EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
At this time, we have not set penalties for missing the deadlines, but if they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. It would probably be like that.
There are still developments and improvements in this area.
There have been a number of features and those were released in a news release.
Your first supplementary, Mr. Peterson.
Earlier on in the news release, there is a comment that the Government of Nunavut has mandated that deputy ministers provide additional focus on their accountability for results and management of financial resources.
I think that there is a lot of fuzziness and I do not understand what that means. Can the minister clarify what focus on our accountability means for deputy minister?
In the government departments, the deputy ministers are the managers of their department.
They have to be well aware of what’s happening in their department and to be responsible for their staff.
We told the deputy speakers that there’s going to be more focus and accountability in regard to the financial aspects in their department and also to meet their deadlines. We stated to the deputy speakers that they will have to be responsible, to focus, and to be accountable.
Your second supplementary, Mr. Peterson.
Again, in the same news release there’s mention of an implementation of a plan that concerns working and pinpointing where adjustments might be needed.
I referred to these statements before for various ministers and members on this side continue to follow up and ask them about those types of plans.
I’m wondering if the minister can commit to us today that he will table a copy of the implementation plan in the House next week.
I will look into the issue and see if I can table that next week.
I thank the minister. I’m sure this next item will be a question of interest to a lot of people in communities in Nunavut. There’s mention of a possible reconsolidation of financial processing and payroll operations at both the headquarters and regional levels.
Can the minister clarify what the position is of the Government of Nunavut with the possible reconsolidation of financial processing and payroll functions?
I believe that was also your final supplementary.
This was mentioned by the Auditor General and we will also told by the Auditor General.
In the communities there are finance officers and we have been asked if we should reconsolidate or centralize the financial positions because there’s too many finance officers in the communities.
We will have to reconsider these positions and see if we can recentralize these positions in order to expedite the process. The bandwidths are too small and we have to wait many, many hours in order to get the financial papers from one community to another.
So we will have to consider if we could recentralize. It’s too cumbersome at this point.
With that, we will consider this issue and we will have to decide where those positions are going to be relocated.
Of course, the position might stay in the community.
It’s something that we will have to seriously consider.
I can’t say when at this point, but it’s under consideration.
Oral Questions. Mr. Curley.
Question 282 – 2(3): Medical Escort Policy Review (Curley)
During the committee meeting, the minister tabled the draft Medical Escort Policy.
We weren’t pleased with the Escort Policy. The medical officer doesn’t know whether individuals who are going on medical travel need an escort or whether they need assistance.
The minister stated yesterday that the Medical Escort Policy is under review and there is a possibility that it might change.
How long is it going to take for you to review this policy and to implement these changes?
I had committed to providing a revised Medical Travel Policy to this House and I’m still committed to that.
Back in November I had shared a draft document for my colleagues for input on and to hear their concerns.
At the same time I had received some revisions to that policy and I was not satisfied that it adequately addressed the issue around under what situations would an escort be required.
I’ve asked the department to review all the issues that have come before us in the past and to date where questions around escorts have been an issue.
The medical travel itself for a patient is not in my opinion...I think that’s fairly clear.
Where it’s not clear is around when an escort is required. I’ve asked for more review based on all the indicators that test the questions that we have received from people in Nunavut.
So that is still in the works and I’ve committed to also trying to incorporate family input into when to decide when an escort is required. So I am committed to providing that.
The other concern that I had in regard to how that was administered was that at the community level, if an escort is required and so on, the appeal process was centralized to one person in the whole territory. I didn’t agree with that in that I think individual program managers for that particular region should have the discretion to review a file along with the health care professionals and be a professional to make an informed decision on whether an escort is required or not.
So there are changes being done in that way. And I also want individuals at the community level to be able to have the authority to actually do the case management of a patient.
As a reminder, please keep your questions and responses as short as possible and to the point.
I believe that there have been enough concerns and suggestions raised by members of this assembly and my colleagues, Members of the Legislative Assembly from all over Nunavut.
The people are calling for changes. Why does it take over six months to change the policy when it is very obvious the policy currently has implications now, particularly with our elders?
I can give the minister one example, and I did during the operations and maintenance estimates, that the elder from my own constituency was given a wrong medical prescription because he didn’t have a translator when he saw a doctor. He was nodding as usual, and smiling, and nodding, and nodding, when he should have saying no, no, no, no.
Therefore, he was given a wrong medical prescription and he even to date hasn’t really recovered after a major heart operation.
So I am asking the minister why it takes over six months to change a very simple policy direction.
In regard to the policy stuff, I have asked for feedback and I am working on that to present to this House. I don’t want to rush through the process yet.
We have concerns that have been raised and every case is different, every situation is different and I am trying to have a policy that factor in all those different situations that we encounter in deciding.
Of course, I am dealing with one right now in regard to a person that has been in the community for over three months. Could we do a switch then? That kind of discussion has to take place.
Some of them are covered under the Non-insured Health Benefit Program and some of them aren’t. So we need to factor in all those costs implications as well.
I have been instructing the department to come forward. I’m as eager as individuals here to present that policy. I hope to have that revised document within the next month or so.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Aglukkaq. (interpretation ends) Your second supplementary, Mr. Curley.
Mr. Curley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I welcome the minister’s indication that the policy will be changed within a month.
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of cases that have happened, particularly in my area, in my constituency, along with my colleague from Rankin Inlet.
There one case, another example is that there was an elder that was sent down to Winnipeg but didn’t have a medical escort. He is physically handicapped because of a huge stroke that he had once upon a time. So therefore, he couldn’t really keep himself hygienically protected.
In that condition, there were no individuals to help clean him and so on, so one of my constituents volunteered to help him out.
Mr. Speaker, it is urgent those elders be given some help and I’m asking the minister that he can temporarily suspend some of the provisions of policy and put in a temporary provision to allow for proper escorts for medically handicapped elders. Will he do so?
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Curley.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Thank you. (interpretation) I am very concerned about the issue that you have brought up.
We have to make sure that we provide the proper services to the elders. The policy is outdated and we have to provide proper services, especially to the unilingual people.
I will make sure that we have a new escort policy.
Even when this old policy still applies, I commit myself to make sure that we draft a new policy.
I have a supplementary question in regard to the Medical Policy. When I read the Medical Policy it states that the chief medical officer from the regions would make the decisions of whether the patient requires an escort or not.
It seems like everything was directed towards the medical officers.
I would like to tell the minister that the local health centre staff; the nurses and the head nurse, and if there was a doctor in the health centre in the community, they know what’s happening; they know which patient is critical or not critical.
Perhaps the health centre officials or the interpreters, who have been working for a long time in the health centres, or somehow if they could be included in making decisions as to whether the station requires an escort or not. Could this possible?
Speaker: Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Aglukkaq.
From what I understand, that’s how that policy is administered.
The nurse or doctor in the community will decide if a patient in a community if a patient requires travel to another jurisdiction for medical treatment.
The second piece of information is determining if the person will require an escort or not is made at the community level with the health centre as well as the doctor or specialist; the area where it transfers to a central focus is; I don’t know if it’s the chief medical officer, but there is a person in Rankin Inlet that appeals go to for escorts.
If there is no escort, there is an appeal mechanism in place.
I am examining that and I think that appeal process should be handled by the region, by the staff there, and not centralized to a community in Rankin Inlet.
The other concern I have is that the person reviewing the appeals should also have the background as a nurse or a doctor to make those informed decisions. So that is part of the review process, and my hope is to have those decisions made at the community level within region’s staff, or doctor.
I quickly welcome Tanya Mason to the Gallery. Welcome.
(interpretation) The next on the list for Oral Questions is Mr. Barnabas.
Question 283 – 2(3): Resolute Bay Water and Sewer Pipe Repairs (Barnabas)
First of all, I would like to thank the minister for visiting my constituency when she was first given this portfolio, but Mr. Speaker, when I visited my constituency of Resolute Bay they are experiencing a problem in regard to the sewage pipeline, or lagoon, and also the water pipes.
That requires maintenance all the time.
When contractor does maintenance work, though they have a contract, the Municipality of Resolute Bay is being charged for maintenance work. The Municipality of Resolute Bay doesn’t have authority to make that decision because municipal services for water and sewage are limited.
I was wondering what kind of response the minister could give me to this.
Minister responsible for Community and Government Services, Minister Brown.
I would also like to thank my colleague for posing those questions.
In Nunavut, yes we do experience many problems with water and sewage services, some on water delivery and some communities are on the utilidor system. I am very sensitive to what you’re talking about because the Municipality of Resolute Bay is going through difficult times.
In 2006, in Ottawa, the Treasury Board had signed a Canada Strategic Funds worth $20 million. The High Arctic is to use $7.2 million but it would have started in 2005 to 2008. But I expect my staff to discuss this with the community.
Since Iqaluit is the headquarters perhaps, my staff can have discussions with the Municipality of Resolute Bay and don’t wish to see them go into debt.
I would like to thank the minister for her staff’s help in providing information to the community.
I know this is going to be a very difficult issue to resolve.
I know that we need to make an extension on the utilidor system. The new lots are now being developed in my community.
For example, if their debt is increasing, it’s going to become a B community from our A community, it’s also going to effect the funding that’s provided to the municipality. It’s going to have an impact on that funding provided.
I was wondering how you’re going to deal with this issue. What is your department going to when the municipality is just building debt with that?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Barnabas. (interpretation ends) Minister Brown.
Hon. Levinia Brown: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) My officials will probably need to go to that community and visit the community to do a visual inspection, perhaps, just make a short report.
(interpretation ends) The scope of the project will be validation of the current water and sewage system, and all necessary upgrades to the distribution system and the sewage treatment system.
A simple solution may exist for the parking system, and if so, the cost of the upgrades could be as low as $3 million. But however, if an entire new system is required, the cost could be as high as $10 million.
So I think that the Department of CGS is prepared to forward the money, whatever necessary there because Nunavut matches that $20 million, the Nunavut Government matches it. So, we’re looking at about $4 million to $49 million within our cost frame; I think it’s possible, and I will monitor this closely with the staff of CGS and make sure that the hamlet is not running into deficit.
Oral Questions. (interpretation ends) Mr. Tootoo.
Question 284 – 2(3): Deep Sea Port for South Baffin (Tootoo)
Mr. Speaker, I would like to coin a phrase that one of a former colleague of ours used to say all the time, is that, it’s no secret that the Cabinet Ministers were down in Ottawa last month, a meeting with their federal counterparts.
My question to the Minister of Transportation is: in his meeting with his federal colleague, did he give any indication to him as far as the Government of Nunavut’s stance on a deep sea port for South Baffin?
Yes, we talked a little bit about that. There were other areas that were on our agenda.
Again, we would like to see a deep-sea port built in South Baffin in the near future.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Akesuk. (interpretation ends) Your first supplementary, Mr. Tootoo.
I think all of us remember Mr. Harper’s commitment to a deep sea port here in Iqaluit and I know for the last number of years Mr. Picco has done as he would say, ‘Yeoman service,’ in trying to push that project ahead.
The city council and myself and other members for Iqaluit have done a lot of work in putting together a feasibility study and a plan for a deep sea port here in Iqaluit. Can the minister indicate, he said that he’d like to see one here in South Baffin at some time.
Did he give us any indication as to what the government’s priority location was to his federal colleague?
We’ve done a couple of studies on two possible sites; one here in Iqaluit, which is very new, and in the past we have done Kimmirut Road and Port also. That’s still on the map.
I’d like to see if the federal government would commit any money; whether it’s to Iqaluit or to Kimmirut I would be very happy. So anything that’s coming to South Baffin is a good project for us to accept from the federal government as most of the money would come from the federal government.
I understand that during those meetings last month that I know that the mayor and deputy mayor were down there with Mr. Picco meeting with the Minister of National Defense regarding the port here in Iqaluit. I understand it has been reported that the Minister of Transportation was meeting with his counterpart saying that they should have a port in Kimmirut.
I am just wondering if we have a message to go to the federal government that we make sure that it’s a consistent message that either one is fine. That both of them that you’re looking at let them know that and not have two different people going to two different ministers with different priorities.
I am just wondering if he could clarify that there is consistency in the messages that’s being sent to your federal counterparts, as far as project priorities here in Nunavut.
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Tootoo. Please try and keep your preamble a little shorter to give other members time to ask questions.
We all do our very best to have the same message. Again, as the Transportation Minister, I would love to work closely with the City of Iqaluit or either with the community of Kimmirut. I want to make sure that I treat every community or the city here equally towards the projects that we want to see in the future in our territory.
The minister indicated in his earlier response that the Kimmirut Road and Port Project is still on the map and that’s going back a number of years now and the one for Iqaluit here was fairly new, I know it as well.
Can he indicate of where things are at with evaluating either of those projects, where his department’s at with that, or are they looking at leaning towards one or the other as far as feasibility and support as a priority go?
The port here was Mr. Harper’s campaign promise. I don’t know where they’re at with that right now.
A project that we did a study on the Kimmirut port is still sitting there where it sat for a couple of years, not a number of years, a couple years.
Again, me myself, as the Minister of Transportation, I want to start doing something about one of these two projects. The military is the one that is really going for the deep sea port here in Iqaluit.
So one of the other two will go ahead sometime and I will be in supportive of but I trust that it is about time that we start talking again where about the Kimmirut road and port.
Question 285 – 2(3): Sanikiluaq Medical Airline Contract (Kattuk)
Mr. Speaker, I have confirmed that and I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services where in Sanikiluaq the people who are going on medical to Winnipeg have to fly for usually over three hours.
I wonder if there is a speculation or does it specify under those contracts what kind of airline they should be using and if the airline must provide a toilet?
In the contract for medical travel from Sanikiluaq to Winnipeg, there is a provision in the contract to have washrooms on those flights.
So, is that the case? Is there a washroom on the aircraft that they use now for medical purposes?
Mr. Speaker, that member raised this issue on several occasions now and recently as a couple of days ago. From what I understand, in the past they have removed the washrooms to accommodate another patient, which caused some concerns about having that service provided on those aircrafts.
As far as I know, that situation has been addressed and yes, there are washroom facilities on those aircrafts.
I define washroom as one room, but from what I have seen, it is not a room. It is a portable toilet, which is behind one of the seats and this is not acceptable.
I am pretty sure that most people will not use that portable washroom and the flight is usually over three hours and they have no access to go to the washroom because they will not use one, which is behind a chair.
I wonder if the minister can have discussions with the airline that has the contract to take medical patients from Sanikiluaq to Winnipeg.
Mr. Speaker, I committed to the member to reviewing the contract for that service that is currently provided for Sanikiluaq.
At the same time, I am going to see what additional improvements we can make for providing that service in the next requested proposal in renewing that contract. The contract is in place right now, and from what I understand, the airlines are adhering to that contract requirement.
However, in light of the concerns that the member has raised, I have committed to examining that further and what sort of improvements we can make in providing that service to Sanikiluarmiut and yes, I will look into that and report back to the member.
Speaker: Thank you, Ms. Aglukkaq. (interpretation) Member Kattuk.
Yes, this is very reassuring, as this has to be dealt with.
It has been like this for too long.
The aircraft that is currently being used is way too small.
It’s a single-engine aircraft and they use it for three hours with only one pilot.
I had to tell one of the pilots “look I am not a pilot at all, so don’t fall asleep on the plane”.
Those kinds of things have to be checked in to. I wonder if she can check into that a bit further.
I thank the member for again raising the issue; I have committed again to reviewing that.
The procedure approaches that we will follow in trying to provide that service is that we go through a ‘request for proposal process’ with certain requirements that we are expecting the service provider to meet.
As far as I know, the contracts are in place with the service provider. They are meeting those requirements.
However, in light of the concerns the member has raised when we go through that process for a new contract or renewing a contract with a service provider, we can incorporate those types of terms into the request for service proposal.
At the same time, with the service provider, we will try and raise the concerns you are raising related to the toilets as well as to the single engine and single-pilot concern. Collectively I would like to get that information and have an opportunity for my officials to meet with the airline providers to address some of your concerns.
In terms of what types of models for aircrafts; I can also provide that information to the member.
As far as I know the current contract requirements are being met and we would have to renew that process to address the members concerns.
Speaker (interpretation): Mr. Kattuk that was your last and final question.
Question 286 – 2(3): Medical Transportation Arrangements (Arreak)
I would like to ask the Minister of Health in regard to the hiccup situation.
I often hear this from my constituents and also from other people that this has not been solved.
After the transportation office was moved to Pangnirtung, they are still encountering problems. Is the Minister looking this at this?
Minister of Health, Ms. Aglukkaq
The short answer for the member is yes.
We are also putting in place a new booking system with the airline, an electronic system.
The other areas we are also looking in to improving through the hospital as far as the health centers is an electronic appointment system this will allow us to better track appointments with doctors here.
We have also been working with the airlines to come up with the travel arrangements or booking systems. So yes, every day improvements are being made and we are looking at launching that new system within the next week or so.
Thank you, minister that this is being worked on.
So, are you going to open a transportation office here in Iqaluit?
Mr. Speaker, the travel administration, there is one here in Iqaluit, as well as one in Pangnirtung.
I think there are two things to consider in trying to better coordinate travel arrangements and so on.
First of all, everything was done manually, and we are trying to address that through coming up with an electronic management system of booking appointments. The other piece is the whole travel arrangement, logistics required to getting the patient down to Iqaluit, to Pangnirtung office, or from the Iqaluit office.
So, yes there is that service being provided through the Iqaluit hospital, as well as the Pangnirtung regional health and social service office.
Your second supplementary, Mr. Arreak.
Mr. Arreak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, minister.