EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Speaker, I cannot just answer him in that manner.
You are going to give us a report, you are going to review the Bill.
We cannot just agree or disagree without having the report in our hands first.
Speaker: Time is up for question period.
Return to WQ 13 – 1(3): Request for Proposals for Moving Personal Effects
Mr. Speaker, I have a return to a written question asked by Mr. McLean on April 4, requests for proposals for moving personal effects.
I am pleased to respond to my honourable colleague’s question regarding the department’s request for proposals for moving personal effects for GN employees.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Nunavut will entertain any proposal that will result in the most economical, efficient and accountable removal of Household effects for our employees.
This includes companies within Nunavut that are capable of offering this service to our government.
The Department of Human Resources has placed advertisements in the Nunatsiaq News, News North and in southern newspapers and will review each proposal on its own merit.
The department will not pre-judge the outcome of this process.
In other words, Mr. Speaker, we must act in the best interests of all Nunavummiut, while at the same time acting within the Government guidelines of NNI.
Reports of Standing and Special Committees. Reports of Standing and Special Committees.
Tabling of Documents. Mr. Ng.
Tabled Document 76 – 1(3): Business Plans for Public Works & Services and the Nunavut Housing Corporation 2000/2001
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the business plans of the Department of Public Works and Services and the Nunavut Housing Corporation 2000/2001.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng. In accordance with Motion 14 – 1(3) the Business Plans for Public Works & Services and Housing Corporation is referred to the committee of the whole.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to give notice that on Friday April 17, 2000, I will move the following motion.
Whereas section 55 (1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act requires that there shall be an Executive Council of Nunavut; and
Whereas members of the Executive Council of Nunavut are appointed by the Commission on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly;
Now, therefore I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for South Baffin, that this Assembly recommends to the Commissioner of Nunavut that Peter Kattuk, Member for Hudson Bay, be appointed to the Executive Council.
Speaker: Just for a clarification on the member’s motion.
It should state Monday, April 17, not Friday.
Bill 13, Tabled Documents 41 – 1(3), Tabled Documents 51 – 1(3), Tabled Documents 60 – 1(3), Tabled Documents 61 – 1(3), Tabled Documents 68 – 1(3).
And according to the authority vested in me by motion 3 – 1(3) the committee of the whole will stay in session until it reports itself out with Mr. Irqittuq as the Chairperson.
However the House will break for lunch and return to the committee of the whole at 1:15 p.m.. Sergeant-At-Arms.
>>House recessed at 12:13 and resumed at 1:16 p.m.
Chairperson (Mr. Irqittuq) (interpretation): Thank you very much for coming back to our meeting, the committee of the whole.
Mr. Picco if your would sit down somewhere please.
We are going to be talking about Bill 13 and also tabled documents 41-(3) and tabled document 51-1(3) and table document 60-1(3) and tabled document 61-1(3) and 68-1(3).
Those are for consideration in the committee of the whole.
Mr. Iqaqrialu, if we could invite the appropriate officials to go to the witness table and I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social services to go to the witness table, Mr. Picco.
Welcome Mr. Picco.
Would you introduce your officials.
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you Mr. Chairman and good afternoon.
With me this afternoon is the assistant deputy minister of the Department of Health and Social Services, Ms. Rosemary Cooper and on immediate right the acting deputy minister Karen Hicks.
Yesterday Mr. Picco made his opening remarks and the Standing Committee on Health's Chairperson made his opening remarks.
So we can move on to the general comments and if there is none we can go line by line on the Health and social services department.
I am pleased to see you and your department up at the witness table.
One of the main issues in the north is health and social services and I am sure you will be taking into consideration the needs of the people of Nunavut.
Mr. Chairman we have been getting more and more information on the various departments and we have identified education as a priority for the people of Nunavut.
On page seventeen we have the department of health and social services who I hope will take on the priorities of the people of Nunavut.
With that in mind I would like to ask the minister on what kind of a work plan they will have in regards to health and social services in Nunavut, and what they are going to be doing at the planning stage so that we take into consideration the needs of the people of Nunavut.
We have agreed that with the past government we hardly saw Inuit doctors, nurses or health professionals. Mr. Chairperson, since health and social services is very important do you have any plans on training and education so that we can get Inuit doctors and nurses or medical specialists or professionals.
That is my question Mr. Chairperson.
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you Mr. Chairman, that is an excellent few questions there in the members comments.
First of all with the support of the House of Nunavut, last year we were able to put in 600 thousand dollars into the first Nunavut nursing program and that is one of the first training programs to be able to fill the capacity with our nursing staff in particular.
Under that same program we have started an internal working group called the Nayait working group that is looking at the recruitment and retention issues.
Under that, one of the issues that have come up is the training aspect.
Right now we do not have a training program for doctors.
As you know Chairperson you have to complete 5 years of university and then there is an internship.
There are relatively few schools in the south or in Canada that turn out physicians, and of course it turns out what kind of physician the person wants to be a general practitioner or a surgeon or going into gynaecology or other fields.
So as a government no we haven't started any type of doctor training program, but through the department of education we have the ability to help students, especially aboriginal students and pursue those types of options and careers if they intend to do that.
Now, after saying that Mr. Chairperson, one of the other things we are trying to do with our staff at the local level, and the community level, is we have been holding a suicide workshop and a training workshop.
We have been facilitating training with our CHRs and there is some work right now, Mr. Chairperson, to do an advanced program and course for CHR training and trying to change that curriculum 2000 and in the new millennium.
So, a lot of the training aspect is going on with the nursing program and the CHR program with the social work program, professional development and working with the Nayait developing team.
So we are moving forward but there is a long way to go.
As minister of health and social services I think we have accomplished a to but there is a lot more to accomplish.
That is why we need the help of the members here and indeed with good suggestions this morning and this afternoon.
As Minister of Health and Social Services I don’t have all the answers, but those answers will come from here and the government.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you Mr, Minister.
Mr. Puqiqnak (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairperson and thanks to the minister for getting those programs started.
As we going to try and build capacity in the Territory of Nunavut especially with Inuit and aboriginal people we do see the need to train our own people.
It does seem obvious that we need some type of university up here in the north to train our own doctors and nurses and professional right in our territory.
Possibly there are students that go down to the university to upgrade and increase their education.
Which part of Canada or where do they go to university if they are going to be training to become doctors.
Is this university here or is it outside Canada.
I would also like to thank you for indicating to me that I was a bit long on that answer and I will try to keep my answers short as agreed to by the members of the caucus.
I will try to slow down for my friends in the translation booth.
Mr. Chairperson, the answer to the member on setting up a university here in Nunavut specifically is that is something the Department of Education and Arctic College would be looking at.
I know there is a proposal for something called the University of the Arctic, which would have extra curricular programs, academic programs and so on that would be done by long distance.
Tele-education services for some credit courses, but that is still in the planning stages.
The universities that the member referred to earlier, they are in southern Canada or the United States.
Most doctors practising in Canada would be going to school in Canada, although we have several good doctors that have come from over seas and the United States.
In regards to the training needs and whole we are on this subject the students at times have spouses or have children or dependants.
When a student is going to be going to school for several years, say they are trying to become doctors they will have to go to school for a number of years and they will have to have living allowances or expense allowance.
So have you any plans in your department to provide a living allowances for these students who have dependants.
Chairperson: Thank you Mr. Puqiqnak.
Mr. Chairperson the program dollars surrounding students that come out of student financial assistance.
Minister Arvaluk has indicated a thorough review will be done on the monies available on the student financial assistance already in this House.
What I can say for the nursing program as an example under the department of health.
There are opportunities for our students to win bursaries to help them in their education.
So, those monies will be available along with the same amount of money that is available for all students taking post-secondary education and so therefore will be available to the students taking the nursing program.
Yes Mr. Chairperson, I see you have a nice stop watch to time me with.
I should have said in the beginning the members have 10 minutes for their general comments.
The floor is open for general comments.
Mr. Havioyak (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairman.
In paragraph three you mentioned Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit programs and services.
Just to get a better picture, what type of examples could you point out with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit programs and services are available to Nunavut residents.
Mr. Chairperson as the member knows Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is enshrined in the Nunavut Land Claims Settlement and the Nunavut Government must consult and broadly work in its capacity to solve problems that Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit presents itself.
Mr. Chairperson some of the concrete things that we are trying to do under the department of Health and Social Services is that we are going to develop, if the budget is accepted and passed, is 115 thousand dollars for direct work with elders Mr. Chairperson.
We are looking at holding an elder’s conference to deal with territorial health and social services issues.
We are looking at working with elders in consultation of small groups of local and regional issues.
We are looking at bringing some information, translated information for health and social services issues, and printing that information in Inuktitut and Innuinaqtut and having it available for our elders.
We have about 115 thousand dollars available under Elders and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in the budget as specifically outlined as the member asked.
An individual or group, are you looking for and individual or a group.
Who can go for those programs and services.
Are you going to have some conferences with elders that overlap with the Culture, Language, Elders & Youth.
I'm just wondering where you are getting the idea for conferences.
The member is making a good point.
One of the things that we are going to try to do, and that is why it is only 115 thousand dollars, is use it in conjunction with other departments within this government.
For example, with Culture, Language, Elders & Youth we would be able to maximise and enhance the dollar values that are available.
How the elders are chosen, that is up to the regional people in our regional offices.
We will consult Mr. Chairperson with the community health committees that we are setting up right now.
Those committees, those people right from the community, they know the elders and who might be representative of the elders views and we would take those recommendations forward and suggestions from this House and its members.
That is how we are looking at it right now.
How we would be able to use that ability and the knowledge the elders have.
At this time we will have Mr. Akesuk.
First I would like to ask a question regarding the regional health and social services board that will be dissolved.
What is going to be happening with the past employees of these boards.
Hon. Ed Picco: Going back to last year when the decision was made to amalgamate the education and the health and social services boards, Premier Okalik was very strong and sure that when he announced at that time to myself and the Honourable James Arvaluk, there would be a no layoff policy.
The people on April 1 that were working with the Health and social services board are still with the health board on April 2 but they have been amalgamated into the department of health and social services.
So all the positions are there and they are still working within the department and indeed within the Nunavut Government.
Moving on to another question.
The present positions in the Health and Social Services department, what is the percentage of Inuit employees in your department.
Chairperson: Ms. Cooper or Mr. Picco.
As you know in the Department of Health and Social Services there are some very specialized trades.
Last year when we were doing the budget debate we were talking about epidemiologists.
There is only a select half a dozen to a dozen.
So when you are looking at the total number of Nunavummiut and then specifically Inuit, we are running at about forty percent throughout Nunavut, but again that takes into account the total number of employees within the department of Health and Social Services.
Looking at doctors, nurses, CNRs, CHRs and dental therapists, dentists, x-ray technologists, we are around forty percent.
We are trying to increase that number Mr. Chairperson as you know.
Mr. Puqiqnak had brought up earlier about the nursing program and the increased capacity.
I have a number of questions so I will try to make them brief as much as possible.
My first question is about Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
Since he stated this is enshrined in the government the Inuit do have their traditional methods of healing by using the traditional ways by using plants from the ground like for example if there were any accidents they would heal it them traditionally.
So I was wondering if you would be doing any type of work regarding traditional healing.
Mr. Chairperson the member makes a good point and asks a good question regarding traditional knowledge in regards to health and social services.
In response to the earlier question by Mr. Havioyak.
We talked about consultation, information gathering from our elders all over Nunavut, and also in the budget we have a little over 100 thousand dollars where we will be actually working with those who deliver the health care system.
Employees at the local level and at the regional level and indeed Mr. Chairperson, at the headquarters level to see if there are opportunities to use traditional healing methods, instruments, plants that the Inuit have traditionally used.
Mr. Chairperson in many cases that type of knowledge has been lost but the elders still retain it.
That is part of what we would like to do under part of our initiative of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
To bring back some of that knowledge and a good example is what we talked about with the traditional mid-wifery program being carried out in Rankin Inlet and using in many regards traditional knowledge when it comes to mid-wifery programs.
So , we are doing that incorporation and we plan to do more with the budget itself and specifically with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and the budget Item within the Department of Health and Social Services, which is about 115 thousand dollars.
Thank you for the answer and I am really happy that you answered me adequately. I wish to support you in that and in your endeavours.
I could practically instruct you in how to become a midwife through Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
I know that there are many practical things and I was even awed by some abilities of the elders because I was working with an elder at one point and was awed by their capacity.
They became very important to me.
I know that we will have to use the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
I just wanted to make that comment it is not a question.
However, I do have a question.
While you are the Minister of the Department of Health and Social Services, just recently I was asking you a question about the elders being sent down south without an escort.
I was wondering if these patients, elders especially will be provided with escorts when they are on medical travel down south and I was wondering if you would be able to do something about that sometime in the future.
Mr. Chairman, it's a very serious issue that the member has brought up.
This morning when the Question Period had started I was upstairs as you know, Mr. Chairman, in the Cabinet briefing room, being briefed by several of our senior officials and one of our consultants on the travel policy that we will be bringing into play.
We will be bringing it to bear here in Nunavut over the next coming weeks Mr. Chairman.
The Member is correct we do have a policy proposal it was the first time I had the chance to review it with my senior staff.
We hope to have the policy ready to come forward in the next couple of weeks.
We will present it to the member and this House and indeed to the people of Nunavut so that we have a standardised policy for escort travel and medical travel all across Nunavut.
So that the same treatment that someone gets in Clyde River they would get in Gjoa Haven and they would receive in Baker Lake, across Nunavut and that standard and criteria will be in place for that policy.
So the answer to the member's question is a yes.
I will give more opportunity to my colleagues to ask more questions and then I will ask my question afterwards.
Mr. Chairman, the Minister of Health and Social Services in his opening comments earlier this morning talked a bit about the tele-health program.
He said he would be putting a tele-health centre in one of my communities and I would like to thank the Minister for that.
In spite of that I do have another question and I'm not too sure if it's directly involved with his department but it does have an effect to his department.
Right now our technologies such as computers in one of my communities, in Arctic Bay, rather the computers the technology is not up to date so the technology is pretty slow so therefore we are experiencing problems like when we are trying to use the internet in my community.
Tele-health, I'm talking about the tele-health equipment, I was wondering if you were going to be improving the system before you put it into Arctic Bay because in Arctic Bay when we use computers the program are very slow.
The communication systems in the smaller communities need to be improved because they are very slow.
Do you have any funds allotted or do you have any plans to improve these computers.
Mr. Chairman the Member from Arctic Bay and representing the High Arctic brings up a couple of very interesting points and those points being Mr. Chairman, the concern that we have with the information highway.
With the internet services and indeed with the opportunity and the ability of Nunavut to deal with the smaller communities to be able to access and get onto the internet highway.
We realize that through the Department of Health and Social Services and the Government of Nunavut realizes that.
What we are trying to do Mr. Chairman in the capital budget for the Department of Health and Social Services is we have 1 million dollars allocated to expand the tele-health network.
It’s expected that the installation will take place in Pangnirtung in September of 2000, Igloolik in October of 2000, and yes, Mr. Chairman, Arctic Bay in November of 2000.
That timeline Mr. Chairman, gives us some time to work with and to make sure that the hub is up and running and that the access is there.
But after saying that Mr. Chairman some of the advances that we would like to do in tele-health are dictated by the opportunity and indeed the concerns with the information highway and the technical and the technology that is out there right now in the smaller communities.
I know as the Member knows sometime ago the GNWT had entered in an agreement with ARDICOM to bring that access to communities and we're seeing it Mr. Chairman.
We're seeing that access get in the communities when you, Mr. Chairman, in your community of Hall Beach now have access in one of the only local providers for the internet.
So that opportunity is there and we're moving forward so, the answer to the Member's question is a strong yes and that we're hoping to have that tele-health set-up in Arctic Bay in 2000 and at the same time Nanisivik to be able to access tele-health via Arctic Bay.
Just to add to my comment and to get further clarification.
To this day the operation of the government has been dependent on the use of systems and sometimes these computer systems break down.
On the use of tele-health communications, I attended a symposium on new technology and I got to use one of the tele-health units.
We had a very clear vision on screen and the technology was excellent but once we had problems with the computer systems that were installed already in Pond Inlet and in another community.
Have you experienced any computer system problems due to the system breaking down.
Have you ever experienced any computer system breakdowns.
Mr. Chairman we're living in a new millennium.
We're at the dawn of the 21st century and technology is moving very fast.
After saying that Mr. Chairman, with almost any system that you bring up with new technologies with new components with new hard ware and software when you are interfacing on the computer there are glitches we have experienced glitches with our telecommunications and with our tele-health network.
But Mr. Chairman, that was one of the reasons why we signed on after the Premier went to Newfoundland and Australia to look at their tele-health systems.
They have experienced those problems too.
Especially for example Mr. Chairman, when you have the aurora borealis which sometimes causes some telecommunications problems with our satellites.
They've experienced some of that in Newfoundland and also in the southern hemisphere there's something similar of course.
So we've experienced those problems and we're trying to adapt like any other jurisdiction.
The opportunity is there Mr. Chairman, so that the Government of Nunavut doesn't re-invent the wheel but to take some of the experiences and some of the set backs some of the other jurisdictions have had with tele-health and be able to use that experience so that we don't make the same mistake.
We were hoping to have a practitioner located and residing in the High Arctic and I am hoping to see this pursued and because illnesses never go away.
Ill health, sicknesses, and disease continue to stay with the people and we were hoping to have a position created as a practitioner in that community.
I was given the opportunity to show my support because the agreement was the authority would rest with the community residents.
Will this slow down the visits of the physicians to the communities once we get tele-health in place.