EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The training requirement is quite critical in our estimation, especially when the GLO is first hired.
However, when they first start working, it can take some time to get started, as equipment needs to be sent to them, items such as computers, faxes, and other office supplies they require to undertake their duties. Sometimes the equipment doesn’t arrive together either.
However, newly hired employees are brought to Iqaluit where, as a group, they are given training and this practice will continue with all future hires under this program. This training is part of their duties. Another thing I want to mention is that some of the duties include information services.
Perhaps I should state the next section in English. (interpretation ends) The government liaison officer is responsible for delivering Government of Nunavut information services at the community level and ensuring two-way communication with the public.
I am just adding that because the member had requested further information as to exactly what they do.
As the GLOs will be the one central point of contact for each community, the GLOs will provide the utmost quality of professionalism and services through ensuring government services are easily accessed, reliable information is delivered, providing bilingual Inuktitut and English services, and ensuring that reliable information is distributed, obtain feedback from the public on the Government of Nunavut, delivering some of the GN programs at the community level, and coordinating collaboration between the government agencies.
The liaison officer plays a key role in implementing the strategic direction for the Government Liaison Officers program and ensures that the action reflects corporate policies, goals, and objectives.
The incumbent implements the coordination and integration of departmental GLO activities and ensures that the outcome of those activities support the corporate agenda and the government mandate.
This is the overall essence of GLOs’ responsibilities. Of course, each GLO officer in the community has their specific job description tailored to that community.
As we’re all aware, food security is definitely a big issue across the territory and keeps coming up. It has received national attention and international attention with the spotlight put on the UN.
Recently, as recent as this morning, Mr. Taptuna was announcing, through the Nunavut Anti-Poverty Secretariat, that a pilot project will be run in ten communities for the tracking and monitoring of food prices across the territory.
I was wondering if the minister could commit, at this point, if talks about volunteers who will visit retail stores to determine the cost of a variety of goods… . I appreciate volunteering and I think it’s great that people do volunteer.
My suggestion to the Premier, if she’s willing to take it, is she had mentioned earlier that there are 16 GLOs across the territory already and maybe the GLOs could be assigned the task of doing that in the 16 communities that do have a GLO and, instead of finding ten volunteers, only finding nine volunteers in the communities that do not have GLOs.
That way, we’re covering all 25 communities and getting the data that we need sent to Vital Statistics in Pangnirtung to be able to provide the information to show that Nutrition North is not working for our communities.
In the short term, the department can’t state that yes, we will do that right away.
However, the responsible department is ED&T and they have a committee which is named the Food Security Coalition Committee. They’re quite busy undertaking strategies to map out the required activities in this area. It includes deliberation as to whether the GLOs should be within this mandate, but it may require further negotiation.
Nonetheless, I can’t state factually at this time whether that will be the case with these positions.
We will move on in our orders of the day. Mr. Elliott.
I would like to request unanimous consent to go back in the Orders of the Day to Item 5, Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery.
The member is seeking unanimous consent to go back to Item 5 in the Orders of the Day, Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery.
It’s not often that I get to introduce people in the House.
Reflecting on what Mr. Tapardjuk was talking about this morning in his Member’s Statement about family, I agree 100 percent with Mr. Tapardjuk in terms of families come in all shapes and sizes. As I continue to serve in the High Arctic as an MLA, I feel that all three communities are starting to become one big happy family.
So it’s an honour today to recognize one of our hard-working law enforcement officers. There was a lot of talk in question period today about the work that the Department of Justice is doing as well as the RCMP. We’re lucky enough to have one of the members here, Russell Akeeagok from Grise Fiord, who is now presently living in Iqaluit.
He is here with his son Tyler. They both just came up from Ottawa. Tyler plays for the Canadian International Hockey Academy.
He’s here this weekend to play hockey. As well, their brother P.J. Akeeagok and his daughter, I think, who has fallen asleep, are there.
So I ask all members to join me in welcoming these individuals in the Assembly today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I think she just woke up.
I, too, would like to recognize the people. Mr. Elliott just recognized all of them here, but particularly Russell for his work that he’s doing with the RCMP and the dedication he is serving this territory with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Motion 044 – 3(3): Extended Sitting Hours and Days – Notice (Rumbolt)
I give notice that on Monday, March 11, 2013, I will move the following motion:
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet South and Whale Cove, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker deems fit to assist with the business before the House during the winter of 2013 sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
Motions. Mr. Rumbolt.
The member is seeking unanimous consent to deal with his motion today. Are there any nays?
There are none. Please proceed, Mr. Rumbolt.
Just hang on a second.
Sorry about the technical difficulties that we had there.
Motion 044 – 3(3): Extended Sitting Hours and Days (Ningeongan)
Bill 54 – An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act – Second Reading
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet South and Whale Cove, that Bill 54, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Income Tax Act to harmonize with federal legislation.
Bill 54 has had second reading and it is referred to the Standing Committee on Legislation.
Bill 56 – Write-off of Assets Act, No. 1, 2011-2012 – Second Reading
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet South and Whale Cove, that Bill 56, Write-off of Assets Act, No. 1, 2011-2012, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the write-off of assets in accordance with sections 24 and 82 of the Financial Administration Act.
Bill 56 has had second reading and it is referred to the Standing Committee on Legislation.
Before we proceed to the Committee of the Whole, we will take a 21-minute break.
>>House recessed at 15:12 and Committee resumed at 15:41
We wish to continue with the review of the main estimates for the Department of Education, followed by the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
If time permits, we would like to commence with the review of the Department of Family Services.
Are we in agreement to continue with our review of the main estimates for the Department of Education?
Chairman (interpretation): Does the committee agree to bring in Minister Aariak and her witnesses?
Madam Minister, please go to the witness table.
Thank you for appearing before the committee, Minister Aariak and your officials.
To my left is my Deputy Minister, Kathy Okpik, and to my right is Heather Moffett, Controller at the Department of Education.
Chairman (interpretation): Madam Minister, I didn’t catch what you just said as I was busy with another matter.
Can you please reintroduce your witnesses?
To my left is my Deputy Minister, Kathy Okpik, and to my right is Heather Moffett, Controller.
Now that I am listening to the right channel, I now understand who they are. Thank you. I want to welcome you both.
Members, yesterday we left off at a certain point, and just to remind you, in the English version, we were on page G-6. I apologize. This is in regard to my last comment.
I will just use the English copy. (interpretation ends) Education. Branch Summary.
Corporate Services. (interpretation) Page G-6. I have two names on my list.
Mr. Ningark: Thank you and good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Madam Minister and her officials.
Corporate Services covers the human resource development, information technology, administration, and financial services.
This particular activity requires a solid linguistic skill to do. Many of our young people are leaving grades 10, 11, and 12 and go to work without having sufficient literacy skills.
I think that is hurting our endeavour to fill about 80 percent plus jobs in this government. I think we have our work cut out for us in that area.
At home, when I hear mothers and parents talking with their kindergarten kids and grade 7, right up to the grade 12 level, people who are under 50, it is all mostly in English.
I hear parents talking to their children by phone almost always in English.
Mr. Chairman, people are chatting online only in English, in some cases, eight to ten hours a day.
I think that is a threat from English to Inuktitut.
I don’t know if we have strategies to ensure that we have young people graduating from high school who have solid linguistic skills.
I’m wondering if Madam Minister has any strategy at all to ensure that we are producing, in all schools, right from K to grade 12, students who have very strong, solid linguistic skills, who have the sufficient literacy skills so that we can start hiring them.
We want to be able to compete for the job market not only in Nunavut, but in the other two territories and across the country.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank the member for asking that question about whether our department has any strategies with regard to literacy programs.
If it is okay with you, Mr. Chairman, I would like to correct a comment I made yesterday first of all.
Chairman (interpretation): Go ahead. I give you the opportunity.
Yesterday, when I was talking about my opening comments, there were 88.1 PYs that were going over to Social Services and I said $57,000 instead of $57,645,000.
Thank you for allowing me to correct that mistake for the record.
Regarding the question that was posed by the member, each individual DEA sets out what language of instruction will be used in English. It’s up to the district education authorities.
I understand exactly what your concern is. When we’re texting or chatting online, we just use English and some of us do chat or text in roman orthography, but the only way I can respond to your question is that the DEAs at the community level are the ones who set the language of instruction.
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): I would like to thank the hon. minister for that response. I also thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Government of Nunavut hires individuals. The private sector, NGOs, contractors, and so on at the community level and in Nunavut as a whole, they hire competent, able individuals in the larger centres, in the regional level, and in the smaller communities.
In regard to literacy aptitude, whether it’s in Inuktitut or English, if you’re not competent, then it might slow down the process of completing tasks.
However, we have to work hard to upgrade the literacy skills of today’s students so that they can access different jobs, instruction manuals, and so on, and also the mining developments that are hiring more and more people.
They require heavy equipment operators and informatics and other levels, but it might also become a safety factor if their literacy skills are too low.
The Workers’ Compensation and Safety Commission has laws or policies that we have to abide by.
So I’m urging your department to upgrade the literacy skills for those who can access those types of employment and other opportunities.
Is it not possible for your department to set up such a policy so that the communities, the parents, the DEAs, and the students can have a goal?
It also helps a lot to have a counsellor.
It is up to all of us, but it says here that Corporate Services is also responsible for information technology, human resource development, administration, financial services, and so on.
I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.
Mr. Elliott: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to centre in on the Information Technology component of Corporate Services.
In terms of the information technology for schools across the territory, does this department provide the connection and the support to all schools?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Elliott. Madam Minister.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Madam Minister. Yes, Mr. Elliott.
Mr. Elliott: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In terms of the use of the Internet in the school, is that a responsibility… ? Sometimes I find it confusing as to whose responsibility is what, whether it is the Department of Education, QSO, DEAs, principals, or school administration.
In terms of school usage of computers and Internet access, is that something mandated by the Department of Education or do DEAs give consent as to the use of the Internet at the schools? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s under School Operations. I would like to thank the member for the question.
Mr. Chairman, if you would give my deputy an opportunity, I would like her to respond to the question. Thank you.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Aariak. Ms. Okpik.
Ms. Okpik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Currently, with computers in schools and technology and how they’re hooked up, we have three PYs within the Department of Education located in the regional school offices that are responsible for approximately 5,000 computers across the territory. Currently, these 5,000 computers are on the Community Service Network, which we refer to as the CSN. This is used by teachers and students.
They use the non-government email system. It is the FirstClass System. This is used by Arctic College as well at the community learning centres.
Also, public libraries and health centres are on this Community Service Network. Currently, everybody is hooked up.
We are engaged in a pilot project right now with nine schools in Coral Harbour, Arviat, Baker Lake, and Rankin Inlet. We have purchased 27 computers that will be going to the principal, the vice-principal, and the secretary, and to bring them on to the Core Business Network, which we refer to as the CBN, which is the government network.
So those 27 employees will actually have a government email address.
That is in the pilot stage right now. After that pilot stage is done, we will eventually bring all teachers onto the Core Business Network where they will all get a GN email address.
That will be supported by help desk staff with the community and government services department.
Again, the major portion of this is to implement the student information system so that teachers can do real-life reporting of attendance class by class and course by course. (interpretation) Thank you.
In terms of the email system that you are talking about with FirstClass, I understand now that they will have the ability to have @gov.nu that actually helps with help desk messages and whatnot. Under the Information and Privacy Act, are the emails of the FirstClass clients ATIPP-able?
If an ATIPP request was put through, are those accessed just the same as Government of Nunavut documents?
Yes, as soon as they have a GN address, they can be accessible.
The other part of the question is right now, I believe, for someone in one of the High Arctic communities, it would be the person’s name and then “@qikiqtani.nu.”
So I’m wondering: are those under the same ATIPP rules?
Yes, they are currently using that as well under ATIPP.
In terms of the services provided with the different servers that are available and whatnot, I know communities do have servers.
For the Department of Education, are the servers under contract with CGS or is it specifically under Corporate Services that the Internet, databases, and the collection of information are under the Department of Education or are they shared partly with the CGS technology department?
Yes, they are also accessible to CGS.
I’m not sure if I understood the reply from the Premier.
In terms of security, with the questions that have been asked before in terms of our health records are held by the Department of Health, but then CGS has security protocols in place and I think we went through questioning about that, I’m very satisfied that the security level is good for our health records and within CGS.
My question was: are the same security protocols in place for the Department of Education or does CGS handle that?
That’s what I was trying to determine.
The Department of Education is using the CGS networks in regard to the first question.
With respect to his other question, I don’t have that information available right now. I’m sorry.
For my next line of questions, I wanted to ask specifically about student access to computers.
From what I have been able to find out, I know that before students and even staff come online and start using the computer, they sign a usage agreement that they will not… .
What we talked about over the last couple of days in terms of bullying or misusing the Internet in ways that it shouldn’t be, I know that when students are online, they sign an agreement as well, which makes perfect sense.
Are there any policies within the Department of Education or our schools that outline the use of social media in the schools?
Yes, there’s a policy in place under the Department of Education.
Is it possible for the minister to explain what types of roles they actually have or commit to the tabling of the policy or providing the committee with the policy?
I don’t have all the details in front of me, but my Deputy Minister, Kathy Okpik, will outline it so you can have the information.
I will allow you to speak, Ms. Okpik.
Ms. Okpik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) All teachers are Government of Nunavut employees, so they are bound by the same policies.
The acceptable Internet usage policy is applicable to them.
We did send a letter out last year when all schools got connected. What was to take place was currently what sites are banned for regular government employees the same thing applies to schools and teachers. For example, Facebook is not accessible, YouTube is not accessible, but the educational portion of YouTube, for example, is accessible.
A lot of that was due to bandwidth. We didn’t have the bandwidth. Actually, the systems were crashing.
We can actually determine the number of hits because we can analyze and keep track of all the sites that they’re going to. For example, within the first week, I think we had like 1,700 Facebook hits. We decided that they needed to use the bandwidth for educational purposes, so we did ban the use of Facebook and Youtube.
For teachers, there is a process in place that if a teacher wants access to a certain site that they’re not able to log on to right away, there is a review committee that actually takes the address, reviews it for content, and then will allow the access. So there is a committee struck up.
So it’s not just a stop-all. It’s similar to our access. If we’re on Internet here on the government Core Business Network, if there is something that you feel you want to see, we do have a system in place for teachers to be able to access.
One example last week that I saw was on fracking.
The students were learning about fracking, but there was a site that prevented them from visiting it. So this came to the committee.
The intent is for that Internet site to be available to students to learn about that subject area. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I had a couple of constituents raise some issues when Idle No More first came out. There were some sites that they weren’t able to access. I had some concerns about providing information technology and being able to access it.
So in terms of students within schools across Nunavut, they do not have access within the school to Facebook or Facebook groups. Is that correct?
Kathy already elaborated on the reason why that is the case and when and how they can access those websites. They have the ability to access those sites.
What I was going to raise was that if we don’t have access to Facebook, are there ways and is the government working on ways of actually trying to deal with this situation if you’re getting 17,000 hits or whatnot?
On the help desk, the Government of Nunavut has its own Facebook page and it’s asking and encouraging people to “Like.” This came out over the help desk, yet no GN employee can actually access Facebook unless they go after school or work to access it. It’s just one of those things that are new technology and we need to try and figure out guidelines and working around it.
I think the problem seems to be a bandwidth issue, which is probably tied to funding as well.
Is the department looking into that to work out the kinks and try and find out what bandwidth is maybe acceptable and put a dollar value to that?
With the up-and-coming technology, it seems that we always came in second due to bandwidth issues.
As my deputy minister explained earlier, with issues of bandwidth and the fact that the students can actually access Facebook at certain times, we have CAP sites in the schools and those are accessible.
Keeping in mind that the priority is for learning due to bandwidth availability, I know getting involved with other valuable social network issues is also part of learning material, but there are also curricula and lessons to be taught in each classroom.
Kathy will add on. I think you had another question to your first question. I’ll ask Kathy, if the Chair will allow her, to provide additional information.
Ms. Okpik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) The question that was asked before is if there was capability for schools to access Facebook.
Some district education authorities have their own connection that’s either through Qiniq, for example.
So that may be one possibility where they may be accessing the social media sites, but the rules still apply.
I wanted to just give you an example of how much bandwidth costs.
For example, students who want to take distance education can’t take it either on the Core Business Network or the Core Services Network.
We just don’t have that capability right now. We do have students who are taking distance education outside of the systems.
We were looking into providing distance education because we find that students are successful when there is a teacher attached to the teaching of the distance ed. course.
When we look at having dedicated bandwidth of two megabytes, it’s at a cost of $12,100 per month and about $145,000 per year.
This will allow one teacher to teach a class simultaneously with ten students.
That’s the cost of purchasing additional bandwidth.
Two megabytes is $145,000 for us to be able to offer a distance ed. program with a dedicated teacher online. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman: Thank you, Ms. Okpik. (interpretation) Let me remind you that we’re on page G-6.
Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $2,824,000.
Turn to page G-7.
I would like to go back to the question that I had asked in the House yesterday in regard to social promotion or continuous progression, whichever you want to call it.