EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The member is referring to certain little segments of a document that is 22 pages. There are a lot of great things in that draft document.
In response to his last question, Mr. Speaker, I just encourage the member to review the Hansard because I answered that question already.
Question 116 – 3(2): Support for Northern Airlines (Pauloosie)
As I mentioned earlier in my Member’s Statement, I was going to be asking questions about the airlines up here in the north.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Transportation or the Premier tell me what they are doing to ensure that the two current northern airlines are not negatively impacted by this recent announcement?
On November 9, Air Canada made an announcement of their intentions to begin a daily schedule from Montreal and Ottawa into Iqaluit.
Iqaluit, at this time, is currently the 30th busiest airport in Canada and in terms of wide-bodied jet aircrafts, it’s the 10th busiest. Obviously Air Canada has seen potential economic advances for their company.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I understand that the three airlines are talking and this government is not part of the discussions at this time.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. Your first supplementary, Mr. Pauloosie.
Will the minister meet with the airlines in the near future to discuss the impacts of the northern communities that will be taking place in the future?
We are in the process of doing that. It’s a complicated and hugely complex issue, especially for the smaller communities and the Inuit owned airlines. At this time, we don’t have all of the facts.
We are not going to base any kind of decision on fears and incomplete information. We are not making a decision until we have all of the facts in front of us.
When will this government act?
We cannot afford to sit back and wait.
The government needs to protect northerners.
What are they going to be doing?
Speaker: Thank you. Minister Taptuna.
As I had mentioned previously, we are waiting until we get all of the facts and all of the information, and we are not going to make a decision based on fears and emotions. We will look at all of the potential impacts and come up with a decision then.
At this time, we are waiting to actually see what comes out of these discussions between the three airlines.
Again, I’ve got to remind the member that we are not part of those discussions.
I would like to ask the minister or the Premier to take a stand and put in a policy to ban all Government of Nunavut employees from flying on Air Canada to the south to support our northern airlines.
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. [Pauloosie].
At this point in time, as I mentioned previously, we are awaiting more information and facts.
There are a lot of impacts, a lot of unknowns, and a lot of variables that we don’t know at this time.
Until such time, this government is not making any decisions.
Question 117 – 3(2): Status of the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s Marshalling Contract (Schell)
Seeing it is Friday, it wouldn’t be proper if I didn’t have a question for the housing minister. My question is for the Minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation. As usual, the focus is on the corporation’s contracting practices.
In 2008, the former Minister responsible for the NHC announced that the corporation had entered into a two-year contract with Illamar Marshalling Incorporated of Chesterville, Ontario, to handle the delivery of building materials for Nunavut Housing Trust projects.
As we all know, the federal government is providing $100 million to Nunavut for the construction of 285 new units between 2009 and 2011.
Illamar’s initial two-year contract is coming to an end.
How will the NHC decide whether or not to renew it or to issue a new request for proposals?
It is my understanding that that contract does have one-year renewal options in it.
The corporation, after looking at everything as far as timing goes and getting everything set up to renew the contract for one more year, at that time, it will give us a chance to look at whether or not we renew it again or go out to a tender call or a proposal call after that.
As the House is aware, we have rules in place that ensure that when ministers leave office, there is a cooling-off period before the government can enter into contracts with them.
Can the minister indicate to the House what policies or rules NHC has in place with respect to entering into contracts with former senior executives of a Crown corporation?
I would assume that, like anything, there are policies in place and that those policies are followed.
If, in any case, there are any exemptions from that, there are approvals that are sought after and required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
My next question requires the minister to answer just a simple yes or no. Has the former president of the NHC, who retired earlier this year, entered into an employment, consulting, or contractual relationship with Illamar Marshalling?
The member talks about a favourite friend of his, the former president, Mr. Scott.
Mr. Speaker, as far as I’m aware, Mr. Scott is retired.
I’m not aware of any contract or anything in place in regard to that. I know that, as far as the corporation is concerned, the corporation hasn’t looked at contracting him for anything.
This is an issue that he seems to have and I don’t know where he’s getting his information from as far as what former employees of the corporation are doing.
As far as I’m aware, Mr. Speaker, there is nothing in place between the corporation and Mr. Scott.
Question 118 – 3(2): Landfill Site in Repulse Bay (Ningark)
Yesterday, I questioned the Minister of Community and Government Services about dumps in the communities and he responded appropriately to my questions.
A further issue was with respect to fencing material and he stated that the fencing material for the dump is already in the community, for which I am very grateful. Furthermore, I ran out of my allotted time yesterday. The minister stated that the drillers will be coming into the community to prepare the fencing posts.
My question to the minister is: as soon as drilling can get started in the spring, will the minister commit to sending the employees to the community so that we could start working on the fencing material for the dump in Repulse Bay as soon as possible?
Speaker: Thank you. Minister of Community and Government Services, Hon. Lorne Kusugak.
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): The drillers are going to start working as soon as they can because they have made other commitments. They will be going to the community of Repulse Bay as soon as they are able to, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Your first supplementary, Mr. Ningark.
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the minister.
Yes, we understand the schedule, and I believe that the people of Repulse Bay are listening, and we know that the drilling company has other commitments.
Could the minister indicate to me where the Repulse Bay project is in terms of numbered priorities? We do understand they have many other commitments, but the dump seriously needs fencing because there is debris flying around all over the place. Can the minister send them into the community as soon as possible?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Minister Kusugak.
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Yes, the drilling company has to wait until the conditions are better as the ground already has snow cover that prohibits them from reaching the drill sites, which they also have to delineate prior to drilling the piles. The areas where they will have to reach and be drilling are not all smooth and flat, and it has snow cover currently in Repulse Bay.
Once it is possible to drill the foundations for the fencing, they will start the drilling for the fence around the dump. Once it is possible, they will drill the piles.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Minister. Your second supplementary, Mr. Ningark.
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For my second supplementary, could the minister assure the House that Repulse Bay will be given first priority to get the drilling crew once it is possible to drill?
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Unfortunately I cannot make it the first priority, especially if it turns out our first priority is an emergency, as that may create more problems.
I can only inform the member that the crew would be going into that community as soon as they can, Mr. Speaker. I cannot direct the drilling company to make Repulse Bay its first priority because their priorities are dictated by their work, Mr. Speaker.
I would like to thank the member for coming to Repulse Bay this past summer. I believe that he went to tour the dump and saw the condition that it’s in. I hope that he recalls that visit and the report from the community when the project is being considered.
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Yes, the member is correct in that I went to Repulse Bay this summer and the “How do you know?” mayor and councillors were very hospitable.
We did a tour of the community, including the dump.
They outlined the kinds of concerns they had in regard to the dump. I went to go see the infrastructure in person and my fellow MLA welcomed me to his constituency community.
Communities tend to have concerns and when you visit, you can then see what the issues are.
It is always better to visit the communities so that we can visualize the kind of conditions the members are talking about in their constituencies.
It’s not the first time that I saw the dump in Repulse Bay, but we did see debris all over the place, especially those plastic bags that are used in the retail outlets. They are just all over the place. We usually encounter those plastic bags out there when we are out ptarmigan hunting and occasionally, people mistake them and shoot at the bags.
I hope the member understands that the concerns of his community will be resolved once it is possible to do so.
Question 119 – 3(2): Multi-Tier Health Care Delivery (Elliott)
Mr. Speaker, I recognize that the delivery of health care across Nunavut is complex and that our unique circumstances can easily lead to confusion. I’m sure my colleagues are well aware, through the media, of the high profile long-term resident from Iqaluit who was caught up in this confusion and I applaud the minister’s compassionate intervention in this matter.
I note that the website for the NWT Department of Health and Social Services provides extensive detail on the health care benefits and coverage provided to its residents. There does not appear to be any such information available for Nunavut residents despite the similarities in service delivery.
For the benefit of the listening public, can the minister update the House on what kinds of health benefits are available to all permanent residents of Nunavut under the territorial health insurance program?
To address the question that has been posed to me, I would probably need a full day. Since we only have about an hour left, I don’t think I’ll be able to do that.
But I would say that Nunavut has a health system that is part of the universal health care in Canada, which I think is one of the best in the world.
It’s no different for my colleagues who are originally from other provinces. We subscribe to the same health care system, plus we also have extra benefits, what we call extended health care benefits, other provinces don’t provide for their citizens and elderly people.
Plus, Mr. Speaker, we have non-insured health benefits. I would not encourage the member to apply to that one because it’s better to be part of the insured health system in Canada.
To those who don’t subscribe to the public health system, non-insured health benefits are provided to the aboriginal people who are not employed, who cannot be provided with extra benefits through an optional health program provided by the insurance companies.
So I think our system is pretty good.
My department is currently updating all the public information and there will be an update on the website. No doubt, we will have a better publication that explains exactly what all the other different kinds of benefits are provided to Nunavutmiut, but I think our system is one of the best.
I realize it is quite complicated and I guess one of the big problems we have, as I mentioned in my Member’s Statement, is that we have the geographic problem and the services not being provided in the communities.
I realize that we are under the universal care that’s Canada-wide.
But at the same time, to receive the services that are required, we can’t receive them in our communities; we need to travel out of the community, which then puts a burden on people.
Can the minister update this House on how other services related to health care, such as medical travel and accommodation, which are not covered under the basic territorial health insurance program, are generally provided for Nunavut residents who need them?
I appreciate the question. I believe that those who are employed, even the Members of the Legislative Assembly, you and I probably know all about medical benefits from our place of employment because by and large, most of the employers do provide 100 percent of the cost of medical travel.
If you are a member of the public service in Nunavut, I believe you would have a better understanding than I do as to what your union has negotiated for you.
I believe what they have in the collective agreement is a benefit called medical travel assistance and that is administered by my colleague, the Minister of Finance.
He provides 100 percent medical travel for members of the public service because that’s prescribed in the collective agreement.
But if you’re not a member of the union in Nunavut, then the Canada health system provides a $250 deductible.
That’s what you pay if you’re not working for any government or unemployed. So I think the member should apologize for when he insinuated earlier that if you’re not working for anybody, you would have to pay 100 percent of your fare all the way down from Arctic Bay to Ottawa.
You only pay a $250 deductible.
That’s similar to your benefits if you live in other provinces; it’s no different in Nunavut.
I do apologize if people didn’t understand what I was saying because I do know that it only costs $250 for someone who is not covered under it. That’s why I said that it’s so complicated that, even a conversation between me and you, you’re misunderstanding what I’m saying because that’s not what I intended.
I know that that’s what it is.
At the same time, it’s nice to be able to work towards this because what ends up happening is yes, the airfare is a cost. But what the minister didn’t clarify or also say was that once you get down to either Iqaluit or Ottawa, you have to provide your own accommodations, either in a hotel, if you’re in Iqaluit, or find a friend to stay with.
So that’s where, I think, the burden comes in and the extra funding comes in.
There are residents and there were newspaper articles about a constituent in Pond Inlet who was in a situation where a baby had to be delivered in the community.
Those things could provide strain with health care workers, but that leads to my next question.
He did mention about the updates to the website and I mentioned the NWT website.
To clarify all of this miscommunication, can the minister clarify for the House how his department provides support, information, and assistance to Nunavut residents who do not have coverage through non-insured health benefits, their employers, and other programs?
Hon. Tagak Curley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question here.
I think the best source of information for all of the medical benefits and so on is available from the local health centres.
They will explain to you exactly what you qualify for prior to departure and that’s one thing that I think we all have an obligation, to find out exactly what benefits we are entitled to.
I personally don’t have all of them in there, I probably have them in my briefing book, but I can assure the member that we will make that information with a little more determination. I have also instructed the departmental officials to provide information packages that are clear.
Non-insured health benefits do not discriminate against any other citizen in Nunavut. I must say that.
I would like the member from the High Arctic to agree that the majority of his constituents benefit from Non-Insured Health Benefits funds that are provided by the federal government to those aboriginal people who are not members or do not qualify for the public health system.
Without that, our budget would not be able to afford it.
So that’s all I can say, Mr. Speaker.
I do agree with that. Non-insured health benefits are definitely a benefit and it is the federal government’s commitment, so I do agree with the minister.
At the same time, the intent of my questions is mostly education. I know there are a lot of [members] of the public who are listening, so this might help to bring clarity to the understanding of this because it’s a complex issue.
In the NWT, the government has an arrangement with Alberta Blue Cross to provide coverage for certain health services which do not fall under the territorial health insurance program.
Would the minister consider directing his departmental officials to look into this issue and ensure that those Nunavut residents who do not have the necessary additional coverage can acquire it either from Blue Cross or a similar provider?
I think that may have already been addressed by the collective agreement.
I believe that members of the public service are given optional private insurance benefits. I know my colleague from Pond Inlet indicated earlier that he subscribes to one of them through his place of employment.
I believe that’s available, but whether or not it’s available through the private firms, I’m not sure.
I do know that when I worked for NTI, we were provided with optional private benefits that would cover the dental care, the eye care, and all of these other benefits that are not part of the universal health care benefits covered by the universal health system.
So I believe that they are available.
I think it’s up to individuals, whoever lives in Nunavut, to try and find out what entitlements their employment has provided. Also, I will make a commitment that we will reference those points in public information as well as our website.
I apologize; we wrote a note to each other. I cannot pose my question at this time because it deals with staff members and I do apologize, Mr. Speaker.
Question 120 – 3(2): Nunavut Housing Survey (Arvaluk)
I would like to direct my question to the housing minister.
I know what the subject matter is for the survey with respect to housing issues in the communities.
We don’t know exactly what language will be used in the survey, including the questions, since they are not included.
However, it is obvious that the housing issues are the same as what we have been enquiring about for the last 10 years.
If this survey proceeds, then this subject should be included.
It states here that the community households will be surveyed. It seems to state all households in Nunavut, in all 25 communities.
Nonetheless, a concern that we voice is that the working poor who are homeless will not be included because they are not heads of households. Is that correct?
I think it’s important to know that one of the things that we have been saying in Nunavut, as far as our homelessness rate goes, is it doesn’t show a true picture because we don’t have true homelessness here in Nunavut, it’s hidden homelessness, where these individuals whom he talks about are bunking up or staying with friends or relatives because people cannot survive outdoors here in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, this survey is intended to see if there are friends staying with someone else in their house.
If they are there, they are going to be included in that questionnaire. It’s hoping to be able to tap into everybody out there. It doesn’t matter whether they own the house or are just staying there because they don’t have somewhere else to go.
It’s looking at targeting everybody in every building, in every house in Nunavut so that we can get a good, accurate picture.
I think some of the questions might even look at where things like that will be mentioned as far as the overcrowding situation goes, why it is overcrowded. Some of the reasons that he mentioned are out there, but this will give us the hard data to be able to have and look at, which is something that we don’t have now.
I agree with him. As I said, I have been pushing for something like this to happen for more than 10 years now.
Like I said, I’m very happy that it’s being conducted. It’s going to provide us with valuable information that we can use as far as planning and lobbying purposes, and I look forward to that being done.
Most of the working homeless people are not very aggressive.
That’s probably why they don’t have a home, because they don’t badger the housing association for a home or write letters to their MLAs, etcetera.
How will you ensure that they are included in the survey?
I would assume that if a surveying team goes into a household with someone who may be a working homeless person, who doesn’t have a house and is staying somewhere, when they enter into that household, they will be asking, “How many people are all staying here? Are they family members?”
And things like that. So those people will be identified as they go through the units and they will also be included in the survey.
Will you be giving employment guidelines or at least survey guidelines specifically instructing the surveyors how to include those homeless working people, especially those who may be renting a room from either tenants or homeowners?
Will you be giving specific instructions as to how to include them?
I can’t say that I’ll be giving specific instructions on that, but I would assume that the corporation is not the actual one doing the survey; it’s the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics in conjunction with Stats Canada.
I know that 22 senior interviewers had been hired and they went through some training here in Iqaluit with the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics and Stats Canada. I would assume that that information should all be included in the training that they received while they were here.
In this case, will you be assisting the federal government in how to develop an effective and accurate method of survey? This is very important to us, not just to find out but to at least reflect where we have been.
The minister himself, in the last 10 years, has been saying what the housing problems are and what the critical situation of our housing shortages is in Nunavut.
Would you at least be giving guidelines to the federal government on the effectiveness and accurate method of doing the survey?
I think that was the intent behind involving Statistics Canada into the process where we could work with them and with our Nunavut Bureau of Statistics to develop a survey that was appropriate up here.
So it wasn’t a survey that was developed by Statistics Canada; it was something that was worked in conjunction between Statistics Canada and the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics.
Question 121 – 3(2): New Fuel Prices in Nunavut (Okalik)
Every year, we have to wait for our bulk fuel delivery. After the fuel is delivered to all the communities, they set up the price for next year.
It’s obvious that the bulk fuel has been delivered to the communities and the ships have gone back down south.
When will you set the price for fuel and gasoline?
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank my fellow Montreal Canadiens fan for the question.
The delivery of fuel to all communities has been completed.
Some of the barges had to be towed to the communities.
We’re now reviewing the fuel price at this time and we’re trying to figure out how it will have an impact on Nunavummiut.
In the past, we usually had November 1 as the deadline to publicize how much of an increase there will be on fuel.
When will the minister make an announcement to Nunavummiut in regard to the prices of fuel, gasoline, and other petroleum products?