EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Standing Committee Recommendation #5
The Standing Committee recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a comprehensive and detailed action plan, including detailed timelines and specific actions, by which it will integrate Inuit Societal Values into all aspects of the corrections system.
The Standing Committee recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, the oversight measures that it will implement to ensure that correctional staff are performing inmate assessments in as expeditious a manner as possible to provide inmates and staff with sufficient time to address any concerns identified in the assessments.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, the oversight measures that it will implement to ensure that correctional staff are developing case plans specific to each inmate and which include benchmarks for progress and identify any mental health needs until such a time the new compliance-oriented position is created and filled.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, the oversight measures and tracking methods that it will implement to ensure that correctional staff are performing regular reviews of inmates’ progress against their case plans.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a detailed timeline by which it will produce clear procedures for the development of inmate release plans.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a detailed timeline by which it will have provided training to its staff to increase its capacity to perform intake assessments.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a detailed timeline by which it will have provided training to its staff to increase its capacity to develop case plans, release plans and perform regular progress reports.
Standing Committee Recommendation #7
The Standing Committee recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a detailed timeline by which it will have developed and implemented comprehensive program plans for each of its correctional facilities.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, detailed information on timelines and specific actions by which it will determine and implement methods to assess the effectiveness of its rehabilitative programs in reducing the rate at which offenders reoffend and re-enter the corrections system.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, the oversight measures that it will implement to ensure that correctional staff are developing schedules, tracking attendance and evaluating outcomes for rehabilitative programming that is delivered in its correctional facilities.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a detailed timeline by which it intends to issue a Request for Proposals for the review of its rehabilitative programming and table a report on the findings of this review in the Legislative Assembly.
Standing Committee Recommendation #8
The Standing Committee recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, detailed information on the oversight measures that it will implement to ensure that inmates with identified mental health needs receive necessary services.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, detailed information on the oversight measures that it will implement to ensure that correctional staff complete the required documentation related to mental health services provided to inmates.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, detailed information on its initiatives to enhance the psychological services currently offered at the Rankin Inlet Healing Facility until such a time as the corrections division’s mental health services are comprehensively reviewed.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a detailed timeline by which it intends to issue a Request for Proposals for the review of its mental health services and when it plans to table a report on the findings of this review in the Legislative Assembly.
Standing Committee Recommendation #9
The Standing Committee recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response, to this report detailed information on the number of indeterminate, term and casual employees and vacant positions in the corrections division, broken down by facility, as of April 1, 2015.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, the total amount of expenditures that it has allocated to overtime and casual employment in the corrections division for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
The Standing Committee further recommends that the Department of Justice provide, in its response to this report, a detailed timeline by which it intends to table a report on its Staffing, Overtime and Organizational Review of the Nunavut Corrections Division in the Legislative Assembly.
Standing Committee Recommendation #10
The Standing Committee recommends that the Minister of Justice begin the practice, starting with the 2015-2016 fiscal year, of tabling a comprehensive report in the Legislative Assembly on the administration of the Corrections Act, and that this annual report include detailed information concerning such matters as:
The number of inmates in each facility, including a breakdown of the number of inmates at each security-level (i.e. minimum, medium, maximum),
The number of cell searches and contraband incidents at each facility and initiatives to analyse trends related to contraband within the facilities,
The number of segregation placements, broken down by the types of segregation placement,
The number of indeterminate, term and casual employees and vacant position in the corrections division, broken down by facility,
Expenditures related to overtime and casual employees in the corrections division,
The rehabilitative programming that is delivered to inmates, broken down by facility and type,
Initiatives to assess the effectiveness of rehabilitative programs in reducing the rate at which offender reoffend,
The mental health services provided to inmates and individuals recently released from correctional facilities, broken down by facility, and
Initiatives to integrate Inuit Societal Values into the Corrections Service.
3rd Session  4th Assembly
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Pages 1 – 41
Hon. George Qulaut  (Amittuq)
Officers  Clerk
John Quirke  Deputy Clerk
Clerk Assistant  Stephen Innuksuk
Law Clerk  Michael Chandler
Box 1200  Iqaluit, Nunavut, X0A 0H0
Tel (867) 975-5000 Fax (867) 975-5190 Toll-Free (877) 334-7266  Website: www.assembly.nu.ca Table of Contents
Opening Address of the Deputy Commissioner of Nunavut 1
Ministers’ Statements 7  Members’ Statements 9
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 16  Oral Questions 17
Written Questions 33
Notices of Motions 38
Motions 39  Orders of the Day 41
Tuesday, June 2, 2015 1
001 – 4(3): Regulatory Processes in Nunavut (Taptuna) 7
001 – 4(3): Recognizing the Hamlet of Naujaat (Mapsalak) 9
002 – 4(3): Congratulations to Arviat’s 2015 High School Graduates (Savikataaq) 9
003 – 4(3): End of School in Gjoa Haven (Akoak) 10
004 – 4(3): Graduates of Interpreter/Translator Course in Baker Lake (Mikkungwak) 11
005 – 4(3): Appreciation of Sanikiluaq Pages (Rumbolt) 11
006 – 4(3): Congratulations to Pond Inlet High School Graduates (Enook) 12
007 – 4(3): Congratulations to the People of Clyde River (Keyootak) 13
008 – 4(3): Appreciation of NEBS Plan (Okalik) 14
009 – 4(3): Tribute to Mike Soares (Joanasie) 14
010 – 4(3): Retiring Constituents in Pangnirtung (Mike) 15
011 – 4(3): Appreciation of Colleagues (Shooyook) 15
001 – 4(3): Medical Travel in the High Arctic (Shooyook) 17
002 – 4(3): Activities of the Qulliq Energy Corporation (Angnakak) 19
003 – 4(3): Liquor Licensing Board (Hickes) 20
004 – 4(3): Activities of the Qulliq Energy Corporation (Savikataaq) 21
005 – 4(3): Concerns about Tammaativvik Boarding Home (Keyootak) 23
006 – 4(3): Update on Business Case for Rankin Inlet Boarding Home (Sammurtok) 24
007 – 4(3): Need for Improved Adult Basic Education (Akoak) 25
008 – 4(3): The Shortage of Health Professionals (Mikkungwak) 25
009 – 4(3): Regulatory Processes in Nunavut (Enook) 27
010 – 4(3): Update on the New School for Coral Harbour (Mapsalak) 28
011 – 4(3): Office of the Ethics Officer (Angnakak) 29
012 – 4(3): Staff Housing Vacancy in Iqaluit (Hickes) 30
013 – 4(3): Assistance for Homeowners (Keyootak) 32
001 – 4(3): Administration and Enforcement of the Workers’ Compensation Act (Mikkungwak) 33
002 – 4(3): Expenditures and Activities under the Strategic Investments Program (Savikataaq) 34
003 – 4(3): Administration and Enforcement of the Tobacco Tax Act (Hickes) 35
004 – 4(3): Expenditures under Standing Offer Agreements (Hickes) 36
005 – 4(3): Administration and Enforcement of the Public Health Act (Sammurtok) 37
001 – 4(3): Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated Annual Report on the State of Inuit Culture and Society 2011-2012, 2012-2013 (Taptuna) 38
002 – 4(3): Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated Annual Report on the State of Inuit Culture and Society 2013-2014 (Taptuna) 38
003 – 4(3): Nunavut Implementation Panel: Annual Report 2010-2011 (Taptuna) 38
004 – 4(3): Correspondence to Bernard Valcourt dated May 8, 2015 (Taptuna) 38
005 – 4(3): Qulliq Energy Corporation Corporate Plan 2015-2019 (Peterson) 38
001 – 4(3): Extended Adjournment – Notice (Mikkungwak) 38
002 – 4(3): Referral of Tabled Document 149 – 4(2) to the Committee of the Whole – Notice (Angnakak) 39
003 – 4(3): Referral of Tabled Document 107 – 4(2) to the Committee of the Whole – Notice (Enook) 39
001 – 4(3): Extended Adjournment (Mikkungwak) 39
002 – 4(3): Referral of Tabled Document 149 – 4(2) to the Committee of the Whole (Angnakak) 40
003 – 4(3): Referral of Tabled Document 107 – 4(2) to the Committee of the Whole (Enook) 40  Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Iqaluit, Nunavut  Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Members Present:  Mr. Tony Akoak, Ms. Pat Angnakak, Hon. Monica Ell, Mr. Joe Enook, Mr. George Hickes, Mr. David Joanasie, Mr. Pauloosie Keyootak, Hon. George Kuksuk, Mr. Steve Mapsalak, Hon. Johnny Mike, Mr. Simeon Mikkungwak, Hon. Paul Okalik, Hon. Keith Peterson, Hon. Paul Quassa, Hon. George Qulaut, Mr. Allan Rumbolt, Mr. Alexander Sammurtok, Mr. Tom Sammurtok, Mr. Joe Savikataaq, Mr. Isaac Shooyook, Hon. Peter Taptuna, Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk.
>>Prayer  Speaker (interpretation): Good afternoon, Nunavummiut, members, ministers, and (interpretation ends) Premier. (interpretation) Welcome to the House.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Clerk, will you determine if the Deputy Commissioner of Nunavut is prepared to enter the Chamber to deliver the opening address.  Opening Address of the Deputy Commissioner of Nunavut
Deputy Commissioner Nellie Kusugak (interpretation): Please be seated.
Elders, Mr. Speaker, members of the legislature, and honoured guests, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the opening of the Third Session of the Fourth Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
It is an honour to be here before you to serve Nunavummiut and deliver the second Commissioner’s address of this Assembly to highlight our achievements and progress thus far.
We continue to reinforce the successes of previous Assemblies and move forward with confidence in undertaking our mandate, Sivumut Abluqta.
Nunavut is a land like no other.
Our government is building awareness and understanding of Nunavut’s priorities among a variety of audiences at the national and international level.
We are taking advantage of significant opportunities to promote the value of public and private partnership in developing our territory.
In its leadership, the government has remained committed to making education, economic development, and training and employment a priority.
We are showing Canadians that Nunavut is a contributor to economies in southern Canada.
We have strengthened our relationships with federal and territorial stakeholders, key decision-makers, and business leaders.
Bilaterally, northern premiers renewed their commitment to the Northern Vision that fosters a vibrant region with healthy communities, sound economies, and diverse opportunities where the environment is protected for future generations.
(interpretation ends) Nunavut has also played host to significant high-profile forums, such as the Arctic Economic Council, Western Premiers’ Forum, the Circumpolar Mental Wellness Symposium, and the ministerial meeting of Arctic Council members.
Through these opportunities, we are bringing attention to Nunavut and its role within Canada.
We are actively participating in and contributing to dialogue that shapes our destiny.
On June 15 and 16, our Premier is hosting the Northern Premiers’ Forum in Kugluktuk, where discussions will focus on market access to infrastructure and energy and follow up on pan-territorial issues around mine training, science, and climate change.
(interpretation) Through our leadership, we have had a number of engagements with the Prime Minister of Canada and spoke directly about our need for increased infrastructure and responsible economic development.
In addition to projects like the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, we are optimistic that there still remains room for infrastructure projects that benefit growth in Nunavut.
The government has been a key partner with Parks Canada in the search for the lost Franklin ships of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which resulted in the discovery of the HMS Erebus last year. (interpretation ends) This discovery was a direct result of Inuit traditional knowledge and findings made on land by our archaeological division.
We believe there is room to strengthen the partnership with Canada and further demonstrate our legitimate interest in managing our own archaeological heritage.
(interpretation) We are looking forward to working with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated to address increased training opportunities for our beneficiaries within the public service as a result of the settlement with Canada.
In the coming weeks, we are taking part in discussions to move this forward.
With respect to Sivumut Abluqta, we have made significant progress in addressing the mandate in all areas.
We are following through on our commitment to prioritize education and continue to focus on literacy through the development of the balanced literacy initiative, which is a framework to support focused and improved literacy instruction in our schools.
We are now working with established and respected institutions and professionals in education to develop levelled reading books in Inuktitut. These books are written at different levels for the emergent reader to more complex books for advanced readers. As well, we are developing a set of benchmark assessments to support the implementation of balanced literacy.
There has been positive progress during the first phase of exploring Roman orthography as a standard guideline for teaching Inuktitut within our school system.
We are looking to begin consultations on this initiative during 2015.
We are working with district education authorities and external partners, such as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, to implement an engagement strategy that specifically targets communities, parents, and families in being more actively involved in student success.
The value of this relationship is well documented and has been proven to impart a positive effect on attendance and to the success of students, teachers, and schools.
Having placed emphasis on kindergarten to grade 12, we also understand the value of post-secondary learning.
There is an extensive array of statistics that underpin the importance of widening access to post-secondary education in Canada.
It remains evident there is a direct correlation among relationships between employment, higher earnings, and higher education.
We are pleased to announce the government is initiating a feasibility study to determine the foundation of a university located in Nunavut.
The purpose is to enable access to higher education at home that represents our diverse land.
To further this commitment to higher education, we are entering into a multi-stakeholder partnership to nurture a professional education solution that embodies principles within our Inuit societal values.
It is with pleasure that we announce that by 2017, we will establish a law degree-granting program.
This process is to be initiated through Nunavut Arctic College with the support of the Department of Justice.
We have not forgotten about vocational and skills training.
Interdepartmentally, we are working with external agencies to conduct a comprehensive scan of apprenticeship opportunities and barriers.
The aim is to determine the current status of apprenticeship trades and occupations from a career development perspective and how to effectively move forward in better addressing their needs.
The government is in the process of updating the Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Regulations to shorten the waiting for re-examination and further to increase the ratio for journeymen to take addition apprentices.
By the end of this year, income assistance clients will now automatically be referred to a career development officer to support their transition to the workforce through training and eventual employment.
Where possible, we are also implementing initiatives to increase labour force training by engaging with stakeholders, such as the Iqaluit airport construction project, to increase labour force training and employment for Nunavummiut.
Within the public service, you have learned that we are moving aggressively forward with the delivery of our leadership development program.
It focuses on emerging managers and senior managers, with particular emphasis on supervisors to enhance their skills. By September, we begin our first intake and orientation.
We continue to support training and development to enhance Inuit employment in the public service and are actively working cross-departmentally to ensure success.
We know education is a direct driver of poverty reduction, but action must also take place to fix gaps in social assistance. Presently, we are finalizing the parameters for the review of our Social Assistance Program. We begin to engage the public this fall, launching a full review of income assistance at the upcoming poverty reduction roundtable.
We recognize there is also a need to develop elements that support children, seniors, and Nunavummiut in need of care.
Within this mandate, we are going to make changes to the Senior Fuel Subsidy Program, daycare subsidy, explore the exemption of the National Child Benefit Supplement from income support eligibility calculations, and develop a long-term care strategy.
Our communities must be healthy and equipped to grow along with us, and the mental and social well-being of all Nunavummiut remains a long-term priority.
Mental wellness, addictions, and domestic violence continue to challenge our territory.
We are committed to providing resources for community-based solutions that help our families and individuals find the care and supports they need for healing.
We are moving to repurpose infrastructure in Rankin Inlet into a residential mental health facility and, by early 2016, provide training for more beneficiaries in the area of addiction treatment.
We are working with our partners to renew and strengthen our efforts towards suicide prevention, increase collaboration, and reduce the rate of suicide.
By the time we resume session after the summer break, we intend to table the Nunavut Suicide Prevention Strategy Evaluation Report.
We intend to use the evaluation findings to inform the development of an improved action plan to better address our needs.
It takes more than government to address these issues, and we need the involvement of multi-stakeholders to ensure a healthy well-being for all.
We acknowledge the family violence program in Nunavut is both under-resourced and under-developed.
We are looking at putting forward new resources in the budget to shrink this gap.
In this manner, this year, we are undertaking to review the Saillivik Policy for funding family violence shelters to enhance safe shelters.
Enabling healthy communities means we must remain vigilant in empowering communities to create solutions. (interpretation ends) A big part of a healthy community is derived from having access to supports in addition to wellness.
To that end, this coming year, we are expanding our relationships with non-governmental organizations and community-based groups, and engaging business partners and the Nutrition North Advisory Board in food security efforts that support the work of the food security coalition.
We have committed to undertake a food price survey annually to establish a baseline for data collection and to determine trends and barriers that contribute to access of nutritious foods.
The data collected from the survey will serve to inform our policies and programs.
We will also work to ensure those who are most vulnerable to food insecurity are able to access country food.
While there is a strong emphasis by this government to advocate and provide more access to nutritional foods in our communities through programs such as breakfast programs in schools, we must also provide a healthy balance between offering better access to country foods and preservation of our wildlife for the generations to come.
(interpretation) To maintain our balance of hunting and wildlife, we are looking to launch a hunter education program, with particular focus on sustainable harvesting skills. We are collaborating with other jurisdictions on best practices and want to ensure that any program of the sort is relevant to Nunavummiut.
While we continue to promote conservation of our wildlife, we must also meld conservation philosophies within the confines of modern society, such as conservation of our environment through infrastructure that is energy efficient.
To that end, next year, we are launching a pilot project to test solar power on a new building being constructed in the summer of 2016.
>>Applause  The analysis of this test project enables us to use the results to identify opportunities to incorporate changes to future designs and update our approaches for the maintenance of our existing housing stock.
The Blueprint for Action on Housing is entering the consultation stage and is set to conclude in the winter session with the tabling of the final report next spring.
We are examining ways to expand our portfolio of owned housing assets to determine where existing assets can support continuum of care through the blueprint for action consultations.
As the potential for infrastructure grows along with our economy, we are identifying ways to increase our effectiveness and transparency in the participation of major resource reviews through the Nunavut Impact Review Board.
Our participation is going to be strengthened during this mandate by the rollout of a socio-economic assessment guide and comprehensive community engagement policy and guide for practitioners and reviewers of major development projects in Nunavut.
(interpretation ends) We continue to engage and collaborate with industry for cooperation and support on regional wildlife monitoring efforts.
By September 2015, following additional consultations, we will be in a position to submit the Baffin Island Caribou Management Plan to the wildlife management board for their consideration. We are also looking forward to implement recommendations from the harvester support review and continue the enhanced training program for our conservation officers.
We have approved new Wildlife Regulations and expect the rollout to begin on July 1, 2015.