EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The communities will be visited later on in the second round. Consultations with organizations such as NTI and various stakeholders we have to hear from will commence closer to the fall. We anticipate that is when we will request feedback.
In the initial phase of the work, we will inform the public about the proposed amendments, just for your information.
The feedback should be prepared closer to the fall season, as that is when we will commit to listening to the people.
The process sets out the initial information and feedback phases, as we will make presentations on the information.
That is also related to my previous mentioning of the extension to September 2, 2016.
Question 338 – 4(3): GN Contracts for Medical and Duty Travel (Mikkungwak)
I would like to ask the Minister of Health regarding the responses that were provided on the questions on GN contracts for medical and duty travel.
As the minister indicated, “The current contracts for medical and duty travel will expire August 31, 2017.”
If the medical contracts are extended to the end of August 2017, when will the GN issue the new medical and duty travel call for proposal?
Speaker (interpretation: Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of Health, Ms. Ell-Kanayuk.
Currently, the department is working with Community and Government Services and Finance. We are preparing a contracting process and we will be evaluating the best procurement method.
As I indicated yesterday, today, we are dealing with a codeshare environment across the territory.
Does the GN consider Calm Air and First Air to be competing with each other or cooperating?
Hon. Monica Ell-Kanayuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t respond to his question. The Department of Health only handles medical travel related to patients through the most cost-effective methods.
We are not fixated on the airline being used, as that is not part of our mandate, as we look for the cheapest fare or most convenient method of travel for medical patients. That is our role.
As we all know, we met about codeshare last year and we are dealing with it today.
Will there be a clear understanding of the codeshare terminology in the contracts?
It sounds like the same question, Mr. Speaker, but I will elaborate again.
The Department of Health’s goal in doing a medical travel contract is to ensure that patients go to their appointments from one community to another community.
Our goal is to get the best procurement process and the best way to bring those patients to and from their home and to their medical appointment.
Question 339 – 4(3): Rocket Launch Debris (Shooyook)
Mr. Shooyook (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to ask questions, so I firstly thank you for that.
I now have a question to the Minister of Community and Government Services. I, too, share a concern about the space debris landing in the vicinity of our community as we are adjacent to the polynya, much like my colleague, Mr. Joe Enook.
It is quite disconcerting to hear about this event, as we cannot predict where it will land.
Now to provide some background on the North Water Polynya that was mentioned, the prevailing current is very strong and it is populated by many species of wildlife, with many different species ranging from extremely large mammals to the smallest plankton.
Due to the richness of wildlife, even if the debris landed on the sea ice or in the ocean, the toxic substance may sink to the bottom, but it can spread throughout our wildlife species.
Once it is clear where the debris will land, I wonder if this will be handled on an emergency basis, either by our government or the federal government.
I would like a brief response to my question as I am also very concerned along with my fellow High Arctic residents.
Yes, the debris slated to fall into the ocean is the fuel canister and the fuel used is hydrazine, which is a toxic substance or even a pollutant.
The statement about the fuel was that it may largely already be spent or would have small remnants left over. It’s likely that Earth’s atmosphere will burn off the majority or all of the fuel.
The fuel canister is made of steel and it would sink if it landed in the ocean. If it sinks, the position of the federal government is that no search will commence.
However, if anything untoward happened and it landed on the sea ice or on land, then that would initiate a clean-up project. Nonetheless, if it lands in the ocean, nothing will be done other than determining where the debris landed.
Further, this debris is the leftover material from the rocket launched from Russia.
The projected landfall lies outside of Canada’s territorial waters but inside the economic zone, so we can’t really do anything other than the space agency keeping an eye on where it may potentially land.
Tabled Document 143 – 4(3): Office of the Fire Marshal 2015 Annual Report (Savikataaq)
I am pleased to table the 2015 Annual Report from the Office of the Fire Marshal.
Bills 17 and 18 and Tabled Documents 73 – 4(2), 116 – 4(2), 140 – 4(2), and 70 – 4(3) with Mr. Enook in the Chair.
As we begin the committee meeting, first of all, let me welcome our fellow Nunavummiut who are watching the televised proceedings and listening to the radio broadcast. Welcome to your Legislative Assembly.
In Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bills 17 and 18 and Tabled Documents 73 – 4(2), 116 – 4(2), 140 – 4(2), and 70 – 4(3).
Mr. Chairman, we wish to commence with the discussion on Tabled Documents 73 – 4(2), 116 – 4(2), 140 – 4(2), and 70 – 4(3).
Are we in agreement that we deal with those tabled documents?
Tabled Document 073 – 4(2): Human Resource Strategy 2014-2018 – Consideration in Committee
Tabled Document 116 – 4(2): Public Service Code of Values and Ethics – Consideration in Committee
Tabled Document 140 – 4(2): Public Service Annual Report 2013-2014 – Consideration in Committee
Tabled Document 070 – 4(3): 2014-2015 Public Service Annual Report – Consideration in Committee
As we proceed with our meeting, the Minister of Finance, Minister Peterson, will be at the witness table.
I would first like to ask if he has officials that he would like to bring to the table.
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I have two witnesses.
He said that he has two witnesses that he would like to bring to the table. Do you agree?
Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the minister’s two officials in.
(interpretation ends) Qujannamiik, Sergeant. (interpretation) Minister Peterson, for the record, please introduce your witnesses.
To my right is Chris D’Arcy, Deputy Minister of Finance, and to my left is Jeff Chown, Comptroller General, and in the gallery is Alma Power, Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance, and Joanne Faulkner in our policy department.
Welcome to the House, Mr. D’Arcy and Mr. Chown. We will have an opportunity to introduce your other officials if they need to go in the House once approved.
Minister Peterson, I now give you the floor to make opening comments.
We appear before you today to discuss a number of tabled documents related to the Government of Nunavut’s human resources functions.
The documents include the 2013-14 and 2014-15 public service annual reports, the Code of Values and Ethics, and the 2014-18 Human Resource Strategy. We welcome the opportunity to discuss the human resources management improvements that have been made over the years these documents span as well as the areas of need the government is dedicated to addressing.
It is only relatively recently that the Department of Finance has held responsibility for the area of human resources in the Government of Nunavut.
Since 2013, the department has continued to expand on processes of due diligence and accountability.
Under the Public Service Act, the minister is required to report annually to the Legislative Assembly on the management and direction of the public service.
This is not tied to a specific reporting date, and since 2009, the public service annual reports have been delivered on average around 14 months after the end of the fiscal year.
However, the Department of Finance understands this is valuable information to Members of the Legislative Assembly as well as to the public, and we are working to improve our reporting processes and to complete and publish information as quickly as possible.
The 2013-14 Public Service Annual Report was tabled on March 17, 2015, not quite 12 months after the fiscal year-end.
The 2014-15 Public Service Annual Report, with an expanded scope, was backdoor tabled on February 2, 2016, 10 months after the year-end.
For 2015-16, we are on track to table the Public Service Annual Report in the fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
As an aside, we have also substantially improved the timeliness and accuracy of the Towards a Representative Public Service, or TRPS, reports that provide updates on the status of beneficiary employment in the Government of Nunavut.
Updated and more accurate reports are now being posted to the Department of Finance website at the end of each quarter rather than waiting to table the information in the Assembly.
This is part of our commitment to getting accurate information out as quickly and efficiently as we can.
The Code of Values and Ethics was approved by cabinet in 2011. This was a significant achievement of the former Department of Human Resources.
However, the code was not distributed to employees until after the Department of Finance took over responsibility.
The document was also posted to our website and a copy is now provided to all new employees.
Periodic reminders are sent to all Government of Nunavut employees through the email system.
The Department of Finance is working hard to ensure this important document is well publicized within the public service.
The Code of Values and Ethics is an important tool in helping ensure a high standard of conduct for all Government of Nunavut public servants that affirms Inuit societal values.
This includes standards for workplace and non-workplace behaviour for all public servants at all levels of the government.
The code also sets out outcomes for behaviour that does not contribute to a positive work environment.
The Government of Nunavut believes that the highest standard of conduct among public service employees is essential to maintaining and enhancing the public’s trust and confidence in the public service.
To this end, in 2015, we implemented the ethics officer function and appointed our first ever ethics officer.
His first annual report will be tabled this session. We also developed a directive, procedure, and ongoing communications process to keep employees informed about this function.
Part 6 of the Public Service Act (PSA) creates a process for employees to disclose wrongdoing without fear of reprisal.
The appointment of an ethics officer adds an additional layer of accountability to this process.
We have also updated the Government of Nunavut Harassment Free Workplace Policy and have developed training sessions on dealing with harassment in the workplace for both management and employees.
Harassment-free workplace training includes an understanding of what constitutes a respectful workplace, as well as an explanation of what workplace harassment is and, conversely, what it is not.
The training session also covers managerial responsibilities for creating and maintaining a respectful work environment and includes a review of the complaint process.
In-person training sessions have been held in Cambridge Bay, Igloolik, and Rankin Inlet, with videoconferencing for Gjoa Haven, Arviat, Baker Lake, and Kugluktuk, deputy ministers and some senior managers in Iqaluit have received the training, and a further four training sessions for managers are taking place this week in Iqaluit.
These training courses will be offered on an ongoing basis. Our goal is to ensure that all management and employees of the Government of Nunavut receive the training.
The Human Resource Strategy was approved on October 2, 2014. This strategy helps to coordinate government efforts to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of human resources practices and will help the government meet its obligations under Sivumut Abluqta.
Implementation is well underway, with the Department of Finance facilitating collaboration with all departments for this important work.
When the Department of Finance took responsibility for human resources, strategy development work had stalled. Now the strategy has been approved, is being implemented, and positive changes are being made.
Through the strategy, we have brought in measures to increase and enhance Inuit employment with the Government of Nunavut. All departments and territorial corporations must develop and report on meaningful targets for their Inuit employment plans.
We have established directives for internal and restricted competitions, including competitions for beneficiaries only. Government of Nunavut departments are working together to increase opportunities for student work experience, improve our internship programs, and expand apprenticeship opportunities.
We are working to improve the profile of the Government of Nunavut as an attractive place to work and are making changes to our processes to make staffing more effective and efficient.
With a focus on the priorities set out by Sivumut Abluqta, the Department of Finance is working in a dedicated way to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of human resources in the Government of Nunavut.
We are committed to reporting the related information in an accurate, open, transparent, and timely manner. In this spirit, I look forward to open dialogue in respect to these documents before us.
We welcome questions and comments from committee members.
Does the mover of the motion to refer the tabled documents for consideration in Committee of the Whole have any opening comments?
I’ll now allow the Member for Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu, Ms. Angnakak, to make her comments.
Welcome to the House, everybody.
I am pleased to take the opportunity today to make some opening comments as the Committee of the Whole begins its consideration of the Government of Nunavut’s 2014-18 Human Resource Strategy, the Public Service Code of Values and Ethics, the 2013-14 Public Service Annual Report, the 2014-15 Public Service Annual Report, and the 2015-16 Annual Report of the Ethics Officer.
Mr. Chairman, as you and colleagues will recall, my motion to refer these documents to the Committee of the Whole for consideration was moved during our recent fall sitting.
At that time, I noted that these proceedings will allow all Members of the Legislative Assembly and the listening public to gain a better understanding of the extent to which the government is achieving the goals and objectives contained in its Human Resource Strategy.
Mr. Chairman, there have been a number of questions and interventions raised in the Legislative Assembly in recent years concerning issues related to the management of the territorial public service.
I want to take this opportunity to say very clearly that I personally and deeply appreciate and respect the work done by the members of the public service, a significant number of whom are my own constituents.
Mr. Chairman, I believe that it is important that we carefully consider three broad thematic areas during this process.
The first issue is the organizational structure underlying the government’s approach to human resources management.
As members will be aware, the structure that was in place for Nunavut during the first two Assemblies and governments was a centralized model with a Minister responsible for Human Resources.
Some Canadian jurisdictions have similar structures in place.
Other Canadian jurisdictions, including the federal and Yukon governments, have established arm’s-length, independent public service commissions.
Mr. Chairman, there is no one single way to approach this issue.
Every organizational model has strengths and weaknesses.
I believe that these proceedings will allow for a productive examination of the extent to which our current model has proven effective, and I am confident that we will be in a better position when they have concluded to determine if changes are warranted.
The second thematic area is the status of the implementation of the government’s Inuit Employment Plan and Human Resource Strategy.
It is important to acknowledge that progress has been made in increasing Inuit employment in the Government of Nunavut.
Information that is contained in the government’s quarterly employment reports indicate that a total of 1,369 beneficiaries were employed by the government in December of 2005.
By December of 2015, 10 years later, that number had increased to 1,673.
This constituted an increase of approximately 22 percent over the course of a decade.
On average, the government gained approximately 30 new Inuit employees each year.
The government’s 2016-19 business plan indicates that its current government-wide Inuit Employment Plan target is 51 percent by March 31, 2017.
It is important for the government to develop realistic and achievable timetables for achieving full representativeness across all occupational categories in the government, which is commonly understood to mean a public service that is composed of 85 percent beneficiary employees.
Information contained in the government’s December 2015 quarterly employment report indicates that there were a total of 4,655 positions across the government’s departments and major Crown agencies and territorial corporations; 3,342 of these positions were filled, of which 1,673 were filled by beneficiaries.
Assuming that the government could fill all of its positions, it would need to hire 2,283 new beneficiary employees to achieve full representativeness.
The third issue is addressing workplace wellness.
I want to say very clearly that it is important that we not make unfair and unfounded generalizations or accusations about public servants during these proceedings.
Although it is all too easy to claim that every manager is a bully or a racist, it is also all too easy to claim that every employee who raises concerns about the workplace is just a troublemaker or a complainer.
The point of these proceedings is not to investigate specific incidents or allegations or accusations. That would be completely inappropriate.
Rather, we should be examining whether or not the government’s current systems and structures are working well when it comes to fostering workplace wellness and resolving workplace conflict.
Yesterday, the ethics officer’s first annual report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
I anticipate that members may wish to invite the ethics officer to appear before Committee of the Whole or the appropriate standing committee later this year for a televised hearing on his annual report.
I would also note that Mr. Schnoor has recently been appointed the Province of Manitoba’s new Conflict of Interest Commissioner for the members of that jurisdiction’s Legislative Assembly.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I welcome the minister and his officials to the proceedings.
If you will grant me, I would like to be able to ask the first set of questions.
Before I proceed, I would like to note that the ethics officer’s report has not been given to the committee yet.
The report has been tabled in the House, but it hasn’t been dealt with on the committee level yet and it’s not part of this motion.
Let us proceed. Are there any general questions or requests for clarification about the opening comments? Mr. Joanasie.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you and welcome, Minister Peterson and your officials.
In your opening comments on the last page, in the second last paragraph, it refers to all departments and territorial corporations. Let me read it.
“All departments and territorial corporations must develop and report on meaningful targets for their Inuit employment plans.”
They have targets. What do they mean my “meaningful targets”? Can you explain to us what “meaningful targets” are for the departments and corporations?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Joanasie. (interpretation ends) Minister Peterson, “meaningful targets.”
“Meaningful targets” would mean something that’s achievable, not on such a high level that you couldn’t achieve it in a one- or two-year period.
Mr. Joanasie, do you have more questions?
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To add to that question, we all know that the number of Inuit employees in the government is not really increasing and it’s not really decreasing, so it seems to be stuck at one level.
Will it be like that every year that we won’t even be able to increase it by 1 percent? Do you think that your “meaningful target” for 2017-18 will just stay at 50 percent?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. Let me remind you that you can ask your questions when we get to that item in the page-by-page review.
I just asked if you have any requests for clarification on the opening comments, but you can ask your detailed questions when we get to the page-by-page review.
The Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs has developed plans for working with the departments and there are plans with resources to achieve those targets. I can’t speak to whether they’re ready for implementation.
Does anyone else have a request for clarification on the opening comments?
I have no more names on my list. Do you have a request for clarification?
In the opening comments on the second page, the third paragraph states that public servants have to follow Inuit societal values.
Can they explain what they mean by that statement?
Code of Values and Ethics is quite simple. It sets out the parameters for the Government of Nunavut, all employees, public servants, managers, public service senior managers, supervisors, and deputy ministers to follow in the operation of providing services to the public.
It covers such areas as conflict of interest, workplace harassment, and standards of work. It’s very general, but it provides an outline.
If anyone has any questions about it or where it is, it’s located under the Department of Finance website.
I believe, as Mr. Okalik will recall, we passed out handbooks last year or the year before for all Government of Nunavut employees. It’s a small, little handbook, if you don’t want to look on the website.
That doesn’t answer my question, Mr. Chairman.
Maybe if I read it in English, you will get it more clearly.
(interpretation ends) “The Code of Values and Ethics is an important tool in helping ensure a high standard of conduct for all Government of Nunavut public servants that affirms Inuit societal values.”
Can the minister please explain how that is measured? How are Inuit societal values implemented in this practice?
I thank Mr. Okalik for his clarification.
Mr. Okalik has probably read the Code of Values and Ethics. I’ll just read it out for him.
It’s on page 3.
It sets out the values and guiding principles very clearly. “This Code is founded on the following broad Inuit societal values” and there are a) to h). “Falling under these broad values are the following more specific guiding principles” i), j), k), l), m), and n).
It’s all written there for anybody that needs clarification.
Mr. Okalik, are you done?
Are there any more requests for clarification on the opening comments?
Good afternoon to the ministers and staff.
On your second last paragraph, the fourth line, “We have established directives for internal and restricted competitions, including competitions for beneficiaries only.”
I just need clarification on that.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) I wonder if this question will be answered in the next few days during our deliberations and discussions.
If you want, Minister Peterson, go ahead.
I think Mr. Akoak and everybody know that Article 23 is a priority for the government. It’s in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. We must abide by that article.
We ensure that beneficiaries get priority hire on the competitions. It’s as simple as that.
Are there any more requests for clarification?