EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Speaker, looking at this Act, in Clause 16, it states that there is a tribunal would be appointed and the appointments will be made by the commissioner through the executive council.
I’m asking the Minister when these appointments will be made to the tribunal.
Will it be done during the life of this Assembly?
It states that this Bill has now been implemented in Clause 51(2) in section 16 to 19 and section 47 comes into force on Assent.
So, I’m asking when the appointments will be made.
We will not be making the appointments immediately.
We will have to come up with terms of reference according to the Act.
We still have some leg work to do.
Perhaps it will be implemented November 4th, 2004 because we have some detailed work to finish up before those appointments are made.
Probably in the next year we will start looking for who can be appointed to this tribunal.
That’s quite a long time and this has been in the plan for quite some time.
The Minister said that this has been in the works for a longtime and that there was a delay in enacting this.
Because there was no prior preparation then we’ll have to wait another time until this is enacted and for the appointments to be made.
It’s unfortunate that the work has not been done.
I would like to ask him once appointments are made. They probably have plans in place as to how the process will be.
Will you solicit names from the Members for possible appointments?
We really couldn’t prepare many of the details without the enactment and we’ll have to look for funding within to implement this Act.
We had to wait for the enactment of the Bill to start moving on some of the issues within the act.
It will be up to the next government to find out where the funds will come from to administer this Act and the budget for this tribunal will have to be sought.
We’ll provide every opportunity for people to put names in and we’ll use the usual process for appointments, we solicit the colleagues, the Members, and the public for the call for interest to be appointed.
We’ll probably be using the usual process.
As I stated I just came from the communities that I represent in the last couple of weeks and I went up to the communities just after the big debate in the House.
That was the only concern that people had when I did my community visits.
I’d like to ask him further, because they were not prepared for the implementation of this Act, I’d like to ask for the public who have had some misconceptions about this Act, what will be done to inform the public on the intent of the Act?
Yes, we will start working on implementing the Act.
It will start tomorrow and we’ll do a press release tomorrow and next week, I believe December 10 will be Human Rights Day, internationally, and with that in mind that’ll be a good starting point to start informing Nunavummiut about what it all means.
For those listening out there, I think they’ll be really happy because when you try to make them understand what it all means when you’re not a Minister it’s really hard.
I’m grateful for people out there who have had interest in finding out about what this all means.
It’s not a question Mr. Speaker, but I encourage the Minister to ensure that they provide information that is short and to the point.
Speaker: Just a comment. Thank you.
Question 732 – 1(6): Special Needs Assistance Funding for Chesterfield Inlet School
Mr. Netser (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) Thank you for your patience and to the House. (interpretation) As a new Member you have to learn so many things and thank you for the patience.
(interpretation ends) My question today is to the Minister of Education pertaining to the school in Chesterfield.
Chesterfield Inlet has a hospital where children with special needs are taken care of.
Each child at this hospital has multiple physical disabilities.
Three of these children are of school age.
I want to ask the Minister where is the funding for the special needs assistants who are needed to attend to their needs when they’re at the school?
This is a good concern to raise, and we are concerned as well as the Department of Education.
For instance in Rankin Inlet there is a group home for people with disabilities who come from different communities and we’re short of space for special school assistants.
In Chesterfield Inlet, to my understanding, we know of the ongoing concerns for people with disabilities in that community.
And we are aware of the funding needed for that program and Mr. Speaker, the budget allocations for those special school assistants has to be considered.
That is one of our priorities, and once we allocate money to the schools, we need to look at the formula financing for the different schools to ensure those needs are represented here fairly.
The current funding formula only calculates the number and not the needs of the students.
What are you as the Minister going to do about the funding for special needs assistants?
Last week, all the students within Nunavut were provide with a survey to get a better idea what the needs are so that we can come up with a more accurate strategy.
As the Minister, we will now be reviewing the funding formulas as we only use per capita funding.
And Mr. Speaker, we don’t have the numbers from the Department of Health as to exactly how many people there are with disabilities. Once we have a better idea of those people with special needs we’ll have a better idea as to how much budget we can allocate towards that program.
We are in the process to find out what those numbers are and what the needs are for people with physical and mental disabilities.
We have to find out where they need most of the assistance, either in their homes or in the schools.
In Chesterfield Inlet there are three school-aged children with disabilities.
Will they be provided funding in the coming school year for the school in Chesterfield Inlet to be able to support those children with special needs?
The Member looks like a seasoned Member and I’m proud that he brings up the concerns of his communities.
We will endeavour to help the people of Chesterfield Inlet.
My departmental staff in Kivalliq will look into this matter soon.
We will now break for lunch on your own and report back to the house for 2 p.m.
I also note that Members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Services will quickly meet with the Deputy Clerk in her office to discuss Bill 54, just a short meeting.
>>House recessed at 12:39 and resumed at 14:03
If the Members do not mind I would like to go back to Item 5.
I would like to recognise my wife, Mona, the most beautiful grandmother in the world, and my grandson Dodi.
Reply to Opening Address 004 – 1(6):
This one is a little long but I’ll try my best.
I enjoyed Mr. Ng’s. Speech yesterday and I want to recognise him.
He also helped out in my community when he was the MLA for Cambridge Bay.
I would like to thank him on behalf of Cambridge Bay as well as from myself.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, I am very proud today to make my reply to the opening address.
Mr. Speaker, we are approaching the end of the first assembly.
I want to reflect on what has been achieved to date and the challenges that lie ahead of us.
Mr. Speaker, when I ran for office five years ago, I told my constituents that I wanted to focus on their priorities during my term of office.
I told them that I wanted to use my voice in the Legislative Assembly to express their concerns.
My first priority has been to have Kugluktuk develop jobs opportunities and strengthen economic growth.
Kugluktuk is one of the communities in Nunavut with the greatest potential in the mining sector.
For five years I have been pushing for meaningful locally based training opportunities for my constituents.
I have stressed the need for investment in infrastructure that will support the development of job skills people will need to take advantage of opportunities in the resource development sector.
Mr. Speaker, I have been a supporter of the Bathurst Road and Port Project and other major economic initiatives.
I hope that the next government and the Legislative Assembly continue to move forward on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, one of the very first things that I raised in this House was the need to preserve and strengthen our Inuinnaqtun language.
Our language is the core of our identity.
It helps to identify our thinking and our way of life.
Preserving our language as a living language in our homes and schools is necessary for our youth to grow up with a strong sense of identity.
Mr. Speaker, I have been grateful for the support that I have received from my colleagues during the past few years in the issue of recognising and strengthening Inuinnaqtun.
I am glad that my constituents have an opportunity to hear the proceedings of this Legislative Assembly broadcast in Inuinnaqtun on a weekly basis.
I am pleased that this Assembly’s Special Committee on the review of the Official Languages Act was so supportive of Inuinnaqtun.
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned youth a few moments ago.
When I was the Minister responsible for Youth, my proudest moments were those occasions when I was able to directly support youth related initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, we have often talked about how youth are our future.
We need to support our words with action, and I am glad that I have been able to push the Government for more support in the area of youth.
I believe, Mr. Speaker, that such a problem as youth suicide can be addressed in a meaningful way if we truly work together and support excellent programs such as the one in Kugluktuk, the Kugluktuk Grizzly Athletics, or Nunavut Youth Abroad Program and other initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the way we have worked with the community to achieve improvements in Kugluktuk’s infrastructure.
We have built new public housing units in the community.
Also the pilot project for the young people who work in the mine have an opportunity to purchase some units that were made available to the people who work in the mining sector.
We finally achieved our goal on the new Men’s Correctional Healing Facility.
We have achieved progress with our docking facility.
Over $2.5 million has been put in the capital plan to address the sewage lagoon issue.
Mr. Speaker, there are many more community needs in Kugluktuk and I am looking forward to work on these over the next five years.
Mr. Speaker, Members of this House know that I have been concerned about decentralization jobs.
In Kugluktuk, we have been fortunate to have a number of decentralized departments in the community.
However, I have continued to raise the issue of making sure that our residents have a real opportunity to apply for these jobs.
I have repeatedly stressed the need to make sure that the job description does not raise unfair barriers to local employment.
I have emphasized the need for training and mentorship programs so that we can meet our Article 23 of the Land Claims obligations of Inuit employment in the government.
Mr. Speaker, community wellness and the justice system continue to be a concern for my constituents.
We need to work as a community to regulate the problem of substance abuse.
We need a justice system that genuinely provides rehabilitation while sending a strong message about the unacceptability of violence and domestic abuse.
I am hopeful that the new healing facility in Kugluktuk will mark a step forward.
Mr. Speaker, the government has put a lot of effort and resources to fight tobacco addiction.
We also need to put resources into fighting alcohol and drug abuse.
In Kugluktuk, we have worked hard to build our good community wellness programs, however, Mr. Speaker, we are constantly having to fight to put together the funding needed to run these programs and fill the positions needed to deliver them.
I want to see more help provided to communities to access funding under such programs as Brighter Futures, and more recognition on the need of stable and long term core funding.
Mr. Speaker, our workers in the wellness field will have time to focus on delivering programs, not writing endless funding proposals.
We need to give them the tools to do their main jobs without having to worry about their valuable programs being shut down next month or the next fiscal year.
Mr. Speaker, another issue of concern to me in the area of health is medical travel.
I still receive far too many complaints from the constituents who have had to travel south for medical care.
We need to make sure that our residents, especially our unilingual elders receive the quality care, including medical escorts that they need.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have worked hard since 1999 to introduce new laws that benefit our residents.
Almost 100 Bills have been introduced since the first sitting to this date.
I am proud of the work that has been done on our new Wildlife Act.
I am glad that we now have new Municipal legislation, a new Election Act, increases to minimum wages and the tax cuts for our residents.
Mr. Speaker, the next Legislative Assembly, I hope, will see the new Official Language Act come forward.
I hope that we will take a fresh look at the Education Act.
I hope that we will see what has been in communities such as Pond Inlet, Pangnirtung and focus on the language of instruction issues, especially in our elementary schools.
Mr. Speaker, providing our youth with instruction in Inuinnaqtun will help ensure that our language survives and thrives.
Our language has to be used more in schools and especially at home.
Our parents and teachers have an important responsibility in this area.
I believe that we will need to take a fresh look at the special needs education.
Many of our young people need an extra hand to success in the classroom.
Strong support for a special needs program will help strengthen the community as a whole.
And our youth, who at one time had an uncertain future, can now look forward to achieving their own goals.
I hope that we will continue to pass laws that meet the needs of our constituents and communities.
Mr. Speaker, while we have come far in a short period of time, we have a long journey ahead of us.
Although we are always short of dollars, we continue to make investments in our people, in our infrastructure and our communities.
I look forward to continue to work with Kugluktuk in seeking support to address the housing shortage.
I plan to support our collective effect to achieve resources revenue sharing with the Federal Government.
I will continue to listen hard to what my constituents have to say.
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my constituents that I will continue to treat their concerns with confidentiality and care.
I will continue to raise issues with Ministers personally and will continue to speak out in this House.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a privilege to have represented Kugluktuk in the Legislative Assembly.
I could not have done it without the support of my family and my community.
In February of next year, I will again ask for the support of Kugluktummiut as we work together for a stronger future.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all the Members here for supporting me and all the support that they have given me in this House.
I would also like to thank the people who have supported Kugluktuk for getting all these infrastructure items.
Reply to Opening Address 005 – 1(6):
Ms. Williams (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker for allowing me to make a reply to the opening address and first of all I’d like to say thank you to my constituents and also to my relatives and also to my husband Glenn who’s known as Ningauraaluuk and also my son Qungasuriksuq and my daughter May and also Virgil Williams and I do want to thank them for giving me support.
And my son Qungasuriksuq and my grandchild, I do love them.
As this first assembly is coming to an end I want to address some issues that are pressing concerns to my constituents and I.
First I would like to speak about decentralization.
Much of the focus of the government during the years since 1999 has been on implementing the decentralization model, recommended by Nunavut Implementation Commissioner.
To bring benefits in the form of jobs to decentralized communities, in some ways I believe that decentralization was poorly planned and poorly implemented, but nevertheless it’s a fact.
It has largely been implemented and now it’s our responsibility to make it work for all Nunavut.
One of the problems that my constituents have with decentralization is they don’t always know where to call for service, for assistance from the government and sometimes referred by telephone to a number of offices in a number of communities before they are served.
Perhaps these are just growing pains.
But now that decentralization is in place this government needs to ensure that people know where to call for service for the various departments.
The Premier has stated that, and they have to make sure that people know where to call for service.
Mr. Speaker, the Premier has stated that his next focus will be on smaller communities.
And I’m pleased to hear this.
I represent three small communities in which have not benefited from decentralization.
The residents of these small communities and other small communities throughout Nunavut were as excited as anyone else about the promise of Nunavut.
They expected to be served better by a government that is closer to them.
A government better able to listen to their concerns and desires and frustrations and a government more able to speak with them in their own language.
These promises have not yet been met in the smaller communities and they have not been implemented yet.
These communities face many problems from the lack of an economic base.
Young people become educated for jobs that do not exist at home, young people leave to seek employment elsewhere and housing shortages as well as substance abuse.
The Premier has not yet told us what his thinking is on the problems of the smaller communities.
I can assure the Premier that the residents of those communities welcome his attention and will want to be part of the process to begin to address their needs.
This should be treated with urgency, and we welcome the Premier’s attention.
(interpretation) I want to say a few more words about the housing shortage.
Quite simply, there is never enough housing, but in the decentralized communities the building of new houses for government workers has taken a little of the pressure off of public housing.
In the small communities this is not the case, and that situation is critical.
Overcrowding housing leads to problems, disease, malnutrition, sexual abuse, children with no place to do their homework, possibly suicide.
Young people are able to move out of their parents home when they reach adulthood to establish homes of their own.
The shortage of housing is at the root of so many other problems that we face in Nunavut.
This government must find ways to better address the problems of not enough housing.
The recent announcement of increased federal funding was a welcome step and we must continue to push for more support.
Mr. Speaker, the issue of infrastructure is related to housing and decentralization.
During my time as an MLA I have seen the new buildings that have gone up in the decentralized communities.
In Arctic Bay, Resolute Bay, and Grise Fiord we also need investment in new infrastructure.
In many cases, Mr. Speaker, the buildings in the smaller communities are simply falling apart.
This government has a department that the old GNWT did not.
It is called Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, Mr. Speaker.
It was a wonderful idea to bring these issues into one department.
In 1999 many Inuit expected that this department would be one of the most dynamic and important department in the new government.
It did not turn out to be that way Mr. Speaker.
At the very least in the Department responsible for Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, people expected that senior bureaucrats in this department would be able to speak at least Inuktitut.
I recognise that this is a public government but I recognise also that 85 % of the people of Nunavut are Inuit.
If this department is to protect Inuit culture, we have to have more people in this department who are from that culture and speak that language.
CLEY has turned out to be the smallest department with the smallest budget.
That is not what we expected in 1999, Mr. Speaker, when we saw this department as being the champion of culture focused on how this government would operate.
I would also like to make the observation that the continuity is important.
There have been times when I have felt that Ministerial portfolios have been shuffled almost at random without giving time for Ministers to grow into their portfolios.
The Department of Culture Language Elders and Youth for example has had no fewer than five Ministers and three Deputy Ministers.
If we expect our departments to do a good job we need to provide them with a measure of stability.
There has often been controversy about the adequacy of public consultations on new legislation in Nunavut, especially in the Wildlife Act and Education Act.
I want to go on the record as stating that I believe this government has generally but not in every case done a good job of consulting with the public.
The public also has the responsibility in these matters, to discuss the issues locally and try to present clear input to the government on the issues as they come up.
Consultation is a closed costly process in a territory as big as Nunavut and it cannot go on forever and ever.
Mr. Speaker on the issue of leadership, I feel that our government does not always take firm positions on difficult issues, for example the government has been willing to take on Ottawa on such matters as gun registry and fishing quotas.
However when it comes to such developments as relaxing drug laws and allowing same sex marriages our government has ducked the issue and has not spoken up for the vast majority of residents who do not agree with these things Mr. Speaker.
We are often told that our government has their hands tied because the law is out of their jurisdiction.
But that should not stop us from raising our voices when we feel that something is wrong.
(Interpretation begins) I want to close by speaking, Mr. Speaker, about some of the needs of families.
I believe that as long as Health and Social Services remains together as one department the social problems in our communities will never get the attention they need.
The demands of the health system are enormous and highly visible, so it is understandable that health gets most of the attention, most of the resources, but the needs of our struggling social support systems are just as important.
I would like to see the program review process result in the Health and Social Services department being split into two departments so that social programs can get the attention and resources they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, family violence is on the increase.
Violent crimes in general are also increasing in Nunavut.
Children are being neglected.
Drug and alcohol abuse is rampant.
Health education programs are lacking.
I suggest that if the social needs of our communities are better met the health system may find that its costs decrease as a result of our communities becoming healthier.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker we were all elected one at a time by people in our own communities; we must not lose sight of that fact and we must focus on these voters and their needs and rebuild Nunavut as a healthier society than it is at present.
(interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you my colleagues for listening to me. Thank you.
Report 025 – 1(6): Bill 53 – Write Off of Assets and Debts Act, 2003-2004 To Committee of the Whole
I wish to report that Bill 53-Write Off of Assets and Debts Act 2003-2004 has been viewed by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Services and that Bill is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 68 (5) and have Bill 53 moved into Committee of the Whole for today.
Speaker: There is a request to waive rule 68 (5) so that the Standing Committee report of Bill 53 can be immediately referred to Committee of the Whole.
Bill 53 is referred to Committee of the Whole for today.