EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
They had to help victims through the Department of Justice and as a government, we provided temporary funding to assist these victims through the Crown Council’s Office.
Since we have now a Victim Assistance Committee, and they’re just being established to take on that responsibility, they provided some funding through the Department of Justice and we’re hoping that we’ll come up with more funding in the near future.
I am very happy that they have a Victim Assistance Committee and staff to provide that, but my question is why is there is no funding for this year for those funds?
Chairperson (interpretation): There is someone that just sat beside you.
I don’t know his name.
Could you introduce your witness?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): I apologize, Mr. Chairman.
I didn’t see him come there.
I would like to introduce our Finance Director, Pierre Chartrand.
To your question, the funding that we provided for last year, all of it was not used and we didn’t have a position in place.
As I said before, the funding doesn’t necessarily come from our department; it’s usually provided from federal funds so we wanted to help with the victims so we provided that funding last year.
Pierre Chartrand, welcome. 5-5.
The Main Estimates are provided to us.
Although we are not happy with some things within the changes, we can say all we want, we won’t make any changes as ordinary MLAs, and they’re just presented to us.
But my questions on 5-5, there was an increase of $4 thousand 130.
What was that increase for?
That question was just asked.
You will probably respond the same way.
Maybe the Member didn’t hear me.
Perhaps I’ll speak up and then maybe he’ll hear me.
Public Works and Services have the responsibility of Information Technology and they purchase computers.
But that has been transferred to over to our department and this is for providing computers.
Yes, although we have Main Estimates presented to you and many times we comment on the previous years and we try to cover them in the Main Estimates.
That’s why I'm very happy to hear your concerns when we’re doing the Main Estimates.
We also use your comments on the following year.
I understand your comment.
It was $420 thousand in 2002-2003, and then $327 thousand for 2003-2004.
Is that because the funds weren’t used up?
The response to your question is in 5-6. $90 thousand was used last year and $3 thousand for Justice.
I can say that the $90 thousand has not been expended to date.
In total we have $265 Thousand under the Victims Assistance Fund.
We now have a committee and also employees who work through this program.
Chairperson (interpretation): I have no other names on my list. 5-5. Agreed.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $2 million, 562 thousand dollars.
Chairperson (interpretation): 5-7, Justice Branch Summary, Law Enforcement.
Under the contract services, there’s $18 million 795 thousand dollars and looking at the other line items, there is only $5 thousand dollars for grants and benefits.
I would like to know what this $18 million 795 thousand dollars is used for.
In my opening comments, I stated that the highest increase would be for law enforcement because of course I was told last year to provide RCMP detachments in every single Nunavut community.
We contract the RCMP and we increased the number and we have had problems with the telephone system, so we revised that.
There have also been concerns raised about drugs in the communities so we are going to be getting a police dog that will be helping out the RCMP.
That is the reason for the increase.
I thought we had a dog.
It looks like we’re going to be getting another police dog.
I would like further information on that.
We did have a dog; he’s just not the Premier.
Of course dogs get ill and that happened to our police dog.
If we get a dog, we will need to have a handler, so this is also expensed under this line item.
This is more of a comment than a question.
It’s in regards to a major concern especially here in Iqaluit and I would like to make a comment on it.
We do seem to have an increasing number of RCMP members but in Iqaluit, we know that there are unsolved murder cases.
People are even making comments about the Unsolved Mysteries and if we look at New York for example, they could find a murderer in Greenland.
Is it not possible for our detachment to open those files again?
We’ve got more than one unsolved murder case here in Iqaluit.
I just had to make that comment because we are very concerned about it.
It was more of a comment than a question, but if the Minister would like to make a response, please feel free to do so.
I agree with the Member completely because of course we want to solve those cases.
When they are still being investigated, I can’t say much about it.
We too would like to see them solved.
These cases are still open and I can’t comment on it at this time.
I can assure the Member those files are still open and the RCMP is still investigating these murder cases.
The police have been providing updates and have regularly requested help from the community.
Page 5-7.
Please tell me if I’m out of line but I would like to ask a question regarding Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and when it’s going to be implemented into the justice system.
And if I’m out of line, please tell me so.
It seems like this question effects all government departments.
I will try to stick to the Department of Justice.
We work together with the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth on how we can incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and just recently, we made a statement saying that we now have elders who work with the inmates and also with the security guards.
We now have an Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit coordinator for three months and we’re very pleased that we do have one now.
We try to incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into the policing department.
They are bilingual and they use the Inuktitut language.
They know the Inuit culture and language and they’re especially beneficial to the elders who are unilingual.
We also have receptionists who are all bilingual because that was one of the concerns that were identified.
These were requests that you made last year.
We also are looking at healing and applying it to the inmates and to the justice system.
We also do alternative justice sentencing with the elder’s circles.
We have alternative justice systems when we put them on probation instead of putting them in custody.
Also, the Department of Justice is on their own but they do ask for advice from the elders on how to sentence those people.
So that’s part of my answer to the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
Law enforcement on page 5-7.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $18 million, 795 thousand dollars.
Mr. Mclean.
On Law Enforcement, your department has made great strides and the announcement that we will have detachments in every community in Nunavut shows a commitment by this government to provide safe communities and proper policing.
It’s good that you have two RCMP officers in those smaller communities to assist each other if there’s an incident, which brings me to the point, I see an increase in policing from last year, which is a great commitment to provide more policing in our communities and it helps make them safer communities to live in.
It’s no secret that our communities are getting more violent; crime is on the rise, etc. All the statistics that we don’t like to see but the reality at the end of the day is that crime is increasing pretty well in most communities in Nunavut.
Which gets to my community of Baker Lake, which is the fourth largest community in Nunavut and currently we have three RCMP officers and the community has been asking for a fourth member because of incidences that have happened there over the last four or five years.
Do you see in the future of providing more RCMP officers; there are more and more RCMP officers in the larger communities. One of the frustrations that they have to deal with, they say Glenn, we’re just trying to keep up with the workload that we have.
They don’t get a lot to time to do crime prevention.
Do you see an increase of RCMCP officers for the other communities?
Yes, I believe we’re going to additional policing issues.
Our priority for this past year and the past two years was Inuit policing in every single community, and now that’s done I think we can move onto other issues like more policing, but that would cost more money, so we have to find additional resources.
That is something we do every year with the RCMP, we review what they need and what they require for the territory to do their job effectively.
After this is passed, we will want to address issues that are raised here in this House.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Okalik.
On that Minister, I'm very glad to see RCMP officers and detachments opening up in Repulse Bay, I think Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove that were presently served by Rankin Inlet and they have a large detachment there for a town of 2,400.
With these additional detachments opening up, is there a surplus of officers now in Rankin Inlet?
One of the other challenges that additional policing in other communities present is that there have to be two officers in every community and those officers in those communities require some relief.
Some of the relief work is carried out of Rankin Inlet for the Kivalliq.
So that is something I believe we’ve looked at and there may be but we have to talk to the RCMP on the operations for the coming year on that.
That’s good to know Minister.
On that issue, if there happens to be a shortage in Baker Lake, just two officers at a time, could your department look at an additional officer, a relief officer from Rankin Inlet as time and necessity warrant it?
That is something that I guess the RCMP could look at, but I’ve learned that trying to move resources from one community to the other is not an easy task so I have to be careful in responding to a question like that.
When I first got elected, the big phrase in this Assembly was, this is Nunavut and we have to look at every part of Nunavut and not just one community or region.
So I am hoping that this Government is going to play by that rule and not look at their selfish ways.
On my list.
I will not be talking about decentralization.
For Law Enforcement, there is over $18 million dollars for 2003-2004.
Does bylaw get their funding from this over $18 million dollars?
We help them out a little bit.
They are the employees of the hamlet, and their funding comes under Community Government and Transportation.
In my community of Clyde River they are used quite a bit, especially at night.
Perhaps because they are being used in the communities a lot is there any way that you have thought about increasing the funding that you give to the bylaw officers in the communities?
We used to have the help of the Federal Government.
They contributed some funding for the bylaw officers, but what we do is we work along with Community Government and Transportation and those bylaw officers get their funding from Community Government and Transportation.
Mr. Havioyak (interpretation): While we are on the subject of the Department of Justice, I want to talk about the RCMP.
If we are in somewhere else, please remind me.
It was a few days ago that I had mentioned this item.
Sometimes the RCMP Officers want to stay in the communities longer.
The Federal Government and the Nunavut Government have an agreement on policing.
Can you maybe clarify the agreements that they have between the Federal Government?
I am talking about, maybe it might be mentioned somewhere else?
Sometimes the policemen want to stay longer in the communities.
If the RCMP officers wanted to stay in the communities longer then the Nunavut Government could probably say yes, but the Federal Government has other priorities; they tend to move the policemen earlier than expected.
Perhaps you could look into that.
Yes, I agree with the Member and I am happy to hear that some of the RCMP would like to remain and the community would like them to remain in the community.
Perhaps if I could get my Deputy Minister to explain a little bit further about the retention of RCMP.
Just briefly about the agreements that we have with the RCMP.
Operational matters are left for the RCMP and that includes things like specific investigations and also where they place different members and who they place there.
We work very actively on the broader policy issue and that includes the policy of how frequently they transfer members and that kind of thing.
That’s a matter that is under active discussion with the RCMP right now.
I think that all of these things are evolving processes.
It used to be they transferred them after one year.
And now the standard is to two years and they’re actually given a choice if they’re being brought up from the south of coming for three years in one place or two years in another.
We’ve had quite a few discussions with them on it and it’s a complex matter because they don’t want to have all the members in the detachment leaving at the same time.
So if they’re both staying for three years, that’s fine, but if one wants to stay for three and one for two, then they lose them both in one year.
And you lose continuity.
Those are the kinds of factors they look at.
They also look at the needs of each community and sometimes although someone has done a very good job where they are, there’s another community where they feel they’re needed more.
They also, as with all personnel kinds of issues, those that make the decisions within the RCMP, are looking at the individual members and their families and factors that may or may not be common knowledge to the community as to that person’s career aspirations or the health of their families.
We had a discussion even earlier this week on that topic.
It is one that on a policy basis we’re very actively discussing with the RCMP, generally under the contracts we don’t get involved in a specific decision about which member is placed where.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Saunders.
I'm glad to know the issues on the table of our discussion to see what way we can accommodate some of the communities.
We need to have those officers in the community longer.
Like you said, the continuity; working with the youth.
It makes a difference to the community.
You mentioned the agreement is mostly financial aspects of the federal and territorial policing.
You said Operations and Maintenance because again when you’re talking about Operations and Maintenance, RCMPs are in the community.
I’m just wondering why, I know it’s not that, I’m just trying to make sure we cover all the issues.
Why don’t we have them say as to where the RCMP wants to stay there because he or she is making a difference in that community?
So I just want to say that and see where we can go with that.
Like I said in my statement, it makes a difference to that community.
When did you start the discussion on this or how much longer is it going to take?
Do you have any idea or do you have plans that are not going to take too long down the road to discuss this issue.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Yes, Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It’s been a subject that’s been under discussion for a couple of years and I can’t say when those discussions will conclude.
We’ll keep it an issue and keep it alive as long as this issue is a concern for the Members.
So, we’ll keep it under discussion and hopefully we’ll get some movement.
Operational details have to be agreed to by the RCMP.
Yes, we provide a substantial amount of money but we also rely on their expertise to do their jobs in all of our communities.
So, we try and work together and we will do that on this issue.
Mr. Havioyak: Thank you, for your response.
This is not a question but mostly a comment.
When you really get down to the dollars and the financial aspects of this, I stand corrected if I say that the Nunavut Government is financing 70 percent of this, I think?
If that’s what it is, we should have more power on some of these issues that we need to do in Nunavut.
Yes, I believe we contribute 70 percent of the operation costs and we try to get our views known and yes, it takes time but we’re getting movement on other areas like new policing positions, we’re getting more Inuit trained and so those things are happening.
It requires some discussion and it takes time to work these out in some cases.
I will not interfere in the operation of the RCMP as a politician because once you get there it’s not good.
We’ll leave the operations to the RCMP and let them do their jobs but try to have a role in the positive contributions that they’re making in our territory.
Mr. Havioyak, do you have another question?
I just want to go onto another issue.
It seems to me, and I could be wrong on this because I’ll use a corporal as an example, where we are not creating any trainees or for Inuit who wants to be an RCMP, we’re not getting people out there, not trying to get young people interested as officers for the community or for Nunavut.
Maybe this question was asked earlier, but I’ll ask it again.
How are we trying to promote this to the communities, to the beneficiaries especially?
Why are we not trying to find out if there is interest in each community?
We should send a message to young people and say that we need more Inuit officers.
Yes, I believe the RCMP have travelled to the communities and done recruitment trials in all the communities in Nunavut.
In addition, they’ve done posters to promote more Inuit to join the RCMP and I believe one of the Inuit officers will be getting posted in Kugluktuk for example to show that Inuit are welcome in the RCMP.
We’re trying to post them wherever it’s possible so that the young Inuit of today can see that they have position in the RCMP if they want.
Mr. Havioyak (interpretation): Most of us know that there is not too much coming out from my community or the region itself.
We should try to make an effort, through the RCMP, yes, but also through the Hamlet Council.
I am sure they can.
I am just trying to say and make the extra effort where we are not getting trainees to these offices.
Yes, I would encourage the Member to assist us, if he knows bright young Inuit, for example, in his home community that would be a good prospect to be recruited, please let the RCMP know.
We are always looking for recruits.
With hamlets, we have trained bylaw officers, and they have moved onto the RCMP in a number of cases.
So we try and find them wherever we can.
I appreciate if the Members can help us with recruiting Inuit members.
My question is related to the Minister’s comment.
The Minister said that there are some relief RCMP Officers in Rankin Inlet.
How many are there in Rankin Inlet?
We are trying to see how many RCMP Officers are in Rankin Inlet, and we are trying to see how many relief RCMP Officers there are for the Kivalliq region.
As soon as we find out how many RCMP Officers are in the communities, we will give the information to the Members.
Yes I know that the Minister will give me the information later on.
In regards to the interpreters in the courts, the court interpreters, are there any French speaking interpreters for the court system at the present time?
Yes, when we come to that page, I could answer that.
We do not have a French interpreter on hand, but we contract them out when the need comes.
We also have names of interpreters in Inuktitut in each community who are available for court interpreting.
If anyone wants to become an RCMP Officer, it takes a lot of work to be trained as an RCMP Officer.
I know some people who took some training in Regina.
They just got sent home because maybe they could not do the training that they were required to do.
Can the Minister tell us whether what is involved in training an RCMP Officer?
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you. Minister Okalik.
Entering into the RCMP training program is very hard because you have to have a certain level of education, but when they require further education they are trained and they take course and if they are not finished with that program that they did previously they have a chance to enter the training program again if they wish to.
That’s what happened in the past. We know that people have just quit before they finished because policing isn’t for everyone, it’s for people who are really committed to being in law enforcement that pass this program.
The $18 million under Law Enforcement for Operations and Maintenance, I don’t think there are any policies that state that if an Inuk is going to be an RCMP officer they have a choice as to where they want to go to be a police officer anywhere in Canada, they don’t specifically have to be in Nunavut.
Yes, there is no policy where they should be stationed; they can be anywhere in Canada.
It helps that some of these Inuit RCMP officers get experience down south and they can learn about the policing system from the southern point of view and it’s a good experience for them.
We have been seeing an increase in Inuit RCMP officers in the last few years.
Has anyone that is an Inuk gone down south to be an RCMP officer after they’re finished their training?
I think there was one or two who have had a chance to go outside of Nunavut, just for short periods.
But a majority of the time our Inuit prefer to be in the north.
Perhaps in the future younger people might be interested in being police officers down south.
Chairperson (interpretation): Before I go back to my list of names I would like to recognize just behind Rebekah, an Inuk RCMP officer here in Iqaluit, welcome.
You came in at the right time when we’re talking about law enforcement.
Back to our orders.
We talked about the agreement, the O and M for that office detachment in each community.
And they do have a clerk or a secretary for the operations of the detachments.
Are these positions funded in these areas too?
Yes, most detachments don’t have any clerks, they don’t have the numbers.
In some of the communities they do have a few, but they’re part of the contract for the RCMP.
These positions, I mentioned clerks or officer workers or secretaries to the officers, I’ll give you an example.
In Kugluktuk, it is funded by the hamlets through one of the programs that they have within the hamlet in the agreement they have, an IIBA where they get money from the mining company, so there are individuals who get some contributions from the hamlets.
But that can’t be forever, the hamlet can’t continue to fund this position in that detachment.
Can the department look into this because it’s identified in my community that it’s needed while the RCMP are out there in the field and we have an Inuk worker that can communicate with the Inuit in the community.
So I think the department should look further into this and say yes.
It’s an identified position that’s needed in the community.
Yes, that is one of things that we looked at in discussions with the RCMP on support staff for the RCMP.
For this past year, the past two years that I said, the focus has been trying to get policing in every community and that is why we diverted our resources to that area.
But in terms of support staff that is a subject that I believe that will be discussed further.
It’s not cheap.
We looked at it and we couldn’t afford it for this coming year.
So, we’ll see. If we can find resources, then we could but the focus has been policing for the past three years.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Okalik. 5-7, Justice Branch Summary, Law Enforcement.
I don’t have anyone else for general comments.
Total Operations and Maintenance $18 million, 795 thousand dollars. Agreed?
Chairperson (interpretation): 5-9, Justice Branch Summary. Legal Services Board. Total Operations and Maintenance. $3 million, 357 thousand dollars.
I have a question on Maliganiik Tukisiniarvik Board instead of the summaries figures.
As I stated, legal aid is not readily available in the communities and it is not as visible although you seem to have adequate funding for legal aid, has the legal aid services to the communities withered away?
Is it not being managed properly? Can you clarify this please?
Can he clarify his question?
What do you mean by no legal aid is available in the communities?
Can you clarify your question?
Chairperson (interpretation): Can you clarify that Mr. Iqaqrialu?