EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I’m just asking if they would be considered as a safety committee, if they would make rules to the foremen, if there are any safety issues, which is what I’m getting at.
I thank Mr. Akoak for clarifying.
The board members could be considered members of a committee, but the committee itself has to be 50-50, so it wouldn’t be 100 percent board members. You have to have employees and employers on the committee, you know, equal representation.
Thank you for clarifying it.
Would you then go into the communities to train these safety committee members?
My understanding is that the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission doesn’t provide training specifically, but when the safety officers are travelling, they would provide assistance to the committees.
I just have one more question. How many times would the safety officer go into the small communities as far away as the Kitikmeot?
I don’t have the details of how often safety officers are going to the communities, but Ms. Kainz could perhaps provide a little bit of information in that regard.
Ms. Kainz: As I mentioned, we have four officers and we travel as required and we have a travel schedule, so we may not hit all the communities every year, but every other year.
If there’s a need, we go more often to go into the communities.
I can’t give you an exact number of how many times we would go into a community, but we try to cover all of the communities over a period of time.
I think my colleague, Ms. Angnakak, was going to that area. You don’t commit to it every year, but you miss some years and maybe you miss four years.
I didn’t hear a question and I don’t think you expect a response.
Moving on. We’re on Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Safety Act.
Chairman (interpretation): Do members agree to Bill 5 as a whole?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. Pursuant to Rule 62(2), do members agree that Bill 5 can immediately be placed on the orders of the day for third reading?
Thank you and thank the committee members for your good questions and many questions during our committee meeting upstairs.
I would like to thank Ms. Clarke and Ms. Kainz for being here with me today.
I would also like to recognize, over in the gallery, Burt Hausauer. He’s a chief safety officer for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission. He’s based in Yellowknife.
His first day on the job as the chief safety officer was yesterday, so this is very timely for him to be here to hear your good questions and get passage of this bill.
I would like to also take an opportunity to thank all our Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission folks who work across Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
I have met many of them. They are a hardworking group.
I would also like to recognize our two Nunavut workers, governance members Bob Gabuna and Janet Brewster, who do a lot of long work at the governance level, bringing our issues forward to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.
I would like to thank my colleagues again for being here today with me.
Welcome to the gallery and congratulations.
Minister Peterson, if you could stay at the witness table. (interpretation ends) I have a comment to make, if you can stay at the witness table.
Minister Peterson, I would like to thank you for the bills.
Before you leave, I would like to remind you that it’s not new.
Most of the time when bills come out, the Inuktitut has many errors.
I can overlook that if they were just a few typographical errors, but I can use an example of the previous bill that was in English. It said one thing and the Inuktitut said another thing.
It is embarrassing for yourself and your department and me, as the Chair of Committee of the Whole.
I would like to remind you, Minister Peterson, to make sure that the Inuktitut is proper and make sure that they’re perfect so we can proceed properly and that everyone understands the same thing and have the same information in front of them.
Yes, I apologize for the inconsistencies and I will talk with my officials about your concerns and I hope that we can correct them as soon as possible.
Bill 07 – An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage) – Consideration in Committee
We still have items to deal with.
Let me ask the Minister of Justice, Minister Okalik, if he can go to the witness table.
Let me first apologize. I think I said it the wrong way in Inuktitut. It’s for the Minister of Justice.
Minister Okalik, welcome.
As we begin, let me first ask if you have officials that you would like to bring to the table.
Chairman (interpretation): Minister Okalik would like to bring officials to the witness table. Do you agree?
Minister Okalik, please introduce your officials.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Good evening.
With me here this evening to my right is my Deputy Minister, Elizabeth Sanderson, and to my left is Stephen Mansell, Director of Policy and Planning for the Department of Justice.
Ms. Sanderson and Mr. Mansell, welcome to the House.
At this time, please proceed immediately with your opening comments on the bill.
I am pleased to appear before the committee for the review of An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act, which proposes to increase the minimum wage in Nunavut from $11 to $13 effective April 1, 2016 and allows for future increase by way of regulation.
The minimum wage in Nunavut was last increased in 2011. At that time, it was the highest in Canada.
Since 2011, the minimum wage rate in other Canadian jurisdictions has been rising.
Nunavut’s minimum wage is currently below the NWT, Ontario, and Alberta and has not kept up with our increased cost of living.
Mr. Chairman, the figure of $13 is based on policy review and consultations.
The data collected and consultation with businesses across our territory suggest that a $13 minimum wage can be absorbed by Nunavut’s business community, is an amount which will have a positive impact for Nunavut’s lowest income earners, and may provide greater incentive for those on income assistance to enter the workforce.
This bill is also proposing that the Labour Standards Act be amended to allow for future minimum wage increases to be done by way of regulation rather than legislative amendment. This change will allow for more frequent and regular updates to the minimum wage and brings Nunavut in line with the rest of Canada.
An increase to the minimum wage and simplifying the procedure for future adjustments is overdue. The proposed increase will allow Nunavummiut making the minimum wage to provide more for themselves and their family and will bring our wage rate to an appropriate amount which reflects the high cost of living in Nunavut.
This is a summary of the comments I wanted to make, Mr. Chairman.
As Chair of the Standing Committee on Legislation, I am pleased to make some brief opening comments as the Committee of the Whole begins its consideration of Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage).
The standing committee has no objections to the purpose of Bill 7, which was described in detail by the minister in his opening comments.
The standing committee emphasizes that the proposed amendments to the Labour Standards Act would not remove the existing statutory requirement for the minister to table an annual report in the Legislative Assembly on the minimum wage in Nunavut.
The preparation and tabling of this annual report is an extremely important part of the process by which Members of the Legislative Assembly evaluate the extent to which an adjustment to the minimum wage is warranted.
The standing committee notes that the 2013 report was not tabled in the Legislative Assembly until March 13, 2015. The 2014 report is overdue.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my opening comments. The standing committee recommends the passage of Bill 7 to all its members.
Before we go to the contents of the bill, are there any general comments?
I just wanted to acknowledge the work that the minister has done to bring forward this amendment in legislation.
He and I have been working together over the last couple of years to get to this stage.
I would like to commend the minister on taking the initiative to add in the amendment to the legislation on allowing further changes to go through regulations to be able to act more reactionary to the needs of Nunavummiut.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Hickes. (interpretation) General comments.
We will then go to the bill.
Please refer to your white legislation binder. We will deal with Bill 7.
It reads, Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage).
Do members agree to Bill 7 as a whole?
Pursuant to Rule 62(2), do members agree that Bill 7 can immediately be placed on the orders of the day for third reading?
Minister Okalik, if you have any closing remarks, you have the floor.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) I want to thank all of you for supporting this very important initiative.
At the same time, I would like to respond to the committee’s concern on the annual report. The fault lies with me. I wanted to get this bill passed.
The annual report that is required will be tabled in the winter session. I wanted to pass this legislation so that we can make it better and I appreciate the support.
I also want to acknowledge my colleague for Iqaluit-Tasiluk for pushing this along.
Thank you. To my colleagues, (interpretation) thank you very much. This will help a lot.
(interpretation ends) My employees, who have been working overtime for the last little while, trying to consult with the communities, I thank you very much for all the work. I look forward to seeing this passed and moving forward.
Have a good evening.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bills 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 and would like to report that Bills 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are immediately ready for third reading.
Mr. Hickes. (interpretation ends) The motion is in order.
Item 21. Third Reading of Bills. Hon. Minister of Finance, Mr. Peterson.
Bill 01 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 3, 2014-2015 – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 1, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 3, 2014-2015, be read for the third time.
An Hon. Member: Question.
Bill 02 – Supplementary Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, No. 1, 2015-2016 – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, No. 1, 2015-2016, be read for the third time.
Speaker: All those in favour. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) Opposed.
Bill 04 – Write-off of Assets Act, 2014-2015 – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 4, Write-off of Assets Act, 2014-2015, be read for the third time.
Bill 06 – Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 3, 2015-2016 – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 6, Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 3, 2015-2016, be read for the third time.
Speaker (interpretation): There is a motion on the floor. (interpretation ends) To the motion.
All those in favour. (interpretation ends) Opposed.
The [motion] is carried and Bill 6 is ready for assent.
Hon. Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, for Bill 5, Mr. Peterson.
Bill 05 – An Act to Amend the Safety Act – Third Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Safety Act, be read for the third time.
Opposed. (interpretation ends) The motion is carried and Bill 5 is ready for assent.
The Hon. Minister of Justice, for Bill 7, Mr. Okalik.
Bill 07 – An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage) – Third Reading
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Arviat North-Whale Cove, that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Labour Standards Act (Minimum Wage Increase), be read for the third time.
A reminder that there’s a meeting of the Regular Members’ Caucus at nine o’clock tomorrow morning in the Tuktu Boardroom.
Orders of the Day for tomorrow:
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) This House stands adjourned until Wednesday, November 4, at 1:30 p.m.
>>House adjourned at 18:45  Appendix – November 3, 2015
Report on the Review of the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015  Annual Reports and 2015-2016 Corporate and Business Plans of the Nunavut Development Corporation and the
Nunavut Business Credit Corporation
Section 100 of the Financial Administration Act provides that:
(1) Every public agency shall submit its annual report to the appropriate Minister not later than 90 days after the end of its financial year or an additional period, not exceeding 60 days, that the Minister of Finance may allow.
(2) Each appropriate Minister shall lay a copy of the annual report of each territorial corporation before the Legislative Assembly at the first opportunity following the receipt of the annual report.
The Nunavut Development Corporation’s 2013-2014 annual report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on November 6, 2014.
Its 2014-2015 annual report was backdoor tabled on September 22, 2015, pursuant to the provisions of Rule 44(2) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
The Nunavut Business Credit Corporation’s 2013-2014 annual report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on November 6, 2014.
Its 2014-2015 annual report was backdoor tabled on September 19, 2015, pursuant to the provisions of Rule 44(2) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
The 2015-2016 corporate/business plans of both entities were included in the Government of Nunavut’s consolidated set of 2015-2016 departmental and Crown agency business plans, which were introduced in the Legislative Assembly as part of the 2015-2016 main estimates and budget consideration process.
Between the 2010-2011 and 2015-2016 fiscal years, approximately $23.0 million of public money was approved by the Legislative Assembly in direct contribution funding for the Nunavut Development Corporation and the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation.
In June of 2015, the standing committee announced its plans to hold televised hearings in the fall of 2015 on the most recent annual reports and corporate/business plans of the Nunavut Development Corporation and the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation.
The purpose of the televised hearings was to enable Members of the standing committee to consider, in detail and in a public forum, the annual reports and corporate/business plans of both arms-length entities.
The September 24-25, 2015, appearances of witnesses from the Nunavut Development Corporation and the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation before the standing committee took place in the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly.
Issue: Statutory Mandates
Section 3 of the Nunavut Development Corporation Act provides that:
Objects of Corporation
The objects of the Corporation are
(a) to incorporate, establish and carry on the business of companies or corporations and to develop, establish, operate, manage and carry on the business of projects, directly or indirectly, within the Corporation in order to
(i) create employment and income for residents of Nunavut, primarily in small communities,
(ii) stimulate growth of businesses in Nunavut, and
(iii) promote economic diversification and stability;
(b) to invest in business enterprises in order to
(i) stimulate growth of businesses in Nunavut, and
(ii) promote economic diversification and stability; and
(c) to promote the economic objectives of the Government of Nunavut.
It is important to acknowledge the progress that has been made by the Nunavut Development Corporation in measuring the extent to which its expenditures have served to fulfill its statutory mandate to “create employment and income for residents of Nunavut, primarily in small communities.”
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s report on the 1999-2000 financial statements of the Nunavut Development Corporation indicated that the corporation:
“… has not collected information as required under sections 16 and 17 of the [Nunavut] Development Corporation Act … under these sections of the Act, the corporation may pay subsidies to cover operating costs to its subsidiaries, or invest in subsidiaries and business enterprises, based on jobs created directly or indirectly.
The corporation has not collected the necessary information to determine the number of jobs created.”
Although this observation was repeated in the Office of the Auditor General’s report on the 2000-2001 financial statements of the Nunavut Development Corporation, it has not appeared since that time.
Indeed, the Nunavut Development Corporation’s recent annual reports have provided very precise figures concerning the number of direct and indirect jobs that have been created and/or sustained by its investments in its subsidiaries.
It should be noted that in September of 2013, new regulations under the Nunavut Development Corporation Act were published in Part II of the Nunavut Gazette.
These regulations provide that the “maximum amount … for each job directly or indirectly created in a project or subsidiary … is $37,997.”
However, the methodology by which the Nunavut Development Corporation calculates the number of jobs that are created and/or sustained by its recent investments in private entities is unclear, as is its formal definition of what constitutes a “small community” within the meaning of section 3 of the Nunavut Development Corporation Act.
It should be noted that the 2014-2015 annual report of the Nunavut Development Corporation indicates that:
“… it is the intention of the corporation to divest itself of its subsidiary investments once the subsidiary has attained a sustainable level of profitability.”
However, testimony provided by the President of the Nunavut Development Corporation to the standing committee during its September 24-25, 2015, hearing indicated that:
“Pangnirtung Fisheries is no longer a subsidiary.
We divested of our controlling interest. It became viable.
Ivalu in Rankin Inlet is viable, but outside of that, the processing plants in Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay will never become viable, ever.
It’s not going to happen.
The remaining arts and crafts companies are probably not going to ever be viable or profitable.”
In recent years, the Nunavut Development Corporation has become more active in “investing equity capital (shares) in Nunavut-based companies that demonstrate significant employment and income-earning potential for Nunavummiut.”
This strategy is consistent with recommendations that were contained in the 2003/2004 Shupe Report.
However, the extent to which this strategy promotes a “level playing field” between private entities that compete for business, especially in the sphere of government contracting and procurement, is unclear.
For example, testimony provided to the standing committee during its September 24-25, 2015, hearing confirmed that the Nunavut Development Corporation’s current investment guidelines allow it to make equity investments in both co-operatives and municipally-owned ventures.
From time to time, private ventures may compete with co-operatives for government contracts in such areas as fuel delivery services in communities.
Section 5 of the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation Act provides that:
5. (1) Subject to this Act, the Corporation may
(a) for the purpose of stimulating economic development and employment in Nunavut, make loans to business enterprises, guarantee loans made by financial institutions to business enterprises, provide bonds to resident business enterprises and indemnify bonds provided by bonding companies to resident business enterprises; and
(b) acquire and hold security for the due discharge of obligations under a loan made, a bond provided or a guarantee or an indemnity given by it and sell or otherwise dispose of or realize on such security.
However, the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation itself acknowledges the challenge of measuring the extent to which its lending activities have actually served to “stimulate economic development and employment.”
The Nunavut Business Credit Corporation’s 2014-2015 annual report indicates that the corporation:
“… is committed to developing quantifiable performance measures and annual reporting practices to enable an objective assessment of the corporation’s success in fulfilling its statutory mandate to stimulate economic development and employment in Nunavut.”
This issue was discussed in detail during the standing committee’s September 24-25, 2015, hearing.
Testimony provided by the Acting Chair of the corporation’s board of directors indicated that:
“We do keep track of a company in how many people are working, let’s say, because this company borrowed money from [the] Nunavut Business Credit Corporation, there are four people working for that company.
They could claim that we created four jobs in that community, but maybe Atuqtuarvik lent them money too and are taking credit for those four jobs that are created.
In lending money, it’s not as easy for us to say that a specific X number of jobs were created, but we feel that with the $23 million that we have out there right now, there are more people working than if we hadn’t invested that $23 million, if we hadn’t lent out that money.
There are 600 people currently working for those companies that borrowed from us.
We lend money to clients who, in turn, create jobs in their communities.
We monitor to make sure they do what they say they will do in their loan application.
We require that they report to us in a manner that gives us an idea of the company keeping to the mandate or what they said they would do in their loan application.
We keep track of how many people work for that company, but we don’t really know if that company is creating jobs just because we gave them money.”
It should be noted that the 2014-2015 annual report of the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation formally defines the corporation’s mandate as a “blend of being a lender of last resort and a developmental agency for Nunavut businesses.”
It should also be noted that the 2015-2016 Ministerial Letter of Expectation to the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation makes reference to supporting “harvesting, arts and tourism sectors.”
However, the 2014-2015 annual report of the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation indicates that over 64% of its loan portfolio is in the construction, real estate and retail sectors of the economy.
The standing committee recommends that the Government of Nunavut, in its response to this report, clarify, in detail, the methodology by which the Nunavut Development Corporation determines the number of jobs that are created and/or sustained by investments made in private entities through the corporation’s Venture Investment Fund.
The standing committee further recommends that the Government of Nunavut, in its response to this report, formally define what constitutes a “small community” within the meaning of section 3 of the Nunavut Development Corporation Act.
The standing committee further recommends that the Government of Nunavut, in its response to this report, formally define what constitutes a “sustainable level of profitability” within the meaning of the Nunavut Development Corporation’s current investment and divestment policies and/or guidelines.
The standing committee further recommends that the Government of Nunavut, in its response to this report, clarify, in detail, the Nunavut Development Corporation’s position with respect to providing equity investments in private entities that are intended to enhance their competitive position vis-à-vis other Nunavut-based entities with respect to government contracting and procurement in such sectors as travel, hospitality, fuel delivery and construction.