EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
However, the Committee continues to push for Inuktitut language training programs to be taught by Elders to our Youth.
Official Languages Agreement
The Standing Committee was concerned that this intergovernmental agreement had not yet been signed with the federal government for this fiscal year.
The Deputy Minister noted that the problem was the share allocated to Nunavut, $2.8M, is not sufficient to meet our needs in both French and aboriginal languages.
Nevertheless, it appears that the Government of Nunavut will sign the current agreement without changes and try to negotiate for changes for the coming year in the winter.
The Standing Committee would like to receive more detail on this agreement and its scope.
The Standing Committee is concerned at the lack of sufficient funding for translation and interpretation.
They are also concerned at the overall lack of funding for instruction in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun in the schools and want to know how this agreement could be used to help secure funds for this purpose.
The Standing Committee recommends that sufficient funding be secured to translate all Nunavut legislation into Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.
Nunavut Territorial Archives and Heritage
The Standing Committee was pleased to hear about the Memorandum of Co-operation and Understanding with the Inuit Heritage Trust Inc. and NTI that took effect on September 1, 1999, which will help partner the development of our Nunavut Historical Advisory Board.
The Committee looks forward to hearing more about the repatriation of historical artifacts to Nunavut from other parts of Canada and the world.
The Standing Committee was also pleased to hear that the Department was moving forward with plans for a Heritage Centre and an Archival facility. Members would like to see a Heritage Centre in Nunavut similar to the Prince of Wales Centre in NWT.
Although not confirmed, the Minister noted that these facilities will likely be in Igloolik as this is where the staff will be located who will have the required skills to run them, such as the Director of Culture and Heritage, Chief Archaeologist, Toponomist and Archivist.
However, the Members have some concern about a heritage facility being located in Igloolik, which might not be accessible to very many residents or visitors.
Members are very concerned that communities be given the capacity to house their own heritage items and they wish to hear more about how heritage facilities or displays will be established in each of the communities.
The Standing Committee would like to receive more detail on the proposed Heritage Centre and Archival facility and reiterates its recommendation at page 21 of its May 1999 report:
That in consultation with the Inuit Heritage Trust and other organizations interested in these issues, CLEY develop an options paper for creating Heritage facilities in Nunavut, which would include options for creating small facilities or displays in each community and options for partnerships for administration.
Nunavut Arts Council
The Standing Committee noted that there were recent newspaper advertisements inviting public consultation regarding the Nunavut Arts Council.
Members expressed their desire to receive copies of the consultation documents. Members wish to emphasize how important this organization is for the culture of Nunavut.
Members note that there are various organizations which provide funding for the Arts, such as the Ottawa based Inuit Arts Foundation, as well as for festivals, such as the Inuvik Arts Festival, and this is sometimes confusing for people.
The Standing Committee recommends that the Nunavut Arts Council provide one-stop funding information for all funding available to Nunavut artists, musicians and cultural workers.
The Standing Committee was pleased to hear that a two-day workshop was held in September, organized by an interdepartmental committee to develop a working strategy for integrating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into the government, and attended by selected Elders and 5 representatives from each department.
The Standing Committee looks forward to receiving a copy at the end of this month of the report and the recommendations that emerged from the workshop.
Inuit Place Names
The Standing Committee was pleased to hear that the name change requested from the community of Pelly Bay was proceeding through the Minister to Cabinet and that a Toponomist will be staffed by the beginning of November to assist other communities with Inuit place names.
The Standing Committee recommends that the Department work in co-ordination with Inuit organizations to provide funding and support to communities to assist them in Inuit place names projects.
Elders
The Standing Committee is concerned that a Senior Advisor for Elders has not yet been hired and that no concrete action has taken place to provide part-time staff support to Elders Councils at the community or Nunavut wide level.
While the Committee applauds the important place that Elders had in the workshop on Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and will have in the proposed Law Reform Commission, little seems to have been done to involve Elders formally in the policy making process for the Government of Nunavut.
Members are concerned that efforts be undertaken as soon as possible to obtain the legends and songs from the Elders.
As well, Members continue to wish for programs that will allow Elders to be able to teach the youth about the language and the culture of the Inuit and the traditions.
The Minister committed to ensuring that there will be easy to access forms in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun and the Deputy Minister stated that staff will help Elders fill out any application forms for funding.
However, it was not clear if in fact, there is funding for this purpose.
The Standing Committee strongly reiterates its recommendations at pages 6 and 22 of the May 1999 Report.
That as an immediate priority, the Government of Nunavut prepare a policy statement on the involvement of Elders in policy development and program delivery;
That the Department of CLEY prepare an options paper for Cabinet, in consultation with other departments and stakeholders, on funding support to Elders’ Councils at the community level which will build partnerships among departments, local governments and Inuit organizations, utilizing existing funding programs at the federal and territorial level, as well as local resources to ensure the participation of Elders in policy development and program delivery at the community level and Nunavut-wide; and
That Departments develop detailed plans for integrating Elders in policy development and program delivery within their mandate.
That in partnership with the Department of Education and other organizations with an interest in these issues, CLEY initiate a Nunavut wide program to ensure that we have interviews and other information from all of our Elders, properly documented and stored for current and future reference, with duplicates in safe storage
The Standing Committee was pleased to hear that the Senior Advisor for Youth began in August and is consulting with regional youth conferences to set priorities for youth in Nunavut.
As well, the Minister noted that a Canada wide youth conference will be held in Iqaluit in January 2000.
The Standing Committee looks forward to hearing the results of these meetings and the Department's plans for youth.
Women's Issues/ Status of Women's Council
The Standing Committee was pleased to be asked to comment regarding an options paper for the Status of Women's Council developed by the Senior Advisor on Women's issues. The Senior Advisor on Women's issues also provided answers to a number of questions posed by the Committee in their May 1999 Report, which were very informative.
The Standing Committee is very supportive of the creation of a women's council, which will be truly representative and accountable to the women of Nunavut.
The Standing Committee supports the department's preferred option for the appointment of an interim council for one year to establish a permanent structure and organization and looks forward to hearing options for the permanent structure.
Members note that women in the communities of Nunavut would be more empowered if they were to select their own representatives to this body.
Persons with Disabilities
The Standing Committee was pleased to hear that funding had been granted to a people with disabilities society and that the Department was working closely with the Department of Education regarding education and training, as well as the Department of Health and Social Services, in the delivery of programs to persons with disabilities.
The Standing Committee heartily supports the direction of the Department to help people with disabilities live meaningful lives in our communities instead of institutions outside of Nunavut and looks forward to receiving more detail on this work.
That is where I will conclude Mr. Speaker, Thank you.
At this point I would like to recognize a previous member of the Legislative Assembly and who was also a member of cabinet and who is now working with the Department of Community Government and Transportation, Mr. Kane Tologanak from Cambridge Bay and I would also like to recognize Mr. Paul Quassa, who is now running for NTI President.
Mr. Paul Quassa. Welcome to the gallery.
(interpretation ends) At this point we’ll take a recess until 12.45 and I invite the members and staff to lunch upstairs, including the Sergeant At Arms and our pages.
We’ll have lunch at the Nanuq and Tuktu Board Rooms.
>>House recessed at 11.57 a.m. and resumed at 12.47 p.m.
Speaker: We will call the House back to order.
The members were going to be reading the reports, there were two other members that were going to read the standing committee reports.
Since we are pressed for time;
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent for the reports by the Standing Committee on Culture, Education and Health, and the Standing Committee on Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development to be entered into the record as read;
And I further seek unanimous consent to waive rule 91 (4) and have the reports moved into the Committee of the Whole for today.
A member is asking for unanimous consent to waive rule 91 (4) and have the reports moved into the Committee of the Whole for today on item 13.
I apologize, these have been read and have been tabled so that the committee can deal with the reports today.
(interpretation ends) The committees report is referred to the Committee of the Whole for today.
Minister Arvaluk appeared before the Standing Committee on October 14, 1999.
Inuit Teacher Education and Leadership Program
The Standing Committee was pleased to hear that an amount of $1.5 million had been approved for this important program which the Committee had supported and recommended in its May 1999 Report.
The Dissolution of the District Education Councils
The Standing Committee was updated on the planning for the restructuring of the three Education Councils.
The Committee was pleased to hear that the Councils are being consulted and that a broader review of the Education Act is being undertaken at the same time by the Department to make it more relevant to Nunavut.
Members are aware of the consultation on Education principles currently underway by the Minister.
The Minister advised Members that the projected timeline includes consultation on the draft legislation later this fall, bill to be tabled in the Assembly in the winter, Standing Committee to consult on the bill after second reading, passed into law prior to July 1, 2000.
It was noted that the Departmental staff were beginning the drafting process in Inuktitut, which will later be translated into English.
As well, Members were advised that the Organizational design is expected by December 1999 and this will be tabled in the House.
The Standing Committee is pleased that the Minister proposes to change the Act to place more responsibility and resources at the community level and looks forward to hearing more details of how that is proposed to happen.
The Committee continues to reiterate its recommendation at page 10 of the May 1999 Report:
That the Government of Nunavut strengthen community empowerment, provide more authority at the community level on education issues, and present very clear plans as to how this will happen under the Departmental control.
Nursing Program
The Standing Committee was also pleased to see the new Nunavut Nursing Program, being delivered through Nunavut Arctic College, which the Committee supported and recommended in its May 1999 Report. [see Department of Health and Social Services]
Staffing/ Decentralization
The Standing Committee was updated on staffing and was pleased to hear that the Department is reaching its Inuit employment targets in their plan.
However, Members had some concerns about the decentralized positions, particularly the delay in moving the Nunavut Arctic College positions designated for Arviat and some question of reluctance of some staff as reported in the media.
The Standing Committee encourages the Department to move quickly in concert with the Department of Public Works and the Decentralization Secretariat to secure office space and housing, so that these decentralized positions can be established.
Research Projects and Studies
The Standing Committee was advised that a number of Requests for Proposals were in process which will review a number of key issues: 5 Year Labour Force Needs Analysis; 10 Year Curriculum Strategic Plan; Languages of Instruction; School Funding Review; and College Funding Review.
Members noted again their own observations that local people need to learn practical skills that are needed often in their communities, such as construction and drywall taping.
The Standing Committee looks forward to receiving updates on this research.
Strategic Issues in Education
The Standing Committee received a briefing of some of the critical issues that the Department is facing in trying to develop a more relevant education system for Nunavut.
The effort by the department to understand the impacts of these issues and to analyze trends is appreciated.
The Standing Committee commends the thorough approach being undertaken by this department.
The Standing Committee was advised that the 20-year capital plan has been initiated.
Members asked about the total capital projects projected in the business plan and the proportion applied for capital projects currently underway, legal requirements and health, safety and statutory obligations.
Members were advised that effectively, the capital plan currently in place was the 5-year capital plan inherited from the GNWT and it is being reviewed annually in Nunavut.
The Standing Committee is very concerned that the full costs of replacing the high school in Cambridge Bay have not been told to them and they were surprised to see Supplementary Appropriations allocated to this purpose, which were not raised in May as potential capital costs this fiscal year, nor during the presentation from the Minister.
These matters should have come to the Standing Committee as part of the capital plan.
The government has stated that all of the communities should be treated equitably, but there appears to be special treatment here.
The Standing Committee looks forward to a full discussion of the Department's capital projects in the upcoming capital plan consultations for the Government of Nunavut.
The Standing Committee would like to receive a full detailed outline of the total projected capital costs for the replacement of the high school in Cambridge Bay, how insurance proceeds will be allocated against these costs, what interim capital costs have been incurred for temporary arrangements while the school is being rebuilt and how the Nunavut government will benefit over the long term from any interim arrangements which have been put into place.
Other Education Initiatives
The Standing Committee was updated on a number of other initiatives including the Millennium Scholarship Foundation, which provides $212,000 each year to Nunavut and $60,000 to administer the program, as well as a number of other intergovernmental agreements.
Members were pleased to see that there would be 76 scholarships of $3,000 each, which will be prioritized based on need.
Members were concerned whether this will be enough funds to meet the needs of all of the students wishing to further their education.
The Standing Committee is interested in receiving more information on the criteria for these scholarships and departmental estimates of the number of students in need of financial support.
Children with Special Needs
Members continue to have concerns about special needs students and the lack of strategies or plans for persons with disabilities, including physical, mental and learning disabilities.
Members observed that children with disabilities do not have a voice - they cannot make proposals or requests.
Members want these children to have the tools to give them as much opportunity as possible for a good future.
Members would like to see a school for students with disabilities, so that they don't have to leave Nunavut to go to schools that will meet their needs.
Members were advised that the Department is reviewing this matter and surveying students with disabilities being trained in other provinces.
The Standing Committee looks forward to receiving an update on the planning process for students with disabilities and strongly encourages the department to address the gaps in this area.
Housing for Teachers
Members expressed concern about the lack of housing for teachers in many of the communities.
The Minister noted that at present, the issue of housing for teachers is in the jurisdiction of the District Education Councils.
However, he noted that the more Inuit and local teachers are trained and hired, the less housing will be a problem, since local people usually have housing or would be interested in purchasing their own home.
Members observed that the lack of affordable housing is one of the reasons why people don't come to work in some of the communities as teachers and this problem will be in the jurisdiction of the Department next year.
The Standing Committee recommends that the Department of Education work together with Hamlet Councils, the Housing Authorities, local businesses and teachers, to set aside a few units to ensure that teachers will have housing in the interim.
The Government of Nunavut should also look at putting aside some staff housing for teachers.
In those communities where affordability is an issue, the Committee recommends that the Department look at whether giving teachers a larger subsidy would help.
Income Security
The Standing Committee was advised that due to the Cabinet decision to transfer Income Security from the Department of Sustainable Development to Education, changes would be needed to the Mission and the Goals, as well as the organizational chart and budget.
The Standing Committee supports the Department's move from dependency to self-reliance through Income Support and looks forward to receiving the results of the Income Support Policy Review now underway by the Department of Education.
Minister Picco appeared before the Standing Committee on October 14, 1999.
Mid-Year Fiscal Position - The Deficits of the Health Boards
The Standing Committee was pleased to receive documents detailing the mid-year financial status of the Department.
However, the detail was focused primarily on the deficit of the Health Boards and the projected deficit for the Department.
Members were given a detailed briefing, which provided a historical analysis of underfunding of the Regional Health Boards in Nunavut, under the previous GNWT, which has been carried into the Nunavut budget.
The briefing highlighted the fact that Health and Social Services in Nunavut receives less proportionate funding of the total budget than in any other provincial or territorial government.
This, despite the fact that additional costs of providing health and social services in Nunavut are even more expensive than elsewhere in Canada, due to patient travel and care providers.
These factors have contributed to the deficit of the Regional Health Boards.
However, while Members are sympathetic to the extensive and sometimes unpredictable costs of care in the north, they are all too aware of examples in their own communities of where the Regional Health Boards have contributed to the unnecessary expenditure of money because of the way that the Boards organize patients' and care providers' travel at the last minute, escort policies, the use of expensive interim nurses on contract, etc.
Members do not understand how the Regional Health Boards, which are under the authority of an Executive Director and a Board of Directors have been allowed to run deficits in such an unaccountable manner and feel that some of the responsibility for the deficit must lie at the hands of the management of the Boards.
Members hope that the dissolution of the Health Boards and the integration of these services into the Department of Health and Social Services, will help ensure that some of the wastage will be checked by the Government of Nunavut.
Nevertheless, the question remains of how to pay for the deficits.
The Standing Committee is persuaded that the Department of Health and Social Services should not have to shoulder the inherited debts of the Health Boards, as it does not seem that the Department had the fiscal authority to ensure that they did not go into a deficit position.
The deficits of the previous fiscal year must be absorbed by the entire Government of Nunavut, as determined under the Assets and Liabilities Agreement with the GNWT.
The Standing Committee recommends that any surplus in the Assets carried over to Nunavut from the GNWT be applied first to the liability of the inherited deficit of $8.9Million for the Health Boards from the previous fiscal year. Any remaining deficit should be offset by any surplus of the Government of Nunavut, which may occur across all of the Departments, due to the fact that not all positions were in place for the entire fiscal year.
The Standing Committee supports the overall goal of applying any surplus towards new housing stock, as a goal which will positively affect the health of Nunavummiut.
As to the current fiscal year, the Regional Health Boards and the Department must be encouraged to take more responsibility now, so that their deficit situation is minimised.
Members are sympathetic, but recognize that all departments feel that they are underfunded and yet they must conform to the reality of their departmental budget.
The Standing Committee recommends that the Regional Health Boards immediately undertake a cost-savings exercise to ensure that where money can be saved, it happens immediately.
Departmental finance staff should work closely with the Regional Health Boards and their Executive Directors to ensure a sincere effort to keep within budget.
The Minister acknowledged that one area where the costs for health care are driven upwards is through the use of temporary nursing contracts.
These are expensive contracts paid on an hourly rate to agencies, in addition to all transportation and accommodation costs.
In addition, temporary nurses often increase the amount of medical travel, as they tend to refer patients to the larger facilities.
The Minister spoke of new retention initiatives being undertaken by the Department and focus-group discussions which will be taking place in several communities.
Nevertheless, the difficulties in recruiting new nurses were underlined by the fact that the Department recently had to go as far as Australia to recruit nine new nurses for Nunavut.
The Standing Committee supports the retention initiatives currently being undertaken and further requests detailed information on the costs associated with temporary nursing positions.
A New Direction for the Department - Promotion of Health and Prevention of Illness
The department provided detailed information on health status indicators and critical issues that must be overcome if we are to achieve healthy communities in Nunavut.