EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
You said $200,000, indicating that it’s too expensive. What if there were a tragic accident because of a caribou: which would be worth more, $200,000 or the lives of the people that were in the accident?
Yes, people would be more valuable as we all know.
In Baker Lake, I have thought about this. Every time we are expecting a plane in Baker Lake, the airport workers there always have to check to make sure there are no animals like caribou on the runway, and so this has been a problem, too, in Baker Lake.
Will he commit to looking at the situation at the Coral Harbour airport?
Hon. David Simailak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. As I mentioned earlier, we are trying to explore how we can start working on this for Transportation, not just in Coral Harbour but in many other communities.
Question 284 – 2(2): Clarify on Department of Energy
My question is for the Minister Responsible for Qulliq Energy Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, over the last two or three weeks since we’ve been sitting here, we’ve heard many references to a minister of energy.
It’s in the Hansard, it’s in the media, it’s in all kinds of reports.
I’ve looked at the Government of Nunavut’s organization chart, and I can’t find a department of energy. So, can the minister tell me if there is a department of energy in the Government of Nunavut, since he is often referred to as Minister of Energy?
It’s all in the schematic of the definition of what is being used.
For example, the Premier has designated me as the minister responsible for the issue of homelessness.
I am not the minister of homelessness; I am responsible for the issue of homelessness.
There is no department of energy.
Energy is a portfolio.
Mr. Speaker, during questioning in the House the last couple of days, it was learned that I am the minister for multiculturalism, which is a portfolio.
Mr. Speaker, I am also the minister responsible for immigration, which is a portfolio.
There is no money attached to these, there is no extra staff working with the minister, other than the EA. It’s just a designation.
It is the nuance of the verbiage that was used.
There is no department of energy; there is a minister responsible for energy and energy related issues.
It’s a portfolio, not a department.
That certainly clarifies a few things for me.
I think it’s very important that we be clear on what we’re talking about in the House, so that when the folks are reading the Hansard and listening in on the television, they know what we’re talking about and that we don’t confuse them anymore.
The minister made a reference in the March 2, 2005 Hansard to an energy resource centre in the Department of Finance.
Can the minister clarify for the House and the public what he meant when he referred to an energy resource centre that the Department of Finance is opening?
What I was referring to is, there are some monies within the budget of the Government of Nunavut, not budget of the Department of Finance, to look at energy and energy related issues and matters.
There has been an agreement signed off by the Qulliq Energy Corporation with our partners, the federal government, for us to open up an energy centre.
That proposal was submitted to the government over a year ago.
The federal government has responded very favourably to it.
It’s a 50-50 cost share arrangement with the government.
So, there is an energy centre, and in that context, through the Qulliq Energy Corporation, in the budget statement, I’m talking about the whole budget of the government, there were some energy related matters in there on some of the department.
I thank the minister for that.
I’m sure it will become clearer as the months come.
My supplementary: the Auditor General of Canada noted, in her appearance before the Standing Committee on Government Operations last June, that the Government of Nunavut doesn’t have an energy policy.
She certainly thought it was a necessary policy that we should have.
Would the minister tell us which Government of Nunavut department or agency will take the lead in developing an energy policy for Nunavut?
The Auditor General gets almost 99 percent of the things right and in this case, just one percent, she has missed something.
If memory serves me, in December 2003 a comprehensive energy policy was adopted by the government.
Part of that was the proposal that I just spoke about, the member asked me about, which was the energy resource centre, for which we actually applied to the federal government in 2004 and there has been money that they have accepted to sign off on it.
So, there is an energy policy, a comprehensive policy, that was adopted in 2003. We are still following that policy.
The member is correct that there hasn’t been a policy brought forward since March or April of 2004, in the term of this new government.
That is something that I know that the Qulliq Energy Corporation, along with this minister, has had some discussions on, indeed, in the last couple of weeks, about bringing something forward to the cabinet to augment the document that went before cabinet in 2003.
I am sure the Auditor General will read the minutes with pleasure and note that 99 percent of what she says is correct.
Obviously, she did the audit on the Qulliq Energy Corporation last year.
I take it that the minister is saying that Nunavut Power Corporation… . I take it that the minister agrees with all her comments and observations.
My supplementary is: last year there was a reference to an alternative energy division within the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
My question is, can the minister tell the House if this division still exists and if so, what it does for us?
We had two things.
One was the Affordable Energy Fund, which was a concept, an idea, a hypothetical situation, where we would take all the funds that were dedicated towards subsidies, purchases, and the generation of energy within Nunavut, oil and so on.
That would be a fund, and the idea was to have all those dollars chartered in one fund.
The idea would be that it would be more transparent on the way we actually subsidize and cross-subsidize and so on with our energy related matters.
That is, again, a concept and idea plan.
It has never been put into place.
It was one of the recommendations that came out of Ikuma I and Ikuma II.
The second part of the member’s question, if I am reading him correctly: within the Qulliq Energy Corporation, under the engineering division, they have a section there, a group of people who are actually working on alternative energy matters, for example, the energy centre that the member just talked about.
For example, in the last two weeks in the House I have talked about the re-heat program where we are up and running in 2006-07. We will be taking thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases out of the emissions of the power corporation.
In that regard, these guys are working for the engineering section of the power corporation.
I don’t know if this phraseology would be the verbiage that the member used.
Question 285 – 2(2): Adequate Vehicles for Health Centres
In my member’s statement and comments the health and social services committee was told that we need to get adequate vehicles because we have patients with special needs and they have to be transported from the nursing station to the airport.
Has anything been done in regards to that?
We talked about this, and all of the communities were expecting vehicles that could transport people with disabilities.
We were told that all the communities would receive one, but I am not exactly sure when that will happen and I am not sure which community would be first to receive a vehicle that’s bigger to transport people with disability.
So, I will find out for the member as to when we will purchase those and which community will be first.
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I would also like to thank the minister for responding to my question.
Could the minister tell the House which communities have received those vehicles and which communities don’t have any?
The documents are not in front of me, so I am not sure how many communities have received those vehicles and which have not.
Once I find out all of that information, I will get back to the member.
This also has an impact on passengers that are leaving on scheduled flights. When the ministers were visiting one of the communities, they talked about this issue, about no ramps being put on those vehicles.
Are we going to be getting more for our community?
I will look into this issue: you mentioned Nanisivik and the ramps.
Well, I am not talking about Nanisivik.
Nanisivik doesn’t exist anymore, but the airport is up there at that location.
My question is: are we going to be getting a ramp so that they will have access to those aircraft, especially for those vehicles?
To date, there are a lot of things that we have to do, including looking at the equipment required.
I will look into it and make sure that is done expeditiously.
Speaker (interpretation): Oral questions. Member for Hudson Bay, Mr. Kattuk.
Question 286 – 2(2): Plan to Visit Paris in Regards to Sealskins
I will direct my question to the Minister of Environment.
As a preamble, Inuit are conservationists, and they hunt animals just for sustenance.
My question to the minister is in regards to this issue that was brought up in Paris, where there were protests against the use of sealskins.
I would like to ask the Minister of Environment: is he going to be going to be over there to make sure that the people over there understand what it’s like up here in Nunavut?
On this issue with animal rights activists, once we figure out what kind of impact it would have, it will be up to the Department of Environment to put a campaign together to visit those countries, to educate them on what it’s like up here in Nunavut and in the North, on how sealskins and seals are used, and to make sure that they understand that we use seals for sustenance and other uses.
If there is an impact, then it will be up to the government to make sure that the people overseas are educated.
I’m very pleased to hear the minister’s plan.
There are Inuit at the community level who use the whole seal, the products and the by-products.
If the minister is going to get anything going, then I would suggest that they talk to the people to find out exactly how the skin, the meat, and the by-products are used.
Once he gets his action plan going, will he be consulting the elders at the community level, or what is his plan?
I will make sure that Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is used, because, of course, as a government we have made a decision to implement it.
If we’re going to any of the Nunavut communities, I will make sure that Inuit are consulted on how best to approach this and how best we can educate the people from outside and to see what would have the most impact and would be most educational.
That would be for the animal rights activists.
We will definitely use Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit if we have to do something.
We, as a government, have committed to using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
Mr. Kattuk (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, that’s it for me.
Question 287 – 2(2): Theoretical or Hypothetical Legislation
I want to follow up on responses that the minister responsible for the energy portfolio gave to my colleague in some earlier questioning.
He had indicated at that point that some things were hypothetical and theoretical, and I would just like to ask the minister: if there is something hypothetical and theoretical, would they put something like that into legislation?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for Energy, Mr. Picco.
Well, we’re not supposed to answer hypothetical questions.
I can say, for the record, in any type of legislation there are triggering mechanisms for that legislation.
For example, Mr. Speaker, the legislation may be enabling legislation brought forward in the House that says legislation introduced in June, it may say, June of 2005, that by June 2008 a fund will be set up, for example. It could be in the legislation that in April 2007, that a fund is supposedly set up under legislation.
So, in those types of cases, there are trigger mechanisms within legislation that a hypothetical fund that is not in place under legislation could be set up, that an action, a position, a placement could be in place.It is very difficult to answer hypothetical questions on hypothetical funds and hypothetical concepts.
So, I hope that helps settle the hypothetical issue.
Theoretically, it does, Mr. Speaker.
The minister alluded to a hypothetical fund, something that would be enabling, and in the Utility Rate Review Council Act, there is a clause in there that states that there will be an affordable energy fund.
That fund doesn’t exist, as the minister pointed out earlier, and we don’t know if it will exist. He also explained what the purpose of having that fund would be there.
My question to the minister is, is this new Nunavut Electrical Subsidy Program, is that going to replace the affordable energy fund that is outlined in the Act?
Again, for clarity purposes, in the Ikuma I and Ikuma II report, it stated that we had, as a government, and as people, an addiction to oil. That’s the only way we have in realistic terms today to generate electricity.
Because of that, there are a lot of cross subsidies that are occurring within the government and have occurred in the past.
The Ikuma I and the Ikuma II reports pointed that out and said one way of being transparent is to set up an affordable energy fund, and we would take all of these cross subsidies and subsidize the amount spent on remediation of tank farms, on the purchase of fuel, on the subsidies that are in place for homeowners, businesses, and so on and so forth, and you have one fund that would be voted in the House, and everyone in Nunavut would see.
That was the purpose of the affordable energy fund.
It has not come into fruition, meaning it has not come into play.
Other events have overtaken it.
The legislation allows for the mechanism to be able to do the fund.
That’s what the legislation states.
That’s my understanding of it.
I would still like to ask the question I asked the last time because I don’t believe the minister answered it.
My question was, will this new Nunavut Electrical Subsidy Program replace the affordable energy fund?
I did answer the question.
You cannot replace something that’s not there.
It wasn’t there, so how can you replace it?
So, the short answer would be that the amount that the subsidy program has talked about is not the same thing as the concept of the affordable energy fund.
It cannot be replaced because it never started.
Something has to be there to replace it with.
In this case, that did not occur.
The minister indicated that it’s not there.
He also indicated that it is in legislation.
My question is, when will it be there?
Again, in all seriousness, it was hypothetical; it was a concept, it was an idea that has not occurred.
When the legislation was put in place, there was a mechanism to be able to trigger that, and that has not occurred.
The member asked me, “when?”Again, I use the phrase sometimes, and I’ll use it again, I’m not Nostradamus.
I can’t see the future.
So, I can’t say when that would occur.
That is something where there has to be a discussion of the full House, to see how that would move forward, and it would mean rearranging budgets and the way the processes are done in the House, because, as we said earlier, the concept is to take all of the money spent on energy and have it into that amount of dollars, a fund that would then be voted in the House.
I don’t know when that would occur, Mr. Speaker.
I believe there is merit in the plan.
Again, other events have overtaken it.
Question 288 – 2(2): Update on Fish Plant in the Kivalliq Region
I would like to ask the minister of Economic Development a question.
Last year, some members spoke to him about the hunting and fishing that Inuit love to do. We all know and like to discuss fishing.
There’s a lot of fish that we can get in the Kivalliq region.
We heard, again, during the discussions about an action plan, and we sort of thought that the government would look into this and then they would put it in place.
What is the status of this action plan since April 1 of last year?
What has his department done about fish plants in the Kivalliq region?
Speaker (interpretation): The Minister Responsible for Economic Development, Minister Simailak.
My staff has been working on the idea of having a fishery, as has the Nunavut Development Corporation.
We have tried to find out, if there were to be a fish plant, who we would be buying the fish from.
We have not solved anything yet.
That is the only thing, but we are still working on it.
In recent years that there have been some caribou hunts in Coral Harbour; we’ve seen it flown into Rankin Inlet for processing. I believe 40,000 pounds are brought in each flight, but that large airplane would return to wherever it came from empty.
It seems like we would have woken up by now, knowing that there is a fish plant in the Kivalliq region. It would seem easy enough to establish a quota for fish in the large lakes around the Kivalliq, especially when we see huge sums of money being wasted and all these men, who could be busy making a living from fishing, are not considered.
Has there been any thought by the department whether there could be a commercial quota established in the Kivalliq region?
I have heard that before, that the lakes around Baker Lake all have quotas assigned to them.
If that is so, I would think that all the large lakes in the Kivalliq region also have quotas.
You are very lucky that in the Baker Lake area you have a quota assigned.
There used to be a quota assigned from Rankin Inlet almost all the way down to Churchill, but it has since lapsed, because quotas that had been set for the lakes expire when they are not exercised.
There are a lot of people that want some fish to buy, people from the south.
I feel that this has to be done right away because there are young men out there that would like to do some commercial fishing.
Indeed, it would be worthwhile for the government to make an investment since we, as a government, already gives out large amounts of money and there is nothing to show for it.
I would like to ask the minister, in regard to the lakes that previously had quotas set, if documents could be tabled that specify which lakes and what quotas are assigned to each lake?
Yes, I will look into the member’s concerns and get my staff to look into the member’s questions and to search for the documents to find out the previous quotas that were assigned to those lakes.
Mr. Alagalak (interpretation): Yes, thank you very much, and I would like to thank the minister because I feel this is very important.
I am just making a comment that it’s a good thing that we have an Economic Development and Transportation minister to look into those things now.
Question 289 – 2(2): Energy Subsidy
I would like to address the Minister Responsible for Energy.
Next month, we will be getting a subsidy for the first 700 kilowatt-hours for residents of Nunavut.
As December 21 is the first day of winter, what is the day that you will start the subsidy to residents?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for energy, Mr. Picco.
I think it is October to March.
Mr. Netser (interpretation): I didn’t really get the minister’s response. (interpretation ends) Maybe he can rephrase that in English.
From October to March. (interpretation ends) It will start, Mr. Speaker, in October, November, December, January, February, March.
So, that’s a six month period. We don’t go by the South’s calendar, we go by the Gregorian calendar, which starts in October, to March.
Since summer would start… . I think if it’s a bit too early, would you perhaps go all the way to the end of July instead?
I think that’s an excellent suggestion.
I think the idea here is to be able to subsidize Nunavut residential customers for the period that is traditionally the coldest in Nunavut, but you would never tell by looking at a calendar.
For example, over the last couple of weeks, we can see global warming in effect.
Mr. Speaker, I think October, November, December, January, February, March, based on a number of clients… . There was some research done with the power corporation when the high-use months were for residential customers and when the most impact of the subsidy amounts would be put in place.
Mr. Speaker, those were the months that we just talked about.
Question 290 – 2(2): Affordable Fuel for Umingmaktok and Bathurst Inlet
Just some background, Mr. Speaker: last year, two communities in my riding of Umingmaktok and Bathurst Inlet almost didn’t receive a fuel supply for this current fiscal year.
In an ad hoc arrangement for the previous several years, two or three government departments managed to provide them with fuel.
Then, through the government’s restructuring last year, that fuel supply was in jeopardy, and thank goodness to the Department of Environment, they came through and saved the day for the two communities.
They were able to assist them through the Community Harvest Assistance Program.
However, Mr. Speaker, the minister’s officials told me that they were going to try to work on a long-term solution for an affordable fuel supply beginning this year, April 1, 2005.
So my question for the minister: has the minister directed his department to find a long-term solution to the fuel supply in Umingmaktok and Bathurst Inlet?
I have talked to my staff and we will be looking for options on the fuel supply to these two communities.
I think it is important to make sure that we look carefully into the issues around it.
I believe there should be some way that we can deal with the issue.
I think we will do our very best to make sure the communities know how we are going to proceed with that.
As a minister, I will commit to letting Mr. Peterson know where we are and update him on what we are going to do with that.
I thank the minister for that reply and that method.
There are between 10 and 25 people in each community, in Umingmaktok and Bathurst Inlet, and also between 5 and 10 houses.
If we do not have a secure supply soon, people will have to move to Cambridge Bay.
We already have a pressing housing crisis in Cambridge Bay, despite the methodology used by Nunavut Housing Corporation.
So, I think it is very important that we find a way to help the people down there to live their traditional lifestyle and not being worried whether they will have fuel.
Can I get a commitment from the minister that these two communities will have an affordable supply of fuel in the upcoming fiscal year?
Yes, we will look into that carefully and see how we can resolve the situation.
Regarding the delivery of fuel to the smaller communities, we will look for ways of how we can give more support.
Again, I thank the minister for committing to look into finding ways, but can I get a commitment from the minister that the two communities will receive some assistance for fuel in the upcoming fiscal year: yes or no?
Like I said in the first answer, we will look into ways of paying for the fuel.
I think it is better for me to review our options for this year’s fuel supply before committing to anything particular.
Can I get a commitment from the minister that I can get this information before the session ends, whether it is on Friday, Monday, or next Wednesday, before I leave Iqaluit to go back to Cambridge Bay, because I want to visit these two communities in early April and they are going to ask me about this.
I think we still have three or four more days of sitting.
So, I will commit to giving him the information before he leaves.
Question 291 – 2(2): Tabling of Nunavumi Namminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti Report
I would like to direct my questions in regard to NNI policy to the Minister of Economic Development.
I would appreciate it if he could table the document during the committee of the whole so that we can review it, and if there were any recommendations, I would also appreciate it if he could include those recommendations.
I wonder if the minister can commit to tabling those documents.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, Mr Simailak.
I don’t really remember.