EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank my colleague for asking that question in his efforts to support the matter to improve things. The Minister of Finance, Keith Peterson, and I are working together with the Minister of Human Resources to see how we can improve or increase the number of social workers in the government.
Question 038 – 4(2): Income Assistance Rates (Enook)
Mr. Speaker, on pages 16 and 24 of the Hansard, I know it hasn’t been published yet, but I would like to base my question on that to get clarification on what has been written.
The minister said previously that she has to speak with the other departments in regard to food security.
Which departments do you have to speak with? That is my question.
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the Member for Tununiq for asking about who we should be talking to in the Department of Family Services concerning income support.
I have new information. I was meeting with my staff yesterday afternoon.
The department decides as to how much income support people get, but we really have no say in how much money we get from the federal government and we have to look for other ways to try and help. We meet with the Yukon and NWT. We follow what the Yukon and NWT have been doing and tried to get more help for the Income Support Program.
If I understand this correctly, the Department of Family Services decides how much they pay for income support and without any outside direction.
It’s terribly expensive to live in the Arctic. The way I see it, you will be able to increase the monthly income support for Nunavut recipients.
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the Member for Tununiq for that question.
We know that income support in Nunavut is affected by these things.
Inuit in Nunavut get helped a great deal through electrical support, utility support, and other forms of assistance, for example, for rent or housing payments. We get support from the government and then we have to pay the balance, not the full cost of the house.
We rely on the Department of Finance to get the most income support that we can give.
If we’re going to increase income support, then all the MLAs would have to agree to that.
Mr. Enook: Mr. Speaker, (interpretation) the minister said yesterday in her reply that there will be a review of income support.
Let me ask, once you are doing your review, what exactly are you reviewing?
I thank the Member for Tununiq for asking as to what we will be reviewing.
We will be reviewing the high cost of food.
We don’t have all the information on the cost of food, so we need to get statistics from many communities.
There are price differences in the stores for different communities. There are many uncontrollable costs that we have to incur. Food is brought in by sealift and air cargo.
We have no control over those prices. In many communities, the price of food is very different from others. We will be looking at that.
Once we know the figures, we will be able to work with that information. We will be expecting to hear more about it.
Question 039 – 4(2): Bilingual Education Models (Savikataaq)
Mr. Speaker, I am well aware that a review of Nunavut’s Education Act and its relevant regulations will be undertaken by this Legislative Assembly in the near future. However, reviewing and possibly bringing forward amendments to legislation can be a long and time-consuming process.
Regulations, on the other hand, can be changed relatively quickly.
I believe that the issue at hand is sufficiently important to warrant immediate action.
Mr. Speaker, the majority of the bilingual education models established under the Education Act’s Language of Instruction Regulations require that 85 to 90 percent of instruction from kindergarten to grade 3 is delivered in the Inuit language.
Education officials have noted that subjects such as mathematics cannot be taught in the Inuit language due to the lack of terminology.
Can the minister clearly explain how our children in kindergarten through to grade 3 receive adequate math education if it cannot be taught in the required language of instruction?
I thank my colleague for asking that clear question.
We all know that in Nunavut, we have to use four languages in all of our schools. English, Inuktitut, French, and Inuinnaqtun are the languages.
What you’re saying is true. The Language of Instruction Regulations that were agreed upon in 2012 were supposed to be reviewed after every five years.
The Language of Instruction Regulations that are used today… . It’s true what you’re saying.
It’s set up that way. The education committees are the ones that advise as to what language of instruction should be used in a particular school. It’s decided by the district education authorities.
It’s a three-level system. The first one is called Qulliq.
The DEA can decide which one they can follow. They can say that our students can speak Inuktitut very well and if that’s the case, English instruction is made stronger because they already have good Inuktitut in that school.
The other one is called immersion. If a student can speak English better than Inuktitut, then he would learn Inuktitut more.
The third method or option, if that person is bilingual already in Inuktitut and English, would be a dual instruction system. That’s what we follow from kindergarten to grade 12.
Speaker (interpreter): Your first supplementary, Mr. Savikataaq.
I believe that the current language requirements under the Language of Instruction Regulations severely restrict our ability to provide a solid educational foundation in one of the cornerstone subjects of modern education. Math, along with reading and writing, is critical to any student’s success.
Can the minister provide an update on how his department assesses and monitors the delivery of math education from kindergarten through to grade 12?
Hon. Paul Quassa (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Math instruction, like you’re saying, is not about language; it’s just numbers.
Up to now, we have been discussing the matter with the department that math refers to one thing. It’s not English; it’s just numbers.
The Education Act states that Inuktitut and English should be the language of instruction. It’s an Act and we cannot break it, so we’re going to be looking to see how we can apply the Education Act after it’s reviewed this week.
I have directed our staff that math should be a subject on its own and not divide the issue. It’s just numbers and not a language thing.
I’m glad that the minister acknowledged that math is numbers and not a language. When we were here as a Committee of the Whole, his deputy minister stated that they cannot teach math because of terminology from kindergarten to grade 3. I’m glad that the minister states that they will be looking at it.
Will the minister commit to amending the current Language of Instruction Regulations to ensure that the bilingual education models permit adequate English language instruction to allow for the proper teaching of mathematics from kindergarten to grade 3?
Like I stated, we will be reviewing the Education Act.
Hopefully, this week, we will be looking at the Education Act because we look at the kindergarten to grade 3 classes. We are also dealing with grade 12. When we review the Education Act, we will be looking at it that way.
Question 040 – 4(2): Iqaluit Landfill Fire (Hickes)
I think we have been quite lucky with the wind direction, so I’m going to ask some questions to the Minister of Community and Government Services on the local fire here.
Mr. Speaker, the fire at Iqaluit’s landfill site continues to burn and according to Nunatsiaq News, it is no end in sight for Iqaluit dump.
The city has indicated that it is “working together with representatives from both the territorial and federal governments to ensure that the safety of our citizens is our priority.” Also, they state that there are discussions being held on a regular basis to ensure it is being dealt with.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister indicate how the Government of Nunavut is coordinating its support to the city in response to this situation?
Yes, my department is working very closely with the city officials, particularly the fire department. We are monitoring the situation along with the Department of Environment and the Department of Health to ensure that the dump fire doesn’t present a health hazard to the community of Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, this is not the first fire to have broken out at the landfill here in Iqaluit in recent years.
Can the minister indicate if the GN will be sitting down with the municipality to review the lessons learned from this experience?
Yes, we will be consulting with the city and we will ensure that we come up with the best solution for the situation.
The City of Iqaluit has been working to develop a long-term, sustainable solution to solid waste management. However, as the minister is aware, this issue is complex and the city’s resources are not unlimited.
Can the minister indicate how his department is working with the city in the development of solutions to solid waste management in our capital city?
Yes, dump fires are very difficult to extinguish. In southern Canada, they sometimes need to use specialized equipment to deal with situations like this.
This is something that we will be looking at as a department to see what we can do to help the city deal with this issue.
Question 041 – 4(2): Access to Justice Services (Mikkungwak)
I, too, would like to extend my birthday greetings and my questions will be to the Minister of Justice.
The business plan of the Department of Justice indicates that one of its ongoing priorities is to “Continue to expand the Justice of the Peace program in Nunavut.”
However, concerns have been raised with me that the community of Baker Lake currently has only one Justice of the Peace.
Can the minister indicate what steps his department is taking to recruit and train new Justices of the Peace in Baker Lake?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s a good question. Some communities have a shortage of Justices of the Peace, but I am happy to say that they have Justices of the Peace in most communities.
We will be providing training for more Justices of the Peace and we usually work with the hamlet in each Nunavut community to work with them with respect to getting more Justices of the Peace.
The Justices of the Peace Act was amended by the previous Legislative Assembly to provide for the establishment of a new Justices of the Peace Appointment and Remuneration Committee. The role of this body is to review the applications of candidates for appointment as justices of the peace.
Can the minister indicate when these provisions of the Act will come into force?
That is part of the Justices of the Peace training in each community. The committee meets every so often to appoint Justices of the Peace.
Mr. Mikkungwak: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister once again for his response. The Department of Justice also provides funding for the legal aid system in Nunavut, including the operations of the Keewatin Legal Services Centre.
Concerns have also been brought to my attention about the need for more legal aid workers in the Kivalliq.
Can the minister indicate what steps are being taken to address this need?
I recently met with the chair of the Legal Services Board. They are reviewing their operations. I will be speaking with them again after they complete this work.
Question 042 – 4(2): Food Price Survey (Enook)
Mr. Enook: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) My question is for the Minister of Family Services with respect to social assistance.
If I understand the minister’s response correctly, they will be reviewing the cost of food in the communities.
We all know that food is very expensive in the communities. If I can help the minister, I could say that… . You can look at the Facebook page, “Feeding My Family.”
It also states how much food costs in the communities of Nunavut. They will be reviewing that.
My question, Mr. Speaker, is: because there’s a high cost of living in Nunavut, what are you going to do after you complete a review of food prices in Nunavut?
I would like to respond to the member’s question properly. I will take his question as notice.
Question 043 – 4(2): School Bus Service at Baker Lake (Mikkungwak)
As we are all aware, education is very important. It’s one of the first priorities in Sivumut Abluqta.
In Baker Lake, there’s one bus service for all of the schools.
Can the minister try to find out if there can be two buses provided for the community of Baker Lake?
That is an excellent question. I will answer it appropriately.
We received the request for an additional bus from the education committee at my office on May 20.
My department’s staff are reviewing the request and we have not yet drafted an appropriate answer as to what action could be taken.
However, I can add that we received requests for school bus services. We are looking at whether the bus will have a lot of room and if it will be maintained and checked properly by mechanics. Are the bus routes appropriate?
Those are the things we look at in assessing those funding requests for bus services.
I cannot state at this moment what the appropriate answer will be.
However, I can state in this manner in relation to what he said, whether the buses would be kept properly and maintained, I can say that they can be maintained properly in Baker Lake.
The issue is money. Obviously they are requesting more money because of the number of students that require bus service.
They will be finishing in the spring and summer.
However, we are already looking forward to the fall when weather will become an issue again and that is why I directed my question to the minister.
There are various issues that need to be looked at, such as the distance, for those who are the age of 5 and are .5 kilometre away, there are a number of regulations with respect to busing.
This includes how many students in the 7 to 11 age group have housing that is over one kilometre away or whether they live 1.5 kilometres away from the school.
There are all these things that need to be look at.
This year, we have already indicated that. As per our Minister of Finance, who has already indicated what the budget for the provisional services will be.
However, when there are urgent matters, they could also be revisited.
Having said that, I am not sure exactly how we will respond to that question as we just received the letter and haven’t had the time to put together a complete response. We know that request will require an increase in funding, so we will scrutinize that very closely.
We now know some of the things that we did not know before.
My final question is: will the minister be able to provide clarification before the next school year starts?
Perhaps you can provide an answer before the start of the fall semester due to the number of students that need to utilize the bus services when the cold weather comes again. Would there be two school buses operating in the community of Baker Lake?
All these questions from the MLAs are all very excellent.
By the end of this week, the ministers will be receiving a lot of questions.
We should be able to provide more appropriate answers once our cabinet has begun to gel.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Question period is over.
Tabled Document 011 – 4(2): Office of the Legislative Assembly Business Plan 2014-2017 (Speaker)
I am pleased to table the Business Plan for the Office of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut for the years 2014-17. (interpretation) Thank you.
(interpretation ends) Item 16. Notices of Motions.
Motion 003 – 4(2): Extended Sitting Hours and Days (Mikkungwak)
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Netsilik, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker deems fit to assist with the business before the House during the spring sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
All those in favour. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) Opposed.
Bill 02 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015 – First Reading
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 2, Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015, be read for the first time.
Opposed. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) The motion is carried.
Bill 03 – Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 1, 2014-2015 – First Reading
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 1, 2014-2015, be read for the first time.
Bill 02 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015 – Second Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 2, Appropriation (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the Government of Nunavut to make operations and maintenance expenditures for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015.
Bill 03 – Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 1, 2014-2015 – Second Reading
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 3, Supplementary Appropriation (Capital) Act, No. 1, 2014-2015, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations to defray the capital expenditures of the Government of Nunavut for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015.
Bill 2 and Bill 3 with Mr. Akoak in the Chair.
Welcome to the people watching TV and listening to the radio.
In Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bills 2 and 3.
We wish to commence with the review of Bill 2 and the main estimates starting with the Department of Health.
Are we in agreement that we first deal with the main estimates for the Department of Health?
Bill 02 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2014-2015 – Health – Consideration in Committee
I would like to ask Minister Ell, do you have officials you would like to appear before the committee?
Hon. Monica Ell (interpretation): Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman. I would like two of my officials to join me here, please.
Do I have to state their names now?
Does the committee agree to let the minister and her officials go to the witness table?
For the record, Minister Ell, please introduce your officials.
On my right is the Interim Deputy Minister, Rosemary Keenainak, and on my left is Johan Glaudemans, Interim Finance Controller.
Please proceed with your opening comments, Minister Ell.
Good day, my colleagues and the people watching the proceedings.
I am pleased to present the Department of Health’s business plan and main estimates for the fiscal year 2014-15.
The Department of Health is seeking a net increase of $18.5 million from the 2013-14 main estimates and this represents an increase of 6.6 percent from last year’s funding.
Mr. Chairman, during the winter sitting on March 19, 2014, the department brought forward a supplementary appropriation request of $26 million to add to the 2013-14 O&M budget and most of the $18.5 million increase in 2014-15 is directly related to areas of the budget where Health has historically been experiencing budget shortfalls.
The increase will address shortfalls in the following program areas:
$6 million in the Medical Travel Program;
$9 million in the Out-of-Territory Hospital Program;
$2 million in the Pharmacy Program; and
$700,000 in the Physician Services Program.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Chairman, as members know, Health began delivery of additional diagnostic treatment services in Iqaluit with the installation of the CT scanner. Health is seeking one-time funding of $891,000 to operate this program.
It is expected that funding for future years will be provided through savings in medical travel to Ottawa.
The only other changes to the department’s budget were a transfer of $68,000 to Family Services and an increase of $25,000 for the recent fuel price change.
In addition to the funding that is provided to the Department of Health via the Vote 1 funding, the department receives additional Vote 4/5 funding for specific activities. The funding agreements are expected to provide the Department of Health with an additional $49.6 million in fiscal year 2014-15.
The main items are highlighted below.
The Health Portfolio Wellness Contribution Agreement ($19.3 million) is focused on initiatives for:
Healthy Children, Family and Communities - this funding aims to improve the quality of and access to culturally sensitive wellness programming, such as community prenatal nutrition programs, otherwise known as CPNP, child development programs, and youth empowerment projects at the community level ($6.1 million);
Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention - funding helps to reduce the high rates of chronic disease and its complications, prevents injuries, and improve healthy eating patterns ($3.2 million);
Mental Health and Addiction - this funding increases the awareness and understanding of mental health issues and addictions, and focuses on providing culturally appropriate wellness information ($1.7 million);
Home and Community Care (HCC) enables people with disabilities and chronic or acute illnesses to receive care at home in their community in order to live as independently as possible ($6.4 million);
Program Management - to support compensation, travel, materials, and supplies for program leads ($1.1 million);
Health Services Integration Fund - to further develop the capacity of community health and wellness committees across Nunavut ($822,000);
The First Nations and Inuit Health Insurance Benefits (NIHB) ($27.8 million) - The Government of Nunavut provides this service on behalf of Health Canada for non-insured health benefits to eligible Inuit and First Nations of Canada; and
Other programs that Health obtained funding also include:
Electronic Health Information System ($824,000);
Nunavut Family Physician Residents Project ($985,000);
Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System ($199,000); and
Maternal Child Health Surveillance ($152,000).
In alignment with the government’s mandate laid out in Sivumut Abluqta, the department will work towards healthy families through strong and resilient communities by focusing resources on:
supporting activities outlined in the Nunavut Food Security Strategy and Action Plan ($715,000);
realizing growth in mental health and addictions service capacity (internally funded); and performing a needs assessment for enhancing long-term care services ($30,000).
The department will also continue to work on:
The Nunavut Interoperable Electronic Health Records Program ($3.4 million);
Long-term Care ($5.3 million);
Mental Health and Addiction ($17.3 million); and
Tobacco Reduction, including implementation of the Tobacco Reduction Framework for Action ($2.5 million).
Mr. Chairman, the department has yet again set out an ambitious business plan in the upcoming year, one that will depend upon adequate fiscal and human resources.
I am certain that members will have questions and I would be pleased to take questions.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That concludes my opening comments.
Mr. Joanasie: (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Members of the Standing Committee on Social Wellness have reviewed the 2014-15 main estimates and business plan of the Department of Health.
The standing committee notes that the 2014-15 operations and maintenance budget for the Department of Health is almost $299 million which, at 22 percent, is the largest share of the government’s total Operations and Maintenance budget for 2014-15.
While the proposed 2014-15 budget for the Department of Health represents an increase of approximately 6.6 percent over the main estimates for 2013-14, members are aware that costs for service delivery in the health care field are driven by various demands which can be unpredictable and expensive to address and that the department has brought forward supplementary appropriations on a consistent basis over the years.
The committee looks forward to updates on the department’s efforts to reduce costs, especially in the area of travel, with a greater focus on delivering services within Nunavut.