EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I recall reading somewhere that the design was going to do away with the bells and whistles and just have basic finishings. I take it that that means that it’s going to be a very tight budget.
Can you comment on whether the project is within the budget and on schedule?
Will it be ready in 2006?
As I said in my opening comments, yes, it is on schedule.
We’ve done our utmost to make sure that the costs are maintained, and where ever possible reduced.
We are relocating the current furnishings over to the new court house.
They are being used so that we can reduce the costs.
We will be utilizing the skills deemed by the inmates to fix up the new facility.
This project was approved by the last government, so it’s with the new government now. This is the first time that we’ve taken a look at the project.
Can the Minister explain to us why in this tight financial environment that we’re in, why we have to spend 15 - $18 million for a new Justice Centre when we could just as easily spend that money on housing?
As I said, the lease runs out in 2006, so it is an opportune time for us to actually build our own facility.
The current facility is inadequate and insecure and the facility does not accommodate security issues in relation to high profile proceedings that may take place.
It poses a security risk for members of the public.
So it became quite obvious that a new facility would have to address those concerns.
Could the Minister tell us how many people will be working out of the Justice Centre and how many judges will be operating out of there?
From what I understand there are currently 34 court workers and 3 judges that we’ll be locating there.
We’re on page E-6, agreed?
Chairman (interpretation): We’ll go to E-8.
Are there any questions on E-7 or E-8?
Did you say on page E-8 to ask questions?
Chairman: Just a minute.
Mr. Peterson: I’m getting ahead of myself here.
In the headquarters region, there is an amount for $449,000 for a men’s correctional and healing facility, corrections and community justice.
Could the Minister tell us a little about that project and where it’s projected to be located?
I see going forward to 2006-10, that there is an additional $4,286.000, that is to be requested.
Can you update us on that project, Mr. Minister?
Yes, as I said in my opening comments, we are currently over housed in correctional services.
BCC is always overflowing and we end up shipping the inmates to either Ottawa or Yellowknife.
The Kugluktuk facility will assist us in addressing some of those concerns but we will continue to need another facility to manage ourselves.
So, we’re committed to building another facility similar to Kugluktuk before the end of our term.
When I was on the Hamlet Council in Cambridge Bay, the issue came up several times about offenders being sent to the Iqaluit Baffin Correctional Centre for remand. The people in town and the community council wanted a facility built closer to home to help look after the offenders and the Kugluktuk Healing Centre certainly contributes to that.
I am wondering if the minister has given more thought to how the offenders, from the western part of Nunavut, will be housed in facilities a little bit closer to home, rather than coming all the way to Iqaluit.
I don’t know where this facility is going to go, but it’s certainly going to be important where it’s placed to help all the offenders in Nunavut stay in their relative area where they come from.
Well, that is being built; we are in the final stages of completing the Kugluktuk Healing Facility so that we can keep as many inmates that originate in the west in a western facility.
So that’s the goal, and that’s what we are trying to do.
Chairman: Thank you. (interpretation ends) Do you have any more questions, Mr. Peterson?
I appreciate and understand what you are trying to do with our Kugluktuk healing center.
I think those are probably going to be minimum security type offenders.
I am more concerned about the more serious offenders, the dangerous and violent offenders that I was talking about the other last week in the House.
Would the offenders receive rehabilitation and counselling, before they are returned to their communities.
If the minister could comment on that?
As I stated in the past, we can send inmates through the under two or three years throughout facilities, but once they go past two years, then they are out of our reach, they are at the federal penitentiary level.
So we have lobbied the federal government to try and get a federal facility in Nunavut in the past.
Unfortunately, we have not been successful.
So what we are trying to do is trying to gain some management over where we are at jurisdictions on territorial inmates.
So the more serious offenders are usually shipped to the federal penitentiaries and that’s where the distinction is made.
For inmates that will continue to require maximum or heavy, they will probably be residents here in Iqaluit where there is heavier security at the facility.
Our goal is to try and maximize regional facilities.
Could the minister just comment on how many inmates they have at the Baffin Correctional Centre, that they currently have?
How many was the facility designed for?
From what I understand, there are currently 80 inmates, and it was originally designed for 55 inmates.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Minister. (interpretation) Do you have any further questions, Mr. Peterson?
With those numbers in mind, perhaps the minister could offer the House some insight into what type of situations could develop in a facility where you have overcrowding among dangerous offenders, and other offenders.
We do not speculate on what may happen because that is not the goal.
What we are trying to do is trying to reduce those numbers by building additional facilities and building more capacity.
So that is why we built Kugluktuk and that is why we are planning to build other facilities in Nunavut.
Chairman: Thank you. Mr. Peterson. (interpretation) We are on page E-8.
Mr. Kattuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want clarification on the Correctional Healing Facility.
Where would the location be?
Have you already considered the location of that?
We already know the location.
We don’t want to have any safety issues for any community in Nunavut.
Our goal is to have an RCMP in the community readily available, just in case there were any emergencies because the correctional facility needs the RCMP available, although we have not identified the location of this facility.
Chairman: Thank you. Mr. Kattuk.
I think I understand that this is more geared to the regional headquarters.
If they wanted to have that facility in their community, can they make a request?
Although we have not identified the location, we have to look at the safety concerns and issues.
So, that’s part of our goal and we don’t want to have any health and safety issues to anyone.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Kattuk, do you have any further questions.
We’re on page E-8.
(interpretation ends) Corrections and Community Justice, Detail of Capital.
Total headquarters region, $608,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Agreed.
Page E-9.
Corrections and Community Justice.
Total Baffin Region, $306,000.
What is the $70,000?
Is that for a study?
This is the BCC study that the member is referring to.
As I alluded to, it is currently overflowing, so we’re trying to find better ways of managing that right now.
I was just curious because I just looked an inch and a half over to the right; there is a big number, $35,000,408 for 2006-2010.
Are you planning some major retrofits down the road?
Is that what the study is related to?
Those figures aren’t final so that’s just a figure to work with.
So the study will determine the exact number and we’ll have to go back to the House for approval once that study is completed.
The Men’s Correctional Healing Facility in Kugluktuk, how many inmates will be incarcerated in that facility?
Currently the staffs are finishing up their training and we want to manage it properly, so we’ll probably start of with 10 with the eventual goal of housing maybe 16 and max. 20.
Chairman: Thank you. Anything else, Mr. Peterson?
Could the Minister tell us if any other inmates in other facilities outside of Nunavut will be repatriated to this Kugluktuk Facility when it’s opened?
That is our goal and hope.
This facility, it looks like it will cost $300,000 and a little bit. That is probably the existing building. Would that be policy of the Government to find the existing buildings, perhaps an old school somewhere, turn those into Correctional Healing Facilities where it makes sense in the community.
You just use the old buildings; renovate them, which would be closer to home for the minimum security type of offenders in Nunavut?
We were very fortunate to find the existing facility that did not require a lot of retrofitting.
So we lucked out in Kugluktuk and the Hamlet was very willing to contribute some infrastructure for a facility that we needed for Kugluktuk.
So, we do hope that we can find a similar like arrangements in another community that we could consider.
Mr. Evygotailak, did you have your and hand up?
We’re on E-9.
Total Qikitaaluk Region. $306,000.
Chairman: Total Qikitmeot Region. $78,000.
Chairman: Total Tangible Assets. $992,000.
Chairman: Go back to E-4.
Total Capital Expenditures. $8,842,000.
Chairman: Do members agree that this department is concluded?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you for coming.
Do you have any final remarks, Mr. Minister?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Yes, Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee.
I don’t think I’m done yet so I have to do another department.
Chairman (interpretation): Yes, it is good that this money will be put to good use.
We will be dealing with Bill 5.
Law Clerk, to the table here.
I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the Department of Justice to make his opening remarks.
I would like to also welcome Maria Lodge, who is going to be with us while we are dealing with the Bills.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It is my pleasure to appear before you to speak about the proposed amendments to the Legal Profession Act which I introduced in this current session of the Legislative Assembly, and which received second reading at this time.
At any time the law students will be doing their articling.
Mr. Chairman, it is, the Legal Profession Act specifically sets our the process that graduate law students follow in order to serve and complete ‘Articles’.
It also sets out the qualifications and the person to whom a student can be articled.
The law society also had the students of the Akitsiraq Law School program in mind when requesting those amendments.
The students who will be graduating from the Akitsiraq Law School may experience serious hardship in completing their articles if the terms under which this can be accomplished are not expanded, before they submit their articling plans for approval by the law society.
It is my view that it would not be right for us to put this additional hurdle in their path.
Mr. Chairman, these are my opening remarks.
I will be pleased to answer any questions.
Does the Chair of the Standing Committee have any comments?
(interpretation) Mr. Mapsalak, go ahead.
The standing committee Ajauqtiit had an opportunity to review Bill 5, an Act to amend the Legal Profession Act.
The standing committee understands that this Bill will remove certain restrictions and change some of the articling requirements in the Legal Professions Act.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee supports the Bill at the clause-by-clause of the standing committee review.
Members are supportive in measures to ensure that our law students are able to complete the necessary steps to become fully qualified practitioners.
Members would wish to be kept fully informed on the government’s future plans in respect to legal education in Nunavut and with respect to the actual input from the consultations that were held in the development of the Bill.
Just before we continue, there will be general comments from each of the members.
So, the floor is now open for general comments on this Bill.
If not, I have no more members on the list for general comments.
We will now proceed to clause-by-clause review of the Bill starting with page 1. (interpretation) Do you want to go clause-by-clause?
An act to amend the Legal Profession Act. (interpretation) Clause 1, do you agree?
Chairman: Clause 2, do you agree?
Chairman: Go to page 3 in English, page 4 in Inuktitut. (interpretation) Do you agree with the schedule?
Back to page, oh the interpreters were late. (interpretation ends) Bill 5, an Act to amend the Legal Profession Act. (interpretation) We are on Bill 5.
The interpreters do not have a copy of the bill. (interpretation ends) We’ll start over again.
We are on page 1, Bill 5, an Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act. (interpretation) Clause 1, do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Clause, 2 do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Turning to page 3, and page 4 in Inuktitut.
Do you agree with the schedule?
(interpretation ends): Do you agree with the schedule?
Chairman: Thank you. Go back to page 1. (interpretation): Clause 3, do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Clause 4, do you agree.
Chairman (interpretation): Clause 5, agreed.
Chairman (interpretation): The bill as a whole, do you agree?
We will now deal with Bill 6.
Mr. Minister, do you have any comments on Bill 6 just before we begin?
We have now changed another person at the witness table who dealt with this Act that we are going to deal with this afternoon.
I will be reading in English because some of them are very hard to translate into Inuktitut.
(interpretation ends) It is my pleasure to appear before you to speak about the proposed Electronic Commerce Act which I introduced in this current session of the Legislative Assembly in which we’ve received second reading at that time.
First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit for taking the time to consider this important bill and for recommending it to the committee for consideration.
Technological changes are having a significant impact on the way we carry out various transactions including those of a commercial nature.
These changes are occurring and ever increasing rate and all of us are affected.
The private sector, municipalities, public boards and government at all levels are responding to a world of growing internet access and use of computers to transact business and services.
Our legislation has not been updated to reflect these technological changes.
The proposed Electronic Commerce Act is significant for Nunavut in that it will enable Nunavummiut to utilize various electronic media in a manner that is reliable.
It is important for Nunavummiut to have the certainty in regard to the way they carry out their commercial transactions.
Enacting the Electronic Commerce Act will be an important step in this direction.
Examples of problems that the Government of Nunavut has encountered directly as a result of the legislative deficit can also be expected in the private sector.
Such examples include; Nunavut and Canada exchange electronic data which provides the basis for the seniors’ income supplement, or certain health care benefits delivered in Nunavut.
This electronic data is not readily usable in Nunavut because it does not have the same status, or legal effect as a signed document in Nunavut.
It will become increasingly difficult for persons born in Nunavut to obtain and update their passports if Nunavut Health and Social Services cannot provide validating information in legally secure electronic formats, as required by federal statutes.
Without this legislation national legislative development to facilitate a computer-based assistance services, payments and transactions in the health sector may be difficult to implement in Nunavut.
The proposed legislation would also remove legal barriers to the use of electronic communications by the government and by the private sector, for example, the proposed legislation would clarify how and when a document, formerly required to be in writing, or signed, may be provided electronically, and or using secure electronic signature.
It would also create standards of reliability to prevent the use of electronic records that may have been tampered with.
These statutes will provide certain rules of functional equivalency to ensure that paper and electronic media have relatively similar status, for example, if the law requires that information or a document be in writing, the electronic equivalent is acceptable, if it is accessible so as to be usable for subsequent reference.
It is important to note that the use of electronic media and transactions is always for the matter of consent.
Individuals cannot be forced to use electronic means against their wishes.
Without this legislation we lack certainty about electronic transactions and their consequences.
This will become increasingly important in the context of international trade and commerce, as well as in investments.
Failing to implement such legislation will ultimately present the barrier in Nunavut’s transaction with the international community, generally.
This Act gives equal status to written and electronic documents.
The other Act goes further and will authorize the court to admit these documents into evidence.
(interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
These are my opening remarks.
I will be pleased to answer any questions that members may have concerning the legislation.
Does the Chair of the Ajauqtiit Committee have any opening remarks?
The standing committee Ajauqtiit has had the opportunity to review Bill 6, the Electronic Commerce Act.
The standing committee understands that this Bill is intended to reflect model legislation that has been developed for use across Canada.
Mr. Chairman, the committee would wish to see the Minister verify for public record what consultations were undertaken in the development of the bills and what input was received from the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s Office.
In its review of this initiative, the committee also noted the issue of the Department of Health and Social Services providing certain validating information to the federal government with respect to such areas as passports.
The Standing Committee supported the bill at the clause-by-clause stage of standing committee review.
The committee recommends the passage of the bill to all Members.
I wish to remind members of the following if any of you have any comments:
That you have 10 minutes to speak according to Rule 77(1).
However, there is no hands up so we can proceed.
We’ll go to Bill 6, clause by clause. Mr. Peterson.
In the Chair’s opening comments, he asked the minister to clarify for the public record what close takes were undertaken by the development of the bill?
And what input was received by from the Information Privacy Commissioner’s office?
I wonder if the minister could give us an update on that.
The Judiciary, the Nunavut Archivists, the Nunavut Chamber of Commerce would understand, there is also an issue raised by the privacy commissioner and that was already addressed in the legislation.
Yes, our standing committee met with the privacy commissioner last summer.
Yes, she did raise an issue that identity theft and a whole lot of other stuff.
So, it is very important to work with the Information and Privacy Commissioner.
I’m pretty sure that the Minister’s comments that she was involved.
Electronic Commerce Act.
Chairperson (interpretation): Clause 21,
Chairperson (interpretation): Does the Committee agree to Bill as a whole?
Some Members: Agreed.  Chairperson (interpretation): Does the committee agree that Bill 6 is ready for the third reading?
Mr. Premier, do you have opening comments for Bill 7.
If you would proceed please.
Of course, the Justice Department has to follow through with the acts.
This bill amends the Evidence Act to authorize such as facilitate the use of election versions of documents in legal proceedings.
This was agreed to the first and second time around and the Standing Committee and Ajauqtiit have also made a recommendation to accept this amendment.
I can tell you that the amendments will be of significant benefit to Nunavummiut.
This bill amends the act to authorize and facilitate the use of electronic versions of documents in legal proceedings.
The act does not currently make any provisions for such recognitions.
By correcting this deficiency, we are further seeking to safe guard the rights of Nunavummiut.
Nunavummiut have experienced changes over a short time that affect the way we carry out our day to day lives.
It is imperative that our laws reflect these changes:
Enacting amendments to the Amendments Act that will authorize and facilitate the use of electronic versions of documents in legal proceedings is an important step in that direction.
The amendments will let the public know what standards are to be met before electronic records are admitted and provide certainty of our records created in accordance with these standards.
I am sure that you will have any questions.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. I would like to welcome the individual.
I forgot your name, please.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): This is Thomas Drouin, who was here for Bill 7.
I welcome you to the witness table.
Does the Chairman for Ajauqtiit have any comments?
The standing committee Ajauqtiit has had an opportunity to review Bill 7, an Act to amend the Evidence Act.
The standing committee understands that this bill is intended to reflect model legislation that has been developed for the use across Canada.
Members also recognize that this initiative complements the Electronic Commerce Act.
Nunavut needs to catch up with other jurisdictions and be able to use electronic versions of documents for legal proceedings.
The standing committee supports the bill at the clause-by-clause stage of standing committee review.
The committee recommends the passage of the bill to all members.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Mapsalak. (interpretation ends) Before we proceed, I would like to remind the members of the following:
According to Rule 77(1), each member has 10-minutes to speak and according to Rule 77(2) subject to the discretion of the Chair, (interpretation ends) a member may speak more than once to the matter under discussion, but not until every member wishing to speak has spoken.
(interpretation) Before we proceed, you have 10-minutes to speak, but at this case, I don’t see any hands up. (interpretation ends) We will proceed to Bill 7, an Act to amend the Evidence Act. (interpretation) Clause 1, do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Clause 2, do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Clause 3, do you agree?
Chairman: The Bill as a whole, do you agree?
Does the committee agree that Bill 7 is ready for third reading?
Thank you, very much for appearing before the committee.
Do you have any closing remarks at this point?
I would like to thank my colleagues and my staff for dealing with these bills.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, very much for making an appearance. (interpretation ends) We are going to go for a 10-minute break.
Back in 10-minutes.
>>Committee recessed at 18:04 and resumed at 18:21
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you for coming back. (interpretation ends) I would like now to ask the Minister responsible for the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth to make his opening remarks.
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman and my colleagues.
First of all, I’d like to thank the members to start reviewing the capital estimates for the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
Although the department’s budget is small relative to other capital budgets, I would like to assure you that the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth does make an important contribution to the lives of Nunavumiut by providing Nunavut communities with the opportunity to reserve and enhance language, culture, heritage and promote healthy, active living.