EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Do you move them out of territory?
If the Minister,or Mr. Blais could comment please.
Typically, we always try and find a safe house where accommodations like that can be made in each of the communities, where there’s no facility or service available where the person might be in danger, then that person often is moved to another location; such as Iqaluit, a lot of our clients in the shelter are from all over the Baffin Region, for example.
So they will be moved to another shelter where that can be accommodated.
And typically they would be sheltered somewhere whether in a community or a safe house or in another community for one to two weeks, and then they have to move back.
What occurs in the community that allows them to go back to their housing before the violence occurred?
Does the Health Department get involved?
Does Justice, do the RCMP and social workers; what do you do to help them to return to their community, to their house and ensure that they are going to be safe?
Chairman: Please explain, Mr. Blais.
Mr. Blais: Mr. Chairman, I can’t speak for the other departments, I can only speak for our department.
Our department basically provides support structures such as Social Services, and at that point, we work with the community, we work with the person that’s involved, we work with the family in the hope of getting the family reunited.
That’s our main objective that the department attempts to achieve.
So, from our perspective, we are there to support the abuse and we are there to try and reconnect the families through our Social Services Department.
I hope that whatever the department is doing starts to take effect because the minister said the other day that the trend is increasing.
We have had these marches every year, I see these ‘Stop the Violence Against Women’ stickers in every window and in just about everywhere in town.
I hope there’s somebody reading them, the guys that should be reading them.
I am glad to hear that you are working on it.
Go back to page H-20 on mammography.
Could you take us through the process to diagnose or to do breast check-ups for women?
At what point would they see the doctor or be sent to a facility where they have the proper equipment to do the testing?
Typically, our department has been very much focused on trying to encourage self breast examination.
I think that’s always the first step that has been in every jurisdiction I have ever worked.
That’s usually a very important step to educate women to carry out self breast examination.
So that, I believe, is the first step.
When women present themselves to a care provider, that could be the nurse in the community or a physician, then I think it’s the care provider that will determine whether a person has to be sent out of territory for mammography.
So that’s the current situation.
We are working, though, in the new Health Centre in Iqaluit to put in place, that’s part of our program, a mammography unit so that at least the beginning of a mammography program can be put in place, and probably by early 2007.
So that’s what we are working to at this point in time.
At what age would you consider sending a lady out to get a mammogram?
Is it age 30, age 40 or age 50?
I am not aware at this point in time that there’s an age categorization that if you are diagnosed with a lump, and normally the practitioners are pretty good at identifying whether it appears to be serious or not, then they will make the decision at that point to send you out of the territory for that service.
There are jurisdictions like British Columbia and others that have age specific requirements, and there are some that don’t.
We happen to be one that doesn’t at this point in time.
You might want to check with operations in Cambridge Bay because I think they’re using the age of 50 to determine whether they should send you out for mandatory breast examination with some of that diagnostic equipment they have in Yellowknife, or Edmonton.
I think age 50 was the age I was told by a couple of constituents.
So you might want to check up on that.
That’s all the questions I have on that page.
We are on page H-8.
Health and Social Services, Branch Summary.
Total Operations and Maintenance, $40,970,000.
We’re up to H-11.
Health and Insurance Program.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $49,450,000.
Could the minister, or Mr. Blais can explain where the NIHB are administered in Nunavut.
Could you give us an updates on how the processing of paper work works.
Our processing location is Rankin Inlet.
Rankin Inlet is the headquarters for our Non-insured Health Benefits Agreement.
All claims or invoices for any services for that Contribution Agreement goes through our claims processing system, to ensure that we can claim the dollars back against Health Canada.
I hope that helps the member.
That helps me but it doesn’t help my constituents because they run into a lot of red tape and paperwork when they go to submit claims.
I get a lot of inquiries which I try to direct to your department.
And there are months and months and months of delays for folks to get payments.
So I’m wondering if you could explain to me how a client from Cambridge Bay, or Bathurst Inlet or Umingmaktuk could simplify the paperwork so that they could get their claims processed a little bit faster.
We have stringent reporting requirements on the department as well to Health Canada.
We require certain documentation and support for every invoice we pay, in order to report it to Health Canada.
If a client has performed a service for us and there is certain documentation that we don’t have, we have to go back and sometimes that’s an onerous process but we have to make sure we have the proper documentation to get it back from Health Canada.
Could the clients not use the services of your local department, Health Department to help them expedite and move the paper down to Rankin Inlet?
It’s very complicated if you follow me.
We don’t like red tape in Cambridge Bay.
It’s become quite cumbersome.
The issue that we have is to ensure a consistent approach to our claims that we’re putting into Health Canada.
If we process claims in Cambridge Bay and they’re not processed properly and we don’t capture their correct data, then we will lose that money.
And the Government of Nunavut as everyone is aware; we cannot afford to lose those dollars.
That’s why if we keep it focused with what we consider the experts for the Non-insured Health Benefits services based in Rankin Inlet.
Thank you, Mr. Whitworth.
Perhaps it might help if your clients in the communities where they have to submit the claims could be given some instructions to help them, and who the contact person is, the fax number, the mailing address.
Quite often, from what I have heard is people will get an answering machine, or they find out that the person is and I am not pointing fingers at them, I don’t know who the people are; they are on vacation or there has been a staff turnover, and then of course, the paperwork will sit there in the office for weeks or months.
Then of course, when you hire someone new or someone comes back from holidays, they have a stack of paper to process. If they try to track people during certain times of the year like summertime, people are out on the land or traveling.
It might be something you want to look at; if you could clarify it for the clients so they know exactly what they have to do.
And be honest with them.
Tell them how long I might take; it might take two or three months to get paid.
Most people expect to get paid within two to four weeks.
When it’s two to four months, then that’s when the Members of the Legislative Assembly start getting the phone calls.
That’s when we start calling the Directors in the regions or even possibly with the minister to get answers for them.
That’s a suggestion, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman: That was just a suggestion.
I believe I didn’t hear a question.
So I have nobody else on my list.
We are on page H-11.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I would like to ask my question, Mr. Chairman.
Under the Travel and Transportation line item, there’s a reduction by approximately $2.2 million.
Perhaps the minister can tell us why there’s a reduction on that line item.
The Travel and Transportation was re-profiled.
So Mr. Whitworth can respond to that question.
What we did in this case was a line or budget to the way we have been paying the invoices.
So if you look under contract services, there’s an increase, but there’s also a reduction.
All of those are equal amounts, there’s about $100,000 difference, but it’s roughly what we have done, just re-aligned to base it under our payment pattern.
We are on H-11.
Page H-12.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $4,574,000.
The Business Plan on page H-23, if the minister could update us.
Last year, there’s a priority for consultations with the new public health legislation.
The status of the new Public Health Act is targeted for completion in 2006.
Community/stakeholder consultation will be ongoing until that time.
The priority in 2006 now is to create a new Public Health Act for Nunavut.
If the minister could update us on the plans and processes that they have underway to create the new Public Health Act for Nunavut in 2005/06.
Mr. Blais: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As of April of this year, we have recruited a new Chief Medical Officer of health, and we will have in place as well an Associate Chief Medical Officer of health.
So that will provide us with the nucleus or the capacity that we have been looking for in Nunavut for a long time, so we were without a Chief Medical Officer of health for quite a long period of time.
So now with that in place, we have also allocated $300,000 for this following year under Contract contributions, and to allow us to begin the consultation process.
Prior to doing that we will be hiring a full time person in place to help us organize the consultation process.
We have consulted with Department of Education and other departments that have done this, early in the past, to try and obtain as much information as we can, to insure that we do that properly, and that information is being gathered at this point.
As soon as our new Chief Medical Officer of health comes into place, on a full time basis next month, then hopefully this will give us the capacity to get this process under way.
Those are the kinds of things that are being worked on currently.
Mr. Chairman: Mr. Peterson.
Can Mr. Blais explain to us what a new Public Health Act would do for Nunavut, why would it be beneficial to us?
The current Public Health Act is an Act that was carried over from the Northwest Territories government; I believe it was 1988 they dated that far.
The Public Health Act, currently as it stands, never anticipated things like SARS, maybe even the mad cow disease, and a lot of the current things that are facing Canada at this point in time and the rest of the world.
So that’s one aspect.
Secondly there is a major pan Canadian public health strategy that’s been put in place that all of the minister and deputies have agreed to.
There is a new public health organization that’s being structured as we speak.
So, yes we’re not prepared currently and having got the ability under the existing Public Health Act to respond in the event of a major crisis as we have seen in other jurisdictions.
And secondly the current public health is very cumbersome when a situation occurs, we had one last year, were we had directed the schools to close, it requires us to obtain permission from other departments before we can actually make that decision.
So it really is obsolete in a since that we don’t have the flexibility to deal with current problems facing Canada, and Nunavut.
Secondly we know that as this new public health institution gets organized, that we have to be able to fit into that new direction.
I think this is the key piece of legislation for our department, hopefully that answers your question.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Thank you, Mr. Blais.
I raised this in the last sitting.
What would Nunavut do in an event of a pandemic?
I reflect back to November 2003, early December 2003 when we had a flu epidemic in Cambridge Bay.
It became necessary for the Hamlet council to go around town; we approached the IDEA to ask them if they would close the school, we talked to some store owners to see if they would close their stores.
We had to call the people organizing events and ask them to please cancel their events and not come to town.
It was quite necessary.
What we ended up doing in the case of the flu epidemic, we learned when we tried to eliminate public gatherings that we were able to stop the flu outbreak in a matter of weeks.
However, it occurred to us that there is no overriding legislation that could come from the government.
The government could take control and recognize that there’s an epidemic in a community, and that they should talk with education people and talk to the other government departments and ask them to cooperate and work with the hamlet council.
That’s just at the community level.
If you have situations like SARS, that was quite an epidemic.
There’s always talk down south and around the world that there’s a pandemic building.
A pandemic could come and hit us within the next five to ten years and it would devastate communities like we have in Nunavut because you just wouldn’t have enough nurses and health facilities and doctors and others to help us out.
It could take out half your workforce at any given time.
I wanted to know how the Public Health Act would help us.
I think it will.
Is your department working at all on plans for a possible pandemic hitting Nunavut within the next five to ten years?
Mr. Blais: The answer to that is yes, as I stated earlier. This is why we have worked very hard to recruit a Chief Medical Officer of health and an Associate Chief Medical Officer for health.
Recently I gave the approval to order 15 thousand doses of an anti-viral that is available through the federal government a very minimal cost to Nunavut, in the event that this should happen at any time, so we have prepared.
We have also done a number of specific projects to look at how we would manage certain situations.
We are developing manuals right now, as we speak to accommodate and to ensure that we are as well prepared as we can be in a number of areas as well.
What’s missing right now is I need the expertise on board to help us with that.
So we haven’t waited for those people to arrive.
We have already initiated a number of what I would call high risk areas.
I think we’ve done a reasonable good job.
What’s required now is I need the leadership in place in order to move the agenda forward.
We have made this a major commitment of our department.
That’s good to know that you have made it a high priority.
When you mentioned 15 thousand anti-viral doses, what was that in reference to?
You didn’t understand the question.
Could you repeat that, Mr. Peterson?
He mentioned that he has given the go ahead to order 15 thousand doses of anti-viral shots.
Could you just clarify what they would be used for?
As part of the pan-Canadian Public Health Strategy, the government has recognized that there is a possibility, the federal government and all governments across Canada have recognized the possibility of a pandemic influenza.
It will possibly happen in the foreseeable future.
It could be ten years, it could be five years.
We’re not sure.
So, in preparation for that, the federal government have stock piled a number of anti-viral dosages that can be given to the people who will be treating those individuals.
For example, health care workers will be important in the even of any pandemic outbreak.
So, we have been given a timeline and the opportunity to participate in that.
So we feel that 15 thousand doses provides us a reasonable degree of assurances that if that should happen, then we’ll be able to maintain a workforce to deal with the possible outbreak.
This is just like an insurance policy where we have made a decision to follow other jurisdictions and this is why we’re doing this at this time.
We have 31 thousand citizens in Nunavut.
That’s half the population.
I would take it that the high risk age groups would be receiving vaccinations, like the elderly and children under 4 or 5.
Do you have it all figured out as to who will get the shots in every community.
I can’t say that I have.
Again, hopefully once we have a Chief Medical Officer of health that will be part of the process.
Typically what happens in this kind of a possibility is that you have to support the people who will be taking care of those individuals who are sick.
So if you don’t do that, then of course then it will be very difficult to sustain any kind of assistance.
So the people who provide care, I can tell you right now, will be a priority for us as part of maintaining the support systems that are in place to treat sick people.
So beyond that, I can’t really elaborate other than hopefully once we have someone in place that can take us to the next step, we will able to answer that question, but caregivers are going to be one of the first priorities in order for us to sustain any type of outbreak.
I look forward to, at some point, if you would share that information with the House so that we can take that information back to our constituents.
I just wanted to touch on the annual flu outbreak that we have every year in Nunavut.
I know you vaccinate the elders in September and October because typically November, December, January are the flu months.
How many people on an annual basis receive flu shots from the Government of Nunavut?
I don’t really know that answer right now.
I must say that I know that we have one of the highest rates of vaccination in the country, but an exact number at this point in time, I don’t have an answer to that, but I will make it a point to pass that information on to our minister.
It varies from year to year, but how much is it so far this year, I don’t have that at my fingertips.
Two years ago when we had our flu outbreak, I think as a community, we just were not prepared.
I know the elders and some of the kids were getting flu shots, but the rest of us were not, and then the outbreak occurred.
I have to compliment your department because they got the dosages in there and we all had our shots.
There were lineups all over the place.
This past flu season, your department was very proactive.
They were actually going around to Cambridge Bay into the workplaces and giving the shots wherever we worked, which is great.
If you missed the shot there, then you could go to the nursing station.
I think the general awareness of the dangers of flu were highlighted, or what we would call an epidemic, it was quite serious for us.
It’s something that your department should be complimented on, for being proactive, raising awareness, going down to workplaces, making the shots available to the elders and the young people that need them, and the caregivers.
I hope you continue that in the future.
Be very proactive because you can save a lot of people a lot of agony from the flu.
I hope that you continue that in the years ahead, and then build on that for a pandemic so that people are prepared and more aware of what we have to do to protect our communities.
Chairman: I don’t hear a question, so I am going on to the list. Mr. Evyagotailak.
There’s a motion on the Floor, and the motion is not debatable.
(interpretation ends) I would like to thank the minister and her officials.
We will see you again tomorrow.
Orders of the day, Item 20, Report of the Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Netser (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, your Committee has been considering Bill 8 and the Main Estimates and would like to report progress.
Mr. Speaker, I move that the report the Committee of the Whole be agreed to.
Speaker (interpretation): There is a motion on the floor to report progress.
Announcements for tomorrow, a meeting of the Full Caucus at 10:00 in the morning in the Nanuq Board Room.
Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 15, 2005:
Bill 13, and
Speaker (interpretation): This House stands until Tuesday, March 15th, 2005 at 1:30 in the afternoon.
>>House adjourned at 19:59  Nunavut Canada
Tuesday March 15, 2005
Pages 1706 – 1803
Opening Prayer 1706
Ministers’ Statements 1706
Members’ Statements 1708
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 1715
Oral Questions 1716
Tabled Documents 1736
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 1736
Report of the Committee of the Whole 1802
Orders of the Day 1802
Tuesday, March 15, 2005 1706
085 – 2(2): Commission Scolaire Francophone du Nunavut (Picco) 1706
086 – 2(2): New Employment Readiness Centre for Iqaluit (Picco) 1707
211–2(2): Apologies to Member for Nattilik (Tootoo) 1708
212–2(2): Acceptance of Apology (Aglukkaq) 1708
213–2(2): Elders’ Meeting in Iqaluit (Alagalak) 1709
214–2(2): Canada’s National Winter Sport - Kugluktuk Grizzlies (Evyagotailak) 1709
215–2(2): Upcoming Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce Meeting (Curley) 1710
216–2(2): Health Centre Vehicles for the Elders (Barnabas) 1711
217–2(2): Territorial Junior Women’s Volleyball (Kilabuk) 1712
218–2(2): Concern on Contaminated Site (Arreak) 1712
219–2(2): Mining in the Kitikmeot (Peterson) 1713
220–2(2): Income from Sealskins (Kattuk) 1714
221–2(2): Congratulate Kugluktuk Municipality (Mapsalak) 1715
281 – 2(2): Compensation for Fishermen (Curley) 1716
282 – 2(2): Listing of Leased Properties (Tootoo) 1718
283 – 2(2): Fencing for the Coral Harbour Airport (Netser) 1719
284 – 2(2): Clarify on Department of Energy (Peterson) 1720
285 – 2(2): Adequate Vehicles for Health Centres (Barnabas) 1723
286 – 2(2): Plan to Visit Paris in Regards to Sealskins (Kattuk) 1724
287 – 2(2): Theoretical or Hypothetical Legislation (Tootoo) 1725
288 – 2(2): Update on Fish Plant in the Kivalliq Region (Alagalak) 1728
289 – 2(2): Energy Subsidy (Netser) 1729
290 – 2(2): Affordable Fuel for Umingmaktok and Bathurst Inlet (Peterson) 1730
291 – 2(2): Tabling of Nunavumi Namminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti Report (Curley) 1732
292 – 2(2): Government Leased Properties (Tootoo) 1734
103-2(2): Exploration and Mining on Crown Lands in Nunavut Guidebook (Peterson) 1736
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Speaker (interpretation): I would like to ask Mr. Mr. Alagalak to say the opening prayer.
Minister’s Statement 085 – 2(2): Commission Scolaire Francophone du Nunavut
I rise to acknowledge the Commission Scolaire Francophone du Nunavut, the CFSN, as they celebrate their first general assembly on this month.
The CFSN was officially recognized in August of 2004 as an autonomous administrative entity with a mandate to govern l’ecole des Trois-Soleils.
The commission is accountable directly to the Minister of Education and is presently engaged in the recruitment of its first Director General/Superintendent.
The creation of the Commission celebrates the government’s commitment to the respect of language and cultural rights for all Nunavutmiut.
I would ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the President, Ms. Carolyn Mallory, as well as the regular members: Jacques Fortier, Marco Dussault, Jacinth Giroux and Jeff Barkley.
This is a fine example of partnership between the French Division of the Department of Education and the francophone community of Iqaluit.
Congratulations to the staff and the francophone community.
Minister’s Statement 086 – 2(2): New Employment Readiness Centre for Iqaluit
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to announce the Department of Education, in partnership with the Baffin Business Development Centre, is now providing Employment Assistance Services to Iqaluit residents – as of mid-February some 200 clients have walked through the doors.
This three-year-long program will help Nunavuumiut acquire the skills they need to find, apply for, and hold down a job.
Already Income Support staff are hearing the positive feedback from clients, who welcome the opportunity to move ahead.
The funding for the Employment Readiness Centre in turn flows from the Labour Market Development Agreement between the Government of Nunavut and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
The agreement is in its sixth year and provides Nunavut with $2.6 million annually for training, research and program delivery.
This federal-territorial partnership has many successes to its credit, such as: