EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I think a question like that would be better directed to the Minister of Housing as he has the responsibility for that portfolio.
Chairman (interpretation): The Minister of Housing is not in the House at this time, so you can ask that question when he is available if that’s okay with you.
Mr. Ningark: Thank you.
Somebody got lucky.
I just have one quick question I forgot to ask that time.
I understand that this is for Nunavut citizens who want to buy energy efficient appliances, etcetera, or insulate their homes, or anything they can do to make their homes more fuel efficient or eco-friendly. Will you be advertising these or at least give notice to regular members, not just close friends but regular Nunavummiut so that everybody will know about it?
I believe this was already announced in October of 2007, a press release went out.
So that information is out there and I believe the program will probably be advertised just to make sure that people are aware of it.
Do you have any more questions, Mr. Arvaluk?
Mr. Ningark, did you have a question in regard to housing?
We were talking about energy efficiency for homeowners in the presence of the Minister of Finance.
I was talking about piling snow around houses to conserve fuel in the winter.
Has the government considered applying that kind of solution?
Also, there are a lot of unemployed people in the communities and then we have the government telling them to look for jobs.
Has the minister given any thought to hiring people to pile snow around houses to reduce fuel consumption?
Minister Tootoo, if you want to try and respond to that question.
Hon. Hunter Tootoo: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
That isn’t one of the subsidy programs that the corporation provides.
There are a number of them and one I think he is referring to is the subsidy for homeowners buying energy efficient appliances or doing energy efficiency upgrades to their units, and I think that’s the subsidy program that’s out there.
There is no program and this is the first, I am sure, I have heard and I don’t think anyone at the corporation has heard of the request of banking snow as an energy efficiency program.
But if the member would like to provide the corporation, through his community or through the hamlet, some kind of a request in writing, I would be more than happy to have my officials at the corporation look at it.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Tootoo.
He mentioned that there are a lot of people living in public houses.
It would cut down on O&M costs to the Housing Corporation to conserve energy in those units.
That was a very good question from Mr. Ningark and it’s something that you should look into further.
Thank you for trying to provide a proper response.
Total Intergovernmental Affairs. $6.1 million.
Chairman (interpretation): Total Department. $6.1 million.
Total Directorate. $540,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Law Enforcement.
Supplementary Appropriation. $968,000.
Is this to support communities where they have only one RCMP officer?
It would be great if it was geared towards that.
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Yes, this would help the detachments with the minimum number of officers.
Chairman (interpretation): Are there any more questions on this page?
$968,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Corrections.
Supplementary Appropriation. $3,390,000.
I’m not arguing with the requirement for a supplementary of three and a half million, but have you approached the federal government to consider the federal inmate program or federal institutions in Nunavut? They are and you are paying, once it’s altogether now, pretty close to $24 million for O&M a year for Yellowknife and southern institutions.
Nunavut inmates resulting from being outside of Nunavut is about 24 million dollars and then in turn, the federal government gives you money under the Territorial Funding Formula, or TFF.
Have you ever tried to convince them that they’re spending more money by not providing an institution in Nunavut for federal inmates?
Mr. Peterson, can you try to respond to that question?
Most of the inmates are inmates that don’t need to go to a federal penitentiary.
One of the reasons for the construction of the Rankin Inlet facility is to address the member’s concerns so that we don’t have to ship people to Yellowknife, where they charge us $266 a day, and that’s approximately one hundred thousand dollars a year per inmate.
We’re well aware of the need for facilities in Nunavut and that’s why we’re building the Rankin Inlet facility.
Of course, we are always going to have conversations with our federal counterparts and other provincial jurisdictions about facilities. We do send some people down to Ontario and again, we have an agreement with them to take some of our inmates.
There are federal institutions in every province, maybe several of them in one province. Ontario, for example, has quite a few I think. The federal government pays for those programs.
Are the federal inmates from Nunavut? Does the federal government pay for them 100 percent or do you have to fork over some of it even though they have federal inmates?
I can respond to your question, but that’s the minister’s responsibility.
If I understand it correctly, once the federal inmates are in the federal jurisdiction, then the federal government is responsible.
We’re responsible for territorial inmates.
Chairman (interpretation): He provided a proper response.
Total Supplementary Appropriation. $3,390,000.
Supplementary Appropriation. $45,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Department of Justice.
Total Supplementary Appropriation. $4,943,000. Do you agree?
We will now go to page 6.
Total Directorate. $285,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Total Education. $285,000.
We will now go to page 7.
Total Health Insurance Programs. $3,020,000.
I just want to have clarification on this.
Total Health Insurance Programs, $55 million, is that for the whole operation of GN for health insurance programming or is that costs incurred when they have been provided out-of-territory hospitals?
Minister Peterson, if you would try to respond to that question.
I’ll ask my colleague, Minister Curley, to respond to that question.
Chairman (interpretation): Minister Curley, if you can try and respond to that question.
Hon. Tagak Curley (interpretation): Yes, I can try and respond to his question.
The appropriation bill is for additional funds for Health and Social Services.
This is for the total health insurance program for all people, Inuit and non-Inuit, with health care cards.
This supplementary is to cover the over expenditures from the previous year. It’s clear that some of these funds have already been used and it should balance out with this amount.
Last year, $55 million was approved.
Once this is approved, the total expenditure from our department will be $58 million and that’s what we have provided you.
Mr. Arvaluk: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation)Yes, I’ve got my response.
For example, I have Green Shield insurance coverage as an employee and if I went to the health centre, I am covered through that insurance.
I fail to understand why you would have to pay for that same insurance coverage again, that $55 million in total, and I understand that they were short $3 million.
But I’m wondering if you pay the insurance companies additional fees, for example, $55 million.
Chairman (interpretation): Maybe a lot of people became sick or ill.
Minister Curley, can you try to respond to that question as well?
Hon. Tagak Curley (interpretation): This is to provide services for individuals that need to travel that the government pays for.
Even if you are covered under an insurance program or under Green Shield and you have to travel by medevac, they provide interim payment. We do recover those expenditures after the patients have been treated.
If a patient has to be medevaced out of the territory, we are billed first and then we can claim this amount depending on the patient’s insurance coverage such as the Green Shield coverage that the member just mentioned or some other program to cover travel outside of Canada.
In Nunavut, this is easier as there are only two main types of insurance, Non-Insured Health Benefits and Extended Health Benefits, where coverage is provided for patients receiving care outside the territory.
I know that this is bit complicated and it’s not easy to understand.
Chairman (interpretation): Are there any more questions?
Chairman (interpretation): Social Services.
Total Supplementary Appropriation. $4,334,000.
I don’t mind the increase here.
I would like to hear more, Mr. Chairman, about the mental health training program which takes three years to complete.
Are these projected costs included in the calculations?
I believe they receive training here in Iqaluit, which I don’t mind, and I just want to hear more about that.
Chairman (interpretation): Minister Curley, do you wish to respond to the question?
The federal government provides us with some funds. We had an agreement with them for 10 years, but some of these programs will expire next year.
Some of this funding was used to train mental health specialists.
The money that we received from the federal government is the largest that the three territorial governments received in extra funding.
Some of this funding was also used for community health, midwifery, and the nursing program.
When you look at the future years, however, we are still lacking resources.
With respect to what you mentioned about the mental health training program, it’s our desire that this program continue.
However, we have to realize that federal funding may be cut and that’s our main concern.
We know that mental health is a serious issue and there’s not enough funding allocated to deal with that issue in Nunavut.
This isn’t a question, just a comment.
Because the population in each community is growing, we will have to work harder for more services to be provided in our communities. Like Premier Aariak stated, we are supporting better health and better living in the regions together.
Total Social Services. $4,334,000.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): I just want to hear about the policy which I think is under social services and you can correct me if I’m wrong.
When children are being neglected by parents, they are taken in by social services. Sometimes they are sent to other communities or even to the south.
I have heard that according to the policy, if a child doesn’t have any relatives in the community, they are most likely sent to another community.
However, we have been noticing that there are some children that have been taken out of Pond Inlet even though they have relatives who would like to care for them.
In some cases, I believe they have been sent to Edmonton.
How is this set up?
If you do have something set up, will you review it?
Children easily forget their language and culture which tie them to Nunavut.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Arvaluk, these funds aren’t geared towards children in particular, but Minister Curley may wish to respond. Would you like to try and answer that question?
Hon. Tagak Curley: Thank you. (interpretation) Yes, I can try and respond.
That’s a very good question from my colleague, Mr. Arvaluk.
I can tell him that we are considering that and we would like to make improvements to the legislation.
As well, I can tell the member that we would like to change the name of the old legislation, which I believe is the Family Services Act, to the Child Family Services Act.
That is our intention and this process will run for a while.
Additionally, I can tell you that the funds we are requesting are for residential care and mental health facilities.
For instance, we have no choice but to send a lot of our clients outside of Nunavut if we can’t take care of them ourselves and this is mainly geared towards addressing that problem.
With respect to children and the legislation that you mentioned, there are facilities in Edmonton and Winnipeg.
We are planning to try and create a facility to meet this need so as to lessen our costs since this is an expensive way of handling our needs.
So we are preparing our position and we hope to complete it in the next two years.
I can state that we have a sense of urgency to complete our legislation and policy as we would have to take it to Cabinet for review.
This is something that we will work on urgently if the funding becomes available.
I just wanted to let you know that.
We will need to deal with that Act before the end of this year.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): I just want to add that I agree with him as well.
There is talk about these issues particularly in Pond Inlet, but I suspect this is the case in the other communities.
We have been told that healthy children go to day care facilities and when they enter kindergarten, they are ahead of the class. While parents are working during the day, their children are in day care. They are looked after throughout the day, with outdoor activities, reading books, and so on.
I believe that there should be a facility similar to that for children who are neglected by their parents so that they are properly taken care of and lead better lives. I would like this taken into consideration.
I believe that we will discuss this again in June when we are dealing with O&M.
Chairman (interpretation): There was no question, but that was a good comment.
We have heard that when we were part of the NWT and then now in Nunavut that some children who were born in Nunavut were sent out of the territory. I believe it’s against the law in Canada now.
Many don’t know who their parents were and parents weren’t allowed to know where their children were sent. These children who were sent away from their parents are adults now and some of them want to see their parents.
Referring back to what Mr. Arvaluk stated, it would be better if our clients could be taken care of in our territory.
Social services placements is something that we need to reconsider because the children need to be raised in Nunavut and learn where they’re from and not be lost when they’re adults.
That’s more of a comment than a question, a very good comment.
That legislation will definitely have to be dealt with.
Chairman (interpretation): Total Health and Social Services. $7,354,000.
Go to page 8.
Total Supplementary Appropriation. $146,000.
Total Department. $146,000.
Transportation. Supplementary Appropriation.
Not Previously Authorized. $352,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Total Economic Development. $2,387,000.
Chairman (interpretation): Total Economic Development and Transportation. $2,035,000.
Chairman: Bingo. (interpretation) Thank you.
Go to page 10, the last one.
Housing Corporation. Operations and Maintenance.
Total Supplementary Appropriation. $240,000.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Those of us who live outside of Iqaluit probably don’t know what the Sivummut House is. Maybe if you explained what it is, we would be more willing to approve the amount.
Chairman (interpretation): Yes, I wonder what that is.
Can you clarify that, please? Minister Tootoo.
Hon. Hunter Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Sivummut House project is a women’s homeless shelter and a women-with-kids homeless shelter. There’s a group in Iqaluit that is looking at opening up a facility like that and hoping to use it as a transition for individuals coming to the women’s shelter.
That’s the facility that we have in Apex that women go to when they’re fleeing domestic violence and they can only stay there for so long.
In some cases, some of those individuals are homeless. So this is a way of looking at trying to help address those individuals that are in need.
Did he answer your question?
In many small communities, the Nunavut Housing Corporation provides homeowners a home.
That’s good, but in the smaller communities where you don’t have parts for boilers or furnaces, it gets really hard for the homeowners to find the parts as well as a maintainer who is qualified to work on boilers or furnaces.
I’m wondering, down the road or in the near future, if the Housing Corporation could provide or hire maintainers in the housing associations who could provide maintenance for homeowners and perhaps for parts as well from housing associations.
The reason I’m saying that is because homeowners get stuck with nothing and they can’t find a maintainer who is qualified to work on boilers or furnaces.
I’m wondering if the government could find some funding to hire more maintainers in the small communities or in every community.
The reason why I said that is because I know a lot of my constituents who own their own homes get stuck with nothing and no maintainer to find in the community that’s qualified.
I’m wondering if the government could provide these homeowners with a maintainer that’s qualified and parts perhaps from housing associations and charge it to a person that pays rent for renting a public house. If we could tie that in now with the housing associations, I’m wondering if the housing associations or the Housing Corporation could do that for homeowners.
The question isn’t related to what we’re dealing with right now, but I’m sure that the minister will be able to look into that.
We’re dealing with the $240,000 figure at this time.
Chairman (interpretation): That amount has been approved.
Total Housing Corporation. $240,000.
You can now go back to page 2.
Total Operations and Maintenance Appropriation. $20,533,000.
Do members agree that we can now proceed with the clause-by-clause review of Bill 4, 2008-09 Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) No. 3?
Chairman: Clause 1. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Before we go to clause 3, please go to Schedule on page 2.
Summary of Appropriation for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2009.
Chairman (interpretation): Total Supplementary Appropriation. $20,533,000.
Clause 3 of the bill.
Is the committee agreed to Bill 4 as a whole?
Chairman (interpretation): Is the committee agreed that pursuant to Rule 62(2) that Bill 4 can immediately be placed on the Orders of the Day for third reading?
We have concluded Bill 4, so we will move on with the next item on the agenda.
Mr. Arvaluk, do you have something to say?
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Arvaluk has moved to report progress and the motion is not debatable.
If you have any closing remarks, I give you the floor.
Again, I would like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the House for taking the time this afternoon to work together to pass these two bills.
That’s what a consensus government is all about and I think most of us are still in the learning mode but it has been a productive afternoon.
We have completed our review for now. Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the minister and his officials from the witness table, please.
Ministers, you can return to your seats.
We will be returning to the Orders of the Day, so I thank you all.
We will take a short break.
Please remain in your seats while we wait for the Speaker to return.
Your committee has been considering Bills 3 and 4, and would like to report that Bills 3 and 4 are immediately ready for third reading.
(interpretation ends) Item 21. (interpretation) Third Reading of Bills.
Just a reminder for regular members to check the sessional work plan for the times for meetings for tomorrow.
This House stands adjourned until Thursday, March 19, at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Pages 168 – 213
Opening Prayer 168
Ministers’ Statements 168
Members’ Statements 172
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 175
Oral Questions 176
Written Questions 190
Tabling of Documents 193
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 193
Report of the Committee of the Whole 212
Orders of the Day 212
Thursday, March 19, 2009 168
016 – 3(1): Qikiqtani General Hospital Accreditation (Curley) 168
017 – 3(1): Levi Nowdlak – Wise Woman of the Year (Aariak) 169
018 – 3(1): Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit (Tapardjuk) 170
019 – 3(1): Wildlife Symposium, Rankin Inlet March 16 to 20 (Shewchuk) 170
020 – 3(1): Council of Ministers of Education, Canada’s Aboriginal Education Summit (Tapardjuk) 171
041 – 3(1): Willingness to Work with Members from the Kivalliq Region (Ningark) 172
042 – 3(1): In Support of Sealing (Rumbolt) 173
043 – 3(1): Ensuring Opportunities for Nunavut’s Small Communities (Ningeongan) 173
044 – 3(1): Constituency Office Update/Hockey Centre Update (Kusugak) 174
045 – 3(1): Snowmobiling Safety in Iqaluit (Okalik) 174
035 – 3(1): Assistance for Homeowners in Smaller Communities (Pauloosie) 176
036 – 3(1): Testing of Walrus and Other Traditional Food (Ningark) 178
037 – 3(1): Breach of Privacy Act (Okalik) 179
038 – 3(1): Part-time Workers in RCMP Detachments (Schell) 181
039 – 3(1): Reviewing Income Support Regulations (Rumbolt) 181
040 – 3(1): Status of Medical Travel Review (Ningeongan) 183
041 – 3(1): Accommodation for Family of Cancer Patients (Komoartok) 185
042 – 3(1): Housing Authority Staff to Assist Homeowners (Ningark) 187
043 – 3(1): Suicide Prevention (Okalik) 188
001 – 3(1): Health and Safety Standards for Government of Nunavut Buildings in Nunavut (Okalik) 190
002 – 3(1): Contracting, Procurement and Hiring Activities of the Nunavut Housing Corporation (Schell) 192
019 – 3(1): Reply to Opening Address (Okalik) 193
020 – 3(1): Environmental Rights Act Annual Report from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 (Shewchuk) 193
Bill 02 – Interim Appropriation Act, April 1 – July 31, 2009 – Consideration in Committee 193
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Capital) Act, 2009-2010 – Community and Government Services – Consideration in Committee 197
Honourable Eva Aariak, Honourable James Arreak, Mr. James Arvaluk, Mr. Moses Aupaluktuq, Honourable Tagak Curley, Mr. Ron Elliott, Mr. Adamee Komoartok, Honourable Lorne Kusugak, Mr. John Ningark, Mr. Johnny Ningeongan, Mr. Paul Okalik, Mr. Enuk Pauloosie, Honourable Keith Peterson, Mr. Allan Rumbolt, Mr. Fred Schell, Honourable Daniel Shewchuk, Honourable Louis Tapardjuk, Honourable Peter Taptuna, Honourable Hunter Tootoo.
Speaker (Hon. James Arreak)  (interpretation): Before we proceed, I would like to ask Mr. Taptuna to say the opening prayer.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Taptuna.
Good afternoon, Premier, Ministers, my colleagues, all Nunavummiut, and my grandchildren in Clyde River.
Minister’s Statement 016 – 3(1): Qikiqtani General Hospital Accreditation (Curley)
Hon. Tagak Curley (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Madam Premier, and my colleagues in the Legislative Assembly.
I will be making my statement in English as it is quite complex to try and translate the terminology and it’s in regard to the hospital.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform members that the Qikiqtani General Hospital voluntarily invited Accreditation Canada to begin the accreditation process for the hospital.
Members of the survey team visited the Qikiqtani General Hospital from February 22 to 26, 2009.
There were a number of improvements made to QGH since 2005.
At the time, Mr. Speaker, the older Baffin Regional Hospital needed better risk management and quality control systems.
Today, we have a new facility and invested $2.3 million towards rectifying the situation.
We have filled 26 key positions that are critical, including positions in nursing, emergency and the operating room.
Mr. Speaker, we reviewed and updated all QGH policies and procedures; developed a hospital-based disaster and emergency plan; formalized the policy and procedure process; developed an infection control manual; and created new incident reporting processes.
Mr. Speaker, there have been a number of educational sessions delivered to staff, including non-violent crisis intervention, policy and procedure development, and identification of performance indicators.
It is a top priority for the department to attain accreditation status. We want our clients, staff, and the general public to recognize that we are a modern hospital and are able to meet national standards.
Mr. Speaker, Accreditation Canada is projected to issue a forecast report that indicates what status QGH is likely to receive.
This means the department will have six months to address the recommendations, if any, prior to the final report.
If there are no more... Premier of Nunavut, Ms. Eva Aariak.