EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
That was my short question, now it’s my long question for the Honourable Paul Okalik, Minister responsible for the Senior Personnel Secretariat.
The subject is performance bonuses and termination pay for members of public service in Nunavut.
For each of the following fiscal years broken down by department, board, agency, and Crown corporation, but not including names of specific individuals, how much is paid in performance bonuses to members of the public service in Nunavut, employees of the Government of Nunavut boards, agencies and crown corporations, for 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04?
For each of the following fiscal years, broken down by employee entity but not including names of specific individuals, how many persons were eligible to be considered for performance bonuses to be paid by the Government of Nunavut in 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04?
For each of the following fiscal years broken down by employee entity but not including names of specific individuals, how many persons were actually paid performance bonuses by the Government of Nunavut for 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04?
For each of the following fiscal years, broken down by employee entity but not including names of specific individuals, how much was paid in termination pay, negotiated settlements, lump sum payments or any other form of monetary compensation to executive level members of the public service in Nunavut who departed the public service in 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04?
Speaker (interpretation): Orders of the Day. Item 7.
Written Questions. Item 8. Returns to Written Questions.
Reports of Standing and Special Committees. Item 12. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills.
Tabled Document 004 – 2(1): Donations and Contributions to Our Lady of Lights (Evyagotailak)
I would like to table a letter from my Lady of Lights, the church of Kugluktuk.
This letter is requesting donations to rebuild the church.
Item 13. Tabling of Documents. Mr. Peterson.
Tabled Document 005 – 2(1): An Assessment of the Income Impact of a Transportation Subsidy for Employment in the Mining Industry in Remote Communities (Peterson)
I would like to table this document called ‘An Assessment of the Income Impact of a Transportation Subsidy for Employment in the Mining Industry in Remote Communities.’
It is an order-of-magnitude calculation.
Go on to Item 14.
Notices of Motions. Item 15. Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills.
Motions. Item 17. First Reading of Bills.
Bill 01 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act #3, 2003-04 – Second Reading
I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Baker Lake, that Bill 1, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act #3, 2003–04, be read for the second time.
This Act provided additional funding in the form of special warrants to the Department of Justice and the Department of Education in order to meet their needs for the 2003-04 fiscal year.
Speaker (interpretation): Bill 1 has had second reading and is now referred to the committee.
There is a motion on the floor: are there any questions?
Any opposition to the motion?
I was going a bit ahead, Bill 1 has had second reading.
This can now be referred to the appropriate committee.
Consideration of the Committee of the Whole of bills and Other Matters.
We’ll deal with Bill 1, with Mr. Netser as the chair.
Before we commence with Committee of the Whole, we’ll take a 15-minute break.
>>House recessed at 15:04 and Committee resumed at 15:27
Chairman (Mr. Netser)(interpretation): I wish for the committee meeting to come to order.
Bill 1, Supplementary Appropriation (Operation and Maintenance) Act #3, 2003-04.
Are you agreed we will deal with Bill 1?
Chairman: I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Finance if she can come to the witness table.
Do you have witnesses you would like to bring to the table, Madam Minister?
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses to the witness table.
Madam Minister, can you introduce your officials please?
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (interpretation): Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
With me is my Deputy Minister Robert Vardy, and Paul Reddy, Director of Expenditure Management.
Chairman: Before we proceed: members will have ten minutes to speak under Rule 77(2).
I want to make a quick comment on this. This is over the last four years.
I think this is the first stop that I have seen that has only been two items.
Hopefully this is an indication of things to come: that we have more accurate and current budgeting practices in place, and that we have learned over the last four years, and they have got it down to an art that they only need to have supplementaries come forward with a couple of items in it because of emergencies.
So, I look forward to more of that in the future.
I do not think there are any questions.
Do you want to move on to the bill?
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I am glad to ask him: I thought we were just going to do 10-minute general comments; where are we now?
The opening statements or are we on questions?
We are still on opening statements; I did not see any hands go up other than Mr. Tootoo’s, so that is why I just went ahead.
Chairman (interpretation): Would you like to make some general comments?
Are there any questions with regards to Bill 1?
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I would like to ask the minister, with regards to the Department of Justice: supplementary appropriation —it states, on page 4, that this $1,670,000 was going to be used for these additional resources on the Legal Services Board, Court Services and Corrections and Community Justice.
I do not see any breakdowns between them.
I would like to know if you can give me a breakdown with the Legal Services, Court Services and Corrections and Community Justice, if you can provide me with the breakdowns, I would appreciate it.
Chairman (interpretation): If you could respond.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The breakdown for those three areas under the Legal Services Board was $367,000.
For Court Services, it was $363,000.
Corrections and Community Justice: $388,000, and a savings of $51,000 under other Nunavut Justice branches.
The information has also been sent to the chair of the regular caucus, as a request has been made, and that was dropped off at the office this afternoon.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Curley, anything else?
Mr. Curley (interpretation): My second question: within the Legal Services Board, $367,000, within that, how many PYs were there, and within Court Services and Community Justice, how many PYs were there, or was that just for expenses?
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Mr. Chairman, I don’t have the information whether it applies to PYs or not. The breakdown I have for that is that the Legal Services Board increased funding was to do with first time high profile jury trials outside of Iqaluit, the Cape Dorset trial which was held in January 2004.
An estimated $120,000 was included for legal aid representation.
That is the information I have, and it has no relationship to increased court services from what I understand.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Curley.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I’m sure that the government has information with regard to that.
It would be evident if the increase is for PYs within 2004-04: if there is an increase, I’m sure that these officials know about this, whether this was for expenses.
And I’m sure this supplementary appropriation was used for PYs.
Would you be able to respond, Madam Minister?
Chairman (interpretation): Ms. Aglukkaq.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: The information that I have relates to the special warrant and it does not include any PYs.
What was included in some of that was more mental assessment of individuals that are incarcerated but not really due towards actual PYs. Individuals had to be sent down to the south to get the mental assessments, and that cost about $18,000 each for the 25 incarcerated individuals prior to going to court.
So, in terms of services provided, the services were provided by institutions outside Nunavut, not an increase in PYs within the department itself.
Chairman (interpretation): Does that answer your question, Mr. Curley?
Mr. Curley (interpretation): In some part, thank you.
This $776,000 was used for the Legal Services Board, I’m sure it’s geared towards the board.
The information that’s been provided to us was $1,670,000, it states here, to provide additional resources.
Is it just additional resources just for funding, or does it include the consultants for court services? For that reason I wanted to get clarification. Or is the Legal Services Board out of fund number two, court services?
That I cannot understand.
It is really expensive to have a court circuit, also with regard to corrections and community justice.
I don’t think it is due to a lack of funding.
Resources mean PYs, or consultation, or consultants.
If you can at least provide an explanation on the additional resources, I would appreciate it.
The $367,000 was due to increased court circuits in order to respond to individual rights, legal rights.
The courts could not stop services because they don’t have budgets.
So in order to respond to the right of incarcerated individuals to appear before the court, the additional funding was required for the court circuit to deal with incarcerated individuals incarcerated, so that amount was there.
The other question was whether financial debts are the only thing left, and the response to that question is, yes.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I was the Chairperson of the Kitikmeot Law Centre last year and we submitted an increased budget to get additional funds to operate our law centre across the Kitikmeot.
We needed an extra $80,000 and our executive director was having a difficult time getting the additional funds.
Of course we are interested in providing timely services to clients in the communities.
I am wondering, Mr. Chairman, if any of this Legal Services Board money went to the Kitikmeot Law Centre.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Peterson.
The information before me, under the $367,000, does not break down whether it went to Cambridge Bay or not.
The information that I do have related to that funding responds to the Cape Dorset high profile court case recently.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Madam Minister.
Mr. Peterson do you have any further questions?
I would certainly be interested in hearing if the money went to help support the Kitikmeot Law Centres.
When we are trying to deliver legal services in our region it is quite often that we run into the problem, and we’ve talked about it in caucus, that clients are not getting timely access to lawyers.
They’re not getting the support they need, and I think it comes down to resources.
When I was mayor, they asked for this kind of help, as well from the Minister of Justice, if that could be increased.
I’m wondering if some of this money is going to support the regional operations.
The special warrant that was approved for justice was provided in the fiscal year 2003-04 for those emergency situations.
If there was an additional request made for $80,000 for the Cambridge Bay legal services office, I imagine that would be part of the normal financial review requirement of each of the boards.
Whether it was a special warrant to be presented in the House, I can’t respond to that; I don’t have the background material on Cambridge Bay.
The $367,000 is to deal with the Cape Dorset high profile court case.
I can commit to the member to ask of the department if they can look into the concern you have because I don’t have that information in front of me.
I was reading the letter that the minister sent to the chairperson of the regular caucus. Just under the Department of Justice, there was a line that says that the remaining funding was used by the board to enable it to carry out its mandate.
So I thought maybe you were using those additional funds to support regional operations.
Any further questions from the members?
My question is on the amount for the Department of Education.
Do we need to approve the justice fund first before we move onto education or can I fire away?
Chairman: You can fire away after we finish dealing with Justice. Thank you. I have no other names on my list.
Go to page 4. Justice.
Operations and Maintenance. Special Warrants. Various. $1,067,000.
On page 4, Maintenance.
Mr. Tootoo: Not quite yet, Ed. Mr. Chairman, my question here: with increased funding for FANS, was it a direct result of an increase in students, or was it a result of an increase of amount paid out under FANS as approved last year?
Honourable Leona Aglukkaq.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: There was an increase in the number of students under the FANS program.
There was also an increase in the allowance from $675 to $825 per month. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Honourable Leona Aglukkaq.
Is that, all students that applied that got that?
Because I know there was some additional funding approved last year for beneficiary students, but does that also apply for non-beneficiary students as well?
I believe it was across the board.
Does the minister have a breakdown of costs for the government besides the increase in number of students?
I don’t understand his question, but do you want the difference between the increase in the number of students as well as the way it was separated?
Chairman: Mr. Tootoo?
I was just wondering: of that increase from $675 to $825 per month, how much does that increase cost the government?
Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, could you respond?
Most of the increase is related to the numbers of students participating in the program.
In terms of the dollars and the breakdown, I don’t have that in front of me.
Maybe the minister could commit to having her colleague, the Minister of Education, provide that information to the members of this House sometime next week.
I’m sure that he won’t have any problem doing that.
He seemed to be indicating 20 percent over there but I would like to see the numbers and a breakdown of how much an increase costs the government.
We could just get an idea of how much of an increase is in there, plus how many new students, as well that there were 194 students accessing the program.
I am sure that it also states that sometimes it is the same student accessing for different semesters.
If the minister could commit to having the Minister of Education provide us with an actual number of students, not the total number of people accessing the program, that utilized the program last year.
If she could commit to having the Minister of Education get that information for us as well.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Tootoo.
In special warrants, for the $1,965,000: those were for financial assistance.
There was a 31 percent increase in the number of students coming to that program.
It went from 651 students in one fiscal year to 845.
The number that you made reference to was 194, an increase by 194.
In terms of the information of the breakdown, I will ask my colleague, the Minister of Education, to provide that information to you.
Is that it, Mr. Tootoo?
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I had a question and if the minister is not able to respond, the Minister of Education can go up to the witness stand.
There are 194 students who are receiving financial assistance, but can you tell me if they were at Arctic College here, or if they were going to school outside of the territory?
I would like to know what percent of them were going to school in Nunavut, and what percent were going to school outside of Nunavut.
How many of them were receiving assistance from the territorial government?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Curley.
The student financial assistance is available to Nunavut students, but how many students are going to school down south, and how many students are going to school up north; I don’t have that information in front of me.
But what I do have is that there are 845 students under that program for 2003-04.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Mr. Chairman, I would like to get some clarification on exactly where they are going.
I would like to make a motion that the Minister of Education sit in the witness’s chair.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Curley made a motion. (interpretation ends) Point of Order. Mr. Picco.
Just a Point of Order that the minister dealing with this stuff is the Minister of Finance.
It is okay if the Minister of Education, or any other minister that is affiliated with the line item gives the appropriate answer from their own chair.
So, for example, with specific information that the minister may not have in Finance, and I have it available, I could stay in this chair and provide it as a part of a process, if that is what the members would concur to doing.
Is that okay, Mr. Curley?
Do you have any more comments or questions?
I will go through the numbers very quickly.
For 2003 in the fall term, the numbers that we are dealing with right now, FANS, or student financial assistance, received 628 applications for student financial assistance; 344 beneficiaries and 80 non-beneficiaries, for a total of 424 students, were registered under the financial student assistance program for students.
At Nunavut Arctic College, we had 62 beneficiaries from the Kivalliq, 16 from Kitikmeot, and 174 from the Qikiqtani Region.
In the south, in schools other than Nunavut Arctic College, for the Kivalliq region, we had: beneficiaries, 39; Kitikmeot region, 21; and from Qikiqtani region, 53.
Non-beneficiary students from the Kivalliq region were 11; 9 for Kitikmeot; and 58 for Qikiqtani.
And the totals were: for Kivalliq region, 113; Kitikmeot, 47; and 294 for Qikiqtani, for a total enrolment of 454 students.
The numbers will be off by 30 students, because of students who enrolled, some of them dropped out, and that’s why you would see the difference, or they withdrew from the program.
Do you have any more questions Mr. Curley?
I wonder if it’s more expensive to go to school in the north or is it more expensive to go to school in the south.
Part of that question, I guess, would be my second question: does the Department of Education conduct cost-of-living surveys in the north and south, where the students are going to school, to help them make these calculations?
I think that is directed towards the Minister of Education.
Do you want to answer that Minister Picco?
There are different costs associated with attending school.
For example in some cases, if you’re attending school in your home community, if you are attending Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, it may be cheaper than having to run your own apartment, buses, and so on if you’re at a southern school.
So it depends on each situation.
We do know of course, that the cost of living is more expensive in Nunavut in general than it is in the south but it depends on each student’s situation.
Anything more, Mr. Peterson?
I guess I’ll ask the Minister of Finance or maybe the Minister of Education: what calculation did you use to get the increase from $675 to $825?
There must be some kind of numbers that were researched going into that to determine that increase.
Why is it not $800?
Why isn’t it $900?
Why is it $825?
In September of 2002, there was a direction provided to increase the living allowance by 20 percent per student for a number of reasons.
But one reason is more in the area of living allowance, because it hadn’t been affected 1999.
There had not been an increase to the living allowance since 1999 in Nunavut.
I thank the minister for that answer.
I’ve talked to a lot of students in my region and during my travels, and they still say $825 isn’t enough.
It’s a 20 percent increase.
Why didn’t they pick 30 percent, or 35, or 40? How did you arrive at a 20 percent increase, and it still seems to not be enough?
I’m sure we’d all like to see a 30, 40, 50 percent increase for our students away from their homes but I’ll let the minister answer that question.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. $675 to $825 was basically looking at the needs, but trying to balance what was also affordable within government.
Do you have any more, Mr. Peterson?
So, while we are here, could the Minister of Education perhaps… What will that department be asking for as an increase in their multi-mark for this current fiscal year?
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Peterson.
Can you answer that please, Mr. Picco?
The issues around the total amount of monies within a certain budget have not come before the House, so I would not be in a position to comment on that.
Chairperson: Does that answer your question, Mr. Peterson?
Not really; I guess we will have to wait a while. (interpretation) Are you finished, Mr. Peterson?
Mr. Alagalak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Some of the questions I was prepared to ask have already been answered.
I would like to ask the Minister of Education about Inuit and non-Inuit that go to school down south.
When this is a public government they are able to get funding from us as well, and we know that some of the people just come up north and get the money out of the Nunavut government and go down south to go to school or university.
I would like to see this done by percentage. And I would like to know how many beneficiaries are using this, and also for the non-beneficiaries that go to school or university down south. We know education is very, very important and I would like to see these in the written notice, if you could give us a percentage of people who go to school down south before we get their special warrant.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Alagalak.
Does anybody have any questions?
(interpretation ends) One, two, three, nobody? Getting on with the Education.
Operations and Maintenance. Special Warrants. Adult Learning and Post-Secondary Services. $1,965,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairperson: Total Learning and Post-Secondary Services. $1,965,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairperson: Total Department. $1,965,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairperson: Okay, go to page 2, Schedule 1.
Operations and Maintenance. Appropriation. $3,032,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairperson: Good.
Go to Bill 1, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act #3, -2003-04. (interpretation) It is in the white binder.
Have you found the page yet?
Bill 1, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act #3, 2003-04. Definitions 1.
Chairman: Applications #2.
Chairman: Supplementary Appropriations #3.
Chairman: Go to the schedule on page 2. Schedule 1. Operations and Maintenance.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $3,032,000.
Chairman: Total Supplementary Appropriation. $3,032,000.
Chairman: Back to Clause 4.
Chairman: Clause 5.
Chairman: Clause 6.
Chairman: Clause 7.
Chairman: Is the committee agreed to Bill 1 as a whole?
Chairman: Is the committee agreed that Bill 1 is ready for third reading?
Chairman: I would like thank the minister and your officials for coming to the witness table.
Do you have any more comments?
Thank you, Madam Minister and your officials.
Chairman (interpretation): There is a motion on the floor to report progress and the motion is not debatable.
I will now rise to report progress.
Chairman of Committee of the Whole, Mr. Netser.
Bill 1 is immediately ready for third reading and I move that the Report of the Committee of Whole be agreed to.
Speaker (interpretation): Who is the seconder?
Mr. Tootoo is the seconder.
Orders of the Day: Mr. Quirke.
Orders of the Day for Friday, May 14:
18. Second Reading of Bills
19. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Tomorrow morning we will commence the session at 10:00, March 14, 2004.  At this time, Mr. Sergeant-at-Arms, you can come in.
>>House adjourned at 16:12  Nunavut Canada
Friday, May 14, 2004
Pages 102 – 131
Opening Prayer 102
Ministers’ Statements 102
Members’ Statements 103
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 109
Oral Questions 110
Revert to Item 5: Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 127
Written Questions 127
Tabling of Documents 129
Notice of First Reading of Bills 129
Third Reading of Bills 129
Orders of the Day 130
Friday, May 14, 2004 102
005 – 2(1): Government Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Pilot Orientation Program (Tapardjuk) 102
006 – 2(1): Budget Address (Aglukkaq) 103