EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Can the minister tell us today if his department has completed its consultations with the RCMP and when we can expect to see an updated version of the search and rescue contributions policy?
I will give the member his birthday answer.
Mr. Speaker, the situation has not changed since the last time when the member asked me a question on the policy.
The policy is done, but as I stated at that time, due to factors beyond our control, we are still in the process of consultations. I’m sorry to say that I have no new updates for the member.
Both the department’s search and rescue policies have been expired now for over five years. Once again winter is upon us and we have yet to see these updated policies, which are intended to support search and rescue initiatives and organizations.
As the minister is aware, searches that take place during these cold months put a strain on the vehicles and equipment of all volunteers, who continue to commit their time and risk their safety to help their communities in time of distress.
Will the minister commit to putting pressure on the offices that are reviewing these policies to ensure that the government has updated search and rescue policies in place before the end of our term?
Let me first assure the member and Nunavummiut that the searches will still be conducted professionally, whether the policies are expired or not. We are working on the expired policies.
Yes, I can commit that we will do our best to get these done, but at times when there is stuff beyond our control, then that is just what it is, beyond our control. We will talk and we will try to get these policies updated.
As the member stated, we have people who are dedicated and they go out in the cold and their machines have wear and tear and they break.
I stated here before that we do have a mechanism where we try to help out the searchers because they are using their own equipment and volunteer their own time, and we are very appreciative of that and we do help them out.
The policy will state that we will be able to help them out through the policy, but right now we still do help them out and each case is case by case and the policy will help and guide us.
Let me just assure everyone in Nunavut that the searches will go on and we will do our best to rescue people.
The minister went on and answered my second supplementary question in his second question, so I will leave it at that.
Question 452 – 4(3): Nursing Services in Community Health Centres (Mapsalak)
Mr. Mapsalak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Health.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize that the shortage of nursing staff is an issue across Canada and Nunavut also faces problems in this area.
The shortage of nursing staff at the Naujaat Health Centre often leads to a long backlog of appointments with patients sometimes waiting more than two weeks for an appointment.
Can the minister provide an update on what is being done to recruit and retain nurses for Nunavut’s community health centres?
I thank the member for recognizing that it is a challenge recruiting nurses. Almost globally, it seems to be a challenge, but it seems to be exaggerated here in Nunavut.
Our HR department works very hard to make sure that nursing positions are filled, especially during cover-off periods in the summertime and when people are trying to take holidays.
Some of the steps we are taking specifically are looking at more of a focus on long-term recruitment of indeterminate nurses.
We do have to rely on agency nurses still and probably for the short, foreseeable future.
At the same time we have managed to streamline some of that process through our contracting and procurement. We have a number of different nursing agencies that we have available to us, which gives us access to a greater number of nurses so that we can fill these positions faster or more efficiently, but at the same time our goal is indeterminate nurses working and living in Nunavut.
I know it has been an ongoing focus and I have spoken to my officials at Health and they have been keeping me up to date on any and all progress that has been coming.
It is a work in progress, but I can assure the member and all communities that my goal as the Minister of Health would be to have indeterminate nurses in all the communities.
Mr. Mapsalak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the minister for responding to my question.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that it is not always possible to hire full-time indeterminate nurses for our community health centres and that we often use agency nurses to provide short-term relief.
Can the minister clarify what steps are taken to ensure that agency nurses have the appropriate credentials for working in community health centres?
Specifically one of the things we’re looking at doing is we’ve got a health professionals recruitment and retention strategy that we’re looking at implementing in this fiscal year, 2016-17, so that we can take a look at some of the best practices.
We also work very hard to make sure that our nursing grads that graduate here in the territory stay in the territory.
One of the goals that we have there is making sure that those resources are available in outlying communities, not just at the hospital in Iqaluit.
It does take a special type of person to work in a community where you don’t have the oversight of doctors and other health professionals or specialists. We work very hard with telehealth to make sure that our nurses get the resources that they need. Orientation sessions are being improved to make sure that when we do recruit nurses, they know what they’re getting.
It minimizes some of the culture shock.
Nunavut is a great place to live, but at the same time it does take not so much a special kind of person but a person that wants to get engaged in the community.
If it’s just a matter of filling seats, agency nurses do that.
We want to have people who want to move to Nunavut, live in Nunavut, and get engaged in the communities and the population of our great territory.
There has been an ongoing shortage of nursing staff at the Naujaat Health Centre.
Will the minister commit to ensuring that all nursing positions at the Naujaat Health Centre will filled with full-time indeterminate staff as soon as possible?
I appreciate the member bringing up his concerns for Naujaat specifically.
My goal is to provide indeterminate staff in all of our communities. Again I’ll look into if there’s a way to accelerate the positions in Naujaat specifically.
That being said, my goal is every community in Nunavut has full-time nursing staff that are engaged and participating in the community and with the residents of the territory as a whole.
Question 453 – 4(3): Blueprint for Action on Housing (Akoak)
My first question concerns an issue that was recently raised with me by a constituent in Gjoa Haven.
As the minister will be aware, the Government of Nunavut’s current Staff Housing Policy provides that employees who live in staff housing contribute to paying for the cost of water, electricity, and other utilities for their units.
The question that was raised with me is whether or not Government of Nunavut employees who live in public housing units also contribute to paying the cost of utilities.
For the record, can the minister clarify whether or not GN employees who live in public housing units contribute to paying the cost of utilities?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation) The Hon. Minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation, Mr. George Kuksuk.
I have a brief response. Any employee housed in a public housing unit and whether they pay into the cost of utilities is something I haven’t been apprised of, but I can provide the information as to whether that is the case.
Last week the minister tabled the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s new Blueprint for Action on Housing, which I have begun to review with care.
The blueprint indicates that the government will, and I quote, “analyze the current staff housing rents and subsidies to determine appropriate subsidy levels.”
Can the minister indicate when this review is planned to be completed?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Kuksuk.
Yes, I made a statement on the Blueprint for Action on Housing because we worked hard on it, not just us but with other jurisdictions as well. To improve the housing situation in Nunavut, we want to use the blueprint to look for different solutions.
Mr. Speaker, as we are in this case, the government has many departments that we will be working with and there are many details that we have to work on. We used the Igluliuqatigiilauqta: Let’s Build a Home Together document to develop the Blueprint for Action on Housing.
Mr. Speaker, I can say that the contents of the Blueprint for Action on Housing will be included in all annual reports.
The blueprint also indicates that the government will, and I quote, “review and revise the GN’s Staff Housing Policy.” Can the minister indicate when this review is planned to be completed?
I think I already asked it.
As per my earlier statement on that matter, it will be reported on eventually. With respect to the question about our housing policy (interpretation ends) review (interpretation) and revision, I can’t answer that at this time.
However, once the review has been completed, I can provide the response to my colleagues on that issue.
Question 454 – 4(3): Blueprint for Action on Housing (Mikkungwak)
A few days ago the (interpretation ends) Blueprint for Action on Housing (interpretation) was tabled and I have read it.
It seems obvious that this one issue here relates to the mining development adjacent to Baker Lake, where a mine was built when I was elected as the MLA with several new units being constructed in town.
However, many people are on this waiting list for the housing units with the mine employing residents.
My question is related to the written material here where it states that the housing corporation will call local homeowners to determine if any private units are available for rental purposes.
With regard to discussing the issue with homeowners and whether their units are rentable, when will this initiative be started?
With respect to the private homes that may be leased for rental purposes, it is the housing corporation that would first make an announcement of the needs, the process to be used, as well as the types of units being contemplated. This information will include details to be provided to all Nunavummiut. That is our approach currently.
Different types of rentals were part of the discussions, but we will ensure that a fully detailed plan is released once we have completed it.
With respect to the private homes that the housing corporation may contemplate leasing, will this request be in the form of a written letter or will the consultations only take place over the phone when this initiative is fully underway?
It will be done in whichever way is more amenable to the homeowners. If it is impossible to call them directly, we can use email to try to consult with the homeowners.
We will use the methods that are normally used for consultations.
Can the minister provide further elaboration to me on the proposed time frame for consulting Baker Lake residents or the proposed dates?
I suppose it is contingent on the officials who will conduct the consultations, but I would like to be included when the consultation process is commenced in Baker Lake. Can the minister commit to informing me prior to the start?
The Kivalliq NHC (interpretation ends) district office (interpretation) is in Arviat and they deal with various management issues.
Information requests can be submitted to the district office if the member wishes to get more information.
We may also provide the information to the district office so that people can request the information from them.
Question 455 – 4(3): Policies on Child Apprehensions (Enook)
It is related to my line of questioning yesterday where I wanted further information on some issues.
Let me start by saying that all Nunavummiut, including myself, agree that safety of our children rests on the level of care provided. Children require careful management to ensure they are never placed in a dangerous situation wherever possible.
This is quite obvious and one all members want to see implemented.
I would like to get some clarification from the minister’s response to my question yesterday.
Let me start by referring to the Blues from Monday, October 24 and specifically page 19 of the Inuktitut version.
I will quote directly from the Hansard, although I know that the Blues are not the final version of the Hansard.
When I questioned the minister yesterday, the minister responded with this passage, and I quote part of the response, “We follow the Child and Family Services Act and its regulations, which require us to involve parents in deciding what actions to take.”
I will use this passage as my foundation and I have finished the quotation.
In using this as the foundation for my question, let me start by asking about this passage “require us to involve parents” Let me ask the minister what he was trying to say when he responded with that passage.
I thank the member for requesting further clarification on this passage.
As per my statement, there are two avenues in this process related to child welfare.
Indeed the legislation here is Nunavut-specific to child welfare and family relations and has two components that I identified yesterday.
The other legislation, the Child and Family Service Act, speaks to any problems between a child and their parents, which I believe applies when the child is about to be apprehended, as the parents have to be consulted on the process. Most parents are consulted prior to that action. This is what I stated was the easier process.
The more complex process I also mentioned comes from the legislation on child and family services and I clarified the situation there. My response is specific to the easier process within child protection processes.
Let me then ask this secondary question based on the current family services legislation.
Let me ask the minister this question: can a social worker apprehend a child to supervise under their care, yes or no?
It is very easy to answer.
With respect to his previous question where I stated I would look into this issue, this is still in my office related to the case and I have yet to receive a response to the query.
I can’t answer this question with a yes or no.
If the minister was unaware, I was following the legislation that provides the mandate to the department, which specifically states that no social worker can supervise a child that they have apprehended.
This is in case the minister isn’t aware of the language in the legislation.
Let me ask my last question then. With respect to a social worker who has to apprehend a child, I believe it was yesterday where you stated that the worker has to search for a temporary caregiver.
What would happen if a social worker apprehends a child and no space or caretaker is available, what is the legislated process they would follow?
I thank the member for clarifying the foundation for this process, but on a personal level I was thinking of another matter when I responded to his question.
If any social worker has supervised a child after apprehending them, I would want to be informed of the details. Sometimes it is only when a question is raised that we find that a case may exist and is brought up in a question.
The member’s question related to a social worker taking care of a child apprehended earlier and whether or not a social worker can legally take care of a child.
The reason why I wanted to check into this matter is that I haven’t been informed if any social worker has had to do that or if this has occurred yet with any of our social workers.
This is the reason why I can’t respond to a question asking for a quick response, but my officials are looking into this question and whether or not a social worker has had to supervise a child they apprehended.
With respect to the legal requirements, I was speaking about the more complex process that I can provide an example from.
Let me refer to it in English here and it is specific to (interpretation ends) children removed from parental care without consent. (interpretation) This is what we looked at where either a social worker or RCMP officer apprehends a child in a dangerous situation within their home for whatever reason is deemed acceptable to the agencies, whether it is stemming from the parents or others.
Parental rights are protected under the legislation, although the primary legislative mandate is the protection of the child.
With the need to protect the child foremost, a social worker or RCMP officer may apprehend a child without any prior consultation.
The primary protection is for the child, as no child should be in any type of dangerous situation and any parent foregoing their parental duties should not place a child in a dangerous situation.
All children should have a safe home environment and if this existed, then this process would not occur.
It is only when something traumatic happens that this scenario I am referencing would occur.
Question 456 – 4(3): Abandoned Cabins (Okalik)
He tabled legislation for our environment.
It seems like there were parts missing in that legislation.
In Nunavut there are many people who now have cabins. For example, right across the river a couple of years ago, my partner and I found an abandoned cabin which had blown away.
It took us two days to burn the old wood and the old insulation that was blown apart. They don’t look too good when they’re strewn all over into the land.
I would like to ask the minister if he can direct his department to make sure that the public does not just leave those cabins behind out in the hinterland, as our land is precious.
If I understood it correctly, we do have issues with litter. We’re talking about the Sylvia Grinnell Park here with some issues with litter, but that is generally cleaned up by the staff.
We are talking with seasonal tent frame owners in the park there and it’s an ongoing issue.
We want to work with the people who enjoy the park and we want people to be able to go a nice, clean, and environmentally-friendly park.
I agree with the member that when someone goes to a park, they don’t want to see old structures that appear to be abandoned.
We are working with the people who own these seasonal tent frames.
Your first supplementary, Mr. Paul Okalik.
The reason why I asked about cabins that are abandoned is that they are increasing in number everywhere and when they are abandoned, they become litter on the land outside of the communities.
With respect to the environment outside of the municipal boundaries, most of the lands are the habitat of our wildlife, in most cases used by the caribou, which Inuit don’t want contaminated.
Can the Department of Environment ensure these critical habitat areas are protected from this type of practice?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Environment, Mr. Savikataaq.
Sorry, I misunderstood the member.
I believe he’s talking about the land in general outside communities.
There are two things here that we can deal with: one is just litter and the other which I believe the member is talking about is cabins.
We don’t know if most cabins are abandoned or not and we can’t just destroy, move, or remove a cabin that appears to be abandoned.
There are property ownership issues there, but we do want our land to look clean and nice.
I agree with the member that an old abandoned cabin with lots of garbage or scattered wood around is not a pretty site, but it depends on what kind of land it’s on.
If it’s on Inuit-owned land, then I guess the regional Inuit organization would have to deal with that.
If it’s on public lands here, if it’s on Crown land, then the federal government might have to deal with it.
If there are any such issues of a particular structure, then anyone can bring that forth to the Department of Environment and we can investigate it and find out exactly if it’s owned or not owned.
Currently we don’t administer the land in Nunavut right now. Most of the land is not administered by the [Government] of Nunavut.
Our government can enact legislation wherever we feel it requires protection within Nunavut, irrespective of whether it is Inuit-owned land or even Crown land.
Our environment, whether Inuit own the land or not, is still very desirable, particularly the lands the caribou utilize over the seasonal migrations, and when these lands are being contaminated, we need to do our part and prevent this.
Can the Department of Environment conduct research in the types of environmental legislation to see what type of protective measures can be taken for our wildlife habitat?
We will work with the HTOs in the communities to see what they would like to do on this issue, if the issue comes up.
We do want to protect our environment and we do want to make sure that there’s no hindrance to wildlife that we put up.
At the same time we have to work with our HTOs and the HTOs are the ones that determine what issues should be brought up and what are their concerns.
Any HTO that brings an issue up to my department, we will work with that HTO and we will do our best to deal with that issue.
Committee Report 014 – 4(3): Report on the Review of the 2014-2015 Annual Report of the Representative for Children and Youth (Angnakak)
I have the honour of presenting the report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Independent Officers and Other Entities on its review of the 2014-15 Annual Report of the Representative for Children and Youth.
Nunavut’s Representative for Children and Youth Act was passed on September 17, 2013 by the Third Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
The Office of the Representative for Children and Youth has a number of areas of responsibility relating to the rights and interests of children and youth, including advocacy, advice, and assistance regarding government services for children and youth, as well as the administration of the office.
The Representative for Children and Youth Act provides for the Commissioner of Nunavut to appoint, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, a representative for children and youth for a five-year term of office.
Ms. Sherry McNeil-Mulak was appointed as Nunavut’s representative for children and youth on June 2, 2014 and she assumed her duties on June 16, 2014.
Mr. Speaker, under section 35 of the Representative for Children and Youth Act, the representative for children and youth is required, within six months after the end of each fiscal year, to prepare and submit an annual report to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on the conduct of the office and the discharge of the duties of the representative during the preceding year.
The standing committee’s televised hearings on the annual reports of independent officers of the Legislative Assembly provide an opportunity for the issues raised in the annual report to be discussed in a public forum.
The 2014-15 Annual Report of the Office of the Representative for Children and Youth was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on May 30 of 2016.
The appearance of the representative for children and youth and her staff before the standing committee took place in the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly on September 15, 2016.
Transcripts from the standing committee’s hearings are made available on the Legislative Assembly’s website.
Mr. Speaker, it should be noted that the representative’s first annual report covers a period of nine months instead of a full fiscal year.
During this time, as indicated in the annual report, the representative’s focus was on establishing her office from the ground up.
A number of themes and issues emerged during the standing committee’s review of the representative for children and youth’s first annual report to the Legislative Assembly.