EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
016 – 1(6): Priority Hiring Policy (Iqaqrialu) 3753
005 – 1(6): Report on the Review of the 2001-2002 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner of Nunavut (Iqaqrialu) 3754
124 – 1(6): Nunavut Heritage Centre - Feasibility Study - Final Report (Kilabuk) 3754
023 – 1(6): Extension – Bill 20 an Act to amend The Access to Information and Protection to Privacy Act and related statutes, 33 Tobacco Control Act, 35 Wildlife Act (Irqittuq) 3754
025 – 1(6): Appointments to Standing Committees (Havioyak) 3755
024 – 1(6): Extended Adjournment (McLean) 3755
Bill 34 – An Act to Amend the International Sales of Goods Act – Third Reading 3789
Bill 38 – Supplementary Appropriation Act (Capital) No 1. 2003/2004 – Third Reading 3789
Bill 39 – An Act to Amend the Supplementary Retiring Allowances Act – Third Reading 3789
Speaker (Mr. O’Brien): I would like to call on to Ms. Thompson to say the opening prayer.
Minister’s Statement 173 – 1(6): CG&T Update
Hon. Peter Kilabuk (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, as the new Minister of Community Government and Transportation I am pleased to update this House on some significant issues and the ongoing work being carried out by the Government of Nunavut through my department at this time.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, as you are aware a municipal training initiative was developed over the past year in conjunction with the Nunavut Association of Municipalities.
To date the partnership has produced the Municipal Training Organization and identified 33 urgently required core courses.
In the first six weeks of operation alone, training was provided to 69 participants.
I am pleased with the initiative, as capacity building among community employees remains a primary concern of this government.
I recognize that the cost of running a municipality has greatly increased over the last few years.
In response to this, Government increased the Municipal Operating Assistance Program by over $3 million dollars this fiscal year.
Further, we have also allocated an increase for hamlets share of employee pension funds.
CGT is working to access further funding for municipalities from federal programs.
These programs will help us to fund municipal infrastructure projects for our communities.
We will continue to keep you updated on how these proceed.
Mr. Speaker, transportation is important for Nunavummiut and the Department is working to make the transportation system more efficient and effective.
There are a number of transportation related initiatives of which my colleagues should be made aware.
One of our major efforts is the Nunavut Air Services Study.
A report that recommends a number of air service improvements and ways to implement them will be released shortly to MLA’s, communities and air carriers.
It will provide the base for discussions with air carriers on ways to improve services.
We are also paying attention to Nunavummiut needs for improved land access to our resources, communities and other parts of Canada.
The Department continues to support and work on a number of large scale road project proposals, for example such as the Bathurst Road and Port project and smaller or just as important local community access road proposals.
Finally, I would also like to update Members on the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP).
This program, which is jointly funded by Transport Canada and the Government of Nunavut, has a total of $6.7 million available for new transportation infrastructure projects.
Projects approved include new air terminal buildings for Pond Inlet, Gjoa Haven and Coral Harbour and a new access road in Chesterfield Inlet.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the department of CG&T it is my pleasure to wish all municipalities a safe and happy summer and to say we look forward to continuing the good working relationship we now enjoy in finding workable solutions to existing and new problems which effect our daily lives in the communities.
Minister’s Statement 174 – 1(6): Skills Canada Competition
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Mr. Speaker, for the first time, a Nunavut student has won the Worksite Safety event at the National Skills Competition recently held in Waterloo, Ontario.
Congratulations to Isabel MacDougall of Iqaluit who made Nunavut proud by winning the first gold medal for Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, the Worksite Safety event involves three parts: a written examination, an oral presentation before safety professionals, and inspection and hazard identification at a mock workplace.
Ms. MacDougall, whose oral presentation focused on ergonomics in the workplace, trained for the event using the WCB’s Workplace Safety: Safety and the Young Workers’ program.
The NWT and Nunavut is the only region in Canada that requires completion of a workplace safety program before competing in the Skills Canada Worksite Safety Competition.
Isabel’s success at the competition can be attributed, in part, to this very successful program.
Ms. MacDougall was part of a team of competitors from across Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, 7 of whom came home with medals.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure all Members will join me in congratulating Ms. MacDougall and to all of our northern competitors for their hard work and participation in the National Skills Competition.
Minister’s Statement 175 – 1(6): Nunavut Families Volunteer to Advance Lung Research
Hon. Ed Picco: Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the families who participated in an important study of lung diseases in Nunavut.
The formal part of the study is now completed and data from the study will be analysed over the summer.
This research was made possible by the work of Dr. Anna Banjeri, a paediatric specialist, and 268 families with children under 5 years old from Iqaluit, Pond Inlet, Pangnirtung and other communities in the Baffin.
These families took the time to fill in questionnaires about their homes and children and allowed their youngsters to provide a sample for this important study.
In addition, nurses in our health centres took the extra time to coordinate the studies, explain them to the parents, and provide the information and samples to Dr. Banjeri for review.
Mr. Speaker, the information collected is currently being analysed and is already providing important information on why Nunavut children suffer from lung infections at rates higher than children in any other part of Canada.
Our Department is proud to have funded Dr. Banjeri to do this important research, but we are even more proud of the role played in this research by our nurses and families in our communities.
By choosing to participate in this study Nunavummiut are hugely improving our understanding of the diseases and risks which face our pre-school children.
Dr. Banjeri will present the results of the study in Iqaluit and the International Circumpolar Conference in Nuuk, Greenland in September of this year, and the results will be circulated back to the health centres and families which made this research possible.
Minister’s Statement 176 – 1(6): Shrimp Quota Expansion in Shrimp Fishing Area 1 (Davis Strait/Baffin Bay)
I would first like to say hi to my constituents in Cape Dorset and in Kimmirut. (interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I would like to advise the Members of this House on a shrimp quota increase that took place late last month in Nunavut adjacent waters.
On May 26, Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault announced a quota increase of 2,127 metric tonnes in the area of Davis Strait known as Shrimp Fishing Area 1.
As part of that announcement, the Minister stated that 1,083 metric tonnes would be provided to Nunavut, an amount equivalent to 51% of the increase.
The remaining 49% of the increase was provided to Southern interests.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister’s decision to provide 49% of this increase to Southern interests goes against a key recommendation of the Report of the Independent Panel on Access Criteria (IPAC), which states “No additional access should be granted to non-Nunavut interests in waters adjacent to the territory until Nunavut has achieved access to a major share of its adjacent fishery resources.”
Minister Thibault accepted this recommendation on November 8, 2002.
This increase also goes against Article 15.3.7 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, which gives special consideration to the principles of adjacency and economic dependence.
Mr. Speaker, this decision increased our share of our adjacent Northern Pink Shrimp resource from 16% to 19%.
The increase is surprising and ridiculously small given that Nunavut is the only adjacent jurisdiction to this resource.
In comparable jurisdictions across Atlantic Canada, adjacent jurisdictions receive more that 80% of the allowable catch.
This decision is especially disappointing given Minister Thibault’s acceptance of the IPAC Report last November.
Mr. Speaker, we have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the strategic development of our fishery over the past few years and it is extremely unfortunate that Minister Thibault does not share our vision of fisheries development in Nunavut for Nunavummiut.
Rather, it appears he views our marine waters as a warehouse of resources to support southern fisheries interests.
And, during a recent meeting of the Atlantic Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers, everyone of my provincial colleagues supported the IPAC Report recommendation.
Mr. Speaker, I will be working closely with the Premier in the upcoming weeks to investigate all options, including exploring our legal options, in our efforts to reverse this unjust decision.
Member’s Statement 563 – 1(6): Keewatin Air RFP Medivac Contract
The Minister of Health stated a few days ago that the Health Department and Keewatin Air are in discussion right now respected our request for proposal as we meet here.
The contract has not yet been awarded.
In other words, Health and Social Services may be awarding a single air carrier for medivacs in Kivalliq.
This concerns me greatly, Mr. Speaker, for several reasons.
The first reason, being from Kivalliq, the shortage of aircraft owned by Keewatin Air are too few for medivacs.
In fact, when we landed in the Rankin Inlet on the way here, the Perimeter Air from Winnipeg was flown in to assist Keewatin Air because the shortage of aircrafts.
From Winnipeg, Mr. Speaker, rather than from Kivalliq, like Skyward or Calm Air or somebody else.
Mr. Speaker, I’m told that last year, it cost approximately 20 million dollars a year for medical travel in the government’s budget.
And if you have subcontractors like Perimeter Air, that this particular subcontractor has not formal contract with the government, therefore they can set their prices however they wish accordingly, that has been paid for by the source contractor.
This adds to the government expenditures.
In other words…
Please Proceed. Mr. Arvaluk.
Mr. Arvaluk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, it sounds like the air carrier is once again, controlling the government budget, Health and Social Services, by doing that.
We also hear, and I hope I’m wrong, Mr. Speaker, with the small population of Nunavut, we hear what people tell us, some times reliable and sometimes not so reliable, however, that the nursing station, during a medical emergency, requested a medivac aircraft.
Our medivac airline, Keewatin Air, informed them that they have to wait six hours, when the skyward aircraft was sitting in Rankin Inlet idly.
By her persistence, the aircraft was dispatched.
She apparently paid for it though in reprimand for demanding the closest and available aircraft for the community.
What would the consequences have been if the patient had died?
Are we reprimanding the front line workers now for saving the lives of Nunavummiut?
Is the sole source contract more important than the life of a person?
I would urge the Minister and the government to rethink what the best interests are of Kivallirmiut and Nunavummiut, when it comes to medical travel and medivacs.
I will be asking questions to Minister during question period on this.
Member’s Statement 564 – 1(6): Marine Mammals Economic Opportunities
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about economic opportunities within Nunavut, in particular on marine mammal opportunities.
Back in 1945, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, way before Nunavut was conceived and before some of us members were born, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans did a study in our marine areas to find out what kind of possible of economic opportunities there are with marine wildlife.
It seems like, as Inuit people, we don’t seem to be getting any support.
They don’t even tell us what kinds of wildlife there is that can be used by economic development.
Mr. Speaker, my constituency is adjacent to a very large fishery for shrimp fishing and turbot fishing and other fish.
Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government has allocated quotas to the other provinces other than Nunavut.
When we are adjacent to that fishery management zone and they allocate those to our southern counterparts, I know that this has been done incorrectly.
I know that we are falling behind in developing marine fisheries because we don’t receive enough assistance from Department of Fisheries and Oceans and this has to be rectified so that we can participate in the development of fisheries in Nunavut.
Member’s Statement 565 – 1(6): Recognition of Ranger Aqiattusuk and Ranger Manasie
I rise today to pay tribute to two of my constituents from Resolute Bay and Grise Fjord.
(interpretation ends) They are Mr. Speaker, Pat Aqiattusuk from Resolute Bay and Manasie Noah from Grise Fiord are proud members of Arctic Rangers, the Canadian Rangers.
Mr. Speaker, many of my colleagues in this house have served with the Rangers and they know very well, the important mission that the Rangers play in safe-guarding Canadian sovereignty.
(interpretation) Mr. Speaker, Pat and Manasie recently undertook a historic sovereignty patrol by skidoo from Eureka to Alert, the mostly northerly outpost in our country.
Accompanying them were two officers from the Canadian Armed Forces.
(interpretation ends) This journey, which took seven days, covered hundreds of kilometres of the harshest terrain in Canada.
It could not have been accomplished without the participation of Inuit from our communities.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all the members to join me in congratulating my constituents.
Member’s Statement 566 – 1(6): Seasonal Employment Opportunities - Awarding of Contracts at the Local Level
First of all I would like to say my greetings to my family and that I do love you.
I rise today to talk about the seasonal employment opportunities.
Especially through contracting, like construction of units or the construction of hamlet sewage lagoons and gravel pits and other services.
The private sector, small businesses in the community usually don’t get the opportunity to get a contract from the larger companies because if I’m going to construct a unit or if Housing Corporation is going to construct units, you have to read this thick of documents in order to do your contract.
They have to read the whole thick information.
And also, within the contents of the thick document, there are many barriers for small businesses to get the contract locally.
It states a lot of criteria that they have to follow.
My colleague Mr. Anawak, when he made his statement, yes, as he has stated yesterday that there are a lot of capable people who can construct units, and that is a true fact.
And the criteria in those big thick documents have to be followed, and of course they are criteria and we have no choice but to follow them.
But the designs of the homes, or the units, they just follow the blueprints to construct the home. As an Inuk person you can follow the blueprints.
The blueprints state and give you directions as to how the unit or the house can be built.
I’m just using this as an example.
Speaker: The member seeking unanimous consent to his statement are there any nays?
Thank you, honourable colleagues.
Yes, yes we should, the government should make it possible for the small companies to construct homes.
I know all the barriers why the small companies cannot get contracts because I was one of the people who tried to apply for a contract and I know that I need all sorts of funding and money and I have to pay a fee if I am going to run for the construction of a unit and I need insurance.
When you do not know all sorts of proper procedures it is very hard to try and run your business so there are many, many barriers that have been created.
And the housing corporation, if they are not going to purchase all the units, they have to be purchased by the contractor, although there is already funding available within the government.
Yes, the Nunavut Government, if they work hard to support the communities this is possible.
If we want something bad enough, when there is a will, it is easy and simple to achieve your goal if there is a will because people at the local level, they should be getting their input if they can do an RFP at the local level.
If that is not possible they can do it Nunavut wide.
Member’s Statement 567 – 1(6): Flight Schedules and Services in Kugluktuk
Mr. Havioyak: I apologise, I did not hear you, Mr. Speaker.
Today I rise to speak on the concerns of Kugluktuk in terms into and out of Kugluktuk, to Yellowknife and Cambridge Bay.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, Kugluktuk is served primarily by First Air, Kenn Borek will be flying into community three times a week starting in June, but they might not be able to continue this service beyond the summer.
Mr. Speaker, representatives of Canadian North were invited to make a presentation to the Hamlet of Kugluktuk.
During that meeting Canadian North indicated that it would not be viable for them to schedule flights to Kugluktuk because there is not enough demand in the community.
Part of the reason it would not be viable because the medical travel contract was awarded to only one company instead of being shared between the airlines.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Community Government & Transportation announced in August of last year, the beginning of the major air service studies.
Mr. Speaker, one of the goals of the study was to look at ways of providing better service to all of the Nunavut communities.
Mr. Speaker, that study was to have been completed more than five months ago and I would like to know when the result, I would like to know what its results were.
Mr. Speaker, air services are important to people across the north and I will be asking the question on this issue to Manitok later.
Member’s Statement 568 – 1(6): Dominant Air Carriers
Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today on an issue that I’ve raised many times in this house and in correspondence to the government.
Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise that I'm taking about the issue of dominant air carriers and the possibility of artificially created government support of monopoly.
Mr. Speaker, it’s no secret that a large percentage of airline traffic is paid for by the government both for staff to have travel and for medical travel.
Mr. Speaker, this being the case, if the government decides to award contracts to one carrier it would cause other carriers to go out of business.
When there is only one service provider regardless of the service there is a monopoly.
Mr. Speaker, we all know what that means.
That means in increase prices and the reality of Nunavut being held hostage to higher airfares. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Community Government & Transportation commissioned an air services study to be completed by the end of 2002.
We have yet to see the results of that study.
According to the government’s announcements, the study was suppose to take Inuit consideration to health department’s medical travel RFP.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage the minister to ensure that the completed strategy is tabled as soon as possible.
In addition, I would like the minister to commit to working with his colleagues, us, to ensure that a competitive environment is fostered.
Mr. Speaker, I will be raising questions at the appropriate time today.
And on that note Mr. Speaker, I have to reiterate that this is the fourth largest community in Nunavut, Baker Lake, and were only serviced by one air carrier.
The other six communities in this region have three air carriers going into them.
So, I'm urging the minister of health that when he’s awarding the medical vac contract that he considers both parties that proposed to it.
Member’s Statement 569 – 1(6): Adult Learning Strategy
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the new adult learning strategy that the minister of Education announced earlier this week.
Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I have spoken on this issue many times and we have consistently pushed for training that will be prepared our constituents who have jobs in the mining centre.
Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to hear the minister say that there will be five new mine related courses offered in the Kitikmeot region.
Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that my constituents in Taloyoak and Gjoa Haven will have to travel to Cambridge Bay in order to take part of these courses.
Mr. Speaker, its difficult to be successful with added stress of being away from home, friends and family while they are taking the training course.
I'm also concerned that the costs associated this travel will fall on students and be a barrier for gaining important skills and qualifications.
Mr. Speaker, it would be best if people could receive all necessary training at home but I know that is not always possible.
However Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage the Minister to offer this training in one of the smaller Kitikmeot communities.
Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Education questions on this issue at the appropriate time.
Member’s Statement 570 – 1(6): Mad Cow Disease Impact on Country Food Producers
First of all, I would like to appreciate the operators of the meat plant in Rankin Inlet, especially Brian Shindell and his employees.
We are very proud of them and they are doing their marketing very well.
However, with regards to Alberta and Saskatchewan, maybe there are mad cow diseases.
I know that there was only one mad cow that had to be destroyed. The United States has stopped importing beef from those two provinces.
We know that, I know that there wouldn’t be any mad cows with any of the caribou that was harvested in Coral Harbour.
If this is going to be situation for a long time, those employees at the meat plant in Rankin Inlet and the harvesters of the caribou in Coral Harbour are going to have their income seriously reduced.
The Sustainable Development right now should look into how many people will lose their jobs as a result of the U.S. no longer buying meat from Canada.
What can they do.
They can sell muktaaq, or maybe perhaps they can sell caribou to the other communities that don’t have any caribou.
I would like to see Sustainable Development look into this as soon as possible because the Americans are not buying our beef anymore.
How are the employees within the caribou Rankin Inlet meat plant and caribou harvesters going to be employed.
They’re not in the administration because they’re outside of that.
They’re doing industrial work.
The Sustainable Development is going to have to start looking for what other initiatives can be created.
Member’s Statement 571 – 1(6): Improvement on Medivac Services
Interpreter: His mic is off.
We can’t hear him.
Mr. Alakannuark (interpretation): I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.
I would like to send my regards to my sons and my son who is down at the hospital.
He is recovering and I’m thankful for that.
I rise today because my son went out on a medivac just a few days ago and there are other people that do medivacs in the other communities, especially in Kitikmeot.
With the medivac aircraft carrier, there is just going to be a main improvement because in Kitikmeot and Kivalliq, we have to the two regions and there should be an aircraft readily available for the remote communities especially.
Repulse Bay, for instance, would have to have aircraft come in from Winnipeg.
This is going to take some time and that person may be dying or something might happen to that patient before the aircraft arrives.
In Kivalliq especially, it was indicated earlier that there are aircraft available in Rankin Inlet.