EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
So, it was up to Nunavut Social Development to decide what communities we travel to, and considering how much budget they had, they decided to visit the main social development Councils in the communities.
Question 418 - 1(3): Social Programs in the High Arctic
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): This is to the Minister of Education.
I mentioned before there are not enough of social programs in the high arctic.
Have you done a review of the communities to see which ones want more social development that others.
Is that why you want to visit the communities.
We know which communities that have high unemployment and we also know which communities are the poorer communities, and we also so know which communities have to pay more for everything they have to pay for, and as well we also know which communities are populated more than others.
Which communities are able to be on their own.
If they have a mine close to the community.
We can use Kugluktuk as an example, and it is very far from the capital.
It is also closer to Yellowknife and it is also going to be closest to the mining activity, and we wanted to find out the impacts to that community.
In Arviat we know that fast growth in population there and they don't have very much employment.
We don't really know whether there will be a highway project around the Kivalliq region, through Arviat as well as Baker Lake.
I will also say Coral Harbour is an island and it is very expensive to fly to.
As well they don't have high unemployment.
As well, Igloolik is growing in population, they do not have as much employment, and we wanted to find out from the community about decentralization.
Arctic Bay as well, is close to a mine and we wanted to find out if there is employment gained from that mine and how many people are on income support.
In Iqaluit there is a population explosion and they have many employment opportunities from the Nunavut Government.
How many people are receiving income support.
That is one of the reasons why we wanted to review those communities because of the difference and the impact they are receiving at this time.
Also, we want to be able to receive some input from other communities by radio, through the media, and by letter.
Speaker: Thank you Minister Arvaluk for that lengthy dissertation.
I would ask the Ministers and members to be precise and concise in their questions and answers.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker for the lengthy answer.
I do understand his response.
I also understood him to talk about people in Kugluktuk closer to Yellowknife and we pay lower prices here in the Baffin region.
I feel that because of the shipments from the south which are very expensive and we feel that we are paying the highest prices in the Baffin Region.
Airfares are very expensive from the southern parts of Canada and that is one of my concerns.
I just want to get some assurance and maybe if I can ask him a question.
The communities that are not going to be visited will they have a chance for input into their review.
Yes, Mr. Speaker we will give the applicants opportunities from all the communities that will be involved but they will have the input by fax or the radio or they could also go to the committee when they visit that community.
We will let people know where they could put their input.
Mr. Speaker, the member said that it is very expensive to travel in the high arctic.
That is not what we are doing a review on.
We want to find out whether they could be assisted by student financial assistance under income support, or whether they can relay on employment insurance, because when people don't have anywhere to turn to they usually turn to income support.
We are trying to find out if they can access some funding in other ways.
Whether it is by going to school or doing other things to make themselves self-reliant in their community.
Speaker: Oral questions Mr. McLean.
Question 419 - 1(3): Corporate Taxes
My question today is for the Minister responsible for Finance.
On our budget session in the summary of revenues for Nunavut, it shows we are collecting over 7.5 million dollars in tobacco taxes in Nunavut.
Another line Item we are collecting 1 million 780 thousand dollars on corporate income taxes.
Speaker, I realise there are a lot corporations doing business in Nunavut with their head office outside of Nunavut, but could the finance Minister explain to me how corporate taxes are paid by these companies and corporations.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you Speaker.
I'll give the proper information, but on this rare occasion I will have to take this as notice.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng. Oral questions Mr. Irqittuq.
Question 420 - 1(3): Suicide Prevention Funding
I made a statement on suicide earlier on in my member's statement and I just wondered how they provide funding for prevention of suicide.
For instance, how can those people do a workshop how are they giving funding to teach suicide prevention.
Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question. As the member knows there are different pots of money available for communities to access for post intervention and the intervention into the situation regarding suicides.
As the member knows that in our budget some time this week we will be unveiling a strategy from the Department of Health and Social Services to deal proactively with the concern directly for the members information and the house.
We address money through community wellness, each community has an opportunity to access community wellness to fund post intervention and work on suicide prevention.
The communities also have the opportunity to apply directly to the Department of Health and Social Services, and we will provide a facilitator to co-ordinate some suicide programs.
As an example, just recently in Kugluktuk and some of the other communities we ran with our suicide intervention specialist from the Department of Social Services in conjunction with the RCMP monies for suicide prevention programs.
So, there are several avenues to be brought forward by communities for suicide prevention.
Speaker: Oral question, supplementary Mr. Irqittuq.
I would like to ask the Minister again is there funding readily available in the Minister’s department.
Hon. Ed Picco: Yes, as I tried to indicate, coming up in this year’s budget, fiscal year 2000/2001.
The members are aware of that it will come forward in the budget.
Approximately 2 million dollars is there for suicide strategy and prevention.
Also each community which has happened in the past up to a few weeks ago Mr. Speaker, can access community wellness money.
There is also money available from the federal government who we partner with to develop and put in place suicide strategies.
The workshop that was held in Kugluktuk was in conjunction with community wellness in the Kitikmeot region, the RCMP and indeed the Department of Health and Social Services.
I would like to ask the Minister, say for instance, the workshop that was recently held in Kugluktuk.
My communities of Igloolik and Hall Beach have had some concerns about suicides as well, the only time they get assistance, as I will just use Kugluktuk as an example, it seems as though the only time they hold a workshop is after a suicide has been committed.
They should not wait week after a suicide has been committed.
Perhaps, if we can intervene as soon as possible in each community.
Is that going to be the case .
Mr. Speaker, the member is right the Nunavut Government can't come out with some magic formula to stop suicides.
However, what can be done is and what is being done and there are several good examples right now in Nunavut.
Where communities take on the concern themselves and Mr. Ng just talked about the health committee in Cambridge Bay being set up. We think this is the avenue to approach this.
It has to start at the family level and it has to start at the community level,  for the cessation of suicide.
Now Mr. Speaker after saying that, the Nunavut government has encouraged every community to develop a Community Wellness plan.
Under that community wellness plan every community has the opportunity.
For example in the members community of Hall Beach, the community will get a quarter of a million dollars under Community Wellness and Brighter Futures money to develop a plan to address the needs of suicide, post intervention and pre intervention.
So they will be able to develop a proactive response to suicide.
But It has to come from the communities and that is why those monies are there.
One of the things we talked about in the standing committee is that the Nunavut government was there to support our communities with the Brighter Futures money, the Community Wellness plan, the standing committee on health, the two million dollars and with the strategy we are bringing forward with the new budget.
There has to be adequate funding made available.
Could the Minister ensure that there will be funding available and better response time.
Mr. Speaker, let me make it perfectly clear.
If communities want help with suicide, the department of Health and Social Services is there.
Mr. Speaker under the Brighter Futures money that our department handles for the federal government that money is there and communities can apply for it.
We have asked communities to come up with community wellness projects to run a series of workshops.
Mr. Speaker for example March 6-8 in Clyde River.
Again, Mr. Speaker May 5 will be held in Iqaluit for CHR training for all of Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker the Department of Health and Social Services has been moving forward on this issue.
It is a very serious issue Mr. Speaker.
Again, the solution as the Member has said has to start at the community level.
It has to start at the family level.
It has to start at the local level.
Mr. Speaker the Nunavut Government will be there as we were in Kugluktuk and some of our other communities Mr. Speaker to support them and any initiative that they bring forward to address the serious issue of suicide.
Question 421 - 1(3): Sanikiluaq’s Role in Income Support Policy Review
I will be directing my question to the Minister of Education regarding the review that was mentioned earlier, my community is the farthest from the rest the of Nunavut area.
I would like to know from the Minister if Sanikiluaq is going to be part of the Income Support Policy review.
Like I said earlier, there are 26 communities in the Nunavut and we can not visit them all because we do not have adequate funding to cover Nunavut wide travel.
We can not go to all the communities.
What we have decided is to go to the communities that are diverse.
Even the communities we do not visit will be communicated in any other way.
For example, I have their telephone and addresses.
Like I said the only communities we are going to are the ones that have been identified.
We are not overly concerned about the communities looking at this policy review Nunavut wide.
We asked these members to see what would be best if we visited which community.
Supplementary Mr. Kattuk.
Question 422 - 1(3): Urgent Projects Prioritisation
Mr. Speaker just recently we approved the Interim Appropriation Act and there were two community projects that had to be dealt with right away.
I will be directing my question to the Minister of Community Government and Transportation Mr. Anawak.
When an urgent issue comes up in the Minister’s riding or the Member’s riding, for example Mr. Puqiqnak’s community there were some urgent projects that had to be dealt with right away.
How do you rate them or how do you prioritise these urgent matters.
We have to keep in mind that when there is an urgent matter whether it is a health issue or safety issue it is considered urgent.
But then again, there are some communities who we have to deal with right away. In addition, if there is a financial issue we have to deal with right away.
We have to have a plan for the year.
We have to have a financial plan made ahead of time so we can deal with these in an urgent manner.
That is the reason why we put a contingency plan so that we can deal with such issues.
In the Interim Appropriation Act there were two communities that had to be dealt with right away.
Does that mean we have to approve a special warrant every time an urgent matter arises in the community.
The reason why they went through interim appropriations is that the Main Estimates are not approved yet.
Because of that we had to go through a special warrant for us to act on it.
I could have talked to the Cabinet Members but we had to do that because the Main Estimates were not approved.
Why is it that the issue was not mentioned on the Appropriation Act.
I am sorry could the Member rephrase his question please.
Speaker: Mr. Barnabas could you re-phrase your question.
Mr. Barnabas: My question is directed to the Minister of Community Government.
Why was one of the projects in Minister’s riding not funded under interim appropriation act when it was an emergency.
Hon. Jack Anawak: Mr. Speaker I have no idea what the Member is talking about.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Puqiqnak’s riding had the same problem and the other Members riding had the same problem.
They were funded in the interim appropriation act.
Why was not Mr. Puqiqnak riding not included with that interim appropriation act.
Speaker: Mr. Anawak do you need more clarity on that question.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker, I apologise, it had to be done right away because the system was frozen in Kugluktuk.
The water pipes were frozen and it had to be dealt with right away.
Because of the quality of the water and because of the breakage they were still able to supply water to the community of Uqsuqtuq.
So it was less urgent than the one in Kugluktuk.
If we did not deal with Kugluktuk they would have not have water supply.
Thank you for the clarification and I would also like to thank Mr. Anawak.
So my next question is about Resolute Bay which has an on-going concern with frozen pipelines.
Ever since I started representing the community we have always had this as a problem.
It is just as important or as urgent as the Kugluktuk.
So does that mean there will be money made available to fix this problem.
Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Mr. Speaker I think this is the first time I have heard about this problem.
So I will look into it.
Question 423 - 1(3): Tamartarvik Boarding Home
My question will be directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
The boarding home in Iqaluit call Tamartirvik.
Who owns this boarding home.
The owner of the Tamartirvik Mr. Iqaqrialu, is me and the people of Nunavut.
We own the Tamartirvik building.
It was a surplus building from Education and access as a health boarding home for the last couple of years under the auspices of the Baffin Regional Health and Social Services Board.
Mr. Speaker, the contract I believe is with the elders group which is a non-profit society in Iqaluit who do the management and day to day operation of the facility.
I did not even know that I owned part of this building.
This is the first time that I do, well if is my building.
Since I visit there quite often, they do not have enough TVs or recreational activities set for the patients.
They can not even watch our proceedings.
Can we look into this further and see how we can have a better working relationship with the Tamartirvik building.
Mr. Speaker I have seen the Member at the boarding home.
I visit there as much as he does.
Mr. Speaker we can look into the situation that Mr. Iqaqrialu brought up today in this House.
Question 424 - 1(3): Community Centre for Cape Dorset
My questions will be directed to the Minister of Community Government and Transportation.
As the population of Cape Dorset, some more so than the other communities.
In my community we have a very small community centre although the population has doubled.
Is there going to be a review done on whether the community halls are adequate for the communities.
Speaker: Mr. Anawak.  Hon. Jack Anawak (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Yes what he is saying is very true.
Some communities have had tremendous population growth over the last few years and some of them are falling behind on financially.
We were going to try and see if the Nunavut Government has some funding we were thinking of reviewing some of the communities have rapidly growing population to see if they are keeping up with their needs.
So I will state again that we will be reviewing all the community recreational facilities to make sure that they are keeping up with the population growth in their community and we are aware of that problem too.
Speaker: Oral questions. Supplementary. Mr. Akesuk.
When will he be having this review done.
I am sure there are people in the communities who would like to go to the gym or the community centre but due to the small capacity of the building they do not like to attend overcrowded places.
Even during special events in the community, many residents do not go to the centres anymore.
So when will he have this review done.
First I would like to apologise to the member.
Like I have stated, we will be visiting Pond Inlet, Kugaaruk, and Gjoa Haven.
They have centres that are quite small for the community. I am sure Cape Dorset has the same problem as well.
So I will be considering that community and we have always talked about forced growth in our government.
I will be making an effort to review all the communities but due to inadequate funding our review will probably be limited due to financial problems.
I will state to the Member that his community will be one of the communities that will be reviewed.
We will be considering forced growth in his community.
Question 425 - 1(3): Task Force on Housing Final Report
My question today is for the Minister for Housing.
Mr. Speaker can the minister tell me when the Task Force final report on the Housing will be ready for the rest of the House to see.
They were supposed to present me with the report by March 31.
The report is not quite finished yet so I have not received the report. I have been waiting for a response.
However the report itself is not completed yet and all the recommendations have not been reviewed yet. As soon as we have the report ready I will table it to the House.
Supplementary Mr. McLean.
So I can be rest assured that we are going to be receiving that report shortly.
Uqaqti my supplementary question is how many communities were visited and was there any public community consultation done.
I do not think there were very many communities visited in this one. I have to get back to the Member with that information as soon as I get it.
I know the Members travelled to a few communities to hold meetings. I am not sure how the consultation was done with the communities.
That was the responsibility of the Task Force.
But I will get that in detail for the member as soon as I get it.
Speaker: Question is taken as notice.
Oral questions. Mr. Barnabas.
Question 426 - 1(3): Davis Strait Polar Bear Study
My question is directed to the Minister of Sustainable Development. (interpretation) I want to get a clarification from the Minister of Sustainable Development regarding the Davis Strait Polar Bear study report. Can he table the report in the House.
I did not quite get which survey he is talking about.
I know there is quite a few Polar Bear surveys Davis Strait area.
So can the member please clarify which survey he is talking about.
Perhaps the Minister can table all the reports of the Polar Bear surveys. So it will become clearer to those hunters out there who hunt polar bears.
I have no problem tabling the reports.
However I would like to indicate that there are only three communities that do hunt polar bear in Davis Strait and they do have memorandum of understanding to have a 4-year polar bear harvest study that will be done in those communities.
If the member requires further information my department would be more than happy to give him more information.
Question 427 - 1(3): Qikiqtarjuaq Clam Divers
This morning when we first started our meeting I was very happy when he was making a statement about the Qikiqtarjuaq divers.
This has been a problem for Qikiqtarjuaq clam divers and it is not only in Qikiqtarjuaq.
Clam diving is becoming popular, there is diving in Iqaluit and Arctic Bay.
I would like to ask the Minister what kind of problems they have been encountering since they have stopped some of the diving that are being done in those communities that I just mentioned.
I would like to get assurance from the Minister to see if his department has looked into this problem too. To make sure that we will let all the clam divers know what kind of policy they have to follow when it comes to diving.
I know there are many people out there who are willing to hear from the Minister.
Speaker: Before we continue I just want to remind the members again try to make your preambles lead to questions.
Also for the Ministers to keep their answers as precise as possible.
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
He indicated that he could hear my response when I was being questioned by CBC radio.
Yes during my statement I indicated that the information brought forth was inaccurate.
I know we expect some of the mistakes that will be happening when it comes to CBC news reports.
We would like to see this being avoided in the future.
Regarding those divers in the High Arctic and in Iqaluit or in Qikiqtarjuaq if they have a problem about training my department is willing to help those people and give them more information as to how they can safely go diving in their respective communities.
I just want to make clarification further.
If anybody wants to get a diving licence he would have to go through training.
Safety training courses and there are about 16 who have completed training programs.
When it comes to diving, they have completed level 1 and there are also level 2 training programs.
Of course they would have to complete level 1 diving before they can try to get a certificate to get in level 2.
If they were going into commercial diving then the person who will have commercial diving certificate, he would have to complete a comprehensive training as they will be training for commercial diving.
That is my answer.
I am sorry for my long preamble Mr. Speaker.
Is there anyone in Nunavut who already has a commercial diving licence within Nunavut.
If that is the case I would like to know who in Nunavut has a commercial licence for clam diving.
This was not done by our department.
At this point in time I do not know of any person that has a commercial licence for clam diving.
If those licences were issued it was not by our department.
If there was a person who has a commercial licence than I do not know anything about that.
Question 428 - 1(3): Lack of Elders Housing
Uqaqti my question today is to the Minister of Housing.
Uqaqti I know the Task Force final report and recommendations will be coming soon as the Minister has promised me and she has taken my other questions as notice.
But there is one concern Uqaqti that we have not heard much about is the serious state of elders housing or lack of it in Nunavut.
Will the Minister assure me that this will be taken into considerations.
The state of elders housing and what we are going to do about it in Nunavut.
I will take that into consideration and as soon as I get the report from the members in a proper format I’ll send it to the LHO’s so the communities can get involved in the recommendations.
I will be looking forward to that and I’ll take the member’s request into consideration.
Question 429 – 1(3): Retirement Conditions
Mr. Irqittuq (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to two ministers, the Minister for Community Government and the Health Minister.
Sometimes when there is an employee that has problems with his heart and an individual has to quit work but is not quite ready for retirement yet but cannot work anymore because of his heart problem they sometimes lose part of their pension.
I am not sure which minister this should be directed to, perhaps to Mr. Anawak.
Can these people be assisted better if they have to quite because of medical reasons when they are not quite ready to retire yet.
I am not really sure how it works but the question that you seem to be asking is if a person…I am sorry but perhaps I am not understanding you properly.