EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
If he is watching this on television, I wish him an excellent birthday and son, this time, go and see your grandmother!
Member’s Statement 076 – 3(1): First Air Service in Arviat (Shewchuk)
I have received the latest 2007 estimated population reports for all of Nunavut’s communities produced by Statistics Canada.
In this report, Arviat, the community I represent in the House, now seems to be the second largest community in Nunavut, only behind Iqaluit, with an estimated population of 2,514 people.
Mr. Speaker, as the member representing the Arviat constituency and the residents within, I am very pleased that First Air has realized the importance of providing adequate air service to the community of Arviat.
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, First Air announced at a press release, service to increase and enhance the airline service from Arviat to both southern and northern locations within and outside of Nunavut.
This service will greatly allow access, especially for residents travelling to Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents of Arviat and myself, I am very pleased with this announcement and would like to thank First Air and their staff for the great news.
Member’s Statement 077 – 3(1): Supporting Nunavummiut with Disabilities (Pauloosie)
I rise today to urge the government to take a stronger stand in addressing the needs of people with disabilities.
I strongly encourage the Premier to establish a portfolio that deals directly and sympathetically with this issue.
Mr. Speaker, many Nunavummiut with disabilities are in dire situations. They and their families need professional care and professional support in order to be able to live their daily lives without barriers and unnecessary difficulties.
Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut government is not very old but already, its history of addressing the needs of people with disabilities is a poor one.
In 1998, a meeting in Iqaluit brought together a number of Nunavummiut with different disabilities. At this meeting, the Nunavut Council for People with Disabilities was formed with the blind voting for a blind representative, the deaf voting for a deaf representative, and people in wheelchairs voting for their own. The government’s funding and support for that council ended in 2001 and the responsibilities were passed over to another organization.
Mr. Speaker, in 2004, a new disabilities board was formed through the Inuit organizations and some funding from the government, but still, the support is not there.
The Disabilities Society does not even have its own office or any realistic means to help anyone, let alone its members and their families.
Mr. Speaker, many people with disabilities are the people in our society who are most in need of support and assistance.
They have as much right as anyone else to live full and productive lives. Our own Human Rights Act should ensure that these individuals do not have less meaningful lives than any other Nunavummiuq.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the Premier, the Minister of Health and Social Services, and this government as a whole to establish a portfolio that deals directly with disabilities. Attention to this issue is urgently needed…
Speaker (interpretation): Mr. Pauloosie, your time is up.
Mr. Pauloosie
Mr. Pauloosie: … to have unanimous consent to complete my statement.
Speaker (interpretation): That was inaudible.
Please ensure that your microphone indicator is lit before you speak.
Mr. Pauloosie: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) I seek unanimous consent of my colleagues to conclude my statement.
Our colleague is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement.
You may conclude your statement, Mr. Pauloosie.
I’m almost done here.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge the Premier, the Minister of Health and Social Services, and this government as a whole to establish a portfolio that deals directly with disabilities. Attention to this issue is urgently needed.
All Nunavummiut should have the confidence that their government will support them in living their daily lives without any unnecessary barriers.
Member’s Statement 078 – 3(1): Constituency Office Update (Aariak)
I rise today to recognize my constituents and those who elected me to represent them. I have yet to express my thanks during the First Session of the Third Assembly.
So welcome and I also wish to reiterate that I am only too happy to receive them and thank those who have already called our office. For my constituents who are not aware of the address and location of my constituency office, it is on the beach at the HTO office and the house number is 208.
I thank those who have called already.
Member’s Statement 079 – 3(1): Hudson Bay Quest (Curley)
I rise today to acknowledge the people whom my colleague from Arviat spoke about and that is the participants of the Hudson Bay Quest dog team race from Churchill to Arviat which began last weekend.
I extend my congratulations and gratitude to all participants in this race for their perseverance and dedication to their sport.
However, we were informed yesterday that the race was halted due to a blizzard and they further expect a blizzard to last a while near Arviat.
They were more than halfway and will now stop at the traditional encampment at Nunaalaa due to the early closure of the race.
I am confident that the race will resume next year and we will race again as there have been some participants from Rankin Inlet in this is race.
There was one participant from Rankin Inlet this year. I know that my colleague from Rankin Inlet is in full support of that person who participated in the race, Mr. Harry Towtongie.
If my colleagues don’t mind some jest, Harry Towtongie, being from the second largest community in Nunavut, Rankin Inlet, was in a position to win first place and I would like to declare on record that he was the fastest.
If there are no more, (interpretation ends) Item 4. (interpretation) Returns to Oral Questions. (interpretation ends) Item 5.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize an individual in the Gallery that I’m sure is no stranger to most people here.
Mr. Speaker, this individual is a well-known businessman here in Iqaluit, an author, and he has quite an extensive book collection at home and also in his store at Arctic Ventures, and that’s Mr. Kenn Harper.
Mr. Pauloosie: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) I would like to recognize an individual from Gjoa Haven. He is my brother-in-law, Willie Aglukkaq, and he is the brother of our MP, and I would like to welcome him to the Gallery.
I would also like to acknowledge Willie Aglukkaq because he used to visit Kugaaruk and I believe that’s when he was learning to walk as a child.
I would like to welcome one of my constituents and neighbours to the House today, Mr. Atima Hadlari, sitting over there by Mr. Schell.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate Mr. Hadlari on being elected as the KIA representative for the community of Cambridge Bay earlier this week.
Welcome to the House, Mr. Atima Hadlari.
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery. (interpretation ends) Item 6. Oral Questions.
Question 069 – 3(1): Housing Inspectors (Schell)
My question today is for the Hon. Member of CG&S, Lorne Kusugak.
In regard to yesterday, I was talking with the housing minister, the Hon. Hunter Tootoo, in regard to the MAP II house in Cape Dorset that was having a lot of electrical issues.
He had mentioned that he was going to check with CG&S to see if they have the personnel to go in there to check if these appliances have been damaged.
My question is: does CG&S have the personnel to do that?
Depending on what kind of personnel you’re looking for, I’m sure we have the appropriate personnel.
Again, it depends on exactly what it is that you want researched and found out, Mr. Speaker.
I guess what he’s looking for is if you have any personnel that can check where the power surges have happened in the house to see if that created the appliance to burn out and stuff.
He replaced a lot of the appliances there and he is obviously going after the Power Corporation and the Housing Corporation to see who is going to pay for it. I guess my question is: do you have that type of personnel there?
Hon. Lorne Kusugak: Thank you and I thank the hon. member for the question.
I will definitely look into it. We will see if we have that kind of personnel in our department and if we do or if we don’t, I’ll certainly get back to the minister... or to the member.
This is also in regard to that. If you do have the personnel, can you give me the timeframe that you would be able to put it together and deal with this issue? The constituent is getting very anxious.
Definitely, let me find out if we do have the appropriate personnel and I’ll find out their timeline to see if and when they would be available to look into such things.
And I’ll get back to the minister at some time in the next week as soon as I can to give him those details.
Question 070 – 3(1): Responsibility for Establishing Social Assistance Rates (Rumbolt)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Education, who is responsible for Income Support.
Mr. Speaker, on March 19, 2009, I asked the minister some questions about the food allowance rates for the community of Sanikiluaq. These food allowance rates are established in the social assistance regulations.
In reviewing the Hansard, I find that the minister’s response was not very clear. Can the minister clarify which government entity is responsible for establishing social assistance regulations, including food allowance benefits, for the residents of Nunavut?
I thank my colleague for that question.
With respect to the food allowance rates across Nunavut, it is broken down into five separate categories.
The categories have been set using cost of living, shipping costs of both sealift and air transportation into that area, as well as the distances between communities.
The federal government, specifically Human Resources and Social Development Canada, took all of those into account when setting the different rates across Nunavut.
When setting the rates, they researched the final costs of food after shipment to those communities.
Costs of rent, clothing, footwear, costs of airfare, and other services applicable to that location were also taken into consideration.
This was to set the rates properly for each community, especially the monthly rates for income support recipients in those communities. The rates have been set, however, Mr. Speaker, they are being revisited, especially the rates for the three territories, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
There was a meeting recently on January 28 and 29 in Ottawa to discuss how best to address the service requirements of those suffering below the poverty line. The discussions were on how to meet the needs of these northerners.
At present, we have started working on this issue and are committed to more collaborative efforts with our sister territories to ensure that a common rate is set that meet the needs of each individual government.
The program will be thoroughly reviewed and we all know that the present rates require updating.
These rates were originally reviewed when Nunavut was established, which is way too early in the process, and the review consisted mainly of extrapolating the previous figures for the Northwest Territories’ Income Support Program with hardly any changes.
Today, with Nunavut approaching its 10th anniversary as a territory, it has become clear that the rates have to be revisited due to the increased costs we have endured and we can work towards improving the program. This process will be ongoing, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for clarifying that somewhat.
Mr. Speaker, with income support, he mentioned that it’s going to be reviewed.
Does he have any kind of timeline of when the review will be done?
As per my earlier comments, the meeting was held on January 28 and 29, 2009, in Ottawa and the consensus was to initiate the review in short order.
Actually, this is a cause for celebration since this is the first time that the Nunavut government was asked to be involved in the review and revision of the food allowance rates.
Mr. Speaker, my opinion is that during the 2009-2010 fiscal year, we will get a report on the new rates or at least a progress report on the initiative that I will be able to announce.
Question 071 – 3(1): Kugaaruk Drum Dance Festival (Ningark)
I received a letter from the Municipality of Kugaaruk.
On April 28, they will hold a drum dancing festival in Kugaaruk and this community is quite scenic, with hills, a nearby river, and the islands producing abundant crowberries.
In this correspondence, the invitation was sent to the minister and if the minister accepts, the elders’ council would most likely want to meet during his visit. I imagine that the youth council would also want some of his time. There is also a terminology committee there.
The minister ought to participate in these celebrations and come and witness the scenic community and meet the hospitable people of Kugaaruk.
I will remind the minister about the upcoming drum dance festival in Kugaaruk on April 28 and urge his attendance.
I don’t know who is going to respond.
Which minister are you directing your question to, Mr. Ningark?
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): I apologize. My question was directed to the Minister responsible for Culture, Language, Elders, and Youth, Minister Tapardjuk.
I apologize again since I was looking right at him, but he didn’t realize that I was talking to him as I didn’t mention his portfolio.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Minister of Culture, Language, Elders, and Youth, Hon. Louis Tapardjuk.
With respect to correspondence, my colleague ought to recall House Rules as he was a past member of a legislature and having recently been elected… perhaps I can call him my Angajunnguaq now.
Just to jog his memory, he should recall that it’s always better to receive an invitation in writing as a minister.
The reason why I cannot commit to his request at this time is because I have other commitments during that period in April.
However, if the invitation is sent via correspondence, I would love to go to that community personally.
As well, our Premier has encouraged the ministers, whenever possible, to attend to events in the communities.
Due to this reason, I am prepared to accept should an invitation be sent via correspondence.
I thank the minister for his response and for his openness.
If the invitation letter was submitted today, could the minister agree to it?
Hon. Louis Tapardjuk (interpretation): I can commit to reviewing the letter of invitation. However, as the member knows, the schedules for ministers are set well in advance, especially for travel.
I commit to looking at the invitation, but if I am unable to attend, I will look at other options to see how we can accommodate each other.
Question 072 – 3(1): Client Services Coordinator for Nunavut II (Elliott)
Mr. Elliott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this session, I discussed the difficulties that some of my constituents are facing in getting their health and medical complaints and issues resolved. I appreciate the minister’s willingness to deal with specific issues through his office.
However, it’s important that a process is established so that Nunavummiut can be confident that their issues will be addressed and hopefully resolved in a responsible and accountable matter.
The minister said himself yesterday in the House, “… if the issue is related to medical are not being addressed, there is very little that the department can do about it.”
The minister had suggested that the first line of inquiry for dealing with complaints is to approach the community health centre staff.
I’m sure that the minister will appreciate that this may not always be appropriate, especially if the complaints or concerns relate to those same individuals.
It is also quite clear, from what I have been hearing, that contacting regional headquarters is often not a very effective means of getting problems and complaints resolved. Often, there isn’t even a response.
Can the minister confirm whether or not there are any formal processes or initiatives in place for addressing residents’ complaints that cannot be or have not been resolved through the usual channels and if not, why not?
Yes, I appreciate the member’s question on that.
He quoted some of the statements I made earlier in the week.
When it’s related to medical, I believe the best people that can respond to that are doctors, they’re medical officials in that context, and that was the reason why I stated that. If it’s related to medical, then our officials from the operational branch may not always have an immediate response.
So I think that should be put into proper perspective, I appreciate that.
But when it comes to dealing with the responses or the complaint system that the member is referring to, I believe the department needs to do a lot more work on that.
If there’s a formal mechanism put in place, I’m not 100 percent sure whether we would have a mechanism in place that would compel all kinds of…
If it’s related to travel, whether it’s related to the boarding homes or whatnot, whether or not the officials or individuals hired should have enough authority to push the right buttons, we would have to work on that.
It’s on that basis that I’m quite cautious because yes, there is a complaint mechanism in place and an MLA is one of them.
I was taking a second to collect my thoughts and making sure that I understood what the minister was saying because I can appreciate we’re dealing with very sensitive issues and talking about people’s confidentialities.
Can the minister clarify, just in what has been said, for the House, after a complaint or an issue about health-related services is brought to the attention of the minister and his staff, which is what he was suggesting yesterday, exactly what steps are taken to address those complaints, to provide assistance and resolving them, and to formally advise Nunavummiut of any actions taken as a result of the complaints or concerns that they have brought forward?
If there was a template in place, it would probably make my job a lot easier. But I said, in the context to his earlier question the other day, I indicated that, I believe it was also to another member, the department tends to deal with complaints on a case-by-case basis because they will all differ, there are sensitivities involved and many of them are normally confidential.
So I think the best way to deal with some of these real complaints is to send a letter to appropriate officials in the department or to myself, as the minister.
We would be pleased to respond to them without compromising confidentiality issues that we have to abide by. Thank you.
As he said, there is no template available. I was sort of alluding to, yesterday, a position specifically set aside to deal with these types of issues.
And since he’s saying a template would actually be easier for him to deal with these problems, I’m wondering if the minister would humour the idea of looking at a template or creating a template, or hiring someone in that position to handle issues like this, so then we would actually be able to service people better.
I certainly would be prepared to look into all of this.
I thought I had one more question.
My final question would be: will the minister confirm that he will accept a signed consent form from a constituent to allow an MLA to deal directly with the Department of Health and Social Services to bring forward a complaint or issue relating to that constituent’s personal health or family matter?
As we have been talking about, this is a confidential matter, there is confidential information, and at the same time, the information we might be receiving back from the health authorities is going to be confidential as well. To me, we want to make sure that people’s private information is being taken care of.
So will the minister confirm that he will accept a signed consent form? And further, will the minister commit to advising the appropriate MLA of the progress in resolving such issues?
Mr. Speaker, I think the member should be very cautious exactly what he’s talking about.
The department, as a part of the overall government, we abide by certain rules and confidentiality is not only within the departmental procedures but we abide by laws, including federal laws, that affect individual rights to privacy as well as any other law.
So we are a government that respects laws and the department, I believe, has done that and we will continue to abide by confidentiality, particularly when they relate to medical matters.
Question 073 – 3(1): GN-RCMP Shared Directional Statement (Aupaluktuq)
My questions are for the Minister of Justice, Hon. Keith Peterson.
On September 18 of last year, a copy of the shared directional statement between the Government of Nunavut and the RCMP was tabled in the Legislative Assembly. This document expressed the shared priorities of the GN and the RCMP.
One of its goals is to “maintain a strategic focus on recruiting, retaining, advancing, placing and promoting Inuit police officers.”
Can the minister update the House today on how his department is working with the RCMP to assist them in recruiting more Inuit to join our national police force?
I would like to inform the member that the RCMP and the Department of Justice are working very cooperatively on getting a representative population in the RCMP in all fields, including members, special constables, provosts, and civilians.
And I would like to tell the member that we’re working on getting a pilot program in place to recruit five Inuit candidates to enter the Regina depot in September of 2009, hopefully with their graduation in January or February of 2010.
The shared directional statement between the GN and the RCMP also discussed such initiatives as the “Special Constable Rejuvenation Project.” You slightly mentioned it.
Can the minister update the House today on whether this has been a success or whether it’s being incorporated?
The intent of the pilot program is to assess how to rejuvenate the Special Constable Program. So we will start with five candidates and it’s hopefully based on their success that we can eventually recruit 30 community officers or special constables with duties and responsibilities that build upon the old Special Constable Program that was in place several years ago.
Your second supplementary, Mr. Aupaluktuq
In March of 2007, a major report on policing services in Canada’s three northern territories was also tabled in the Legislative Assembly. This report contained significant discussions on the role of community justice committees and the relationships with the RCMP.
Can the minister outline how his department facilitates communication between local community justice committees and the RCMP?
I can’t give the member the specific details on how we facilitate it, but we encourage the RCMP to work very closely with community organizations and groups to discuss legal issues and community policing issues in their community.
When I was up in Cape Dorset earlier this year for the Cabinet Retreat, I had the opportunity to sit down with the RCMP, the justice committee, the justice outreach workers, and the by-laws and we met for an hour to discuss issues of importance to the community of Cape Dorset.
So I had a firsthand opportunity to see the RCMP working with the community to hear their concerns and offer them advice from the RCMP perspective and vice versa.
Mr. Aupaluktuq: Thank you again, Mr. Speaker.
As a previous summer student of the Constable Program in the late 80s and early 90s on three terms, it was a very educational and valuable tool to the community and I found it was a very wonderful bridging program.
Can your department tell me whether you are aware of whether or not this program continues to be offered to our youth?
I thank the member for that excellent question.
Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to speak with the commanding officer approximately two weeks ago. Our deputy minister and the Commanding Officer, Marty Cheliak, told me about the success of that program in past years and they intend to operate it again this year.