EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The incident that he speaks of, which happened this past March, is very concerning to the Department of Justice.
The Department of Justice is here to assist and to ensure the security and safety of all our people who attend our court [proceedings].
The statements that were made and the outcomes of court during that period, during that incident, at the Department of Justice, we feel that it could have been addressed differently.
I think there were options open to the judges involved, the chief judge involved, as to providing more information before the court… . Actually, the court started. The court process was scheduled.
We could have found solutions to address security if it was to be an issue.
There were options of holding in-camera sessions with the victims and the witnesses and the accused, and everybody would still know what’s going on.
There was also the option of closing the court and just having the victim’s family and the accused family there for the proceedings. So we feel there were options.
This concern has been voiced to the chief justice. We do want to work with the court and the judges to benefit the system in Nunavut on a daily basis.
We do have, I believe, quarterly meetings with judge officials and this concern was voiced.
So I hope, into the future, that we can communicate better to not let a situation like this happen again.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the minister.
I think it’s important not only for Members of this House but for Nunavutmiut that they are participants of the judiciary and court of justice proceedings.
Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I think we need to remind the judge as well that the victims and those possible witnesses involved who were affected, they too have the right enshrined in the Constitution of Canada, that scheduling of court at reasonable timeframes is accorded to all victims of justice.
Having said that and in view of the fact that it will be very complicated sometimes to reschedule court hearings, any attempt to delay court proceedings without a legal reason, other than administrative issues of the court, should be prevented. Will you confirm to this House that you will communicate that to the officials in the court of justice?
I thank the member for that comment. I assure the member that the message has been communicated and will further be communicated on our meetings with the judge and his officials.
I would just like to say that security in the court is a concern to us as a government. We are, in fact, bringing forward legislation to deal with that later today.
The members are all aware that we had standing committee this morning on court security and we will be trying to move forward to provide that to Nunavutmiut.
Mr. Speaker, it was quoted in the paper, at least in the CBC report, that Judge Robert Kilpatrick indicated that enough was enough. We would also like to communicate to him as well that the whole judiciary not be used as a pawn to settle disputes within the Department of Justice.
I think it’s important that the minister indicate, aside from the legislation, that there be a proper protocol established that is clear and written as a policy guiding, if there are any disputes, whether it be security or it could be political in nature, that they address these issues with you confidentially.
Would that be possible, Mr. Speaker?
I am sure that there are going to be lots of Nunavutmiut and the judges seeing this correspondence and dialogue going on today.
So I think the communication is there. I will commit that we will continue our efforts to communicate and work together with the judges to provide safety and security in our courtrooms.
Question 387 – 3(3): Status of Removal of Abandoned Buildings in Nanulik (Ningeongan)
As the minister will recall, he and I have been exchanging correspondence over the past two years concerning his department’s role in removing abandoned MOT buildings in Chesterfield Inlet.
This project requires the removal of asbestos from the structures.
Can the minister update me today on the status of this project? I believe the cleanup was to start this summer.
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.
I thank you for your question, Mr. Ningeongan.
I believe it’s nearing three years since we initiated discussions on this topic.
It’s unfortunate that some of these projects are held back by certain problems.
What I can tell you is that the cleanup action items were identified, but we sought to ensure that the occupational and safety hazards were not a risk to the workers who had to do the cleanup. When we ran into that problem, it was exacerbated by the fact that cold weather had arrived and the project ground to a halt.
This cleanup has not been abandoned.
As a matter of a fact, during this month, we envisioned that preparations will begin and that the cleanup project will be completed by the end of July.
Mr. Ningeongan (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for clarifying the matter.
Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the Municipality of Coral Harbour sent correspondence to the Department of CGS last year concerning a similar situation in the community that relates to an old MOT building at the airport.
The building is also abandoned, deteriorating, and filled with asbestos.
Would the minister commit to providing me with a written update after the spring sitting has concluded on the status of this issue?
The previous project in Chesterfield is still ongoing. Initially, it was just going to be a review of the building materials and my department decided to take it on fully.
With respect to the other building that the member is now alluding to, this building is still owned by Transport Canada.
So long as the federal Department of Transportation still retains ownership, we cannot do much.
With respect to the derelict building that we’re talking, we still have no idea as to what plans or actions will be taken.
As I indicated in the preamble to my question, these projects require the removal of asbestos from the abandoned buildings.
I recognize that this has complicated the situation, because of the need to meet health and safety requirements during the process.
Can the minister indicate how his department ensures that contractors have appropriate training and certification in the field of asbestos removal? The previous contract was tendered to a group that didn’t really have the expertise to remove asbestos.
I also thank the member for that question.
Yes, this has been identified as an issue in the contract you referred to in Chesterfield Inlet. That was halted until a safety inspection was completed.
The current contractors have certificates to conduct hazardous cleanups.
Asbestos is not a garden variety chemical, but it requires specialized cleanup procedures outlined in the legislation governing their removal.
These regulations will be complied with during this cleanup. It is quite clear that the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety will also be conducting further inspections on this cleanup.
Mr. Ningeongan (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the minister’s response. Can the minister indicate if his department has undertaken any kind of inventory to determine how many other abandoned structures in Nunavut communities contain asbestos?
I would like to know if his department has received any reports about hazardous materials.
Hon. Lorne Kusugak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have no idea because we’re not told ahead of time what chemicals there are, so I really don’t know if there are any.
There could be, but I don’t know the answer to that.
Question 388 – 3(3): Complaints Before the Department of Health and Social Services (Enook)
Mr. Speaker, I recognize that when our constituents experience difficulties of a very personal and sensitive nature, it is not our role as MLAs to raise those issues publicly, to try to help them be resolved.
I recognize further that the Department of Health and Social Services has established a “Patient/Client Complaints Procedure” for individuals to bring their complaints forward.
Can the minister tell this House and for the benefit of the listening public what assurances he can give the residents of Nunavut that complaints from Nunavut residents about health services will be addressed and responded to in a timely manner?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank Mr. Enook for the very good question.
Mr. Speaker, since I have been the Minister of Health for a little over six months now, I sometimes feel like I’m part of a large complaints department because I get a lot of emails, phone calls, people stop me in airports, stores, or on the street. I’m sure my colleague, Mr. Curley, the former Minister of Health, knows what I’m talking about.
I assure Mr. Enook that we take all concerns very seriously. Sometimes we can’t get back as fast as we would like to because we have to contact many different people who could have been involved in the issue to get their input.
We do take all complaints seriously.
I have received several letters and verbal communications from constituents which describe in detail the difficulties they have faced and continue to face with respect to health services.
In some cases, my constituents have repeatedly sent letters to the Department of Health and Social Services and still have received no reply. I have even taken it upon myself to forward concerns to the minister’s office in the hope of getting some response on behalf of my constituents. And I do not get a reply.
Can the minister clarify for this House what steps are taken when he or his departmental officials receive a complaint about health services from a Nunavut resident?
Mr. Speaker, after the winter session, I sat down with the senior officials in my department and reviewed all the concerns that were raised in this House, very important concerns from all the MLAs.
I directed them to come up with a process that would expedite the complaints process so that people can get some timely answers.
An individual in a community should not have to email the minister or phone the minister’s department to get an answer. I believe that most complaints originate at the regional level.
We have people in all communities and health centres. We have executive directors in all regions. Those individuals should be able to address concerns.
There is a process.
If you send a complaint to certain levels or the wrong people, complaints get lost sometimes.
It’s a little bit challenging to get an email, and then have to go back through the system to get to the person who should be addressing it.
I assure Mr. Enook that we are working on it, we have taking it very seriously, and my officials are looking into it.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the minister for his response.
On March 1, 2012, my colleague from Amittuq brought forward a motion in Committee of the Whole during our deliberations on the budget and business plan for the Department of Health and Social Services that the department undertake a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of its patient/client complaints procedure.
Can the minister provide an update on the status of this review and confirm that he will indeed table a report on his findings no later than the first day of the fall 2012 sitting of the Legislative Assembly?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank Mr. Enook again for the question.
Mr. Speaker, again, the Department of Health is a very large department; we are in 25 communities. Stats are daunting.
There are 40,000 medical and escort travel one-way tickets that are issued every year.
We have thousands and thousands of people staying in boarding homes. We have over 1,500 medevacs and probably have 250,000 to 280,000 visits to health centres and at the hospital here in Iqaluit annually.
So there are a lot of opportunities for issues to arise. Our staff is very busy providing health services to Nunavummiut.
As I said earlier, we are taking the complaints process very seriously. I have instructed my officials to look at a way to provide faster response times to people who have complaints.
They have assured me that they’re working on it. I’m well aware of the motion that was made in the House.
Members recommended that we do this. Again, my officials are working on it as well.
I am aware of a number of complaints about health services in my constituency that have been raised with the Department of Health and Social Services.
I am confident that almost every single one of my colleagues will be aware of a situation where a constituent has raised a serious concern about the health services they have or have not received.
Can the minister tell this House how many complaints about health services in Nunavut have ended up being brought forward as malpractice suits during the term of this Third Assembly to date?
I again thank Mr. Enook for the question.
Mr. Speaker, I am unaware of any malpractice suits in the Third Assembly.
Question 389 – 3(3): Status of Decentralization Review (Rumbolt)
On October 21 of last year, I asked the minister a number of questions concerning the government’s functional review of decentralization, which her department was leading.
Yesterday, a decentralization action plan was tabled in the Legislative Assembly by the Minister of Human Resources.
Which minister has the primary responsibility for leading the government’s review of decentralization?
EIA has the widest responsibilities in the whole government.
Sometimes they carry out such responsibilities as the decentralization review, which EIA did.
(interpretation ends) The functional review of decentralization was commissioned by EIA as an overall government entity and Human Resources is responsible for making the decentralization plan, of which the member tabled.
Just like with other overarching government initiatives, the initiative will be started by the Department of EIA and the actual plan and implementation of the plan will be carried out by the department.
Last year, I asked if the Premier would be willing to commit to me that the government would be prepared to move more positions out of decentralized communities if the review determined that their location has a negative impact on service delivery to the public.
The Decentralization Action Plan indicates that the government will, and I quote, “aim for a better fit between positions and community, including strengths, characteristics and labour market.”
The timeline given for this action is March of 2013.
Can the minister indicate approximately how many decentralized positions that are currently located outside of Iqaluit may need to be moved?
The Government of Nunavut supports the principle of decentralization in the organization of government services.
The Government of Nunavut will also continue to situate at least 60 percent of the public service jobs outside of Iqaluit.
The task that the Department of EIA has done is over in terms of doing the functional review of decentralization.
It is now the task of the Department of Human Resources to take into the action plan.
So I believe the member’s question would be more suited to the Minister responsible for the Department of Human Resources.
My questions were to the Premier, but if she wants to direct it to other ministers responsible, that’s fine if it’s okay with you.
I would just like to know: as of today, how many of the government’s decentralized positions are vacant?
I don’t have that kind of information in my department, but the Department of Human Resources would have that information.
Are you redirecting the question to the Minister of Human Resources?
Yes, I would. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Monica Ell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) Thank you for the question.
In regard to how many decentralized positions are vacant, I don’t have that information in front of me.
I can provide a response later on, but not at this time.
I believe 60 percent of positions are required to be decentralized. That’s all I know.
The Decentralization Action Plan indicates that an overall goal of the government is to maintain 60 percent of all public service jobs outside of Iqaluit.
In the event where government jobs are or may be taken out of communities, how does the government intend to maintain the 60 percent decentralization level?
Again, the executive office’s task was done in initiating the decentralization functional review and it has been passed onto the Department of Human Resources for the action plan.
The Department of Human Resources will have those statistics and so on in working with the action plan.
Again, can I just ask you if you are redirecting that question to the Minister responsible for Human Resources? Madam Premier.
I think, at this time, the Minister of Human Resources would be the best person to respond to that if she has the information right now and, if not, she will tell you when.
The question has been redirected to the Minister of Human Resources.
Minister Ell.
The Department of Human Resources will coordinate implementation of an action plan formulated from the recommendations of a functional review of decentralization tabled as part of the commitment to strengthen the public service in Tamapta: Building Our Future Together.
Once the action plan is developed, it will be presented to cabinet for consideration.
There are about 29 recommendations in the action plan, covering a number of critical areas, including things as follows:
Improving structures and supports for decentralized public service;
Building capacity and capability to delivering programs and services;
Addressing the issues in at-risk decentralized functions;
Promoting Inuit employment; and  Practising Inuit societal values.
At this time, I do not have an exact number that the member is seeking.
Question 390 – 3(3): Minimum Wage Rate in Nunavut (Elliott)
Earlier this week, the minister tabled his department’s statutorily-required annual report on the minimum wage rate in Nunavut.
For the benefit of Nunavummiut who are following our proceedings today, can the minister indicate what his department’s report concluded?
I think the member has the report in front of him too, but the report basically concludes that the minimum wage in Nunavut is $11 an hour and it has comparisons across other jurisdictions across the country. Nunavut has the highest minimum wage.
Can the minister indicate if his department has been able to determine approximately how many residents of Nunavut are employed in jobs that pay only minimum wage?
Hon. Daniel Shewchuk: Mr. Speaker, that would be quite an undertaking to have done that and no, we do not have that information at present.
A major theme of our current sitting has been how to address poverty in Nunavut and help our constituents face the high cost of living in Nunavut.
Although Nunavut’s minimum wage is the highest in Canada, I have a hard time seeing how anyone could support a family up here on $11 an hour.
In 2010, the Legislative Assembly approved amendments to the Labour Standards Act to increase the minimum wage to $11 per hour.
Can the minister indicate when he plans to introduce legislation to increase the minimum wage?
It’s my understanding the minimum wage is set using certain criteria, that is, cost of living, inflation rates, and other information that is used standard across the country.
That information is reviewed annually and when an increase is warranted and reach a threshold, that would be looked at.
As I mentioned earlier, I sometimes wonder how people actually are able to maintain a household at minimum wage.
Within the public service, if you’re a Government of Nunavut employee, you receive your northern settlement allowance, which, in some cases, the per-hour breakdown for your settlement allowance is actually more than what the minimum wage is.
So we have residents out there across the territory who are living off of very little.
So I would ask if the minister could commit to seriously looking into this issue.
As costs of living go up across the country, especially in Nunavut too, we’re always looking into this issue and considering what a fair minimum wage would be.
Question 391 – 3(3): Crime Prevention (Oshutapik)
(interpretation ends) One of the priorities in the Government of Nunavut’s Tamapta Action Plan is the development of a “comprehensive crime prevention strategy based on Inuit societal values and involving Nunavummiut in efforts to reduce the need for intervention by the justice system.”
Can the minister tell us when he will be tabling the government’s comprehensive crime prevention strategy in the Legislative Assembly?
I have no final dates that I can commit to the member on when that document will be tabled, but it will be as soon as it’s complete.
As I noted in my Member’s Statement, there have been a number of break-ins and incidents of vandalism occurring in Pangnirtung.
Earlier in our sitting, we learned that the government has been working with the Municipality of Pond Inlet to address vandalism at the airport.
Can the minister indicate if the government would be open to working with the Municipality of Pangnirtung to address security needs in the community?
Hon. Daniel Shewchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for his question and concern in Pangnirtung.
I can assure this House that not only the Department of Justice but the government as a whole is very concerned about crime prevention in all communities. Funding is provided through community justice committees to prioritize their needs, views, and priorities in each one of their communities in regard to crime prevention.
However, I would like to state that this is not, again, an individual thing or process that we go through with crime prevention. It involves all of us, I think; the RCMP, the hamlet, the community justice committees, but first and foremost, again I think it comes to families. Crime prevention needs to start at home.
Families need to take ownership and responsibility of crime prevention and educate their children on what is right and what is wrong.
Mr. Oshutapik: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the response to my question.
In my Member’s Statement, I spoke about the importance of partnerships between all levels of government and the community.
On March 9 of last year, the Minister of Justice tabled in the Legislative Assembly a copy of the 2010-11 annual shared directional statement between the GN and the RCMP.
This important document outlines joint priorities in areas such as crime prevention.
When will the minister table this year’s shared directional statement with the RCMP?
Again I don’t have timelines, but I assure the member that when we have information that we do work with the RCMP, I will table it at the appropriate time.
Last year’s shared directional statement between the GN and the RCMP identified crime prevention as being a priority.
Can the minister highlight the major accomplishments that have taken place in the area of crime prevention?
As I stated previously, in each and every community, priorities are different in crime prevention and what the communities would like to see delivered to the community.
I know there has been work done by community justice committees in each community to deliver awareness and education in schools. Also, the RCMP has been participating in that type of process.
So there is information and the crime prevention program is going on in communities.
Question 392 – 3(3): Complaints to Health and Social Services (Ningark)
In this House, Mr. Speaker, most members don’t like to just bring out negative topics.
Nonetheless, whenever questions or information requests that our constituents relayed to us aren’t addressed, we have no choice but to bring them out in the open.
I have a question to the Minister of Health and Social Services, if he is paying attention.
The Member for Tununiq, my esteemed colleague, asked about the complaints process and how concerns were dealt with and that all members face this challenge. Yes, absolutely, when we were deliberating the budget within the House, there was even a motion made in the House directing the Minister of Health and Social Services to investigate the medical travel issue.
We receive numerous concerns.