EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The results are not in yet, but we’re doing a joint venture with them to do a feasibility study to see what it would cost and how it would be done to run fibre-optic cable into the eastern Arctic.
As all know, NorthwesTel is the main provider of telecommunications services in the north.
As of this morning, not a single member of NorthwesTel’s board of directors is from Nunavut.
Does the minister share my position that NorthwesTel should move without delay to appoint at least one board member who lives in Nunavut?
As the member is fully aware, we can’t dictate to private organizations who they put on their board of directors.
That’s all I can say to that.
Question 561 – 4(3): Wildlife Damage Prevention and Compensation (Rumbolt)
Mr. Speaker, now that we are here on our last day of the current fall sitting, I have some questions about a statement that the minister made on our first day.
A few weeks ago on October 18 the minister rose to provide information on his department’s wildlife damage prevention and compensation programs. Mr. Speaker, I recognize that these programs will provide invaluable support to many Nunavummiut who support their families by hunting and who may experience challenges related to property and equipment that is damaged by wildlife.
My question relates to hunters who are injured during the course of their work. For example, in the public service our employers have committed to providing compensation to workers who are injured during the course of their work.
Unfortunately those Nunavummiut who hunt for a living have a more difficult time if they are injured during the course of their work.
Can the minister describe the supports that are available, if any, to hunters who have injured themselves during the course of their work?
We do have an MOU and work with the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.
We have an MOU with them which hunters that are out hunting, harvesting, collecting, or trapping are covered if they fit the criteria. As with many programs, there are certain criteria that have to be met in order to qualify.
The short answer is yes, we have a program to help hunters if they are injured out on the land hunting.
I wonder if the minister can describe the specific steps that must be taken in order for a hunter to access these supports.
Yes, I can outline the process.
First and foremost we would like the person that is injured to go to the nursing station or hospital because the first concern is to make sure that human life is saved and injury is held to a minimum.
Once the person has gone to the nursing station and has been treated, the hunter can go to a wildlife office and report that he has injured himself while out hunting on the land.
There are two forms to fill out.
One form belongs to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.
The wildlife officer will give that to the person and help them fill it out, but the form itself mainly has to be filled out by the physician or nurse that has seen and treated the individual.
There’s another form that is from my department about proof of income because they have to get 25 percent of their income off the land and there’s also a statutory declaration that has to be signed.
The wildlife officer in the communities will help the person who needs compensation to fill out all these forms.
I understand that Nunavummiut who want to learn more about these programs can contact local conservation officers for further details in applying for funding.
As someone who reads and reviews numerous documents every day, I personally benefit from being able to look at a written policy when I want to learn more about a specific program, and I note that the government makes a number of policies available on its website, which provide detailed information on the manner in which it administers its programs and funding.
I also note that the department has yet to post policies on its wildlife damage prevention and compensation programs on the government’s website.
Can the minister tell us if we can expect to see such policies made available on the website in the near future?
As I stated earlier, this is a program that we administer for and with Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission.
If you go onto their website, they actually have the forms that can be downloaded and they talk about what you need to do to qualify.
The form that is filled out on behalf of my department, that department is not online and it’s an internal document and there’s confidential information that is put in there.
The blank form is not available online, but anyone who wants to see it can go to a wildlife officer and see it.
I’ll see if there is any impediment into putting it online.
That’s as much as I can say.
Question 562 – 4(3): Status of Old Power Plant in Taloyoak (Qirngnuq)
Mr. Qirngnuq (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) My question is for the Minister responsible for the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
The current corporate plan of the Qulliq Energy Corporation indicates that it has been constructing a new power plant in Taloyoak.
It is my understanding that although the construction has been completed, the community’s old power plant is still generating power.
Can the minister update me today on the status of decommissioning Taloyoak’s old power plant?
Yes, the new plant can generate electricity now, based on the information I have received.
Speaker: No?
An Hon. Member: He just didn’t answer it, that’s all.
I will raise it again as a question and it is unfortunate that cost me a supplementary and I only have one left.
I hope that is understandable now.
Now I do understand what he’s saying.
The commissioning is under work right now.
What I said earlier was that the power plant has gone through some tests and it can operate on a normal basis.
That commissioning is under work right now.
Residents of Taloyoak have asked me whether the cost of building a new power plant will be passed on to customers in the community through higher power rates.
I recognize that the independent Utility Rates Review Council looks at requests that are submitted by the Qulliq Energy Corporation to increase or decrease power rates.
For the record, can the minister confirm what the impact will be on Taloyoak’s electricity rates as a result of the community’s new power plant?
Right now we are looking at more energy-efficient buildings or new power plants.
I don’t know whether that’s going to increase or decrease the electricity rates.
I will look into it and respond to the member at that time.
Question 563 – 4(3): Bedbugs in Public Housing Units (Okalik)
I have heard through my constituency office about bedbugs and I hear that they’re very resilient and hard to get rid of.
They have to be exterminated by professionals.
How are you dealing with bedbugs when there are infestations in the public housing units?
Good day to the people of Nunavut. I also thank my colleague.
Mr. Speaker, I think we call them different terms in Inuktitut, but I’ll just use bedbugs.
Mr. Speaker, if there’s an infestation in a housing corporation or local housing organization building and if we’re informed that there’s an infestation, we deal with it and we usually work very closely with the local housing organizations.
Immediate action is taken once we are informed of bedbug infestations.
We will make sure that we vacate the premises and then we clean it up. We work closely with the local housing organizations.
If necessary, we work with the local housing organizations to make sure that we terminate the bedbugs in the house.
I have heard that bedbugs are very resilient and you have to fly in professional exterminators from the south.
How do you deal with bedbug infestations in the smaller communities?
We had to fly in professional exterminators to Iqaluit to get rid of the bedbugs.
How are bedbug infestations in the smaller communities dealt with?
The member was correct in stating that we use professional exterminators.
When it’s necessary to do some extermination, you need the proper equipment to deal with the problem.
As the housing corporation, we contact a company called Orkin Canada and they come up here to do the extermination work.
Question 564 – 4(3): Number of Inuit Social Workers (Joanasie)
My question today is for the Minister of Family Services.
During the winter session I asked questions about social workers.
I would like to ask if the minister is ready to tell us how many of his staff are Inuit and work as social workers.
Right now as of August 31, 2016, 92 out of 158 positions are filled by land claims beneficiaries.
That is 58 percent Inuit employment in the Department of Family Services.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the minister.
I support the Member for Quttiktuq when he states that there are Inuit ways of counselling available out there with the elders in the communities.
I would like to ask the minister: for example, in a year, how many times have you utilized an elder to work as a counsellor?
Yes, various components are included within social services related to the level of care required, the information requirements, as well as informing the people who need to be included.
In order for social services to succeed in the communities, we need to include elders in the social aspects of social work related to culture or wellness programs, cultural educational levels, or these kinds of various services provided by social services within both the specific youth and adult targeted programs.
As to the actual number, I can’t say as this includes all programs currently under our department and they don’t identify elders specifically.
I would have to dig through the data in order to get that specific level of details, however, only which programs include elders.
This may become understandable some time in the future.
As my final supplementary I wish to ask the minister about the Inuit counselling methods that are based on the Inuit belief system.
For example, we use our memories and experiences or to pass along orally what Inuit recall from their past life experiences and to provide advice.
However, I have seen publications by the Department of Culture and Heritage about traditional Inuit counselling methods, with the storyline revolving around elders passing on their wisdom.
Perhaps the Department of Family Services can start using this approach to introduce this concept on traditional counselling.
However, I wish to ask the minister about the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit and whether he could use them as an avenue to prepare culturally-based materials, and I wonder if the department can use that approach when discussing traditional counselling methods.
As an example, we have many communities and the material should apply to the majority of the situations.
As well, my colleague beside me is an ardent supporter and I want to assist him.
I wonder: can the department take traditional counselling into consideration?
Discussing any employment-related issues and operational issues members feel need incorporation of the traditional Inuit methodology, these are two different matters within the same question, although they should be completely separate.
Due to that reason, I want to state that the Department of Family Services is just one department dealing with the issues requiring changes, either to legislation or policies under development.
The Inuit values and societal values considered important are included in this area.
With regard to Inuit employment, our stated position which we agreed to last winter was specific to the smaller, non-decentralized communities.
As an example, within the social services context, any work required would be done by seven positions that will be available to assist in retrieving the missing gaps that are felt to be barriers.
When we can hurdle past those barriers, the communities with existing social workers can concentrate on only serving their clients.
What I am talking about is related to families and family relationships, and these positions that have been approved will assist in family counselling and we have agreed to that.
With respect to the Inuit associations or other bodies within the community, it would be focused on collaborative approaches and that is another avenue.
The question the member raised pertained to ways to involve more elders, especially when dealing with social services.
Yes, we can consider that at any time and I will look into it further while our government continues with its mandate.
Question 565 – 4(3): Providing Support for Disabilities (Mikkungwak)
Mr. Speaker, the federal government provides tax credits and deductions for persons living with disabilities, their supporting family members and their caregivers.
However, in order to take advantage of those benefits, an individual with an eligible disability must apply and have the application signed off by a doctor.
Can the minister clarify how nursing staff and visiting physicians at our community health centres can assist individuals with disabilities in applying for the disability tax credit or other federal programs?
All our health care staff across the territory are more than happy to assist patients or clients when they come into the health centres.
Sometimes there’s technical information on some of those insurance forms that is medical or professional and some of the terminology would be... .
It would be of great assistance to have a health practitioner assist people with those forms.
That being said, for our health care practitioners, it would probably be best to make an appointment during a period of time when the health centre isn’t busy so that the staff there would be able to assist them in a time frame that wouldn’t take them away from actual patient care.
When somebody is diagnosed with a disability and wants assistance, I’m sure our health care staff would be more than happy to help them.
Mr. Mikkungwak: Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate that our hard-working nurses take the time and assist people with disabilities to fill out the necessary paperwork to request the federal disability tax credit.
However, there may be individuals who are not aware that they may be eligible and can ask the nurse for assistance in filling out the request.
Can the minister provide an update on what initiatives are underway to promote awareness of the services and benefits that may be available to individuals with disabilities, their families and their caregivers?
There are some federal programs that we work on, that we operate or fulfill the function of, like NIHB across the territory, which is a federal program.
Outside federal programs, we’re not directly involved in the communications campaign.
There are societies such as the Nunavut Disabilities Society that does put out literature and does work to engage people across the territory to make sure that they are informed of what services and what programs are available to them.
I can maybe follow up with the Nunavut Disabilities Society to see if there’s some way we can look at getting that information out to Nunavummiut.
I recognize that Nunavut’s Department of Health does not control federal programs.
However, it is important that our frontline workers are able to provide advice and guidance to individuals with disabilities to access whatever supports they can, whether those supports are ultimately provided by the federal or territorial governments.
Will the minister commit to ensuring that individuals with disabilities across Nunavut are made aware and assisted in applying for whatever support and benefits they may be eligible for?
I can have some of my officials at the Department of Health contact their federal counterparts to make sure that there are information packages that are available to promote federal programs such as disabilities insurance so that we can have that information available in our health centres across the territory. I’ll speak to my officials about that.
Question 566 – 4(3): Implementing Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Shooyook)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit under the Department of Culture and Heritage.
Mr. Speaker, I have asked the minister on several occasions about this issue I am passionate: the loss of Inuit autonomy and the fact that Inuit are largely wards of the state.
Whenever I raise any questions on this matter to any cabinet members, the rote answer seems to be, “I fully support the idea.”
Nonetheless, more systemic barriers seem to be erected, Mr. Speaker.
This issue is very essential to Inuit.
Mr. Minister, I assume that you have reviewed this matter along with your officials.
Based on the results of your review, what aspects will move forward in our future or will it again be a fallback to the legislation that mandates your department inherited from the Northwest Territories?
Will this always be the government’s way of blocking advances by continuously referring to antiquated legislation which Inuit want amended? Will this legislation ever be amended in our future?
Can you clarify that for my understanding?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of Culture and Heritage, Mr. George Kuksuk.
Mr. Speaker, every time we talk about traditional knowledge of Inuit, we refer to the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit and this entity is recognized, Mr. Speaker.
With respect to traditional knowledge, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit makes recommendations or advises the various departments.
They have the authority to advise the government and make recommendations on how to incorporate Inuit traditional knowledge within the government.
We work closely with the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit.
When they make their recommendations, no matter to which department it refers, we make sure those recommendations are known to the appropriate department.
We try to utilize the recommendations and advice of the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Katimajiit. Our working relationship with them is proceeding smoothly to date.
I am also gratified to have a better grasp of this process.
This again is an issue I am fervent about. Now I understand this committee which we saw before, as I also was the mover behind a motion to restart this committee.
Is this related to the wishes of this committee to see progress? Referring to what I have stated in the past, are they fully committed to this idea of incorporating traditional Inuit counselling methods into the legislation so that elders can become a part of this process?
Is this part of their long-term plans to incorporate this issue I continually advocate for or are they running into stumbling blocks?
I want to ask the minister what need this committee fills and if it is helpful to the minister based on my promotion of this idea.
Is the department fully supporting the committee, as well as what you responded to earlier?
As per my earlier statement, the committee was established back in 2003. Their mandate was to work on the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit database and how to incorporate the values into the government operations and departments.
This lies with how we can incorporate Inuit traditional knowledge into the system.
This committee is our overseer and if they note anything that should be included, they have the power to recommend to any of the departments on the corrections needed to fully incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into the government operations, if it can be applied. Any department can be asked to incorporate the recommendations as part of their mandate.
My department works closely with that committee and the government as a body.
Mr. Speaker, I can tell my colleague that our collaboration with other departments, including the need to gather more information, doesn’t place a blockage in the process.
What I can say is that some departments do face delays in incorporating the knowledge.
However, with respect to our department dealing with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, our work as a government in working on this issue is proceeding smoothly.
As he clarified that to my satisfaction, it leads me to expectations about progress based on his response.
To return to your comments, when we met with members of that committee, I understood based on their responses that complete incorporation of their recommendations continues to be a barrier.
This is exacerbating the need that Inuit want changes to the current system today.
I am telling the minister and his cabinet colleagues that Inuit customs and values are currently subjected to constant planning and redrafting of plans, which I don’t want to take up months.
I am pushing for Inuit with demonstrable skills to be consulted on traditional counselling methods by utilizing the knowledge of the Inuit as part of the government past the year 2017.
I further urge the departments such as Family Services and Culture and Heritage to properly draft plans similar to the Department of Education, which has a very good plan.
We need to collaborate on this issue in the short term by ensuring it is done after 2018.
I now ask the minister if there are any plans for the future and whether his officials have started working on an actual plan that can fully utilize Inuit Qaujimajatuqangat, as it is still alive and there is no need to search for this knowledge as part of a plan nor to have it taught, as elders who hold this knowledge are still with us today. We need to get this government moving to incorporate this immediately prior to Inuit completely losing control over their lives.
Will you be in support of this idea I suggested to incorporate Inuit traditional knowledge past the two years I mentioned?
Will you and your officials actually develop the plans now?
Mr. Speaker, I totally understand my colleague’s position in relation to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and his passion. Ever since the member was elected and sat in his seat, he has been consistent in fighting for this issue and I believe in that aspiration.
Mr. Speaker, furthermore, not all of the barriers the member is alluding to about collaborative work required exists since I meet with departmental officials regularly and we also meet with other departmental staff to discuss ways to incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into government. It is obvious that there has been progress made on several fronts.
However, I can’t say today that what the member is asking about for commitment in those years would succeed as we need to carefully review our future requirements, such as amending legislation.
There are many issues related to this challenge that will impact many areas, not just our department, as we would need to work with other departments on a government-wide approach, which I want him to understand.
Nonetheless, my departmental officials at Culture and Heritage are watching and listening at this time as we are debating this issue.
That is how I can respond to the member at this time.
We are listening and we understand the urgency, but we can’t unilaterally incorporate the knowledge into government.
Question 567 – 4(3): Status of Iqaluit Beer and Wine Store (Angnakak)
Last week the minister tabled the government’s most recent annual report on grants and contributions.
This report indicated that the government provided $22,565 in financial support during the 2015-16 fiscal year for the Nunavut Brewing Company, which is a small business based here in Iqaluit that has been working to open a microbrewery.
Mr. Speaker, to me, the government’s decision to support this venture is a vote of confidence in its value to the community, and I’m very glad to see the government investing in local enterprises.
Mr. Speaker, my question for the minister is this: given the support shown for this company, can the minister tell us when the government will be respecting the results of the 2015 plebiscite that was held in Iqaluit and open a beer and wine store?
The government has always respected the people. We live in a democratic country.
We did a non-binding plebiscite on April 20, 2015. The people spoke and 78 percent of the people who showed up that day voted to open a beer and wine store.
In fact I recently received petitions from two other communities to open a beer and wine store, so that tells you where the people are headed.