EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
When we held our televised hearings last month with Kivalliq Air, First Air, and Canadian North, we had a lot of discussions about how to address affordable and accessible air travel in Nunavut.
I am pleased to table today a copy of a study titled, “Comparison of Approaches for Supporting, Protecting and Encouraging Remote Air Service.”
This study was submitted through the federal Canada Transportation Act review and has recently been made publicly available by the federal Department of Transport.
Bills 10, 11, 12, and 13 and Tabled Documents 73 – 4(2), 116 – 4(2), 140 – 4(2), 149 – 4(2), and 70 – 4(3) with Mr. Mikkungwak in the Chair.
In accordance with the authority provided to me by Motion 16 – 4(3), the committee will stay in session until it reports itself out.
>>House recessed at 15:04 and Committee resumed at 15:26
Mr. Chairman, we wish to continue with the review of the 2016-17 Main Estimates of the Department of Education.
If time permits, we will proceed to the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you very much. (interpretation ends) Are we in agreement that we continue with the main estimates for the Department of Education?
Thank you very much. (interpretation ends) Minister, for the record, please introduce your staff.
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Good day, Mr. Chairman and my colleagues.
With me today to my left is (interpretation ends) Deputy Minister Kathy Okpik (interpretation) and to my right is Marc Rose, Controller for the Department of Education.
Chairman: Welcome to the officials.
I just want to remind all members that we are here to review the proposed operations and maintenance budgets for 2016-17.
We were on page G-4.
Total Operations. $1,221,000.
Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $1,716,000.
On page G-6.
A number of Nunavut schools were badly damaged in 2015. How have these unexpected circumstances affected your capital planning process when things like this happen?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you very much. (interpretation ends) Hon. Minister of Education, Mr. Quassa.
As you will recall, we are discussing O&M. We’re not discussing capital items.
Perhaps we can keep in mind that we’re not talking about capital items presently. She can restate her question so that I can understand it.
Chairman: This branch also deals with capital planning. I just wanted to make note of that.
Perhaps I can make a short statement. We add the surpluses that we have onto lifecycle items and that goes towards the money that we budget for.
We ask for appropriations looking at annual lifecycles.
We request money every year for supplementary appropriations and we use that in different areas. Keeping in mind the lifecycle monies that I just talked about, sometimes no changes are needed. Individual budget items don’t get very many changes.
The deputy minister will supplement that, if it’s okay with you, Mr. Chairman.
The budget totalling $5 million is for (interpretation ends) lifecycle (interpretation) expenses, which we plan out on an annual basis, including the usages allotted to this fund, whether it is a generator requiring replacement or floor replacement within one of our schools.
This plan covers the contingencies, but sometimes only on an emergency basis, for example, if a spillage occurred inside of a school and unexpected issues crop up occasionally, creating an emergency situation.
For these funds within our budget plan, if there is no contract attached, then the emergency is placed on the forefront and resolved first.
That is how we operate within this sphere.
It’s nice that you have flexibility like that that you can do that.
I’m going to go on to something totally different.
I want to talk about the family engagement campaign.
You’ve had this in place for a bit now. I’m just wondering if you can give us the status or an update on how that’s going and what kind of feedback that you’re having.
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also thank my colleague for that question. This is, indeed, a priority regarding family engagement within our schools and our students.
To date, we continue to reiterate the fact that we have to be visible to the community and clear in how parents can be involved in our schools.
To date, members may have noticed televised information announcements on how relatives and parents can become more engaged.
Furthermore, we sent out materials to the schools. We sent materials in 2015 to be used within the schools to facilitate this initiative.
It is geared more towards school staff as well as to the relatives and families to see how this initiative can be implemented effectively.
As well, things such as the student grades or (interpretation ends) report cards (interpretation) to decipher the progression of the student, this is one of the areas we speak about related to that engagement.
Further, with respect to parent/teacher gatherings which occur several times throughout a school year called (interpretation ends) parent/teacher meetings, (interpretation) our schools all have that practice.
There are several avenues we can use, such as electronic data or computers.
As well, we partner with NTI and ITK to develop the information cooperatively.
This is an ongoing partnership.
If we recall, in 2014-15, we spent $96,438 and during 2015-16, we spent $169,204 for this program on how families can be more involved.
There are still different things that we are producing today.
We’re also working with Outcrop Nunavut on what can be produced in the communication plan and we have worked with them on that.
I commend them on their efforts. I think that would go a long ways, I hope, and you will see good results.
I’m reading from your business plan.
You talk about streamlining departmental operations, procedures, and standards of service. I’m wondering what led you to that. What were some of the problems and, by using this process, how are you addressing some of those challenges?
This has been an ongoing deliberation or rather I have maintained that we need a standardized curricula or at a minimum to be able to move anywhere.
These are the areas early in the year where I directed our officials to research ways on standardizing the operations of our schools, including the curricula and regional operations. The main reasoning behind this is how to go about standardizing the curricula so that it improves our current system.
As an example, just as a hypothetical situation, if I was a student in Gjoa Haven and we moved to Whale Cove or Pond Inlet or anywhere in Nunavut, I would be able to continue a standard curriculum.
The reasoning behind this was when some of our students moved to another community, they were faced with different courses or classes than they had taken previously. This was quite noticeable and that was our main reason.
Nonetheless, we know that standardizing our schools won’t be immediately resolved, but we will continue to work towards that goal. As an example, different issues I can speak to within that context include the (interpretation ends) Student Information System (interpretation) that requires standardizing.
The result is a standardized system we are now utilizing.
We are also using the new (interpretation ends) HR database (interpretation) that is specific towards hiring staff and how we can standardize this process.
Further, within our schools, the staff training needs and to ensure that we create a process that is standard to our (interpretation ends) principals, learning coaches, (interpretation) student support teachers, (interpretation ends) student support assistants, (interpretation) school counsellors, as well as the local DEAs.
These categories are where we have provided training in the past that had us wondering how best to provide a standard training process.
These are the different areas that we have noted and it includes literacy initiatives such as (interpretation ends) literacy books and assessments (interpretation) that we have worked on to standardize.
Those are the areas we have worked on in order to have a more standard education system within all of Nunavut. They need a standard curriculum and that’s where we stand.
In your business plan, one of the bullets under priorities for this coming fiscal year states that, amongst other things, one of the things is to “review the overall strategic direction of the department.”
Do you feel your department needs to be going a different direction or what do you really mean by that statement?
With education being a priority, as a government, it needs to be implemented properly.
Perhaps my deputy minister will supplement my response. I want this to be clear to you, so I’ll get help from my deputy minister if that’s okay with you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Okpik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Over the last number of years, we’ve had different priorities given to the Department of Education and various mandates.
Some of the mandates, for example, that had changed for the Department of Education were to move away from developing our curriculum to adopting and adapting curriculum.
We had to look internally to look at does our organization best fit how we do our day-to-day business, for example.
We’re looking at our current structure and looking at how we can assist regional school operations so that they do their job in terms of educational leadership, looking at the administrative components and those types of things.
We have been really proud of our department. We have undertaken now for the second year in a row an annual planning process. We have the main estimates, the business planning documents, and we create an internal working document that guides us with more detail following the business plan and the main estimates.
It breaks all the work plans down by division, what all of our achievements are, and what the measurements should be for completing. That’s the internal working document that we use to guide us.
The other thing we have recently had our staff participate in professional development is on project management.
Because we live in an environment where we undertake so many projects within education, we felt that we had to create an internal document that is called the “Project Management Directive.”
Any project that we engage in has a project charter so that it’s fully fleshed out with timelines and the deliverables.
Those are some of the things that we have done internally to bring accountability within our organization. (interpretation) Thank you.
Ms. Angnakak: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It sounds like that’s a lot of work.
When we talk about changes, doing different projects, and perhaps having a different direction within the department, what has been your feedback from the teachers? At the end of the day, they’re the ones to deliver these programs.
What involvement do they have in the development of these projects?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also thank my colleague for requesting further information on this matter.
This has provided a tremendous benefit to our staff, particularly to our teachers, as it assists them.
Obviously, whenever a new initiative is undertaken or a directive is sent out, our foremost priority is offering effective training.
The teachers have enjoyed this as it increases their professional abilities. Although we have provided training for the teachers, it will assist our student body as well as our teachers.
This increases their professionalism, at least from my perspective, as I see the benefits. I believe we have to offer the best available training for our teachers.
Any new programs or initiatives will follow that, but this program has been of great benefit. Our teachers also are part of our (interpretation ends) working groups (interpretation) that create the new initiatives. That is one avenue to assist us, especially in new training courses.
We have working groups and teachers are engaged in this process, which has resulted in better programming, at least from a departmental perspective.
This is also based on what we have heard and read about this matter.
Ms. Angnakak: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can the minister tell us, then, if this has increased the workload of teachers? I’m just curious.
With respect to her question, no, as it doesn’t add to their duties or responsibilities as this doesn’t create additional work.
However, we use the training to conduct (interpretation ends) surveys (interpretation) for teachers taking the courses as a means to get feedback from them.
With respect to the member’s question, no, it doesn’t add any further work to their duties and responsibilities, but these are more towards professional development as teachers.
Ms. Angnakak: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to go on to something different. I want to talk about the Nunavut Community Access Program.
This program provides the community Internet access and is supported through your department’s grants and contributions process.
I think it was last year or the year before; I can’t remember now. At one time, the department was going to cancel this project, but now we see that the budget has actually doubled since 2015-16.
Are you providing more access sites and, if so, in which communities? I guess I’ll start with that question.
It’s going to be for the administrative staff in the schools.
I hope I answered your question. The Nunavut Community Access Program is directed for the administrative staff in the schools.
If I did not, please rephrase your question.
Perhaps it’s me that doesn’t understand the program.
I thought that this is the program where community members could access the Internet, going to the libraries or going to adult education centres. This is what I thought it was.
Maybe the minister can clarify.
I also thank the member for requesting that information.
I will have my deputy minister supplement my response, if it’s okay with you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Okpik.
Mr. Okpik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Historically, with the programming for the CAP sites, the Department of Education had provided a part-time position to be able to support the board with some of its administration.
We felt that if they wanted to have autonomy and to be arm’s-length, we felt we could support them better by providing them with extra funds for them to be able to hire their own administrative staff to be able to support the CAP sites. (interpretation) Thank you.
Ms. Angnakak: Thank you very much for that response.
Maybe you could clarify, then, for some of the public.
One of the questions that have come to me before was that the site was held, let’s say, in Arctic College and then Arctic College was closed for the summer, so they couldn’t access the site anymore.
If you guys aren’t the ones they should address this with, who should they address this with?
If anybody would like further information, they can go directly to the CAP site board or to their chairs.
I can get additional information on who is there to all the members.
You can go directly to the board or the chairperson.
Yes, I would appreciate that very much because that’s a vital service to a lot of people, especially the smaller communities that really don’t have any other way of accessing the Internet. That’s very important to them.
I guess my last question is going to be about the Child Day Care Act.
It says in your business plan that the department is going to do a comprehensive review.
I was wondering if you could tell us the status of that. When should we expect to review draft amendments to that Act?
We have interpreters. As a reminder, please slow down when you are talking.
I would like to thank the member for the question regarding the Child Day Care Act. There’s also private daycare available.
It’s going to have an effect on our operations.
We have completed our consultations on the Child Day Care Act. We are working on it now. We’re starting to have consultations as we’re going to be amending the Child Day Care Act.
There are two Acts.
There’s the Child Day Care Act, which we are looking to complete in 2016-17. The review process will go until then to get information and feedback. We will be doing that right up until the fall of 2016.
That’s the only way to do it.
I can add that to date, there are currently two established school daycares here in Iqaluit.
Ms. Angnakak: Qujannamiik, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation) I do apologize to the interpreters for speaking too fast.
When are you going to start the consultations?
Summer is just around the corner. (interpretation ends) Qujannamiik, Mr. Chairman.
I think I said it, but I’ll just repeat it. We’re looking at this coming fall of 2016.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome, Minister Quassa and your officials to the House.
Before I go to my question, I just want clarification on what I heard yesterday. It’s not something that we’re looking at. I think it was on G-4.
I just want clarification on what I heard about the Education Act, that there were going to be some meetings or consultations with the communities and organizations about people who work with education policies or regulations. The Education Act was reviewed by a special committee and they have produced a report.
Will there be any more community consultations on the Education Act?
Chairman (interpretation): Yes, we went through that section already. However, if the minister would like to respond to that, it’s up to him.
I referred to it briefly when we were sitting here last time.
This coming fall, we would expect the (interpretation ends) consultations (interpretation) to continue.
At this current time, it is still being developed within the government bureaucracy.
We need to review this with various departments, such as Family Services, (interpretation ends) Culture and Heritage, (interpretation) amongst others we have met with in the past.
Furthermore, within the government consultation process, we have to check with our lawyers at (interpretation ends) Justice. (interpretation) This process will continue.
Our expectations are close to my previous statement that we expect this process to continue into February and March, just the past month we were on. As per my earlier remark, we are canvassing our fellow departments by sending our questions arising from our government. This is all (interpretation ends) internal (interpretation) government consultations.
We expect that in April and May 2016, we will commence our external consultations with various organizations, such as NTI and local DEAs.
We will have to consult with these bodies. I believe I stated that we expect to complete the consultations this fall.
We expect to be able to table this work in the Legislative Assembly at that time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also thank the minister for his response and clarification.
Mr. Chairman, under page G-6, I would like to ask the minister a question about student attendance rates. It has been brought up in the past that perhaps it can have an impact on local school funding for the following year, including the number of teachers based on the numbers of students.
There is a ratio for student-teacher numbers and allocations are accrued to the schools based on the numbers of students.
Can the minister elaborate on whether barriers or challenges have cropped up under this category of student attendance rates? Is this process being remedied to improve it?
I am unsure which particular item he is referring to with his question.
As an example, we use different tracking systems, such as the (interpretation ends) Student Information System (interpretation) specific to our students to keep track of our student bodies. That is one system.
If we know, there is also the (interpretation ends) Nunavut Student Information System (interpretation) which tracks the total amount of students within our territory.
This shows the attendance rates throughout Nunavut.
This system is also ongoing.
The management tools are very beneficial to our department and the (interpretation ends) Student Information System (interpretation) is reviewed annually and it determines the exact numbers of our students.
It is very important to decipher the true numbers of our students. It also provides benefits to our local organizations. You were truthful in stating that this information is used to determine the number of teachers to be allotted as well as funding levels.
As well, according to the (interpretation ends) Education Act, (interpretation) it highlights how the teachers are allotted.
We have to adhere to this ratio as set out in the legislation, as this legislation is applicable to all of Canada.
There are slightly different management tools used, including (interpretation ends) student enrolment and student-educator ratio, as well as the Student Information System (interpretation) that governs that.
I am unsure which he was asking about and perhaps I just misunderstood him, so I would ask that he clarify which system he was referring to, Mr. Chairman.
I’m asking about both.
Chairman (interpretation): He said that it’s for both. Mr. Quassa.
Like I stated earlier, in our Act, it clearly outlines how many teachers we can have in one school. That’s SER.
When we have a certain number of students, we can have one teacher for that many students.
It’s Canadian law and 13.8 to 1 is the student-educator ratio that we have to follow. However, we need to follow a better student-educator ratio in Nunavut.
The Student Information System really helps us know who attends school. The student-educator ratio follows the numbers we get from the Student Information System. The Student Information System is what we follow.
Once we get the numbers from the Student Information System, we apply the student-educator ratio.
I hope I responded to both of your questions.
I’m sure the minister expects me to ask this question because I asked this question last week about school attendance.
Looking at all of Nunavut, the (interpretation ends) Student Information System (interpretation) is where you keep track of the students who attend school.
In the system, do you have a breakdown of students that attend monthly or at the beginning of the school year? Do you track the number of students that attend and follow student attendance?
I’m just trying to see how many students started at the beginning of the school year in September and how many we have left today.
Perhaps you’re asking about Cape Dorset.
I just want him to explain his question a little bit more.
Chairman (interpretation): Please clarify your question, Mr. Joanasie.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, if you can give me the Cape Dorset information and then afterwards give me the information for the rest of Nunavut, I’m sure my colleagues want to know the attendance of their students as well.
The Student Information System is what we use for all of Nunavut.
For example, it shows who is enrolled at the beginning of the school year and then the actual attendance information like for the report cards using various management tools to determine the various numbers and where exactly our student body is at.
It is a daily reference tool.
However, it is more specific to the higher grades, such as grades 10, 11, and 12. This is specific to each classroom or the class size, and that is how they view these database figures.
If we are aware of the attendance rates and enrolment numbers, the first source of information are the teachers’ notes on students attending classrooms. This is how they delineate the various numbers. Additionally, in the higher grades as well… .
What can I use? This is specific (interpretation ends) by subject (interpretation) and this is how they determine the numbers of students attending different classes.
The attendance is then verified using the teachers’ notes as well as the (interpretation ends) Student Information System (interpretation) that has the data inputted into it.
Hopefully I was clear in response to my colleague. I believe he was expecting actual figures, of that I am not sure.
Yes, I expected numbers. I wonder if he can provide specifics just for clarification purposes, perhaps even to speak to trends, whether it is increasing, decreasing, or staying the same. What I wanted to understand was the trend in the numbers.