so on.
That is continuing, but it is going to be several years before those people can come into the workplace.
So we have had to continue to use agency nurses.
We have decreased the number of agency nurses.
We have been more successful, Mr. Speaker, over the last few months, in the recruitment of more indeterminate and term nurses.
So we are not in the position where we have to use as many agency nurses, which is one of the major driver costs for the health department in our deficit situation.
Mr. Speaker, I am a little confused.
The Minister had indicated the cost has increased, but the numbers have decreased.
I believe that this is what he had indicated in his response.
I would like to ask the Minister has the number of agency nurses that the department is contracting and the estimated costs of those contracts for last year increased?
Mr. Speaker, this is just for clarification.
I was trying to say that when you hire agency nurses, you pay a higher price for the agency nurses. You are paying a higher rate per hour.
You also have to fly them in and fly them out.
The indeterminate nurse gives you some continuity in the community.
We have put in place, as you know, a retention bonus that has had some success.
We are trying to decrease the number of agency nurses that we are using.
The Member used the number of $2.3 million dollars, which is a correct number.
Mr. Speaker, I do not have the number of Agency Nurses, indeterminate, casual, and term nurses with me.
However, I can make that information available to the Member.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to seeing those results, those statistics.
Hopefully, as the Minister had indicated that their signing bonus program has been somewhat successful.
We can hope to see those numbers go down.
In regards to the signing bonus that the Minister is talking about, saying that it is somewhat successful, can the Minister indicate how many nurses have taken advantage of that signing bonus?
Whether some have, and some have not?
If some are not, are we getting an indication from them as the reasons why they are not willing to sign up for that?
Mr. Speaker, when I tabled the Naujaat Report, on the recommendations on the recruitment and retention, which was supported by this House, and indeed by the Standing Committee on Health, it was to look at creative ways to think outside of the box as to where we can actually get out there and get indeterminate staff.
The Member is correct.
We have been successful in that we have had more indeterminate staff signup to work in Nunavut as a direct result of the signing bonus program that we have in place.
The signing bonus goes to a nurse who has committed to work for the Government of Nunavut for a period of two years or more.
Mr. Speaker, the majority of our hires, the Member is correct again, have been indeterminate, and term positions.
Mr. Speaker, the actual numbers I do not have with me today; but, I will have them for the Member and if necessary for the House to table, if that was the request.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify for the Minister that I think that it would be good to have that information before the House, to assist us in evaluating how successful that program has been, and the resources that we have allocated towards them.
I would like to ask the Minister if he has any idea, if he can give us any indication as to when he can provide us with that information?
Mr. Speaker, I have in the past provided that information to the House, have said it in the Oral Questions in the past.
Mr. Speaker, all I need to do is have it updated for this current session.
I believe the last time I reviewed it was in November, so I could have that over the next couple of days available to the Member.
Member for Uqquqmmiut. Mr. Iqaqrialu.
Question 355 – 1(6): Plans for Diesel Fuel Study
When I was in my community, I looked at the home heating fuel and I would like to ask the Minister if there is going to be any studies done to see if the diesel fuel in my community is of good quality.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Kattuk.
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I am sorry.
The Department of Public Works and Services have not been informed directly about the problems. But we have heard through the media about one community to date. Although we do not wish to see a problem arise like last year in your community, but we did see, I am sure the media does too, that there are some problems.
We are starting to get reports and we will deal with it and see if the diesel fuel is of good quality.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): There have been fires in some of the Nunavut communities and there was a fire that broke out in our community and that brings up the question of whether the heating fuel is of good quality, because we are starting to see more and more fires due to furnace problems.
Is it possible for your Department to do a study on it before we hear of any other problems through the media or the communities?
There will be a study done and there was also a concern recently in Cape Dorset regarding a missing additive.
Those are the only two communities that we have heard from that have problems.
If any other communities are having problems, please feel free to inform my Department.
I will give you a further update on what is happening in our community.
The bad gas that we had before did not smell good, and the diesel that we have now does not smell that good either.
It seems as if you could die from just smelling it.
Question 356 – 1(6): Medical Boarding Home in Winnipeg
Mr. Arvaluk: I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services; the Vice President for the Keewatin Inuit Association went down to Winnipeg to see the Medical Boarding Home.
I would like to ask the Minister if he had a meeting with the KIA Vice President or if he had any discussions on the issue of the Medical Boarding Home and from this Management of the Board that they do have down there.
No, I have not heard from that person down there with Mr. Miluktuk.
On the issue of the boarding home, I did hear the news story on the radio and I cannot say that we apologized to Mr. Milortuk for any inconvenience that he has experienced.
I would add, Mr. Speaker those concerns about the Winnipeg Boarding Home, have been raised in this Assembly and as the Member knows, we are in the process in about six to ten weeks, we will be opening a brand new facility, which will I believe, take care of some of the issues surrounding the Winnipeg Boarding Home.
We have opened up a new boarding home in Edmonton.
Mr. Speaker, we have also added to the new boarding home in Ottawa.
We are looking at the opportunities in Yellowknife and here in Iqaluit.
It is an ongoing issue with the boarding homes and again, I have not been contacted directly by Donat Milortuk.
But again, on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Services we apologize again for any inconvenience that he experienced and I would be looking forward to seeing something probably in writing from the KIA on the issue around the Winnipeg Boarding Home.
And again, we would hope that that those would rectified in the coming weeks as we move forward with the opening of the new facility.
Is the Minister telling me that before the new boarding homes are opened, there is nothing he can do to instruct the contractor to have the staff providing better treatment to the patients? Is he saying that that cannot be done now?
That is not what I said, Mr. Speaker, I was asked if I had been contacted directly, have I had a meeting with Mr. Miluktuk on the issue.
I responded, I have not, I have not received any official notification on the allegations that I heard on the radio.
I would entertain, you know, any information forthcoming and I apologized on behalf of the department for those issues.
I have not seen anything clarifying exactly other than what I have heard from the radio on the concerns that were raised.
I have said, Mr. Speaker, in the House in the past as well as just now that the issue surrounding the Winnipeg Boarding Home have come forward and that is one of the reasons why we have been moving expeditiously to have the new home opened.
And that would also include looking at some of the staffing issues that the Member has raised.
If the Minister is contacted by the KIA on the observation of treatment of the patients in boarding homes, will he put in an interim measure to ensure that these patients are properly treated while they are staying in the boarding home?
Mr. Speaker, let me clarify first of all, that all patients who travel to and from Nunavut to a boarding home, whether it be here in Iqaluit, in the Northwest Territories, in Alberta or Ontario, or Manitoba, where we run boarding homes, Mr. Speaker, the patient care, their safety and their wellbeing has to be first and foremost.
If there are indications or allegations of procedures or occurrences that have not met those specifications, if I could have those in writing, explaining when, the dates and so on, then we will act on it.
In this case Mr. Speaker, all I have heard to date in the office is what I heard on the radio, the concerns being raised by the vice president of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association.
I have not received communication in writing yet or even a phone call from the Kitikmeot Inuit Association explaining what actually occurred.
So, until that’s done, until that time, we would want to be able to be informed about the allegations and look into it to make sure that it doesn’t occur again.
And I want to assure Nunavummiut that if there’s something that is happening, if they haven’t been treated properly or fairly, then they can communicate that directly to the Minister, the Minister’s staff and we will take care of it; we will look into it.
And Mr. Speaker, I want to also add, that we do from time to time have concerns raised about people staying in boarding homes.
It’s not something new or unique and that’s why we’re able to look at them.
Again with some of the Members, we had an opportunity to review the Yellowknife Boarding Home a couple of weeks ago, as well as the one in Edmonton because of some of those concerns.
It’s already my last supplementary question, but the time is not moving very much.
Mr. Speaker, last year when this issue came up, the Minister stated that he has placed a Health and Social Services staff member to monitor the activities or possible mistreatment.
Mr. Tootoo accused the boarding home of reheating the previous meals, food stuff, etc.
When he heard the news, the department did not call up the staff in Winnipeg and find out what was going on rather than trying to get confirmation from the KIA?
Mr. Speaker, the concerns that were raised previously in the House which pertain to the Winnipeg Boarding Home directly, where for instance, Mr. McLean, had raised an issue for example of rodents, of mice being present in the facility.
Mr. Speaker, there were concerns with a drug deal that had supposedly occurred very close to the facility itself.
There were concerns with some alcohol and so on.
Mr. Speaker, the allegations or the information that was on the radio last week, again, I have not received something officially on that.
Every time I hear something on the radio Mr. Speaker, you review it and look into it.
I can say to you that there has been some work done on behalf and for the department in regards to the Winnipeg Boarding Home.
The Member is correct, there may be employees working for the government involved in that boarding home.
We are aware of some of the instances that are occurring.
Specifically I was asked by the Member if I had been contacted or if I had received any information directly from the KIA or the vice-president.
I responded that I have not.
Like I said before, I entertained that opportunity to review those allegations and then do a formal review of the situation and the instance that has been focussed on.
Question 357 – 1(6): Procedures and Services for Remanded Prisoners in Communities
I think he will try to answer this as well.
Mr. Speaker, a problem keeps arising with the justice process and we have to try to resolve these problems we are facing.
These issues arose prior to us becoming a government and it will continue to present a problem, but here in Nunavut we have to deal with these issues.
I will be posing some questions to the Minister of Justice on this matter.
It has been a problem from let us see, since approximately 1997, 1998 perhaps, the individuals facing charges in the court system in the communities, what is the procedure when they are sent outside of the community to another without access to the Correctional Centre?
There are more and more individuals who are being sent to Hall Beach, probably to other communities as well.
When they are sent outside, especially to outpost camps, what is the procedure?
It seems that they are just dropped off to the community and nothing else is done.
I know for a fact of a situation where a person who was supposed to be staying with relatives was kicked out and no longer had a place to stay and I found that person at the store with no place to go, although that person has relatives in town.
Those types of situations require more logistical planning. Has there been any type of planning in this regard?
Speaker (interpretation): I am trying to be patient here. Minister responsible for Justice. Minister Okalik.
This is the first that I have heard of this.
I have not heard of this before and I would not like to see this followed anywhere within Nunavut.
There are procedures and regulations that have to be followed prior to a person being sent outside of their communities.
They are housed in individual homes and before that, they inspect the homes and their operations.
This is prior to the individual being sent out.
I would not like to see this happen anywhere and every time we hear about complaints, we look into them and if they need to be rectified then we will try to rectify the problem.
Your last Supplementary, Mr. Irqittuq.
As I stated earlier, this incident happened and I am surprised that the government is not aware of this situation.
This has been ongoing for many years.
It is because Inuit have patiently tried to correct the situation but the communities have many similar cases and incidents that have not been dealt with.
When you are going to be sending an individual to Yellowknife or Ottawa, how well are you going to watch the remand prisoner?
That is the context that I am trying to use, what with this situation existing for many years, and it being the first time that this government has heard of this.
There are all sorts of problems that are cropping up, especially with the lack of proper facilities.
As I stated before, this situation has happened before, it is happening today and it will continue to happen.
Mr. Speaker, I heard that the Minister was going to ask for a review, perhaps he can have it start right in Hall Beach as to how many cases there are and what the situation is today.
I have never heard about this incident.
We can look into this operation and get back to the Member later.
Mr. Irqittuq (interpretation): What is the situation with the remand prisoners?
What is the process for their travel outside of a community?
Minister for Justice.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): We do inspections of the people, the homes where the person will be staying and where they have asked for assistance, and then we try to meet their requests especially where we have to meet regulations.
We also offer training and when we are told of untoward things occurring, we will conduct a review of the operation and then close them down if there is no alternative.
The premier stated that they conduct reviews of the places prior to placement.
In regards to this person in question, I will not name names here, but the situation was that they had this person who wanted to baby sit their kids and he was allowed to baby sit.
This is how ignorant we are about these people, the person was later found out to not be allowed in the presence of children under the age of fourteen as that person was an abuser.
They were not supposed to be alone with any children.
That is how scary a situation can become.
Is this what the premier means by researching a placement home?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you. When we are finally told about these kinds of incidents and problems, we can then begin our review and if there was anything untoward that happened, then we can rectify the situation.
In regards to this particular situation that the Member is alluding to, I have never heard about it and I appreciate the Member for bringing this to me.
It is only when I have been told about these situations that I can look for solutions to this issue.
From what I can gather, this situation occurred a number of years ago; perhaps if the Member had notified us earlier, we would have been able to deal with the situation.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Oral Questions. Member for Iqaluit Center.
Question 358 – 1(6): Heating Fuel Concerns and Reports
Mr. Speaker, recently and as Minister Ng just finished indicating earlier on in the House, they are getting to the end of compensation from the bad gas that was delivered throughout Nunavut.