EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Have they increased the funding because of the fact that there was a vacant position? Is that my understanding, Mr. Chairman?
My deputy will clarify this. It is under operations.
We are mainly dealing with these three issues, such as the wage scale for the teachers, which is governed by the NEU collective bargaining agreement that sets out the increases, as well as the cost of living increases laid out in the agreement.
Also, for many years, not in the current administration, but in the past administrations of both the first and second governments, as I briefly mentioned yesterday, we were directed to use our operational funds whenever we needed new employees or services and to provide these services with existing funds without any additional funding allocations.
To use this example, social assistance minimums were increased to reflect higher food prices, which resulted in a $1.5 million increase. As an example, we had to find these funds from within the Department of Education operational funds.
When we were forced to do that, we would appropriate the funds set aside for vacant positions by freezing those positions.
Just recently, when the departments were realigned with the creation of the family services department, the funds were to be transferred to this new department and once that was done, our entire budget finally became finalized.
Due to this reason, once the funds we had appropriated for these initiatives and the social assistance funding was transferred, the equivalent amounts meant that our budget became finalized.
That’s how I can explain it.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, I will want to review them in the Blues, as the responses will determine whether I have further questions, but in light of the limited time we are faced with, I would like to move a motion (interpretation ends) to report progress.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 49 and would like to report progress.
This House stands adjourned until Friday, March 8, at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Pages 3818 – 3879
Opening Prayer 3818
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 3818
Report of the Committee of the Whole 3878
Orders of the Day 3878
Friday, March 8, 2013 3818
Bill 49 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2013-2014 – Education – Consideration in Committee 3819
Bill 49 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2013-2014 – Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs – Consideration in Committee 3846
Speaker (Hon. Hunter Tootoo): Qujannamiik, Sergeant-at-Arms. Before we proceed, I would like to ask Mr. Shewchuk to lead us off in a prayer, please.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Shewchuk. (interpretation ends) Good morning, everybody.
Mr. Rumbolt: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go directly to Item 19 on the order paper.
The member is seeking unanimous consent to proceed directly to Item 19. Are there any nays?
There are none. We will proceed to Item 19 in our Orders of the Day.
In accordance with the authority granted to me by Motion 44 – 3(3), the committee will stay in session until it reports itself out.
I would ask members to remain at their desks and we will go right into Committee of the Whole.
Chairman (Mr. Enook)(interpretation): Good morning, members. Good morning, Nunavummiut and people tuning in elsewhere.
I would now like to call the committee meeting to order. In Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bills 47, 48, and 49.
If time permits, we would like to commence the review of the Department of Family Services, followed by the Department of Justice.
Does the committee agree to bring in Minister Aariak and her officials?
Chairman (interpretation): Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort Madam Minister’s witnesses in. (interpretation ends) Thank you.
(interpretation) Thank you, Sergeant-at-Arms.
Minister Aariak, good morning. Welcome.
Good morning to you and all Nunavummiut.
To my left is Deputy Minister Kathy Okpik and to my right is Annalisa Streicher from Corporate Services.
Yesterday, we left off on page G-8.
I still have some names on my list from yesterday and I will continue on with it. Mr. Tapardjuk.
Good morning. I want to welcome the minister during this fine morning.
Hopefully you are well rested now that you have had some sleep.
Since the members are well rested also, we will be quite energetic, Mr. Chairman.
I want to return briefly to the assessment of teachers and of the need to evaluate them to see whether they are capable teachers. We need to ensure they are capable of teaching our children and grandchildren in school.
We are all aware that the new Education Act in Nunavut deals with the reality of languages spoken here, such as Inuktitut, French, and English. I am also quite aware that in our schools, they hire Inuit teachers so that they can teach the lessons in Inuktitut.
Mr. Chairman, I would now like to ask the minister how they assess the Inuktitut language proficiency of these teachers. Is their ability to be able to just speak Inuktitut enough even if their grammatical skills aren’t great and mistakes are made? I wonder how these teachers are evaluated in their Inuktitut language skills.
Let me get a grasp on that first, Mr. Chairman.
The students taking the Nunavut Teacher Education Program have an Inuktitut language proficiency test at the beginning of the program. It is one of the criteria for eligibility to the program. It is a pre-test of their skills prior to placement in the program.
I understand the statement about current students in the program. What about teachers already in our schools? How are they evaluated?
As an example, a unilingual Inuk who is extremely competent in the language, who could teach the language at home, can they qualify as a teacher? Are the students in the Teacher Education Program who may not be as fluent in Inuktitut the only ones to be termed Inuktitut teachers?
I would like that clarified, Mr. Chairman.
The Inuktitut language specialists are called in from time to time. The students at the NTEP program also have elders assisting them during their Inuktitut language classes.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): I would like an answer to the question I raised. Can a unilingual Inuk extremely competent in Inuktitut ever become a teacher in the school if they don’t speak English?
There are extremely competent unilingual Inuit who are fluent in Inuktitut with no knowledge of English. These elders are provided with a certificate enabling them to teach in the language.
Since we are reviewing the main estimates for the department, my next question relates to these elders who have the certification. Is their pay scale equivalent to certified teachers in our schools?
I will get Kathy to respond since I don’t deal with daily operation items, such as the pay scale for the elders. I’m just kidding, but their pay is administered by our administration. My deputy will elaborate on the details.
The certified elders’ pay is submitted as part of the funds allocated to the DEAs in one category and that is how we try to arrange it. I don’t have the information as to their exact pay scale, so I will have to respond after I get the information.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Yes, I will expect that information obviously since we are reviewing the main estimates for these types of matters.
I wasn’t asking about funds allocated to the DEAs as they aren’t part of the government, but the main estimates are specific to the government departments which we are trying to approve.
Within these main estimates, it includes the wages for the teachers as part of their budgeting process, which would include the wages for the Inuit teachers. So when you were budgeting for the wages in preparing the main estimates, what was the amount set aside for the Inuit teachers?
I was asking if the elders were going to be on the same pay scale as certified high school teachers.
Because they are nominally certified as Inuit elder teachers, does that mean they would make the minimum wage? What amounts do you set aside for them during the budget process?
The budgets for the schools are based on the number of students in that school.
The elder language specialists aren’t teaching on a daily basis. It depends on the course and what is required for that course.
Let’s use the example of seamstress teaching. When the class schedule is determined, it includes the number of students who would take the course. The pay scale for teachers depends on their level of education and their level of experience, so the pay scale fluctuates depending on the teacher.
If I didn’t get the issue that the member was trying to raise, I know that my colleague will rebut this response. That is it for now.
I believe our session still has over a week left, so I can easily convert my questions to the appropriate item on our orders of the day.
Mr. Chairman, another question I want to ask relates to an item listed on page 77 of the business plan.
Apparently, many schools are tardy when it comes to the hiring process of their teachers.
In the hiring process for teachers, it must be quite complex. Are there difficulties in parts of the process? It states here that there is a delay in the development of bilingual teaching and learning units.
I want to understand the curriculum related to this. If a course is in English or in Inuktitut, what is the bottleneck causing the delay in this process?
I also thank my colleague for clarifying his question.
The member is quite correct in his assertion that Inuktitut teachers are too few at this current time. However, this coming spring, we expect 45 more elders to become certified as Inuktitut teachers.
Also, we have to remind ourselves that the number of Inuktitut teachers we require to comply with the Education Act is quite high.
In talking about bilingual education, they will be taught in two languages in accordance with the legislation and this means that we will require over 300 additional teachers to fully comply with it.
That is how much of a shortfall we face. We do have quite a number of students taking the training, but we will still need many more bilingual teachers in the future.
I will respond to this point for the time being.
I have always maintained that due to our small population in Nunavut, it causes difficulty in trying to fill these numbers.
Another item on page 77 of your business plan speaks about educator training in the year 2013-14.
I assumed that these teachers were already highly trained, enabling them to teach. So what type of additional training do they require?
Let me get a response to that first, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Our teachers working for the department get additional training in different areas. I would like clarification as to which type of training the members is asking about.
Mr. Tapardjuk, can you clarify your question, please.
On page 77 of the business plan, for fiscal year 2013-14, it speaks about educator training. This applies to training for teachers in 2013-14 in the amount of $2,762,000.
What is the purpose of this training fund?
That is what I’m trying to understand, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Tapardjuk, for your clarification.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Chairman.
The funds are for the teachers taking the education program at Arctic College.
Also under this section, does it refer to boys or specifically to young men? It is called the Young Men’s Engagement Project in English. I wonder how many schools this initiative has been offered in.
If you read page 78 carefully, it states that it “Work will proceed on drop-out prevention after the pilot project in Baker Lake is completed.”
Did this have any effect on attendance figures, especially for the young men? Were there any complaints or recommendations accruing from these initiatives?
I would like to get further clarification on this matter, Mr. Chairman.
We are aware that boys and male students have a tendency to drop out. The trend is that they require more support and this is one of our current priorities.
That is why these initiatives were tested in Baker Lake as a pilot project.
To date, the results of this pilot project are still being drafted up and once we have that information available, I will be pleased to table the report outlining what the results were. The findings of the pilot project are known, but haven’t been completed as of yet.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you. I would be very interested in reading the results as it is becoming a major concern. It also manifests itself in our government offices, as the majority of Inuit public servants are largely women with few men.
It could be that Inuit men are not conditioned to stay inside all day. That shouldn’t be the case anymore if the individuals are dedicated to their work. We would really like to see the findings in that report, as this issue is becoming rather disconcerting to many communities throughout Nunavut, particularly in Igloolik.
Also, in the most recent years we have completed, we started discussing the multiple options that are now available, which give more flexibility to the schools to offer classes that are relevant to our students to ensure they can complete their education by taking different classes.
Has this had any effect on the numbers of graduates through these various activities listed in these options which are slightly outside of the core curriculum?
Our expectations are that this will result in changes to the ratios with these multiple option courses outside of the core curriculum.
We believe that if male students are engaged, it will result in wanting to complete their education, especially when their courses are hands-on.
If I were to state it in English, what I mean is hands-on activities where students are working with their hands within these classes.
The expectations are that this will help students retain their interest in attending school or that it can assist in keeping students in school to graduation. Those are our expectations with these multiple options.
It seems obvious to me that this can make a difference in retaining male students in our schools.
It relates to the Inuit relationship with snow. In order to keep them in school, are there any outdoor classes for male students to explore the properties of snow, such as building igloos or learning the different properties of snow?
Who will decide whether this is an appropriate class? Is this one of the options?
During the committee review of the Department of Community and Government Services, the minister mentioned that the number of people requiring rescue are increasing in number. The ability to make an igloo, snow shelter, or the like should be taught very early.
What about these types of important skills? Do they comprise activities in one of the options? Where else could these types of skill-teaching courses be taught?
Right now, the programs that will be done and the elders also go and teach the students multiple option programs to young students, such as hunting and other things that are geared more towards men.
The programs that the students are taking in regard to igloo building are taught in the subject program that they take. We feel that igloo building should be done for the students too because it is very important. I feel that the member’s question is very important because the men have to learn how to build igloos.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): This isn’t a question but a statement I want to make.
Igloo building or learning the properties of snow isn’t a simple matter.
It can prepare a young person towards an architectural career, the term in English used for students wanting a career in designing buildings.
It can also lead to other courses around building design as it is scientific in nature. It isn’t just building an igloo; it is also quite complex as you are required to understand the snow properties in order for your igloo to be strong enough for a person to stand on.
These are all scientific principles.
I just want her officials to comprehend the complexity of this skill. I will end here for now.
Next on the list I have Mr. Elliott.
I wanted to go on G-8, but I guess I’ll just flip over to G-12 under the Summary of Grants and Contributions. It’s a contribution through Curriculum and School Services.
I noticed this year that the Northern Youth Abroad Program is getting an increase of $25,000, which I think is great because I know they do amazing work. As well, there’s a new program on there for 2013 or support for a new program in 2013-14.
It isn’t actually a new program, but it is a new contribution to that program of $50,000.
I was wondering if the minister could explain what that money is being used for.
In English, it is called Outward Bound.
That’s what it is going to be for.
I’m not exactly sure what you call it in Inuktitut, but I will have to find that out. (interpretation ends) It’s for the Outward Bound program.
In terms of the Outward Bound program, is it similar to the Northern Youth Abroad Program where it will take students and youth from across the territory and have them participate in an activity in, I don’t know, Cambridge Bay or will they be travelling south? I know there are Outward Bound programs in Ontario and facilities down there.
Maybe if I could get a little more detail as to what the $50,000 is for and how many people are going to be involved in the program.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) The purpose is to keep the students in Nunavut and I believe it is proposal-based.
Again I still don’t understand exactly what the $50,000 is for.
It’s proposal-based. Does that mean a student from Arctic Bay could… ? Let’s say they want to participate in Outward Bound and part of the $50,000 goes to fly them to participate in Alberta… .
We’re approving $50,000.
I know it’s not a lot of money, but how I can get youth in the communities that are represented in the High Arctic involved in this program or are they already involved?
Just saying $50,000 is not a detailed explanation as to what it is. Whatever program out there that involves youth training initiatives, where they can travel, where they can become involved and broaden their horizons, I would like to get the youth of the High Arctic involved.
So if I could get a little bit more detail, maybe all members would like to know as well.
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) This is from the encouragement from Outward Bound Canada and I’m very glad that they have approached us to be involved.
I will have Kathy provide you with more detail. Over and above that, we can send you some written information on that as well.
It isn’t new as it has been running for about two years.
We initially collaborated with the Nunasi Corporation with the students travelling to Yellowknife on a trip down Mackenzie River.
Last year, it was held in Nunavut, with perhaps three or four individuals involved.
However, with respect to the actual details of how the students are selected, as well as how the program was designed, unfortunately I don’t have that information currently.
Once I am back at our offices, I can dig out the details related to this program and request that information on student selections.
In the 2011-16 Nunavut Tobacco Reduction Framework for Action, one of the priorities that the Department of Education is involved in is, in collaboration with the Department of Health, work towards Nunavut school grounds being smoke-free.
I was wondering if there was a possibility of an explanation as to how that’s working out and whether it will be something that will happen this year or in the coming years.
I don’t have that level of detail with me right now, but I would be happy to get back to him.
The minister said that she will get back to you.
The other priority that involves the Department of Education, and since we’re in Curriculum and School Services, it’s to “develop education resources for use in schools.”
I’m wondering how the development of those education resources are going.
Our officials are dealing with a large number of items within this curriculum development category.
The work is progressing and course development continues unabated.
I don’t have information detailing how many more we may need at this point.
In terms of curriculum development, we talked about multiple options quite a bit.
I was trying to get my head wrapped around the different ways that that works and there’s still a lot of information that’s coming out, as you said, and DEAs will be updated and explained to. Hopefully the proper counselling will go to the students to make the choices that are needed for a life choice.
There was a Minister’s Statement that the minister did talking about the PASS initiative, which, to me, is after K-12, then we’re looking at working with a group of adult students who have not completed high school and maybe missed a couple of courses.
Still, there are some questions I have in terms of how it’s working out, but obviously there has to be curriculum developed to be able to teach these adult students.
So maybe the minister could give an update on what is happening with the curriculum development for those classes.
Is the member referring to PASS?
Yes, I’m referring to PASS.
My deputy will update you on the status of it to date if you will allow it.
Ms. Okpik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman (interpretation ends) The intent of PASS is to follow the secondary school program that we have for graduation right now.
Currently, the graduation requirements we have for high school would fall into place and those would be the same requirements we would use for the PASS program.
So it’s not creating, such as, a new program but using existing graduation requirements.
For example, to graduate, you need either the English 30-1 or 30-2. In this case, it would be the 30-2 along with the prerequisites of Aulajaaqtut, for example. We have that all laid out.
In terms of social studies and the sciences that they would have to take to be able to pass, we’re also going to be utilizing prior learning assessment recognition through Nunavut Arctic College.
It’s a very rigorous documentation process to capture life experiences of our teachers.
So that’s how it will be done.
We’re still working on the actual program delivery.
For example, the Department of Education will hire three PYs. We will have a PASS registrar, a PASS-recognized learning specialist, and a program auditor.
Nunavut Arctic College will be the program deliverer. We’re still working on details with them and we will be having meetings with them very shortly.
Again, the money for the PASS program is for approval in this budget. So once the budgets are approved, we’re ready to go out to start staffing and moving on the delivery.
For example, in order to go through the PASS route, you have to be 19 years of age or older or have an approved learning plan.
You need to be out of school at least for a year.
You can’t have a valid secondary school diploma. You must contact a PASS option representative. You have to be a resident of Nunavut or have completed some high school credits in Nunavut.
For example, the first cohort that we’re really going to be focusing on are we have anywhere between 100 and 200 Nunavummiut out there who only need their English 30-2 to gain their Secondary School Diploma.
So if that’s the first cohort of people we approach, once they take their English and are successful because they have about 95 credits, then we could see a potentially significant number of individuals gaining their grade 12.
We’re very excited about it.
Some of our next steps are we’re just developing the procedures and policies right now, NAC development of curriculum within the 2013-14 year, and then what we will be doing is developing a communications and promotion for potential clients and for the general public. We will also determine travel costs, training, and course delivery once budgets are approved. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I’m really glad I asked that question because, to me, that was a piece of the puzzle that was missing.