EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
At this time, I really don’t know what the chemical properties are within the de-icing solution, but the solution is used worldwide and we have no indication that it causes any kind of major environmental concerns.
I can look further into the chemical makeup of the solution if it will please the member, but for the most part, there is no indication that there is any kind of environmental damage happening other than the fact that we’ve got to use a lot of it due to the fact of climate change.
We got a lot of freezing rain coming down in December. Years ago, that wasn’t the case at all.
With the amount of de-icing solution that we are using now, I’ll have to get back to the member with the technical chemistry makeup of the de-icing solution.
We will go back to Transportation now.
Sorry, I thought you were done.
Mr. Elliott: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the minister for that commitment and actually expand on what I was asking for.
He mentioned that they use de-icing equipment in other jurisdictions and it’s not a problem, but again going back to… .
There are other sewage lagoons and other locations as well and they don’t have the same problems that we are having, so I think that we are in a unique situation.
He has committed to getting the information, but I was hoping not just the chemical makeup because I’m not chemist and don’t really need it, it’s just what type of testing is required and are we meeting the mandates that would be set out.
I’m assuming it would be Transport Canada since they monitor the airports.
Yes, there are regulations, policies, and legislation with Transport Canada and various other regulatory bodies. There are a number of them, and I’m sure that the operations of the airport here in Iqaluit, the international airport, have to abide the regulations and legislations that are within the aviation regulatory system.
Again, I cannot tell you all of them, there are many. In order for an airport to operate within… .
By abiding with the regulatory process, I’m sure the chemical and environmental damage is more or less mitigated and, to a certain degree, not damaging the environment at all.
We will go back to Transportation.
Total Transportation. $509,000.
Chairman: Total Department. $509,000.
Chairman: Go to page 12.
I have specific questions on Item 4 and Item 5 in terms of the $110,000 that’s being put out for a one-time disbursement for the recruiting of a senior executives and board members. I’m assuming this is for the restructuring of the Nunavut Housing Corporation to provide more accountability.
I’m wondering if we could get clarification on that.
Yes, Item 4, $110,000 is a one-time disbursement to fund the recruitment of senior directors and board members. Minister Curley is in the process of reviewing the Housing Act and he hopes to put a board in place at some point, so that would be to help recruit for board members. The $110,000 is to fund the relocation of finance positions.
Those are to deal with the positions that are in Arviat. There may be some severance pay, relocation pay, and then there would be the cost for office equipment and furniture, totalling up to $110,000.
We just finished reviewing the tabled documents and had Mr. Curley and his witnesses before us. One of the things I was trying to ask for and get clarification on with my questions that I asked earlier today was just to make sure that the financial… . There are just different financial management tools in place to make sure that things are running smoothly with the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
With the $110,000, we only have a month and a half left. How much work has been done on the board in terms of recruiting?
I don’t remember seeing any advertisements in the news paper or getting any emails requesting suggestions for possible board members. Could we get an update as to how far we are along with that? That is just out of curiosity.
I thank Mr. Elliott for the good question.
A lot of work has been done since last fall on the housing corporation working with the Government of Nunavut’s HR division on job descriptions and rewriting all of that. I don’t know what the exact cost breakdown would be, but in any event, the funding that has been asked for can be carried over because they are a Crown agency.
So they don’t necessarily have to get it all spent in this current fiscal year; it can be carried over and complete the work they’ve got underway.
That was actually going to be one of my next questions, whether there would be the ability to carry that over.
In terms of the $110,000 and you were talking about rewriting policies and going through the documentation that exists for the corporation and how it’s set up, is the work being done with Human Resources, the Government of Nunavut, that department, and also the Nunavut Housing Corporation or is there a consultant who has actually been hired to help set this up and provide suggestions and tell the government how it should be operating?
I don’t have that level of detailed information.
I’ll have to ask Mr. Curley if he could provide that information.
Yes, one-time expenditures. The recruitment obviously will require advertising and maybe require relocation of personal effects and whatnot, we don’t know, but we have to have an allowance for that amount.
In terms of what work has been done with respect to the governance structure, one is management positions, which are two executive vice-presidents positions that were approved by the cabinet.
Initially when we started discussions in November, the target date that we thought we would be able to have those positions in place is April 1. It’s getting quite close.
Yes, the consultation between HR is ongoing with respect to the senior positions in terms of the type of benefits, and so on.
That’s critical, even though the housing corporation probably has good guidelines with the current executive positions.
I know Mr. D’Arcy is probably well aware of that too.
I think he is the only remnant left of the previous administration.
In terms of the legal work with respect to the governance by board of directors, the legal work is the responsibility of the Department of Justice. We will not move to nor begin to advertise for any board of director position until the legal work has been approved by the Legislative Assembly.
We allow for an allowance because they will, in effect, come into force some time in this coming fiscal year.
Very much so, the Department of Justice and the Nunavut Housing Corporation are working together on the legal document because the Act has to be amended in order to be able to implement new board of directors.
So I think I’ll stop from there, but in terms of management positions, once the criteria have been established and the positions are established and clearly outlined, the advertisement will proceed before too long.
Thank you for that explanation. That was great.
I have two specific questions that come from that.
One of things I was asking was, in terms of setting up the new board and also getting the new structure in place, as to how the corporation will work and how it will function. I had mentioned the Department of HR and the Nunavut Housing Corporation, and you have now mentioned the Department of Justice.
So I’ll ask Mr. Peterson next in his role with the Department of Justice.
My specific question was whether consultants were actually being and part of the money being used to use consultants to tell us how to set up a board and how to do it.
Yes, we have gone beyond that now. With the previous administration, there was ongoing work towards looking at the whole corporate governance models, but that work was really not complete when I got in.
So what we did was start fresh and issue a very small contract, $20,000, to look at the governance structure of senior management.
That work is complete and that sets the basis for the cabinet to approve the two vice-presidents.
There were three options provided for the governance structure, one of which was the status quo, should it remain the same, and there were two other models.
The cabinet chose the board of director concept and that would then be the new governance structure once the legal instrument is put in place and the Act is amended and passed by the Assembly. So that’s where we are; we’re in the implementation stages, but the work that the Department of Justice is doing for the Nunavut Housing Corporation is really quite important.
But in terms of the other models, in terms of how the corporation and the board of directors function, there is an ongoing sort of a partnership discussion, if I may use that word, with Qulliq Energy.
They share ideas of how the new governance structure operates. That’s quite a friendly discussion that goes on between the executives, at least the president.
There was also a conference nationally held recently about the Crown corporation and exactly what their mandates are, the types of mandates, what differs from each other, and that kind of stuff.
So all of these kinds of things have helped to try and define exactly how the vision and the mandate should be for the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
But in our case, I think it’s really quite simple. It should be at arm’s length and the sooner it gets on, there would be less political interference, if I may use that word, including myself.
My next question: I was wondering if the Minister of Finance could take off his hat or ask the Minister of Justice to answer the next question.
With what Mr. Curley was saying in regard to the legal aspect of what has to be done to set up the new board and whatnot, could he give us an update as to what is happening within your department?
Of course, any time you are making changes to legislation, you have to be very careful, proceed carefully, and there has to be extensive research done. As Minister Curley indicated, the agency is having conversations with the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
I’m not aware of the details of what is happening with respect to this legislation.
We have a lot of legislation.
I’m not able to give you a timeline and when it will be ready but the hope is, as Minister Curley said, the sooner the better.
You have to go through different steps to amend legislation and then you have to come back into the House.
Our next sitting is June and then the next sitting after that is probably in October.
So I’m unable to give you a firm date of when that legislation will be ready to proceed.
For Item 5 in terms of the $110,000 for the one-time disbursement of $110,000 for relocating finance positions, is that for the individuals who will be moving here and relocating their personal belongings or are you relocating office equipment from the GN building there where they held offices?
Yes, the $110,000, there are estimates here that break down between severance pay, relocation, and purchasing new office equipment and furniture.
Again, it’s a forecast; it will depend on the discussions or negotiations that the housing corporation has with the staff who are affected in Arviat.
Mr. Elliott: For Item 1, there is $950,000 for staff house leases.
It was my understanding that the Government of Nunavut was actually working towards moving away from leasing staff houses and using part of the Nunavut Housing Corporation inventory where they allocate houses from their current stock.
I thank Mr. Elliott for that question. I don’t believe that’s the case.
The Government of Nunavut requires a large volume of housing units for their employees. Of course, they have to lease them from third parties. That’s where they get the bulk of housing for GN houses.
On Item 3, Mr. Peterson, I wanted to ask for the record on behalf of my community, notes that “To provide funding of $450,000 to mitigate the financial impact of the Baker Lake Housing Association’s 33% base water rate increase, effective September 2010.”
I want to ask for the record the hon. minister: do you know why the water rate increased so much?
The reason the water rate increased so much is because the hamlet council in Bake Lake decided that they needed to increase the water rate and that’s a community decision.
I have no other names here, so we will go to the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
Total Nunavut Housing Corporation. $2,123,000.
Chairman: Total Corporation. $2,123,000.
Chairman: We will go to page 13. Nunavut Arctic College.
Operations and Maintenance. Not Previously Authorized. Nunavut Arctic College.
Total Nunavut Arctic College. $96,000. Do you agree?
Chairman: Total Department. $96,000.
Chairman: Now go back to Schedule 1 on page 2.
Schedule 1. Operations and Maintenance.
Total Appropriation. $21,213,000.
Chairman: Now go back to Bill 54 in your white legislation binder.
Bill 54, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 4, 2010-2011.
Chairman: We will go back to Schedule 1.
Chairman: On that Schedule, I guess we’re going to have to read the whole detail here. Schedule. Supplementary Amounts Appropriated for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2010.
Vote 1: Operations and Maintenance. Total Operations and Maintenance. $21,213,000.
Chairman: Total Supplementary Appropriation. $21,213,000.
Chairman: So now we’re on clause 3.
Chairman: Do you agree to Bill 54 as a whole?
Chairman: Do members agree that pursuant to Rule 62(2) that Bill 54 can immediately be place on the orders of the day for third reading?
I would like to thank the committee for your excellent questions and scrutiny of Bills 52, 53, and 54.
That work is pretty important, those questions you were asking, and I am glad we are able to alleviate some of Mr. Elliott’s frustrations, getting some detailed answers.
I would like to thank my colleagues for being present today to help answer the questions. It’s important that ministers appear during COW in case detailed questions are asked of their departments.
I would like to thank my two officials from the Department of Finance who are here today, and I would also like to thank Debora Voth from the health department for also being here today to help answer some questions.
We appreciate that you showing up here with your witnesses to answer some of the questions.
Could the Sergeant-at-Arms please escort the minister and the witnesses out.
Report of the Committee of the Whole. (interpretation ends) Item 20. (interpretation) Member for South Baffin.
Your committee has been considering Bills 52, 53, and 54 and would like to report that Bills 52, 53, and 54 are immediately ready for third reading.
The seconder is (interpretation ends) the Minister for Community and Government Services. (interpretation) Thank you.
We’re on (interpretation ends) Item 21. (interpretation) Third Reading of Bills.
Bill 52 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 4, 2009-2010 – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet South and Whale Cove, that Bill 52, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 4, 2009-2010, be read for the third time.
Bill 53 – Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 4, 2010-2011 – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet South and Whale Cove, that Bill 53, Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 4, 2010-2011, be read for the third time.
Bill 54 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 4, 2010-2011 – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin South and Whale Cove, that Bill 54, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 4, 2010-2011, be read for the third time.
Going to our orders of the day. (interpretation ends) Item 22. (interpretation) Orders of the Day.
Motion 34 – 3(2)
Motion 35 – 3(2)
Motion 36 – 3(2)
Motion 37 – 3(2)
Motion 38 – 3(2)
Motion 39 – 3(2)
This House stands adjourned until tomorrow at nine o’clock, February 25.
I hope that the Montreal Canadiens win tonight’s game.
>>House adjourned at 16:46
Friday, February 25, 2011
Pages 3206 – 3241
Opening Prayer 3206
Ministers’ Statements 3206
Members’ Statement 3208
Returns to Oral Questions 3212
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 3213
Oral Questions 3213
Tabling of Documents 3231
Motions 3231
Assent to Bills 3240
Orders of the Day 3241
Friday, February 25, 2011 3206
239 – 3(2): Community Access Roads Program (Taptuna) 3206
240 – 3(2): Taima Tuberculosis (Curley) 3206
241 – 3(2): Nunavut Visits China to Promote Seal and Fish Products (Shewchuk) 3207
374 – 3(2): Consulting Nunavummiut on Uranium Mining (Aupaluktuq) 3208
375 – 3(2): Narwhal Tusk Ban (Elliott) 3209
376 – 3(2): Hockey Tournament this Weekend in Rankin Inlet (Kusugak) 3209
377 – 3(2): INAC Water Use Inspection Reports (Ningark) 3210
378 – 3(2): Kitikmeot Hockey Tournament (Ugyuk) 3211
379 – 3(2): Iqaluit Pages of the Legislative Assembly (Aariak) 3212
Return to Oral Question 523 – 3(2): Pandemic Flu Plans (Curley) 3212
550 – 3(2): Development Partnership Agreement with the Meadowbank Mining Corporation (Aupaluktuq) 3214
551 – 3(2): Funding for Docks (Tapardjuk) 3216
552 – 3(2): Addressing the Federal Narwhal Tusk Ban (Elliott) 3217
553 – 3(2): Kugaaruk and Repulse Bay’s INAC Water Use Inspection Reports (Ningark) 3219
554 – 3(2): GN’s Participation at ICC Conference (Tapardjuk) 3221
555 – 3(2): RFPs for Medical Travel on Scheduled Airlines (Ningeongan) 3223
556 – 3(2): High Rate of Tuberculosis in Cape Dorset (Schell) 3225
557 – 3(2): Suicide Prevention Strategy (Elliott) 3226
558 – 3(2): Assistance for Business Start-up (Ningark) 3228
559 – 3(2): Nanisivik Road (Elliott) 3229
279 – 3(2): Annual Report of the Director of Child and Family Services 2009-2010 (Curley) 3231
037 – 3(2): Appointment to the Management and Services Board (Tapardjuk) 3231
035 – 3(2): Standing Committee Appointments and Revocations (Schell) 3232
036 – 3(2): Appointment of Deputy Chairperson of the Committee of the Whole (Ningark) 3232
034 – 3(2): Appointments to the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges (Tapardjuk) 3232
038 – 3(2): Invitation to Witnesses from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and the Nutrition North Advisory Board to Appear Before the Committee of the Whole (Elliott) 3233
039 – 3(2): Invitation to Witnesses from the North West Company, Arctic Co-operatives Limited, and Other Entities to Appear Before the Committee of the Whole (Elliott) 3238
Bill 47 – International Interests in Mobile Aircraft Equipment Act – Assent 3240
Bill 48 – Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2010, No. 3 – Assent 3240
Bill 49 – Agricultural Products Marketing Act, Repeal – Assent 3240
Bill 50 – Nunavut Outfitter Liability Protection Fund Act, Repeal – Assent 3240
Bill 52 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 4, 2009-2010 – Assent 3240
Bill 53 – Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 4, 2010-2011 – Assent 3240
Bill 54 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 4, 2010-2011 – Assent 3240
Speaker (Hon. Paul Okalik) (interpretation): Thank you. Good morning.
Going to our orders of the day. Ministers’ Statements.
Minister’s Statement 239 – 3(2): Community Access Roads Program (Taptuna)
Ullaakkut, colleagues and Kuglukturmiut.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take an opportunity today to speak to the Members of this Assembly about the Community Access Roads Program operated by my department.
This modest program has, over the years, changed the face of many of our communities. It has done this by extending them outwards and making the lands and resources surrounding them more easily accessible.
It has brought fishing lakes and rivers closer by cutting the time it takes to reach them. It has reduced the wear and tear involved in many hunting areas. And it has made it easier to ensure elders and our children can get out to these areas that they love.
Mr. Speaker, the roads that have been built under this program are almost entirely the work of the communities.
The routes are chosen by the community; the work is undertaken by the community; the community dictates their own resources to construction; and the result is enjoyed by all in the community.
We are pleased, Mr. Speaker, we hope once again to be making our contribution to these valuable assets through our program expenditures in the upcoming year. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister’s Statement 240 – 3(2): Taima Tuberculosis (Curley)
I am pleased to rise today to inform my colleagues and Nunavutmiut that my department is working collaboratively with Health Canada and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated to fight tuberculosis in Nunavut.
In January, Health Canada committed $800,000 to Taima TB, which is a program designed to raise awareness and educate people about the disease and prevention, and provide in-home screening.
Mr. Speaker, these efforts will help reduce transmission of TB and advance our understanding of effective community-based TB prevention programs. They will be doing that in Iqaluit.
The Taima TB program will be staffed by health care workers and Inuktitut-speaking TB awareness champions.
TB is a serious disease in Nunavut, and 102 cases of active TB were reported in 2010, which is the highest it has been in years.
Almost half of these cases are from Iqaluit, and our efforts will focus on this community and others which are being affected by TB. My department is providing ongoing staff support to the communities affected by this disease.
TB samples from the Qikiqtaaluk region are now being sent to a lab in Ottawa instead of Edmonton to provide results more quickly.
March 24 is World TB Day.
Nowhere in Canada is this disease more serious than in Nunavut.
Ministers’ Statements. Minister of Environment.
Minister’s Statement 241 – 3(2): Nunavut Visits China to Promote Seal and Fish Products (Shewchuk)
I would like to inform members of the recent efforts by the Department of Environment to expand market opportunities for Nunavut sealskins, furs, and seafood products.
Together, with the Hon. Gail Shea, federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Hon. Clyde Jackman, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, members of my senior staff, and I took part in Canada’s delegation to China from January 10 to 13.
The purpose of this visit was to promote Canadian sealing, fur, and fisheries industries.
The delegation attended the China International Fur and Leather Products Fair and a Canadian seafood promotional event. On behalf of Nunavut, I witnessed the initialling of Canada-China Cooperative Agreement on Exports of Edible Seal Products, which will, for the first time, open China’s doors to Canada’s edible seal products.
While Nunavut does not presently export seal meat or other edible products, we are taking a close look at this area as a possibility for the future.
For the second consecutive year, Nunavut ringed sealskins and furs were promoted at the China International Fur and Leather Products Fair in Beijing by the Fur Harvesters Auction, the marketers of Nunavut’s furs.
This trade show is the largest of its kind in the world, reflecting the fact that China is the world’s largest fur manufacturer.
The Canadian fish and seafood promotional event provided an opportunity for seafood chefs and buyers to view and sample high-quality seafood prepared in unique and innovative ways. Nunavut shrimp and turbot are already marketed in China, and China remains the most important market for Nunavut seafood products in terms of potential growth.
The Department of Environment remains committed to marketing and promoting the products of Nunavut’s fishing and traditional harvesting sectors to ensure that Nunavutmiut receive the maximum returns for these important industries.
Member’s Statement 374 – 3(2): Consulting Nunavummiut on Uranium Mining (Aupaluktuq)
Good morning to all in Baker Lake.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the importance of consulting with Nunavummiut on the issue of uranium mining.
Mr. Speaker, as you and my colleagues are aware, I have spoken on a number of occasions about this issue.
Last year, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to ask a number of questions on behalf of my constituents to our government about the status of its uranium mining policy.
I was also pleased to have secured a commitment from the government to hold public forums in Baker Lake and other communities on the issue of uranium development