EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Tabled Document 081 – 4(2): 2013-2014 Annual Report of the Nunavut Housing Corporation (Kuksuk)
Hon. George Kuksuk (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I am pleased to table the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s 2013-14 annual report.
Tabled Document 082 – 4(2): Public Accounts 2013-2014 (Peterson)
I am very pleased to table the 2013-14 Public Accounts of the Government of Nunavut.
This is the first time in 15 years that we have completed the accounts on time and have been able to table them during a regular session of this Assembly…
…without having to table them through other mechanisms.
I want to thank all of our officials across the government for working hard to achieve this milestone.
Tabled Document 083 – 4(2): 2015 Sitting Calendar (Speaker)
As required under Rule 3(2), I am tabling today a copy of the Legislative Assembly’s sitting calendar for 2015.
Tabled Document 084 – 4(2): Nunavut Business Credit Corporation’s Annual Report 2013-2014 (Kuksuk)
Tabled Document 085 – 4(2): Nunavut Development Corporation’s Annual Report 2013-2014 (Kuksuk)
Hon. George Kuksuk (interpretation): Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I also wish to table the following documents:
NBCC’s 2013-14 annual report; and
The Nunavut Development Corporation’s 2013-14 annual report.
Tabled Document 086 – 4(2): Northwest Territories and Nunavut Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal 2013 Annual Report (Peterson)
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal 2013 Annual Report.
Tabled Document 087 – 4(2): Issues in the Governance of Canadian Hospitals, Part I: Structure and Process (Angnakak)
Tabled Document 088 – 4(2): Issues in the Governance of Canadian Hospitals, Part IV: Quality of Hospital Care (Angnakak)
I would like to table two articles that are part of a series on hospital governance in Canada.
As my colleagues will be aware, I feel strongly about the establishment of a board of management at the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
I encourage all members to read these articles.
Tabled Document 089 – 4(2): Quality Protects Action Plan (Hickes)
I would like to table a document which was provided to the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts during our public hearings on the Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut on the 2014 Follow-up Report on Child and Family Services in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, witnesses from the Department of Family Services attended the hearings this past September and provided a copy of the department’s Quality Protects Action Plan in response to the Auditor General’s recommendations. That document is now part of the public record.
As noted during the proceedings, the standing committee encourages the government to provide regular updates on the progress achieved in meeting the objectives outlined in this action plan.
Tabled Document 090 – 4(2): Story from CBC News Regarding Cape Dorset Health Centre (Joanasie)
I wish to table today a story from the CBC News website concerning a recent incident in Cape Dorset involving the community’s health centre.
Mr. Speaker, the issues raised in this story are very serious and we need to think seriously and calmly about how to address them.
Tabled Document 091 – 4(2): Process for Resolving Health Care Concerns (Joanasie)
I am tabling another document. Mr. Speaker, I will be tabling my Members’ Statement on the process of resolving health centre concerns for the public record.
I have no more names. Item 14.
Motion 014 – 4(2): Establishing a Hospital Board of Management (Angnakak)
WHEREAS boards of management are the standard mechanism for hospital governance across all Canadian jurisdictions, including our two neighbouring territories;
AND WHEREAS Nunavut has one hospital, the Qikiqtani General Hospital, which provides services to Nunavut residents;
AND WHEREAS the Qikiqtani General Hospital is currently administered by the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Health, which is bound by government processes and procedures for financial management, staffing, and the delivery of services at the hospital;
AND WHEREAS establishing a hospital board of management at the Qikiqtani General Hospital could allow for more effective financial oversight, including the ability to fundraise, more input on human resources management, more direct involvement in patient care and patient relations, and an enhanced ability to determine quality of care;
AND WHEREAS the membership of a hospital board of management at the Qikiqtani General Hospital could include a diverse range of skills, expertise, and representation;
AND FURTHER I MOVE that the government report on its considerations and findings to the House on the first day of the 2015 spring sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
I am pleased to take this opportunity to speak to the motion before the House today.
Mr. Speaker, this motion encourages the government to fully consider the merits and benefits of establishing a board of management at the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
Mr. Speaker, across Canada, the standard mechanism for hospital governance is the board of management.
Mr. Speaker, one of the key benefits to having a hospital board of management is to improve financial responsibility.
As we are all very much aware, the Department of Health struggles with cost overruns on a yearly basis.
I believe that with a board’s closer financial oversight, operations at the hospital level could be more directly and economically managed.
In addition, as an organization at arm’s length from the government, a hospital board could register as a society or as a charity and conduct any number of fundraising activities.
A government entity does not have access to such alternative funding options.
Mr. Speaker, another area that the government struggles with is the staffing of health professional positions.
With a board that focuses directly on a vision and strategic plan for the hospital, professional staff can be specifically recruited and specialized training or service delivery programs could be established which would enhance the type and quality of care.
Mr. Speaker, there are many successful individuals in Nunavut who have much to offer the territory.
There is a diverse range of expertise, business acumen, experience, and understanding that could be positively applied to the hospital’s management.
We also have several long-term professionals in the health care field whose expertise and experience can be drawn upon to help make effective decisions in the management of operations at the hospital.
I believe that we should be taking advantage of what these highly skilled individuals can offer.
Mr. Speaker, Nunavut is unique in its cultural and linguistic characteristics. Providing quality patient care must take these characteristics into consideration.
A board of management could play an important oversight role in developing policies and determining how patient relations can be best supported within the hospital environment.
Mr. Speaker, like most hospitals across Canada, our hospital undergoes a voluntary accreditation process every few years.
A board of management could contribute greatly to ensuring that quality improvement efforts are in line with recommendations following an accreditation audit.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that when the government gives full consideration to establishing a board of management at the Qikiqtani General Hospital, the many benefits and merits of taking this step will be clearly demonstrated.
I encourage all members to join me in supporting this motion.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) To the motion. Ms. Ell.
Motion 016 – 4(2): Amendment to Hospital Board of Management (Ell)
As Minister of Health, I will speak to the motion.
Mr. Speaker, the cabinet noted that the motion says that “the Government of Nunavut undertake a comprehensive review of the merits and benefits of establishing a board of management for the Qikiqtani General Hospital.”
The cabinet has discussed the motion and will perform a review as requested to look at the merits and benefits but also the logistics, administrative and financial aspects of a board of management for the Qikiqtani General Hospital. We will ensure that a balanced approach on the pros and cons are documented.
Given the comprehensive review requested, cabinet would like an amendment to the motion to extend the date for reporting from spring 2015 to fall 2015.
The cabinet appreciates the member bringing the motion forward and, with this amendment to reporting, cabinet will be supporting the motion.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The motion to amend is in order.
I would just like to take this time to say that I think we all accept that request for amendment. Thank you very much for your support.
Speaker: The motion is on the floor.
All those in favour. To the amendment, yes.
To the motion as amended.
Today, I kept talking about health issues and I am in support of this motion to have a comprehensive review of the Qikiqtani General Hospital, whether we need to establish a board of management for the hospital.
On top of that, also the needs of the smaller communities in Nunavut have to be considered to ensure that their health centres are properly managed.
It is a major concern and I talked about it earlier. Some of my constituents would like to see an independent review on health services.
I am in full support of the motion and to say that I am very thankful of the fact that my colleagues are in support of the motion.
Speaker: I have no more names on my list.
To the amended motion.
The motion is carried as amended.
Bill 11 – An Act to Amend the Corrections Act – Second Reading
Hon. Paul Okalik: Merci Monsieur le President.
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Iqaluit-Manirajak, that Bill 11, An Act to Amend the Corrections Act, be read for the second time.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This bill amends the Corrections Act to provide rules respecting the use of physical restraints.
It also repeals the section dealing with the administration of drugs and increases access to inmates in segregated confinement.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The bill is in order.
The bill is carried and Bill 11 is referred to the Standing Committee on Legislation. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) The motion is carried.
Bill 12 – An Act to Amend the Tobacco Tax Act – Second Reading
Hon. Keith Peterson: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Pangnirtung, that Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Tobacco Tax Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Tobacco Tax Act by adding a definition of “price at wholesale” and differentiating between additional types of tobacco.
Bill 12 is referred to the Standing Committee on Legislation.
Bill 13 – An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act – Second Reading
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Netsilik, that Bill 13, An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this Act amends the Vital Statistics Act to allow for the addition of the particulars of a parent of a child after initial registration to allow for changes to the sex designation on a birth certificate, to add certain duties of the coroner with respect to death registration statements, to allow for the maintenance of electronic records, and to address certain decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada.
The motion is carried and Bill 13 is referred to the Standing Committee on Legislation.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters. Bills 7 and 9 with Mr. Akoak in the Chair.
In accordance with the authority granted to me by Motion 11 – 4(2), the committee will stay in session until it reports itself out.
>>House recessed at 15:45 and Committee resumed at 16:16
Chairman (Mr. Akoak): Good afternoon, Inuit, colleagues, (interpretation) and the people watching the televised proceedings and listening to the radio broadcast. (interpretation ends) Welcome.
The committee meeting will come to order. In Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bills 7 and 9.
We wish to continue with Bill 7, followed by Bill 9.
Are we in agreement that we continue with Bill 7, Supplementary Appropriation (O&M) Act, No. 1, 2014-2015?
Chairman: Does the committee agree to have Mr. Peterson’s staff go to the witness table?
Chairman: Sergeant-at-Arms, please allow the staff to go to the witness table.
To my right is Deputy Minister of Finance Chris D’Arcy and to my left is Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance Peter Tumilty.
We were on page 5. Family Services. Operations and Maintenance.
Total Corporate Management. $88,000.
Total Children and Family Services. Not Previously Authorized. $179,000.
Total Career… .
During our committee review of the bill, this item is where we ended up adjourning at.
We were informed of the purpose of this item, but it wasn’t very clear.
Perhaps I could be reminded, through you, Mr. Minister of Finance, and if you can ask the Minister of Family Services to remind us of the exact purpose of this $159,000 fund.
If I could quote from the Hansard, the question yesterday from Mr. Enook, what does this $159,000 residential care look like? Who are we talking about? Who needs residential care?
Children or people in the hospital?
Is it people in foster care? Which one are we talking about?
Mr. Chairman, to answer that question, I would like to redirect the question to the Minister of Family Services.
Hon. Jeannie Ugyuk: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for the member asking for the question.
I would like to first apologize. I took directly that FMB submissions were highly confidential and not to be brought down to the leg. for my information purposes.
I didn’t have it with me yesterday, so I apologize to the Member for Tununiq.
Mr. Chairman, the money identified is being used to offset a deficit in the department’s residential contracts for out-of-territory services, not to fund a particular contract.
Residential care services are demand-driven, meaning that it’s difficult to predict the number of clients who will require such services.
Our department has the responsibility to ensure that those who need the service get it. Our department is currently conducting a variance analysis which points to deficits in areas, so we require the funds to ensure that we’re able to provide this important service to Nunavummiut. That’s residential care.
Do I understand that this fund is for the residential care units for patient care outside of the territory, perhaps in southern locales? Is this fund specifically to pay for these residential care services? Is that what they want to use it for?
To answer Mr. Enook’s question, yes.
Looking at the current stats in one of my briefing notes, family services range from provision of care for Nunavummiut who are elderly, children, young adults, cognitively or physically challenged, or those who are otherwise unable to care for themselves.
If we don’t have those facilities in Nunavut, we will make arrangements for those individuals to be cared for in the south.
I had a copy of yesterday’s Hansard earlier, but I can’t find it now.
I raised that question about the purpose of this $159,000 fund. From what I read, it was transferred from the Department of Finance to the Department of Family Services in order to have the funds available for their use.
Now, what was the original purpose of this $159,000 fund within your department? What was the original purpose of this line item when it was still part of the Department of Finance budget?
Mr. Chairman, the position in the Department of Finance was a senior advisor on human resources and we deleted that position. That position then came over in a reorganization and we determined that we didn’t require the position, so we deleted it. The Department of Family Services required additional funds for residential care and we thought that that would be a good use for that funding.
Personally, I have never heard of a position being eliminated from a department and the funds being transferred to another department for program funding before.
Maybe this had occurred in the past or maybe it occurs all the time.
Throughout my career with the Government of Nunavut, I have never heard of a circumstance such as this. Could the minister maybe explain to me how frequent this is?
Mr. Chairman, it doesn’t happen very often.
Again, as I explained to Mr. Enook, it was part of the reorganization of the government going back to 2012.
We determined that we didn’t require the position. To help the other department, we assisted them that way.
To us, our use of funding sounded like a good, efficient, and effective way.
There is no point in keeping a position in a department if you don’t need it and if it can help somewhere else in the government. We did follow the appropriate mechanisms to make that happen.
Maybe the minister could elaborate on what those mechanisms are to eliminate a position.
For the benefit of the listening public, I’m going to ask my deputy minister to take us through the detailed technical aspects of making things like this happen.
We took a look at our organizational structure and also talked to Family Services with respect to what their needs were. As part of the reorganization, we had kept these three positions in the Department of Finance.
We needed the senior advisor for a year to get our feet wet on HR matters. We also determined that there were two positions that probably could better assist Family Services in corporate services than they were doing in the Department of Finance. In other words, we would be able to live without them.
We did up the calculations to show how the value of those positions was and agreed with the Department of Family Services to make the switch. That ended up with an FMB submission and a cabinet submission as well, one, to move the money over and two, to move the positions and also to physically delete that position from our org. chart, the one that was not staffed and that we weren’t using.
Presumably, this will go through this afternoon and that Bill 7 will get read into law. At that point in time, the whole of the change will crystallize and the funds will be appropriated to Family Services and the funding reduced from the Department of Finance.
Physically how to do that is making some adjustments in the ePersonality system.
I can appreciate the additional funding needed for residential care, but I can’t help but go back to numerous comments I have made and just highlighting the fact that we really need to start looking at bringing people and their care closer to home.
I know that the Department of Family Services and the Department of Health are working towards that, and I just want to give them my full support in those endeavours.
That being said, I just have one final question, Mr. Chairman.
Are there any other positions that are anticipated that you guys will be cutting from your department and, if so, what positions those might be?
Mr. Chairman, we don’t foresee deleting any other positions at the Department of Finance in the foreseeable future.
I have no more names. Family Services.
Total Children and Family Services. $179,000.
Total Career Development. $1,100,000.
I have probably just a very brief question. I understand that this is matching funds that were matched with the federal government, so we have $2.2 million to spend on the Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities.
Earlier this week, I had asked another minister questions regarding the labour market agreement. I guess what I am getting at is: what are these dollars going used to actually do?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Mr. Hickes for asking for clarification.
If I can read and quote from the briefing note, under education and training, they would use the funds to augment existing programs, such as Adult Learning and Training Supports.
Under employment participation, they would use the funds to develop and enhance programs that promote and enable persons with disabilities to enter the labour market, such as through the job support programs for small businesses.  Under employment opportunities, the funds would be used to enhance existing on-the-job training programs, such as training-on-the-job and potentially pilot new delivery options.
Under connecting employers and persons with disabilities, the funds could be used to develop advertising materials to improve public and employer awareness and persons with disabilities and their capacity to contribute to their communities in meaningful ways that promote self-reliance.
Finally, under building knowledge of the whole area, building knowledge of all the programs and how to assist people with disabilities and how they can promote or increase participation in the labour market, that is essentially the bottom line, to help our disabled across Nunavut.
I think, as I said yesterday, it’s not for health and wellness; it’s more to help people with disabilities enter the labour market and contribute meaningfully in our territory.
Just a reminder, we have interpreters who need to keep up.
One final question regarding this topic.
I understand that there is a lot of career development, information-sharing, and bringing attention and awareness.
Are there monies available to assist people with disabilities with actual equipment or mobility to assist them in entering the workforce?
I must apologize, I don’t have that level of detail in the materials I have here.
If the Minister of Family Services wants to answer that question, she may be able to provide that information.
If the budget got approved, then the Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society would be funded. We would understand more about what disabilities they have.
As for that extra information, we don’t have any figures in Family Services as to how many people are in that condition.
Maybe the minister misunderstood.
I was more getting at the specialized equipment or potential different types of wheelchairs or different types of mobility equipment that may be needed to assist somebody with disabilities enter the workforce.
Would those types of products be available under this budget line as well?
I have been scanning through the detailed information on this program, and I just can’t see... .
It is more providing with training and those kinds of supports to work in the workplace. I can’t see where it offers providing or building ramps or new doors or specialized equipment. Those kinds of programs may be available through Family Services through other programs.
That money is for the Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities.
My first questions is, from the federal government program, disabilities get a one-time-per-year subsidy or help from the federal government.
Will this program affect that government program?
Mr. Chairman, this program is a four-year program.
There is no indication or we have no knowledge that this new program would affect any other programs for disabled people.
Mr. Mikkungwak: Just for clarity, what I’m referring to is the disability tax credit, which is filed by individuals with disabilities across the territory and across the nation.
In addition to that, my next question is: when you look at the Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities to get into the workforce, does this also taken into consideration elders with disabilities and are receiving a pension?
I thank Mr. Mikkungwak for his question.
On the tax-related one, I don’t believe that that would be affected.
This program is to get disabled people into the workforce.
If there is a senior, depending on what the definition of senior is, they would qualify.
Obviously, if they are out of the workforce and they have no plan to be in the workforce, I would say that they would probably not benefit from this program.
Total Department. $1,367,000. Not Previously Authorized.
Not Previously Authorized. Total K-12 School Operations. $3,519,000.
Total Curriculum and School Services. $61,000.
Total Adult Learning and Educational Initiatives. $5,000.
Total Department. Not Previously Authorized. $3,585,000.
Operations and Maintenance. Not Previously Authorized. Total Health.