EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Samples would be tested efficiently and results would come back in a timely manner, but this has changed.
Can the minister explain why her department changed the contract for laboratory services so that the blood samples and other medical samples from my constituency are no longer sent directly to Manitoba, but are now sent all the way to Ontario?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister of Health, Hon. Minister Ms. Ell.
Hon. Monica Ell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) The increasing capacity in the Kitikmeot regional laboratory will improve results processing time and reduce dependency on the out-of-territory lab services, but at the present time, samples that cannot be processed in the region are being shipped to the lab in Ottawa from the Kitikmeot via Yellowknife and Iqaluit currently.
The question I asked was on behalf of one of my constituents in the Kivalliq region.
They stated that changes happened when the contract for shipping samples was reviewed in relation to blood samples for testing.
Why aren’t these samples being sent to Manitoba?
Why are these samples being sent out to Ontario now?
The past practice of shipping samples from here, from the Kitikmeot to Ottawa, used to go through Edmonton.
With respect to Winnipeg, I don’t have any background information on it and how much was used for that. I apologize for my lack of information, but I will have it researched so that I can respond at a later date.
At this current time, what we have been informed of is if there are continual delays in sending samples, the departmental headquarters here in Iqaluit is also reviewing the system to see if blood sampling tests can be done internally.
They want to start dealing with this issue.
Due to my small stature, my view is sometimes blocked and I can’t see you.
Mr. Speaker, part of my earlier question related to meat that requires testing for diseases and our past practice was to have it sent to Rankin Inlet from our region. Practically, by the next day, the results would be sent back. As an example, walrus can suffer from trichinosis and they had to be tested for this and other parasitic diseases.
When we sent out samples for testing, we usually got the results the very next day.
With the closure of the laboratory in Rankin Inlet, we had to send our samples to Fort Chimo or Kuujjuaq in Northern Quebec. With that change, we don’t hear about the results for quite a long period.
Is there any way we can reopen the laboratory to have the testing done in Rankin Inlet?
Hon. Monica Ell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my earlier response, I wasn’t referring to meat testing and I want the audience to understand that point.
I was talking about human blood samples only.
I don’t have any information on the issue the member just asked about.
Perhaps the member can redirect his question to the Minister of Environment.
Member for Sanikiluaq, Mr. Rumbolt.
Question 199 – 4(2): Southern Hudson Bay Polar Bear Management (Rumbolt)
Earlier, my colleague rose to ask questions concerning increasing quotas, but I’m going to ask questions to the Minister of Environment concerning the reduction of quotas.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, Environment Canada announced that a new agreement had been reached concerning the management and conservation of the southern Hudson Bay polar bear subpopulation.
Sanikiluaq’s hunters and trappers organization was represented at the recent meeting which reached this agreement, as was the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Environment, as well as NTI and a number of other stakeholders.
Mr. Speaker, the boundaries of this population include areas of Ontario and Quebec. Although the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources was represented at the meeting, the Government of Quebec was not present.
Can the minister confirm whether or not the Government of Quebec has endorsed the new agreement and have they indicated how the agreement will be enforced in the Quebec region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Johnny Mike (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, this was a difficult issue to deal with. Most definitely, in dealing with expediting the issue of quotas in southern Hudson Bay, I mentioned that it was difficult.
It was difficult to deal with representatives of Makivik and Ontario, and we worked with NTI officials.
I’m sure that it was a source of discouragement to people who are working to resolve issues like this.
In Nunavut, the Canadian government and the world wildlife groups have always seen the Government of Nunavut as the most compliant in terms of setting up of quotas and so on.
However, governments outside of Nunavut don’t necessarily work in that manner.
There was a change in the quota system in southern Hudson Bay. The number of quota was decreased in that region.
In some ways, we were happy that we were able to have compliance. However, to others, it was a source of unhappiness.
I know that in regard to the Government of Quebec, the Canadian government, and me as the minister for the GN, by discussion, we want to search for ways in which the Government of Quebec can participate.
In my case, I am the newest minister in dealing with this compared to the others who are veterans.
From what I gather from his answer, I don’t think the Quebec government has endorsed this agreement.
Moving on, the new agreement has resulted in Sanikiluaq’s annual polar bear take being reduced from 25 to 20.
As the minister is aware, his department’s fur price program purchases pelts directly from hunters and is a significant source of income for the community and my constituents.
Mr. Speaker, when a moratorium on harvesting polar bears in the McClintock Channel was announced in 2001, the government announced the creation of a “special economic initiative fund that will allow the three effected communities to develop and implement the economic strategies that would lessen the expected loss of income and work arising from the moratorium.”
Can the minister indicate what actions his department will be taking to help Sanikiluaq’s hunters and the community’s HTO to address the loss of income that will result from the reduction in the southern Hudson Bay quota?
Hon. Johnny Mike (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) On issues like in southern Hudson Bay, we had a conservation issue.
There was no economic issue on that one.
Therefore, this government cannot compensate for a reasonable conservation issue. (interpretation) It is for this reason that this compensation cannot be because of the need to conserve the polar bear population in that region.
Therefore, the policy that we have adopted in that area is that way because of that.
The announcement of the new southern Hudson Bay polar bear management agreement indicated that it will take effect in November of 2014 and will continue to November of 2016, at which point it will be reviewed.
Can the minister describe what support will be provided to assist Sanikiluaq’s HTO in meeting its implementation and monitoring commitments under this new agreement?
In relation to his question as to how they could be assisted for the loss of extra quota, these things are not new.
In this fiscal year, there are two things that will be instituted next month as part of the agreement because the Government of Nunavut said that the same system that is used across Nunavut in terms of setting quotas of polar bears will now be instituted in that region.
We are reviewing to see how they could be done in relation to Sanikiluaq.
I could only say the same thing now. If people don’t just kill polar bears out of season, then their quotas could remain the same. If they happen to kill off their quota for any reason, then their numbers would decrease.
That’s all I could tell him.
Question 200 – 4(2): When Foster Children Become Adults (Angnakak)
Mr. Speaker, as we are all well aware, far too many of Nunavut’s children end up in foster care. In some cases, children are in foster care for so long that they reach the age of 19 while they are still in care.
Some of these children have no idea how to begin living as independent adults while others still have challenges as a result of their turbulent childhoods.
Can the minister clearly explain what kinds of resources and supports are available to foster families to assist them in helping their foster children take the next steps into adulthood?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister of Family Services, Hon. Minister Ms. Ugyuk.
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to my colleague for asking that question.
Before I respond to that, I say “good day” to people in my community. I sometimes forget to do that.
Also, one of my colleagues and I were recognizing the new foster parents and my colleague was there.
There were interested prospective foster parents that were present, so we are very glad about that.
The foster parents welcome strange children into their homes.
Mr. Speaker, in regard to Bill 51, it is a new bill and it has been changed recently and being implemented by the Department of Family Services.
It means that the foster children up to the age of 16 years old can be taken care of.
If they need further care at that point, they can sign an agreement for extended care up to six more years.
That is how I can respond to that.
I was probably looking more for a list of resources and support, but I’m going to go on to my next question.
Mr. Speaker, it seems that there is great potential for clients of Family Services to fall through the cracks when they go from being a child and ward of the state to becoming an adult.
Can the minister clarify what steps her department takes to ensure that clients are helped through this transition?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister of Family Services, Hon. Minister Ms. Ugyuk
With respect to social services provided to the children under foster care and under the age of 20, they can make an (interpretation ends) extended service agreement (interpretation) while under foster care.
Under such agreements, the youth would receive assistance where required and be provided with housing until such time as they’re able to live independently.
I am glad that she made reference to the extended agreements because my next question is that in May of 2013, the Child and Family Services Act was amended to provide for support agreements for youth up to age 26.
Can the minister clarify how section 6 of the Act, which states that “the Director may enter into an agreement with a third party for the provision of services to a youth” and that this agreement “may be extended…until he or she attains the age of 26” is applied to foster families in Nunavut?
I also thank my colleague for requesting clarification on this program.
It is a new program my colleague asked about in her third question and she wanted to understand the meaning behind it.
I can’t respond at this current time.
Question 201 – 4(2): ASIST Training (Joanasie)
Mr. Speaker, we recently heard that the Department of Family Services staff, namely, community social service workers, are not required to take Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) as part of their mandatory training that they need to be certified as social workers.
As I understand it, the Minister of Health’s department is the lead on providing ASIST training wherever needed.
Can the minister tell us which occupations across all of the government departments currently take the ASIST training?
Hon. Monica Ell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank you for raising that issue in your question.
To clarify the matter, the Department of Health has the mandate to deal with (interpretation ends) suicide prevention and action strategy. (interpretation) The strategy has eight parts and we discussed them this past July.
It was extended for another year to March 2015. This is currently under review and this is one of the items being reviewed.
The action plan my colleague asked about is called the ASIST program offered through Nunavut Arctic College and they run the program.
We do provide funding assistance and we also negotiate with them on the amounts, but if the member wants more details, he would have to ask the person who has that information.
I will check into the plan that she was talking about.
However, I would like to ask the minister if she can tell us how many government staff currently hold certificates in ASIST.
The ASIST training is done through Nunavut Arctic College.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Your final supplementary, Mr. Joanasie.
Does the minister not know? Is that why she’s responding to me that way?
I’ll move on to another question.
Can the minister tell us what steps are being taken to ensure that government service providers, who deal with members of the public who may be at risk of suicide, are equipped with the necessary training for suicide prevention and intervention?
Hon. Monica Ell (interpretation): Indeed, Mr. Speaker, this isn’t part of my portfolio and I have no information about the programs that are offered by Nunavut Arctic College, and I regret that I cannot provide a response.
Question 202 – 4(2): Medical Travel Policy for Escorts (Sammurtok)
Mr. Sammurtok (interpretation): Good day, fellow residents of Rankin Inlet. (interpretation ends) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Department of Health’s Medical Travel Policy was changed just over a year ago and it may take some time to evaluate the effectiveness of the new policy.
However, I have been advised of more than one situation where a medical client travelled with an escort to the south and after their treatment, the client was booked to come home, but no booking was made for the escort.
There seems to be some confusion as to which office will ensure that escorts’ return travel is taken care of.
Can the minister clarify what process is generally followed to ensure that escorts are booked to travel home at the same time that the medical client they are escorting is booked to travel home?
I also thank my colleague. This is the first I have heard about a client and escort not travelling together related to medical travel.
I will ask my officials to look into this carefully, as the policy states that they are to travel together once the patient completes their medical treatment. The escort is supposed to travel with the client and that is the usual practice.
Sometimes escorts are changed, especially if an escort has spent a long period and a relief escort is identified.
That is part of our practice. It can also occur if the patient no longer requires an escort and they can be sent home if the escort is no longer required or if the patient has recovered sufficiently.
Mr. Sammurtok: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) She responded to part of the question, (interpretation ends) but I’m going to go forward.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that mistakes can happen. However, when the same mistake happens to more than one client, it seems that there is a bigger problem.
Can the minister provide a clear explanation of what communication process medical clients and their escorts should follow when there are problems with their travel?
Hon. Monica Ell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague as well. When medical travel patients anywhere in Nunavut are having their travel set up, they are provided with a sheet of paper that includes phone numbers to call if they require assistance.
It also includes information where they can submit their complaints. We do provide information if the patient wishes to speak to the (interpretation ends) Patient Relations Office. (interpretation) Anyone can call this office to submit their complaints or if they want more information. That is how this system has been set up.
Mr. Sammurtok (interpretation): Yes, this process was used for submitting the (interpretation ends) complaint form.
I am confident that it is not only residents from the community of Rankin Inlet who are experiencing problems with the medical client travel policy.
Will the minister commit to looking into this issue and reporting back to the House on her findings?
Mr. Speaker, I did commit to reviewing the Medical Travel Policy in this House several times.
It had become in effect on June 27, 2013. We are almost completed, as we promised that we would do it by the fall of 2014.
It should be completed by the end of the year and we should have results in the beginning of the new year.
Question 203 – 4(2): Fire Prevention Strategy for Nunavut (Hickes)
I had some other questions prepared for today, but in light of my colleague Mr. Shooyook’s Member’s Statement today in the tabling of the annual report from the Office of the Fire Marshal, I thought I would bump it up in the elevation process.
I have a question for the Minister responsible for Community and Government Services.
Mr. Speaker, in the annual report from the Office of the Fire Marshal, it talks about a program, and I’m quoting from it, “a program to provide fire departments with funding to assist them with the delivery of fire prevention programs in the respective communities has been developed and will be rolled out early in 2014.”
What is the status of that program?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister of Community and Government Services, Hon. Minister Mr. Sammurtok.
We have provided some information to the local fire departments throughout Nunavut and we have asked them to either have a local training event or go to the schools and talk to the students on fire safety.
That’s what our local fire departments are doing at this time. (interpretation) Thank you.
I noted with some interest that there have been over $4 million in losses to infrastructure across Nunavut in the year 2013.
The minister responsible just stated that there are some programs being developed for community presentation with schools or community events.
I just wanted to maybe get some further clarification on what type of educational programs are going to be provided in all communities across Nunavut to educate not just youth in our schools and not just in our schools but younger youth and adults.
There’s a very big mix of the causes of a lot of these fires across the territory.
Maybe the minister could give me a little bit more detail on some of the educational programming that’s going to be involved.
One of the ways that we’re planning to do this, and we are doing it in some communities already, is that we partner up with the local housing associations so that they too can assist us in providing fire safety information to the tenants.
In the report, I noticed with very serious interest that there were 14 injuries or deaths listed in the report, 2 injuries being very serious and including 1 death.
As my colleague, Mr. Shooyook mentioned earlier, two very small children were responsible for starting a fire in his community and thank goodness they got out.
Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the information that the minister is providing on some the programs that are going to be rolled out at the community level, but I think what I’m looking for is more information and more public involvement from the Office of the Fire Marshal on a Nunavut-wide campaign to educate all Nunavummiut in all of our communities.
I would like a commitment on the minister’s part to further programming, not just leaving it up to the responsibility of the individual communities, but to have a Nunavut-wide campaign strategy.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister of Community and Government Services, Hon. Minister Mr. Sammurtok
Hon. Tom Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I’m not sure whether the member is aware.
However, over the last several months, we’ve had firefighter training events here in Iqaluit. In my Minister’s Statement earlier, I spoke about the firefighters also taking part in a competition nationally.
What we have asked firefighters who have come in for training, and there will be further training events taking place, is when they go back into their communities, is that they meet with local organizations and people in town to pass on the skills that they have learned with respect to fire prevention.
Member from Aivilik, Mr. Mapsalak.
Question 204 – 4(2): Laboratory Service Contracts (Mapsalak)
I wish to first apologize for directing my questions to the wrong minister. That was my mistake.
This is with respect to my earlier question about certain sample testing for animals harvested by our hunters. An example I could use is walrus meat, including other marine mammals in Nunavut where the meat is tested for parasites or diseases.
The past practice was to send the meat to Rankin Inlet for testing.
However, the laboratory was closed and shut down.
Can the minister provide a response as to what the reasons were for closing that laboratory in Rankin Inlet?
These are marine mammals under the federal government. The walrus testing laboratory closure is something I can ask the Department of Fisheries and Oceans about to find out the reasons for that office being closed in Rankin Inlet.
Any marine species requiring testing are usually undertaken by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Can the minister commit to trying to get that laboratory returned to Rankin Inlet? It is obvious that the office is still located in the community where the laboratory was used in Rankin Inlet.
Will the minister be attempting to have the laboratory returned to the community?
I will have to do research on that, as this is the first time I have heard of the laboratory being removed from Rankin Inlet, but I will get information from my staff members and find out as to what reason it has been removed from Rankin Inlet.
Question 205 – 4(2): Departmental Grants and Contributions Spending (Angnakak)
Ms. Angnakak (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I got in just in time.
As the minister is aware, his department provides annual funding to the Nunavut Economic Developers Association (NEDA).
NEDA is an “advocacy group for economic developers,” which undertakes such initiatives as training community economic development officers.
The amount of funding that the GN currently provides to NEDA is $225,000.
I am confident that the minister will agree that it is important that the Members of the Legislative Assembly have the opportunity to see how this funding is actually being spent.
Will the minister commit to tabling in the Legislative Assembly NEDA’s most recent annual report and financial statements before the end of our fall sitting?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, Hon. Minister Mr. Kuksuk.
Hon. George Kuksuk: Thank you, Uqaqtitsijii. (interpretation) Thank you very much.
Mr. Speaker, what I can tell the member is that if the information is readily available, I can commit to providing that information prior to the end of the fiscal year. (interpretation ends) I would be very glad to share it in the House.
Ms. Angnakak: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that commitment. The Commissioner of Nunavut’s Throne Speech that opened the current session of the Legislative Assembly stated that the government “must ensure funds provided to organizations, communities, and individuals adhere to better accountability practices that achieve the outcomes this government expects from its investment.”
The Department of ED&T’s current budget includes over $21 million in grants and contributions. Can the minister indicate how his department is working to ensure that it gets value for money from the funding that it provides to such organizations as NEDA?
As I have made a statement at the beginning of the fiscal year under our department, the programs as stated by the member, we have provided the information on different types of programs we offer, what needs to be feasibly changed, what is a difficult situation, and we have commented on the programs that are working under our department.
Following the statements that I have made, if programs are not efficiently operating, then we would need to make changes and what needs to be removed from the program because of a lack of operations.