EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
They even sell their own Grizzly sports wear, hoodies, sweaters, and sweatshirts, and so on, and they use that money to be able to provide some of the promotional activities that they’re doing in the community.
The Department of Education and the local DEA supports that program. We provide logistic as well as administrative support.
For example, some of the leaders of the Grizzly Program are teachers who do extracurricular work outside the regular work hours and we should say, Mr. Speaker, for the record, that the majority of our teachers support and spend a lot of time outside the regular nine to five classroom time, in-school time, providing sports instruction and volunteering in our communities, and that’s well welcomed by all of our communities.
Question 579 – 2(4): Conservation Officer Needed in Kugaaruk (Mapsalak)
My question is directed to the Minister for Environment.
I’m aware that in Nunavut, there are several communities without conservation officers, as is the case with the other community in my constituency, Kugaaruk, and they have been devoid of a conservation officer for quite some time.
They are also experiencing problems, especially more so when they wish to submit their furs for sale. Without anyone to look after the furs, they just end up sitting around and waiting.
Can the minister advise me as to when his department expects to have a conservation officer in Kugaaruk?
I’m not certain when they will get a conservation officer, but I can probably let the member know today because that process is handled by the Department of Human Resources.
As with other staff, our conservation officers also resign due to various reasons, but this is one of our priorities and we are training new Inuit conservation officers.
I expect to add three more trainees for this year’s conservation officer training.
Is the minister aware whether or not this position has been opened in Kugaaruk?
I will check to see which positions are open for competition.
Can the minister get back to me on this issue prior to the end of the session?
Yes, I will look into this immediately. I will have my officials check into this and I will inform the member as soon as that information is made available.
Question 580 – 2(4): Medical Travel in the Kivalliq (Curley)
Mr. Speaker, recently, we heard that the government’s medical travel contract for the Kivalliq region for medical travel to Churchill and/or Winnipeg was awarded.
As a result of these contractual arrangements, concerns have been brought to my attention by medical travel clients, especially elders, who have been downgraded to travelling on long and uncomfortable milk run flights between Rankin Inlet and Winnipeg. This roundabout flight can last up to six or seven hours.
Mr. Speaker, the elders are not pleased that they are required to travel on the milk run service, despite having serious illnesses and occasionally needing to use oxygen on the flight.
This is a step backwards to the level of service we had 20 or more years ago, based on this contract. The minister has the authority to insert conditions or to amend the contract, especially with respect to shortening the flight times for patients that require intensive care.
Will the minister agree to doing a review of the contract and amend it as necessary to ensure that elderly medical travel clients can travel on direct service jet airplanes, which only last two hours between Rankin Inlet and Winnipeg, and to include the patients who are travelling from further north?
The routes that the member refers to, from what I understand, most of those routes have been existing routes in the region that were used by the department in the past.
In cases where the member said, in Rankin Inlet and so on, from what I understand, the majority of the routes that were used in the companies going forward with their biddings, most were already in place to provide services from Rankin Inlet down to Churchill and Winnipeg is what I understand.
It does not take a whole lot of evaluation to figure out which route I’m talking about as they don’t have an alternative transportation route.
The actual contractual arrangements for medical travel were awarded to two smaller airlines and it has created problems for those seriously ill and elderly who are wishing to travel not by the milk run service.
I’m asking the minister to consider and amend the contract, not necessarily amending it but extending it to allow those elders who wish to travel on a shorter route by jet service to Winnipeg. And she certainly has that authority and she has exercised a number of authorities that she holds as the Minister responsible for Medical Travel.
The elders are wondering why you cannot serve them right now and allow them to travel on the jet service to and from Winnipeg or Churchill.
With the RFP process, the airline companies that wanted to bid on the contract put forth their submissions. Each submission was reviewed on its own merits and decisions were made, as shared with the Member of the House.
Before the RFP process, there was never a contract in the Keewatin. So for the very first time in the last five years, there is a contract in place in the Keewatin for medical travel.
From what I understand of the established routes, most of those routes were existing routes already in place that were already being used by citizens in that region is what I understand.
If there are specific concerns related to seriously ill elders, most of those individuals are medevaced to Winnipeg and so on.
If the member has specifics, I can try and address that, but in going through the file of the new scheduled medical travel contracts in the Keewatin, the information I had shared with the members as to which airline has been awarded the contract, based on the submissions that we had received from the airline companies in that region, prior to that, there were no contracts in place to have made any changes.
I appreciate the information but I’m not challenging or dealing with the routes at all because these routes are in place and they are still being served by a number of airlines.
What the minister is not specifically referring to is that, with the open market we had earlier, there were mainly three airlines that were participating in medical travel from Kivalliq communities, including jet service from Rankin Inlet to Winnipeg. Now, with the new arrangement, the jet service is not allowed and that’s why I’m saying it’s a step backwards from 20 years ago.
The jet service is no longer enjoyed by elders and those seriously ill people.
The minister had the ability to bring that service back to allow elders and seriously ill people with the oxygen availability.
Where the smaller airlines don’t provide that oxygen service, you have to carry your own in your pocket. Why is the minister not willing to improve and provide a modern service, instead of awarding a monopoly that existed 20 years ago?
The RFP process again allowed us to receive proposals from airlines.
All the proposals that were received were examined by a committee through CG&S and the decision was made that that was the best option for the regions to provide this service.
There were no contracts before in place in that region.
This allows us to use airlines that had submitted proposals to send our patients to Winnipeg or Churchill.
Elders, young people, whatever, no age is an issue, but rather every patient will be sent to Winnipeg and to Churchill based on the decision made today.
The contract for us is a good contract in that as a territory, it’s a cost saving measure for us and it allows us options in airlines that we can use in the regions as well as in the other two regions as well.
So if there are specific concerns related to an elder and a medical condition, those are issues and decisions made by the medical practitioner how best to get that patient to Winnipeg or Churchill based on their medical condition.
In some cases, those individuals are sent through medevacs because a scheduled aircraft would not be able to provide the care and attention that the patient may need on a scheduled aircraft.
So every case is examined as well based on the condition of the elder or the seriously ill individual, whether they will take a scheduled flight or a medevac flight.
I appreciate the information, but I’m surprised that the minister is not fully aware of the impact that the contract has created in the region.
As indicated by the First Air spokespeople last night, the level of service provided directly to Manitoba through Winnipeg and Thompson is now going to decrease as a result of the action taken by the Department of Health.
And I cautioned the minister, in my statement the other day, about three months ago.
So what’s happening, Mr. Speaker, is that the open market was able to provide competitive service when all three major airlines were participating. Now, with the new medical contract, the jet service is not being used by the government and this is wrong; it’s wrong not only for the patient but for the economy of the region.
Why does the minister prefer to choose to award a contract and not willing to at least provide that option to fly directly to Winnipeg for seriously ill people and those needing serious services, like oxygen service, which are not provided for in the contract with the current carriers?
Why is the minister not willing to look at that and improve that service, instead of awarding the 20-year-old service that we enjoyed that time ago?
I disagree with the member in his analysis that the contracts that we awarded through this RFP process is a decrease in service for Nunavummiut. It is not.
The contract awarded by the government, based on submissions received, allows more opportunities, not just for the Government of Nunavut patient travel but for any consumers in Nunavut, to have a choice of airline to use. For example, the new routes with Canadian North in the Baffin, the communities where the new routes come, people and consumers now have a choice.
In the Keewatin, we have the choice as well between three or four airlines. There’s a very competitive market in that region.
And if you look at how the contracts were awarded, it’s not 100 percent one airline, whereas before, it was.
In the Kitikmeot, for example, it was one airline.
This contract award allows a more fair equitable distribution of the government contracts to allow a market to develop in the regions, in my opinion, it also allows citizens that are going on medical travel a choice in airlines.
So in that respect the government made, I believe, a great decision for the north in developing a distribution of a market in the north. In the region of Keewatin, there are a number of airlines that are there and this process of an RFP was fair, it was transparent, it was evaluated, airlines had an opportunity to put forth their submissions, those were evaluated by a committee, and a decision was made.
So in that respect, I disagree with the member that we’re going back 20 years because this decision, I think, has created a market that every citizen in Nunavut now has a choice in additional airline usage.
Speaker: Thank you. Members, I wish to remind you that we have only a certain amount of time for Question Period, both question and answer period, and at the rate we’re going, we may not again complete the list. So I remind you to keep your questions to the point and responses to the point as presented. (interpretation) Thank you.
Question 581 – 2(4): Government Job Vacancies in Baker Lake (Simailak)
He is just sitting there comfortably and not being posed any questions, so he seems to be just acting as a minister in name only.
He also just started his portfolio and he is the only one continually sitting on that side.
Since Nunavut was created, Mr. Speaker, there have been a lot of new job opportunities in Baker Lake for the government departments based there.
The reason why I state this is because some positions have been advertised for a period of one year and still, they are vacant. Some positions haven’t ever been filled and some were not put out for competition by these various departments.
Therefore, my question to the minister is this: has the situation improved or are we still experiencing these issues? How many positions slotted for Baker Lake have yet to be filled?
I’m not well versed with the circumstances surrounding the Baker Lake offices, but I do know that we are trying to resolve this problem and we are trying to fill the positions based there.
I cannot respond to the question at this time, other than to state that we are working on the matter.
Mr. Simailak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister.
We are all aware here in this House that the government sets aside funds to advertise for those positions annually and this has been the case since 1999.
It is difficult to find out exactly where these funds were expended and when they should have been used in Baker Lake.
Can the minister collaborate with his colleagues to work on filling the positions based in Baker Lake as expeditiously as possible?
There are still many constituents in my riding who are looking for jobs and who would like to work for the government, not for the mining companies. There are still many people who would like to apply for government positions and they are still waiting, so it seems prudent to deal with this as speedily as possible.
Can the minister discuss the issue with his colleagues to remedy this matter?
Yes, I’m working with my Cabinet colleagues and we are working with various departments on the issue.
We are working on the challenges we face in trying to fill positions and in trying to find a more expeditious manner to fill more positions in his community. This is to let the member know we are working on this issue.
Mr. Simailak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) Thank you, Minister. (interpretation) I would like to make sure that you fill these positions as this is becoming a critical issue.
It would be preferable to make this an expedited process.  Has the minister or his officials researched the issue as to whether there is capacity in the GN offices in Baker Lake for these positions?
We know that the GN offices in Baker Lake are already close to being filled to capacity and office space is at a premium.
I would like to know what has been planned to meet this challenge. Could the minister inform the House about the issues I’m raising?
The member has raised the issues we are facing in Baker Lake, but this is an issue throughout Nunavut, and we are facing the challenge of locating adequate office space in a lot of communities.
Wherever we have the office space for positions, we have tried to fill the positions and this is ongoing.
I will look into the matter the member has raised and I will direct my officials to see how we can resolve this problem.
There are many young people originating out of Baker Lake who are taking courses at Arctic College, at universities, and elsewhere, including students in the Rankin Inlet as well as Iqaluit campuses, and in the south.
Has the department conducted surveys of students to find out what positions they would be interested in filling once they have completed their studies? It is obvious that mining companies have already canvassed some of the students about careers in the mining field and some have committed to taking positions upon completion of their courses.
Has the government taken this course of action to try and encourage students to look at government positions?
Yes, my colleagues, along with the Members of the Legislative Assembly, have asked me to deliberate on how we can assist more students in filling positions in the various departments throughout Nunavut. We are still working out the details involved with this issue. Perhaps we will be able to initiate new programs to assist our students currently taking courses.
Question 582 – 2(4): Fuel Delivery Contract in Sanikiluaq (Kattuk)
I raised this issue previously in a Member’s Statement and I would like to raise questions surrounding this matter to the Minister responsible for Community Government and Services.
This is in relation to local fuel providers and how this service is provided in the local communities, especially as it relates to hardships private homeowners face when they have to get fuel either when the fuel truck has broken down or after hours.
The fuel truck broke down and while it was down, many private homeowners had to get their own heating fuel with their jerry cans, sometimes in inclement weather.
In my last Member’s Statement, I alluded to the last time we were struck by a blizzard where a woman, who is the daughter-in-law of the elders, is only about 20-something years old, she was accompanied by her young daughter and she had to fill up her in-laws’ tank.
This is not an acceptable situation when you witness it first-hand.
It does not look good when you see people in that situation.
Can the minister inform this House as to what corrections have been made in order to remedy this situation that I’m continually concerned about and voice in the House?
Hon. Levinia Brown (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the member for his questions.
In regard to this issue, my officials have looked into this and they have discussed the matter with the local contractor providing fuel delivery services in Sanikiluaq.
Can the minister tell me what kinds of recommendations to improve the services were discussed with our local contractor?
Of course, I can tell you the issues that we discussed along with recommendations to improve the services that we dealt with.
In looking at the short-term future, my officials from PPD will have to return to Sanikiluaq. This is just for the member’s information.
Mr. Kattuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really didn’t hear what issues were discussed at that time. However, can the minister at least provide assurances that private homeowners in Sanikiluaq will not have to fuel up their homes?
Is this what the minister is saying?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Kattuk. Minister of Community and Government Services, Minister Brown.
My officials at PPD headquarters spoke to the fuel delivery contractor and that was in May. Again, they will be going down to address the issues in the member’s riding.
What was revealed to me was not a normal practice, as we all heard what the member was indicating. Furthermore, the fuel delivery contractor indicated that he is not aware of any recent use of that type of practice. However, some homeowners who are not on an automatic fuel delivery cycle, which is the people that pay cash for their fuel oil, they purchase diesel in jerry cans to avoid run outs.
There is no need for it but it’s a choice the homeowner makes.
The fuel delivery vehicle is owned by the Government of Nunavut; however, it is leased to the contractor.
I’ll use an example. If the fuel truck is broken or if there’s bad weather, I know that people have gone to the gas station and bought fuel with their jerry cans, and then have taken them home and put it in their fuel tanks.
That’s the concern that I have been having. It’s not good practice. It’s dangerous.
The fuel tanks are very high and the ladders are very narrow.
So I think the government is supposed to support whoever and whenever.
So my question is: will this concern be resolved?
I concur with the member’s concern and it is a safety risk.
I agree with the member totally and I am very disappointed to hear that the member raises that it might be happening again but I thought it had stopped.
The situation will be looked at again and furthermore, I will direct the department to be in touch with the contractor in the member’s riding and hopefully this issue will be resolved.
Member for Iqaluit Centre, Member Tootoo.
Question 583 – 2(4): Handling of the Resignation of the Qulliit Status of Women Council President (Tootoo)
I’m asking this question, I know the minister responded to my colleague from Cambridge Bay earlier this week in the House with some questions that were posed to him.
He had indicated, I think on two occasions, that he was not the minister at the time when the incident took place, dealing with the warnings and stuff, dealing with the President of the Qulliit Status of Women.
Well, I thought, that didn’t seem quite right.
According to our Nunavut Gazette, he was appointed to the Cabinet on March 13, he was appointed Minister responsible of Human Resources on March 17, the appointment of the President of the Status of Women Council was done March 20, and the warning that was sent to the president was sent a month after her appointment.
So I was hoping that the minister would clarify somehow, this week, his comments. He hasn’t, so I would like to ask him to clarify if, in fact, he was a minister at the time this incident took place.
Yes, I had only been appointed as minister for three days when this occurred.
Yes, at that time, I was indeed the minister, but I know that the president’s appointment was for two years.
Yes, I can agree to his request. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I understand, but again, if one looked at what was said here in this House, it would indicate that the minister had said he wasn’t the minister at the time.
The incident that we’re dealing with happened a month after that appointment on March 20, so it was in April, and the minister was the minister at the time.
So maybe I will just ask him why he would inform this House and the public watching earlier this week that he wasn’t the minister at the time.
Hon. Levi Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This was never brought to the Cabinet’s attention. We didn’t deal with it at that time and that is why I stated what I said.
Would the minister agree then that the comments that he made earlier this week in the House saying that he wasn’t the minister at the time are, in fact, inaccurate?
During the time when this situation occurred, this was under review in the Cabinet. That is all I can say at this time.
Would the minister apologize to the House for providing false information?
I see no reason for an apology as far as I can understand.
Question 584 – 2(4): Narwhal Quota for Arviat (Alagalak)
First of all, my grandchild, Leo Kaludjak, caught a walrus yesterday and I am extremely delighted with that news.
I’m so happy about it.
During the previous session, I raised questions to the minister in regard to the issue of narwhal tags, and apprised him of the fact that Arviat has no narwhal tags and is the only community in our region that is not allocated narwhal tags. The minister stated that he would collaborate with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and conduct research into the request as I laid it out.
Due to the information he provided previously, I’m wondering if he has heard back and what actions have been undertaken in this regard. I would really appreciate getting an update from the minister.
My officials have not reported back on this matter.
As well, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board has to be involved because our department and government do not have the jurisdiction over marine mammals.
The federal government has the jurisdiction over the marine areas of Nunavut and marine matters.
I can never get the meaning behind the words you use to explain yourself. It states that the Government of Nunavut is a party to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and appoints members to the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. Therefore, your department also works with the DFO.
As the Government of Nunavut, we have to voice the issues of our people.
However, in regard to the issue revolving around Arviat and narwhal tags, the western Hudson Bay communities are all allocated narwhal tags, with the exception of Arviat. And it causes consternation amongst our residents, especially in the spring when those Inuit who grew up eating Narwhal Mattaaq and meat would love to rekindle their taste buds with narwhal Mattaaq or meat. Although some of these Inuit want to order Mattaaq from those communities that have resident narwhal populations, it is extremely expensive to ship these items from the faraway communities to Arviat.
These are Inuit who recall the taste of Mattaaq every spring.