EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Question 387 – 1(3): Funding Transfer to the Department of Education
Yesterday, the Minister of Education indicated in Committee of the Whole that there was 6.5 million dollars that was going to be transferred from the Department of Finance to the Department of Education.
I would like to ask the Minister of Finance if those funds, the 6.5 million is part of the 10 million dollar contingency reserve that he talked about in his budget address.
Mr. Speaker, in the budget address it said to accommodate additional expenditure requirements he set aside that 10 million dollar reserve and it seems apparent that already 6.5 million is gone.
I would like to ask the Minister of Finance, if he has or if the Government has any more of the 3.5 million left remaining earmarked for any other purpose.
Speaker: Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Ng.
Mr. Speaker, we also have you may recall 5 million dollars set aside for a Northern Allowance adjustment.
So other than that there is nothing anticipated given that we have to await the outcome of the Northern Employees' Union negotiations because there may be additional costs.
We do not know that until agreements are reached and than ratified by both parties.
Of course there is always the ongoing issue of pay equity, whether or not any additional cost will come forward as result of any settlement or ruling that might take place in that regard.
So those are the ones that I can think of off hand Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, by his response I take it that there clearly is no surplus out there to be used by departments for program or project areas other than human resource related issues that the Minister of Finance outlined.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I said no at this time but it always depends on what arguments are put forward and how compelling those arguments are that are put forward to the Financial Management Board by an individual minister or by any Standing Committee that could be making recommendations.
Question 388 – 1(3): Problems with Time Change
Mr. Speaker, I will be directing my question to the Premier.
Mr. Speaker, earlier today I stated that we should be listening to the elders' wishes.
For that very reason yesterday I asked the Premier a question but he never really responded to my question.
So I will pose the same question by rephrasing it.
I know that the communities with decentralization are now proceeding today, perhaps he could respond to me today.
I know that we have staff in the communities, the nurses, the RCMP and the teachers who all work in the communities.
I was trying to ask him if they had encountered any problems to date with the time change.
We have not reviewed this at this time but we will review it as soon as possible.
Speaker: Supplementary, Mr. Irqittuq.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier again, I know that he told us that if we had time differences in one community it would create problems.
So what would he do if the communities do not want to change to the Nunavut time zone.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): As I have stated before we will be reviewing it and the review is going to be initiated as soon as possible.
Question 389 – 1(3): Employment Opportunities in Communities
I will be directing my question to the Premier as well.
I know that we will be officially opening the government offices soon.
There are some telephones that have to be put in the new offices as well as fax and computer connections, my question is are these things in the process of being worked on now.
Yes, we will have to get the telephones, they will require phones.
Some of the offices require computers and they do not have desks and our Nunavut Government will give them to the offices and the equipment and the supplies will have to come in by way of ship.
The computers and the furniture if they came on a plane it would be too expensive so we will have to wait for the sealift.
You can correct me if I am wrong with my question but with the job opportunities, when are you going to start advertising the jobs in the communities.
We already do have existing staff and they will inform us before the month is over and we do have funds set aside which will have to be approved by the Legislative Assembly.
Question 390 – 1(3): Time Change Effects
Mr. Speaker, although it was asked previously by my colleague I would like to rephrase the question to the Premier, since he is responsible for decentralization.
Mr. Speaker, the three communities of Pangnirtung, Sanikiluaq and Clyde River are still on eastern standard time while the rest of the communities are on central time which is called Nunavut time.
Mr. Speaker, what are you going to do with the spouses, for example, if their spouses work at the Hamlet Council or if they work for the Government of Nunavut, and the children have to go to school and they are using government hours.
For example, lunch hour if the wife is going by Eastern Standard Time and her husband is working on Nunavut time, their lunch hour differs.
The spouses would have to go for lunch at different times and this creates a problem.
So I was wondering what the Premier is going to do about it.
Speaker: Mr. Premier if you would like to respond to that question please.
Perhaps they will have to get a divorce.
I am just joking.
Yes, it is time that we will start reviewing this on how we can improve it and we will look at ways that we can improve it.
Speaker: Supplementary Mr. Barnabas.
For that very reason we are talking about the single time zone because my colleague Mr. Irqittuq had asked about it.
The Premier had said that he would review this matter, and although two of those communities did not receive decentralization, one of the communities has received decentralization.
So I was wondering if they do not change the time, will the Nunavut Government withhold these job opportunities unless they change to Nunavut time.
At this time we are reviewing this and the Pangnirtung MLA will be going to Pangnirtung to hear the concerns of the people.
This is being dealt with right now.
Final supplementary, Mr. Barnabas.
During the Baffin Leadership Summit in Hall Beach, they made a resolution or a motion about the time zone.
What is being done with that motion.
I am sorry, Mr. Speaker, I was not involved in the Baffin Leadership Forum, but I have stated that we will be looking into this and that we would be doing it this year, so we are doing that right now.
Question 391 – 1(3): Status of Pupil Teacher Ratio
Mr. McLean: Ma'na Uqaqti. Uqaqti, the Federation of Nunavut Teachers settled their bargaining with the Government of Nunavut and everything seems to be settled.
However, I believe that there was an understanding with the Teachers' Federation that the minister would revisit the student teacher ratio in our schools.
Can the minister update me as to what is happening as of today.
As I indicated yesterday, during the committee of the whole meeting, we inherited this PTR – pupil teacher ratio, from the GNWT.
I also indicated that we will be reviewing this as to whether a made in Nunavut PTR arrangement can be made.
In fact, this is also being done in other jurisdictions now across Canada with and we will do likewise.
Can the minister reassure me that the student teacher ratio will not go up and it will go down.
Hopefully not because it has been indicated in many schools that too many students in one classroom for one teacher has not been productive as much as it would be if there were less students in one classroom.
We are hoping that it would go down rather than going up.
We will see when we are doing the review.
That's reassuring again and I have to compliment the minister.
Can the minister guarantee to me, as a person living in a smaller community outside of the large regional centres, that he will make sure that the student teacher ratio is the same across Nunavut and every school in Nunavut is treated the same in student teacher ratios.
Question 392 – 1(3): Mental Health
This question is directed to the Minister of Health & Social Services.
We all know in the Nunavut communities we always have concerns about the young people, especially the ones that are of younger age and I feel that the minister's portfolio is very important to the people of Nunavut.
The other community that I represent, I will not state which community it is, but in a community in my constituency a person is concerned that the Minister of Health & Social Services could be an avenue for help, we know that there is mental illness in the communities.
We should try more to cure them.
My question is, are there enough mental health workers in each community.
Speaker: Minister responsible for Health & Social Services, Mr. Picco.
Mr. Speaker, when we are dealing with the issue of mental health, the Department of Health & Social Services has tried, or the three health boards have tried to identify a position of mental health worker in each of our communities.
In most cases we have a position created in the communities and we have someone filling that position.
For example, in one of the member's constituent towns, we have a mental health worker there full time and just recently in the last month that person left that position.
However, I can say to the person that a mental health worker position has been identified by the Department of Health and indeed, by the members of this House and the people of Nunavut as a very important position and playing a very important role in our communities.
I thank the Minister of Health & Social Services for that response.
Mr. Speaker, some parents are very concerned about their children and their grandchildren.
I am not sure, I would like to be able to know whether there could be a mental health worker in each community.
I know that in one of my constituent towns they have a women's group and they deal with people that have problems.
I gave them my appreciation for helping out and helping people that are under a lot of stress.
The young people have a need for someone to talk to when they have problems.
Is there a place where the young people can go or a group that they can approach when they have problems or when they have a lot of stress to talk to people.
Is there a group or a body that is in the community that can be accessed by those young people that are encountering problems.
A lot of people would want that, is that in existence right now where we could go and approach somebody to talk to them about wanting some help.
Speaker: Just another reminder members, that after your first preamble try to keep your supplementaries to the question and not go through the preamble again, because you are taking time away from the other members.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important question and it lends itself to a detailed answer.
I will try Mr. Speaker, to make it succinct and keep my reply short.
The first point of contact for young people for example, who are dealing with serious issues of pressure, peer pressure, and so on if there are family problems and that, would be with the Department of Education.
In most cases, Education through our school system does have community counsellors who are available to help the students.
In most communities we have a mental health worker who can help deal with these issues.
Mr. Speaker, the social worker deals with these issues on a regular basis.
One of the things that this government, Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut Government has done that we think is a strategic move is build capacity.
As well our standing committees of health will be another asset that we will be able to use and access to develop strategies at the local level Mr. Speaker, to help deal with these important issues.
So I hope that helps the member in response to his question.
I thank the minister for a good response.
I would like to ask a last question about mental health workers.
How many times do they travel to remote communities to try to talk with people who might have problems.
When can they have permanent offices within Nunavut communities so they will not have to keep travelling back and forth to larger and smaller communities.
Mr. Speaker, in most cases, in most of our 26 communities we do have a resident mental health worker in place and that person would be able to deal with the issues at hand in that community.
In some cases, Mr. Speaker, depending on what the situations are with mental health problems in the community we could put a psychiatric nurse in to help alleviate and to help take some of the pressure off the care givers that we have at the local level.
I think the member is trying to bring up another instance and that is where we have psychiatrists and psychologists who would probably be a Ph.D. or at a doctor level who would also be able to travel around to the communities.
We don't have that capacity right now, Mr. Speaker, but on specific instances brought forward by communities if the member informs us that the community feels that is needed we would try to facilitate that.
But we do, Mr. Speaker, in all cases try to have a mental health worker at the community level. For example, I know that in the Member’s community we have a mental health worker and we had one in the other community of his constituency until a few months ago and we are now aggressively trying to fill that position.
Question 393 – 1(3): Teachers Agreement
Mr. Speaker, I am not quite sure which minister I will be directing my question to, however I will have a short preamble.
The government signed an agreement with the teachers' union, I will be directing my question to the Premier.
There are many teachers in Nunavut and there are other employees that are not teachers.
Those people will be indirectly effected by the agreement that was signed just a short time ago.
I want to ask the Premier if there will be any big changes in the communities.
Speaker: Deputy Premier, if you would care to answer that question.
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated in the past, the Northern Employees' Union has the bulk of our employees and we are in negotiations with them and trying to settle and reach a tentative collective agreement so that we can move forward.
I am not quite sure what the minister is saying.
He was stating that the Nunavut Employees' Union represents all the employees.
Does the agreement effect some other employees outside the school system.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Sorry Mr. Speaker, I was just getting some advice from my colleagues here on the interpretation of the honourable member's question.
Mr. Speaker, the Federation of Nunavut Teachers contract covers of course the teachers, the principals, as for the other people that would work in the schools, if that is what the honourable member is referring to, those that are not directly teachers would be covered under the Northern Employees’ Union.
That is what I referred to in my response earlier, that group is actively right now in negotiations right now with us and that is what I was referring to.
There are all the outstanding issues for pay, monetary issues for the balance of individuals not impacted by the Federation of Nunavut Teachers agreement.
Perhaps if I rephrase my question.
I know we all have different jobs within the Nunavut Government, but they are all Nunavut Government employees, whether they are teachers or not.
If I were an employee of the Nunavut Government, I would probably envy the Teachers' pay raises that are in the collective agreement that they have just recently signed.
I think all Nunavut employees should be considered, especially when it comes to pay raises.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: We certainly believe that the agreement that was reached with the Federation of Nunavut Teachers with that organization, with that bargaining unit was a fair one and that both groups recognize that.
We are hoping that by the same token, the Northern Employees' Union reaches an agreement that their membership will accept and that is acceptable to the Government of Nunavut as well.
Question 394 – 1(3): Time Change Review
The question I will be raising was asked by one of the members earlier.
The Premier indicated that he would be reviewing the time zone change.
How soon will he be putting out the review.
Yes, in a very short time we will be reviewing all the time zones and we will probably be having a Nunavut-wide review.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Yes, the Premier has indicated he will have some staff members carry out a Nunavut wide review.
How soon will we be able to see the results of the review.
Will it be next fall or next winter.
Yes after all the review has been completed we will be able to table a report with results and we will be open to suggestions.
Speaker: Oral questions, Mr. Tootoo.
Question 395 – 1(3): Pupil Teacher Ratio
My question is for the Minister responsible for Education.
There has been a lot of talk over the last couple of days over the PTRs and the ratio of students per classroom.
Through responses provided by the minister it is quite clear that there is a number they want to have.
It is quite evident that there are very few cases where that is met.
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering that in the west, in the NWT, the government over there passed legislation on class sizes.
I would like to ask the Minister of Education if he or his department is looking at developing such a proposal..
No we have not made any proposals and the member would also appreciate that since last year, April 1 to date, the capacity in the Department of Education, we have been working very hard introducing and discussing and revisiting the new initiatives we would like to see over the course of the years.
Also, this has been the first year after we actually reviewed our own budget and we have been very busy.
We are not saying that PTR is not important we just haven't had time to completely review that yet.
In respect to the GNWT and PTR legislation, I don't believe there is such legislation governing the PTR.
However having said that, I've already committed to reviewing that and I will be discussing this with the communities, regions and the members of the assembly and having a full discussion as to what would be a good PTR on the basis of the community or the subject being taught in the classroom.
So, this more or less is an open question because some of these class sizes for example going out on the land, I cannot imagine taking thirty or twenty children in this case.
You know that if you had thirty students taking out by one teacher.
Some of these discussions will have to take on a realistic basis and not just an idea.
I will, as I committed and proposed, not tackle the issue of the PTR until we have a full discussion and see what the people have to say.
Mr Speaker, I can appreciate the capacity problems the minister alluded to and certainly the staff for the department have been very busy with the dissolution of the regional boards and the initiation of the new Education Act.
Mr. Speaker, I think in most communities anywhere that people would agree that once classes get too big you're not really educating the students, you are babysitting.
Mr. Speaker, this government has said that education is one of its top two priorities.
I think that there would be support for legislating the class size to ensure that adequate resources are put in place to give our children the quality of education that they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I would just ask the minister, wouldn't that be something that his department would be developing and bringing forward.
Speaker: I would just remind the members that the preambles on your second and third questions if you can't shorten them up we will shorten them up for you.
I want to correct myself first. I was told that although Mr. Ootes has not written me a letter respecting this decision, apparently they have reluctantly legislated the PTR because they had a poor relationship with their own teachers and the government, of course I will not know that for sure.
We have a good relationship with the teachers and the communities.
This government is not planning at this time, although this can be recommended, what we are doing is a second round of consultations with the second draft of the Education Act, but we are not proposing that.
I will remind the minister also that they must keep their answers as precise as possible in fairness to the other side.
Question 396 – 1(3): Traditional Polar Bear Harvest
As we have heard in the past, I am not sure who I should be directing my question to but perhaps to the government leader.
I think that it was last fall, in the Nanulik riding, there was a person who wanted to harvest a polar bear using traditional methods, and we heard NTI was going to sue the Nunavut Government.
So, I would like to know the status of this.
Yes in regards to his question, this was taken to court and since it has been taken to court I cannot make any comments in regards to this issue.
We will hear about the results afterwards.
Question 397 – 1(3): Purchase of Office Furniture
Like I said earlier in my member's statement, I missed the grand opening of the new Nunavut Government office building and I also missed the Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuutti policy which is supposed to benefit Nunavut businesses.
I was wondering if the Minister responsible for Public Works if her departments plan to purchase office furniture for that building.
For office furniture and supplies our department orders its supplies in.
Now that I have that confirmed, in this new Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuutti policy, if a small Inuit firm wants to bid on ordering furniture or flying in furniture, when can we expect to see these tenders and would the minister consider an RFP from Inuit firms.
I would consider that, but I really don't know what the status is of the ordering but I will find out.
Question 398 – 1(3): Kugluktuk Decentralization
I will refer to a letter written by the Premier to the Mayor of Kugluktuk, on the subject of decentralising positions to Kugluktuk.
In that letter they confirmed positions for Kugluktuk and the attachment said that three departments had identified positions but Health and Social Services has not identified 10 positions that are going to Kugluktuk.
So what I want to ask the Minister of Health first is to confirm the 10 positions and secondly when are they coming to Kugluktuk.
Speaker: Minister responsible for Health, Mr Picco.
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank the member for his question.
Over the last several month I’ve had an opportunity to not only speak to the mayor of Kugluktuk but also visit the community and we worked with member on this issue.
There are several proposals that have come forward Mr. Speaker, on this issue of decentralized positions for Kugluktuk, as you know some of those positions were slated for Baker Lake but some of those positions have been changed to put "X" number of positions into Kugluktuk.
Mr. Speaker, we are still looking at what would be the most viable alternative for those positions and I'm hoping to have something official for the member and for the mayor of Kugluktuk about what those positions will be and when they will be transferred to Kugluktuk.
Supplementary, Mr. Havioyak.
Mr. Havioyak (interpretation): One of the questions that I asked, I know that we have ten positions, but just to confirm to me again are these permanent positions from the department.
Mr. Speaker, I would just like to confirm that it is the intent of the Department of Health and Social Services, for Kugluktuk to be following the decentralization policy.
Question 399 – 1(3): Hamlet Authority Over Time Change
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Premier.
He stated he was going to review the single time zone as soon as possible.
The Hamlet Councils had made a motion, and if they make a motion, according to the powers vested in the municipalities, the municipality can make their own time change in the community.
How will the Nunavut Government deal with this, are they going to overrule the Hamlets using the Nunavut Time Zone Act.
We do have authority and power that was vested in us by the Federal Government and that is how we enacted this and we will review this within the year.
Our Premier did not respond to my question.
If the Hamlet Councils do not want to change or revert to Nunavut time, according to the act, are you going to try to get the communities to change to the Nunavut Time zone.