EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I did check the annual report, but it did not spell out or appear to have covered all of the issues that you raised with the college in your letter to them on April 5, 2005.
So I’m wondering whether or not they are actually going to comply specifically with the reference that you said that these documents must be tabled at the same time the corporation’s annual budget for 2006-07 is tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
So I believe the report, in itself, is not sufficient pursuant to your letter. Will you be tabling more information soon?
The member is correct. Again, we have several days left of this session and there is some other information that I will be tabling on behalf and for the college.
Question 242 – 2(3): Davis Strait Polar Bear Survey (Kattuk)
Yesterday, I was asking questions to the Minister of Environment. I did not have a chance to finish my question, so could I ask him on the research on education survey. Is he involved in that?
Speaker (interpretation): The Minister for Environment, Mr. Akesuk.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): The research or survey in Davis Strait near Kimmirut, Igloolik. Our communities are involved on this research and I would like to consult with them using Inuit Qaujimajutuqangit in regard to the Polar Bear survey in that area and the Davis Strait area because they do hunt in the same area from the same group of polar bears. We will be seeking their advice on this subject of research on polar bears in Davis Strait.
I did not understand exactly whether if he answered yes or no. Are the Inuit involved in this survey or research on polar bears?
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, they are with the Inuit hunters. The biologists are working with the communities; so yes.
I am trying to ask are individuals, or hunters, or people who have knowledge on polar bears being involved in the research or study?
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): Community people and the hunters are involved in the research.
So I do believe when we say communities because where there are different communities that are in that boundary on Davis Strait, and any community has Inuit, and I do believe saying communities is proper so that I do not have to point out one individual person. Yes, the hunters are involved in the research.
The minister usually states that the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Policy will be used to consult with the communities. How are they going to use the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in this regard?
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk: The area that is being researched will use their knowledge.
Question 243 – 2(3): Federal Funding Arrangement (Peterson)
Mr. Speaker, in the budget address two weeks ago, he mentioned that the Government of Nunavut had watched in dismay, “When the federal government imposed a 3.5 percent fixed rate.”
In a media report at that time, the Nunatsiaq News say Premier Paul Okalik said this week he’s still happy with the new funding arrangement that Prime Minister Paul Martin is offering Canada’s three territorial governments.
So apparently, the government was happy with that deal.
The question for the minister is: if the new framework deal was so bad at that time, why did the Government of Nunavut sign it?
The 3.5 percent was agreed upon and it’s not enough for the whole of Nunavut.
It’s quite not enough.
We always get 57 percent of what we originally requested.
It’s usually not enough and 3.5 percent is not enough as well, but we had to sign it.
We had no other choice. It will be supplemented in the near future to make it more agreeable to our liking.
Most of us in our personal lives don’t sign deals we don’t like, unless we have a gun to our head.
Maybe that’s what happened.
In the budget address, he stated that Nunavut did better under the old agreement and the minister commented on that. However, the analysis overlooks the fact that the Government of Nunavut was always bailed out at the last moment by timely injections of funds from Ottawa; funds for health, being an example.
My question for the minister: if the Government of Nunavut knows that we are only going to receive 3.5 percent in the current deal, what financial directives did the Government of Nunavut contemplate to keep the budget within the 3.5 percent?
Hon. David Simailak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are continually working on this issue.
The 2006-07 budget estimates that we are dealing with now and the federal government had agreed to 3.5 percent. We’ve been working with the Ottawa officials and we’ve been working with the two expert panels and also the Council of the Federation Advisory Panel.
We are working with the two panels and probably at the end of the month they will probably table the documents.
So the Ottawa officials are waiting for these, but the federal government is now transferring funding to us that is inadequate for all three territories.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for that.
The minister’s budget address also mentions the panels, and I’m glad that the minister has brought them up again.
The budget address mentions the two panels are going to be making a recommendation to the federal government with respect to the Territorial Formula Financing Agreement. The minister just said that the government is hopeful that the recommendations are positive and favourable to Nunavut, that the government will be receptive to assisting us with more funding.
My question for the minister: what contingency plans does the Government of Nunavut have in place to deal with the very real possibility that the new federal government will maintain the status quo, 3.5 percent?
At this time, we have been told by the Prime Minister that the expert panels, once they finish their review that they will be reviewing, they will be meeting with the three territorial governments in regard to that.
I’ve already met with the federal government’s finance minister.
We expect that they’ll be using the expert panel’s recommendations, but they’re reviewing at this time.
It’ll be easier to tell what the federal government’s viewpoint is by this coming summer or fall as to what the recommendations will be from the expert panel, but we do have expectations that are positive for Nunavut in helping the Nunavut territories.
I know that we probably had similar expectations in 2004, I recall a lot of hype that we were going to get a good deal and then, as the minister said in his budget address, we watched in dismay.
Since Nunavut was created in 1999, our budget has nearly doubled and it still is not enough to deliver all the goods and services, and maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle for all our Nunavut residents that other Canadians take for granted.
My question for the minister: is the government of Nunavut now reaching a point where some budget cuts will have to be made in order to provide basic, essential programs and services to Nunavummiut in areas of health, education, housing, and power?
Yes, we are looking for a way that we can better utilize our resources within our government, especially to have better services, healthy communities, and to make sure that they live comfortably.
We are always looking for ways to cut costs and how to spend our money wisely.
Question 244 – 2(3): Type of Aviation Fuel in Arviat (Alagalak)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Petroleum Products.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister tell me, since there are many types of aviation fuel, in Arviat, what kind of aviation fuel do we sell?
Speaker (interpretation): Community and Government Services Minister, Ms. Brown.
In Arviat, the aviation fuel that is transported there is different, there is Jet A fuel, diesel fuel, and gasoline.
I am looking for that information, but I am sorry because I did not really respond to the member here.
I would really like to give adequate responses because these are very important to the question.
It is going to be very informative to the communities and to us.
I really do want to provide the proper response, so I will take it as notice and I am very sorry, and I am not really feeling comfortable, but I really would like to give you adequate response, but I remember it was Jet A fuel.
They will respond later on, so thank you.
Question 245 – 2(3): Support for Ilisaqsivik Society Core Funding (Arreak)
Last year, I had asked this same question in regard to Ilisaqsivik core funding; if they could provide assistance because Ilisaqsivik is very beneficial to the community and also creates employment opportunities and it also helps the community to revive.
The minister stated that once they get their financial statements that they were going to start on again.
Is the minister ready to support Ilisaqsivik now?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Minister Aglukkaq.
The department committed to providing assistance of trying to address the request of the society.
Part of the request is to request a copy of an audited statement. That information has been received.
One of the challenges that we face in trying to provide assistance is that the funding that they use are vote 4 programs, and we approved in the main estimates the $11 million that we receive from the federal government.
The society receives funding for their projects under that vote 4 funding. At the same time, the society receives funding from other government departments, not just health; education being an example, Culture, Language, Elders and Youth being an example.
So there has not been a movement to provide core funding to the society at this point in time. The file is being examined and we are trying to come up with means to try and address their request, but as it is right now with the Department of Health, there is no core funding for the society.
The Ilisaqsivik Society does a lot of work in our community, and they also counsel people, they also counsel people who have mental health needs.
I also saw a document in regard to a Mental Health Nurse that will be going to our community.
We already have a counsellor from the Ilisaqsivik Society and this mental health worker that is proposed for our community is provided funding even though that individual doesn’t even know our culture and language. Why can’t you provide core funding to our Ilisaqsivik Society where they all know our culture?
The Department of Health provides core funding to health centres through social workers in every community.
Those are our core programs; the health centres in every community and social workers, and that position, the mental health nurse, I believe that you mentioned, is part of that core funding for that community.
Although I understand her, it seems as though I have not received any answer to my question.
The Member’s Statement I did is not too good to hear, but there is $2.3 million funding and in my community we’re requesting far less than that and there are hardly any employment opportunities in my community.
Even though this sounds impossible, but when it’s already existing and operating in our community, it’s very beneficial. Can the minister assure me that you’ll provide, even though you do not approve core funding, that you’ll provide some form of assistance and support to the Ilisaqsivik Society as your department and as a government also?
In my earlier response, I did say the department will try and work with the other departments to try and respond or address the concerns or requests being made by the society.
The society accesses grants and contributions funding from various agencies and some of them are from Health, but there’s a lot of other funding that they receive from other departments such as CLEY, or Education, or the federal government.
At the same time, the society provides programs such as Internet Access, Youth, Drop-In Centre, and/or Moms and Tots, or after school programming that does not fall under the Department of Health activities.
So to try and coordinate internally within other departments to request how we can better address their concern is one that I will commit to do to try and assist the society.
At this point in time, the Department of Health does not have a core funding outside of the services offered by the health centres, nurses, mental health workers, social workers, and CHRs, and so on, but I will commit to having my staff meet and work with the other departments to try and assist the society in accessing funding for their core programming.
I am not satisfied with the replies she just gave me and it’s true that the society is giving service to the communities that she mentioned that’s only a partial list of what they are doing.
Trying is a negative reply I’m getting. Will the government be helping the Ilisaqsivik Society in Clyde River?
I don’t dispute the importance of the programs being offered by the society at all.
What I am trying to work through here is how we can provide core funding to a society outside the Department of Health and Social Services programs. That’s the challenge that I’m tasked with and I did agree to working with the other departments in trying to address the request from the society.
And for the record, in that fiscal year, the Department of Health provided $227,000 in programs for the society. So we have provided assistance and you are asking for additional funding to fund positions for the centre and that’s the challenge I’m tasked with outside the current Department of Health and Social Services core programs in the communities.
I committed to working with the other departments in trying to address the concerns. But at this point in time, I cannot provide core funding to the society.
Question 246 – 2(3): Total Number of Decentralized Positions for Pangnirtung (Kilabuk)
I would like to direct my question to the Premier. After he has responded, I will want to have further information before I get into it anywhere.
We don’t know how many positions are going to be decentralized to Pangnirtung yet. There were 69 positions slated for Pangnirtung and on October 2, 1998, the Office of the Interim Commissioner announced that there would be 78 new positions. On July 5, 1999, the government announced that the Secretariat confirmed the number of 78.
On June 3, 2003, a GN announcement indicated that 71 positions have been decentralized to Pangnirtung. A GN return to written question from November of 2005 also indicated the number as being 71. And I’m still wondering if it’s 71 to date.
My question for the Premier is this: can he confirm for me today what the total number of decentralized positions will be in Pangnirtung? And how many of these are filled currently? And how many positions remain?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): I can confirm for the member that the number is still at 71. It is not going to be decreased or increased. It is now written in stone and there will be no changes.
To date, we have 57 filled positions and we are currently looking at filling the other positions which are in the works.
I would like to thank the Premier for confirming the number, which, as he said, was written in stone.
I have another question because we keep hearing different numbers and I know those 57 positions are not filled by beneficiaries.
There are just a few positions filled to date.
I would like to ask the Premier if he can make an announcement to the mayor and to the people of Pangnirtung that there are 71 positions.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Yes, I can.
I hope the employee’s positive response would be that in 2006-07, it states that the government is looking to fill the positions. It says that one of the goals of the department and Premier is to plan a Second Annual Decentralization Plan and Reporting Meeting for 2006 to provide an update on the status of decentralization in Nunavut.
Can the Premier tell me what issues are impeding the filling of decentralization positions in Pangnirtung and will he commit to tabling a report at the upcoming decentralization meeting?
First of all, I would like to thank the member for bringing up those questions.
We were in a much compromised position when we were dealing with decentralization because they were written or the promises were announced by OIC, and we went through a hard time. I really do thank the member for having been a part of decentralizing those positions to the communities. He made a huge contribution at that time.
There are now 18 positions. Some are being filled and some are not filled yet. We will keep the people of Pangnirtung informed of what position is available so that the local people can apply for those positions and fill them.
So we’re going to be doing that this year.
I am very pleased to hear that and I do support your commitment to keep the people of Pangnirtung informed because, as I said earlier, if they are informed ahead of time, they can make the plans and take further training.
Mr. Speaker, I have another question to the Premier.
Will the Premier commit to consulting with affected Members of the Legislative Assembly before any more changes to the numbers take place in decentralized positions including the Department of Health and the Medical Transportation Office that is in Pangnirtung?
We still have problems and we hear that there are still hiccups that they have to deal with.
There are 71 positions that will not be changed.
The number will not change and we are going to concentrate on filling those positions in those departments.
From Economic Development and Transportation one position, four from education, five for Environment, and five for the Department of Health and Social Services.
We do have to complete filling those positions.
Question 247 – 2(3): Department of Finance Plans (Tootoo)
I’d like to again direct my question to the Minister of Finance. It’s in relation to a publication and I look forward immensely to receiving every year; that’s Auditor General’s Report.
I’d like to quote a little bit from the Auditor General’s preface. On page 1 it states, “Six years after Nunavut’s creation, I’m surprised at how slowly financial management has improved.”
On page 2 it states, “Your accounting staff has spread throughout Nunavut in small decentralized groups. Large organizations need professional accountants to provide financial leadership.
At present, your government does not have enough professional accountants for such a decentralized environment and certainly not enough to deal with all the problems needing attention.
This report looks at options to give financial management the rapid boost it needs so that your government could continue to try small changes, as they have done for the past six years, however, that approach has not worked so far and there’s no reason that it will in the future.”
It also indicates that she recommends, to some degree, re-centralization to establish basic financial controls. And that they would look at, once these improvements have been made, the government could again consider decentralizing those accounting functions.
My question to the Minister of Finance is: given those comments made by the recommendations, what plans does the Department of Finance have in relation to the comments?
We have been working on this issue ever since we got the report. We have reviewed the recommendations ever since we became a territory.
We are implementing the recommendations and she made a recommendation to make sure that we have a centralized functioning agency.
In regard to finances, she recommended that we put all those financial positions into one community.
That would mean that we would have to move out the other Government of Nunavut positions that are in that community.
We are working on it at this time.
The Auditor General had indicated that they basically re-centralize temporarily until they get their financial controls in place and that basically, it could be just a temporary recentralization to build capacity.
Is the Department of Finance looking at doing exactly that; are they planning on temporarily recentralizing some of these Finance positions until they have the capacity to be able to decentralize those positions again?
As I stated earlier, it is currently in discussions. We have not finalized a decision yet, but we are debating on the Auditor General’s recommendation.
Speaker (interpretation): Your second supplementary, Mr. Tootoo
Given that there have been other temporary moves of decentralized positions back to here in Iqaluit, for example, if that is where the Department of Finance plans on recentralizing that function, and I know the President of Arctic College has temporarily been reassigned here in Iqaluit at no cost of jobs moving to replace that out of Iqaluit to Arviat because that is just a temporary move.
So can the minister commit that that will be the case with any temporary recentralization of any financial functions in the Department of Finance?
As I stated earlier, we are trying to find some ways as to exactly what we will do and go with the recommendation of the Auditor General, but we have not completed it yet. So at this stage, I cannot really give you a definite answer.
We are still in the process of working on it.
I guess I know that the government has had this report for quite some time and I would assume that quite a bit of work has been done on that.
Can the minister indicate at least if the government’s Department of Finance is leaning towards a temporary recentralization or a permanent recentralization of that function?
Yes, but like I said earlier, we are not finished with it, but once it is completed, I will give you a definite answer.
We are still in the process of looking at it. So at this time, I cannot give you a definite answer.
Question 248 – 2(3): More Resources for Diabetes (Peterson)
My question is for the Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, diabetes is on the increase in Canada.
A few weeks ago, I talked to a lady who was attending a workshop on diabetes. She told me that Nunavut needs to be aware of the dangers that diabetes poses to the health of Nunavummiut. My question for the minister: will the department be providing more resources for diabetes education in diabetes clinics for the Nunavut population?
The department has discussed the Diabetes Strategy to address the issue in Nunavut to increase further awareness and prevention and care and treatment services for Nunavut. That trial has been completed and the strategy itself and more work will be implemented in the next year or so.
Mr. Speaker, the department has released a report on diabetes in Nunavut for the period of 1997 to 2002. A question for the minister: has the incidence of diabetes in Nunavut increased since the last published incidence of .29 percent for this period?
The issue on diabetes is one that we need to do a lot more in terms of trying to identify the ways of prevention, and one example that we have done to try and address the issue around diabetes is the program led by the department around ‘Drop the Pop’ that involved youth as one example of one of the initiatives that we have in the community.
In terms of the numbers, there is potential for the numbers to go up for people with diabetes in the north if we don’t start to address it from the area of prevention in our communities through public education and so on. I would like to try and concentrate more of the energy of the department to developing prevention strategies in our community level, one of them being the whole issue around diabetes.
I am glad to hear the minister tell us that there’s work being done on diabetes.
Mr. Speaker, diabetes is a very serious illness, it can cause blindness, it can cause heart failure, liver failure, the whole gamut. I think you could also have your legs amputated due to blood pressure issues. It’s a very serious illness.
Mr. Speaker, the department participates in the National Diabetes Surveillance Program. A question for the minister: can the minister tell us when more recent information on diabetes will be released in Nunavut?
Just to share with the member, the numbers last year, 2002, 41 new cases were diagnosed in Nunavut. The number in Nunavut represents about 1.72 compared to Canada.
Anyway, we do participate with the federal government in areas of trying to come up with programs for Nunavut so that the material in the area of prevention is also in Inuktitut and so on.
Yes, further work will be developed.