EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Chairman, that’s why they are contingency funds, because it would be very difficult for me to say how much would be used for an emergency, it would depend on what the emergency is.
There are contingency funds in that line item which allows us some opportunities for a crisis event like an RSV outbreak in a community or some pandemic pneumonia or something like that.
But it would be very difficult to say what that total dollar value would be depending on what the situation was.
Chairperson (interpretation): We will just proceed then.
We’re on 10-6 and continue onto 10-7.
Mr. Havioyak: It’s interesting, the department put money aside on there, and in the general budget, they put some money aside in case of emergency.
They’re saying we’re putting emergency money on the side, out of the control of the other departments and then again the department itself put another emergency thing on the side.
It seems like so much emergency money put aside there’s no other funds to do actual work that can be done during the fiscal year.
I’m just pointing out that there’s too much emergency money put aside.
I’m just saying there’s some money put aside with the Government of Nunavut, 10 percent, in case of emergency or something.
I don’t know but they probably could use some of that money for emergencies.
I’m just trying to point something out so I could understand it, why is that the case there.
Mr. Chairman, I understand what the member is trying to say.
Maybe I could explain it this way.
Within my own budget, as all the members know, I’ve always had deficits.
Last year was 25 million dollars or something.
The year before that was several million dollars.
Because you can’t say no if you have an outbreak for example, an RSV outbreak, you can’t say you can’t fly the children and so on and so forth.
So if you’re going to be serious about putting a budget together, you know there’s going to be emergency situations that pop up, for example, emergency medivacs, transportation, RSV and so on.
So when you cost out all your different areas, if there’s an opportunity to have even a small amount in the budget for emergency situations like an RSV outbreak, then that helps your bottom line at the end of the day.
That’s what the department has done.
I believe that’s fortuitous as well as good planning on behalf of the departmental staff.
At the same time, Mr. Chairman, under Finance, Minister Ng has been very capable in his work in providing for other contingencies which is for example, like the 21 million dollar supplementary that they brought forward.
You could consider that emergency funding.
That’s what the supplementary was.
We needed it for the budget.
Mr. Arvaluk: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one comment first.
It’s interesting that my colleague would have to explain that there are no emergency or contingency funds from the Finance Minister for any department.
It’s not indicated yet you have one here but should that not appear in the total financial overview from the finance department.
So at least we’ll know there’s some contingency or emergency funds set aside in some departments like health.
Just a comment for now Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Iqaqrialu also asked about the 5 thousand dollar grant or contribution per community and the minister’s answer was that it really depends on the per capita criteria for each community.
The larger your community, the bigger you get, up to I think it was 75 hundred or 10 thousand dollars.
I’m not sure.
But anyways, the little communities like high arctic, Chesterfield and Whale Cove; they got 5 thousand dollars flat because you said it is a per capita formula.
If your community’s bigger like Igloolik or Pond Inlet then you get more than 5 thousand dollars.
I find this, I don’t like the contradiction or oversight because in your opening remarks you said that the federal government should not be using per capita in the financing formula because of the high cost of transportation, the high cost of living in Nunavut, yet you turn around and you do per capita basis for the communities of 5 thousand bucks.
When the communities like Chesterfield Inlet been saying that we are the small communities but our work is as heavy as the others because we’ve got to meet on a regular basis like every other community like the bigger communities.
Can the minister explain a little bit why you think per capita basis here and go against with the federal on his opening remarks.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the member giving me an opportunity to explain the grants for council.
As the member knows, when we integrated the health boards almost two years, a little over two years ago, there were no committees of council in the communities and there certainly wasn’t any funding.
At that time I had promised the hamlets and the members of the Standing Committee that I would give an equal amount of money to each community. And again, I was in a deficit situation.
The money that I was able to allocate at that time, and I went to the committee, was 5 thousand dollars for each committee of council.
The difference between per capita funding federally, territorially, and provincially and the per capita funding that we’re doing here is that there is no floor in federal per capita.
So when you’re a population for example, Mr. Chairman, for example when the federal government announced 4.2 billion dollars in CHST, the Nunavut Government only received 3.5 million dollars for health care because there was no floor.
There was no minimum amount.
It was solely based on per capita.
That’s what I said in my speech to Roy Romanow, that’s what I said many times.
We need to have a floor so each province and each territory would have for example a minimum amount of 5 million dollars and a base per capita above that and that would be fair and equitable.
That’s what we’ve done with the communities.
No community got less than 5 thousand dollars.
So we came in with a floor.
Every community would get the equal amount and then based on per capita population size there was an increase.
On top of that, as I said to Mr. Iqaqrialu earlier, I’ve also put in the budget this time an incremental amount so that if the needs increase, if Grise Fiord came forward and said look, you’ve given us 5 thousand dollars, that’s not enough money at the present time, we need an extra 4 thousand dollars, we actually have that within the budget there to be able to look at it.
So, the difference with the statement to Roy Romanow as Minister of Health, was that there was a floor in this.
There was no floor in the federal transfer payments.
There is no floor in the per capita transfer to provinces or territories by the federal government and that’s the difference.
Total grants and contributions 19 million 339 thousand dollars.
Turning over to Health and Social Services.
Page 10-8.
In respect to the line item, compensation and benefits, under the section healthy children, families and communities, I’m sure we’re talking about the Nunavut communities.
My question is, if there’s going to be an increase in the number of employees who will be working on paediatrics and healthy children, given the title.
Chairperson (interpretation): Just for the information of the members, we’re dealing with both pages 10-8 and 10-9.
Mr. Chairman, we will be increasing some of the staffing in those particular areas, especially under the Nunavut home and community care program where we’re actually introducing new nursing positions into communities including smaller communities.
There is an increase of 6 to 11 million dollars in your Main Estimates.
But there is no increase in the health centres and other facilities funds, even though the overall figure is larger.
Are we going to be increasing the number of employees under this branch?
We’re going to increase the budget by several nurses including some additional support workers as well as child and outreach workers which are new positions to deal with some of the issues around suicide with our youth.
Mr. Chairman, we have new positions budgeted for a total of 12 new positions.
Including the child and youth outreach workers which was a recommendation from the health community.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Thank you. I understand your response.
In regards to the addition of 12 employees to our communities, is the housing shortage a problem or not?
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you. The member is correct.
In some communities we’ve had a problem staffing positions.
For example in Kugluktuk, where we have been trying to put in the headquarters for the decentralized office, there has been a shortage of housing.
In some of the other communities it is the same.
The Government of Nunavut as you know has put together a program to increase staff housing availability to many communities outside of HQ.
At the same time, Mr. Chairman, it affects HQ or Iqaluit also for some positions.
There are concerns with staffing based on available housing.
Some of the positions that we’ve just talked about for example, child and youth worker, those would be local hires in the community and we wouldn’t necessarily be seeking staff housing if they’re already living in the community.
Page 8-10 says dental activities.
Is this one talking about a dental therapist in the communities or is it talking about dental contracts because contracts on this page are 14 million dollars?
So could we get some clarification about dental activities?
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, among other things, that does include dental programs, dental contracts and dental therapists.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): I will have a question.
It’s on page 10-9.
Shelter programs.
There is a significant increase in the amount under shelter programs, for women’s shelters especially.
What is the percentage of this amount?
Mr. Chairman, the 300 thousand that was originally there last year was for the psychiatric drop-in facility that we had open in Iqaluit, for the first time we ever had a facility like that.
Under the grants and contributions, social service payments for alcohol and drug programs and shelters, they had been budgeted under contract services for other expenses.
After reviewing the agreement, the respective budgets have now been established in grants and contributions.
So we’re recording them properly under grants and contributions.
It also includes for 2002-2003, new initiative funding of 172 thousand dollars for mental health and addictions strategy as well as suicide prevention.
So that’s one of the reasons for the huge increase that we’re actually putting more things, more items under that line item under the main estimates in this session.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Following the notes on the shelter programs it says various individuals with special needs such as women’s shelters and elders’ facilities.
What percentage is used for the shelter and the elders’ facilities?
Mr. Chairman, if I may, I have those numbers in front of me here.
For example under the homeless shelter in Iqaluit, that’s 75 thousand dollars.
For the crisis line in the Baffin, as well as for the Elders’ Society, the Baffin Regional Agvvik Society, which operates the Qimarvik Women’s Shelter, the Municipality of Igloolik, which runs social services programs for the government, and the Ilitiit Society, we have 1.4 million dollars approximately there.
In the Kivalliq, for the Kisarvik Society, we have 230 thousand dollars and in the Kitikmeot for the Cambridge Bay Safe Shelter, 85 thousand dollars; for the Inuit Women’s group home 95 thousand dollars and in Kugluktuk, the Kugluktuk women’s group home 70 thousand dollars for a total of 250.
So that’s some of the ideas under the shelter program that the member has asked for including the homeless shelter as well as family violence shelters and safe homes.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): And just underneath, we have the alcohol and drug programs, 949 thousand dollars.
For example, you had a tobacco cessation program and after launching the program with the co-operation of the federal government, have there been positive effects from the campaign that you did in the previous year?
Mr. Chairman, I would suggest to you that it has been very positive.
The effects can be seen right here in this Assembly.
Several of the members in the past year have quit smoking so I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate those anonymous members of the Assembly who have quit smoking and have butted out and yes they will remain anonymous.
Mr. Chairman, so I think it has been positive, as I said when we launched this program a couple of years ago that change takes time and to see the effects, the full effects of this type of program, it’ll take 3, 4, 5 years.
We have to change mindsets and we have to de-normalize the usage of tobacco, especially among the young people.
I want to re-affirm Mr. Chairman, that moving very forcibly and aggressively with the Department of Justice, we should be soon in a position where we’ll be aggressively through the Department of Justice, enforcing tobacco sale regulations to our young people.
I think that’ll again have a major and positive impact along with the increase in cigarette tax to help people to not start smoking.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): In regards to the alcohol and drug program.
There are alcohol committees in the communities.
The hamlets have a contract to administer and to authorize purchases for people who would like to order.
Does this line item involve the community alcohol and drug committees?
Mr. Chairman, the majority of the money here under alcohol and drug treatment that you see goes to our committees.
The hamlets would deliver different programs for us.
For example, the community of Clyde River received 50 thousand dollars for the Savik Society for alcohol and drug programs and the same is similar for other communities in Nunavut.
However, we don’t fund the alcohol and drug committees of hamlets.
That would be the way I visualize the alcohol and drug committees that allocate or interdict people and so on for alcohol in the communities.
We don’t fund that committee.
We fund alcohol and drug treatment and other programs in the communities.
Like alcohol and drug treatment workers.
That would fall under our program but not the alcohol review committee.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Earlier on, the Minister of Health and during his opening comments in regards to income support or in regards to benefits he stated that he was going to work with the Minister for Education and it seems that they agreed.
Perhaps for those alcohol and drug programs, it seems like the alcohol and drug committees from the communities should be given some funding because the committee members are volunteers.
I was wondering if the minister responsible for alcohol and drug programs could do some work with the appropriate minister after this session.
Mr. Chairman, that would be something that we’d be very open to do as the department and as the minister.
Chairperson: Thank you, Minister Picco.
Please raise your hand so that I could recognize you right away.
Mr. Nutarak: Thank you.
Also, below this line item, new funding, 97 thousand dollars. Will this program be in place this fiscal year at the end of May or is this program already in use, suicide prevention?
Chairperson: Thank you, Mr. Nutarak.
Mr. Chairman, the 97 thousand dollars for suicide prevention is to help fund the National Suicide Prevention Annual General Meeting and conference that will be held in Nunavut for the first time since April 1st, 1999.
It is being organised and co-hosted by the president of the Canadian Association for Suicide, Ms. Sheila Levy, who actually is a resident of Iqaluit.
The other monies for suicide prevention, Mr. Chairman, there’s over 2.1 million dollars, is included in the mental health strategy within the department.
Chairperson (interpretation): Would you like to continue?
Following up Ms. Williams’ question in regards to contracts, 14 million 7 thousand dollars, on page 10-8.
Looking at the Nunavut residents, even if the entire population of Nunavut got tooth decay or half of the population, he stated that dental programs like dental hygiene and dental therapy, that this line item is on that.
I think I misunderstood the minister.
I would like the minister to clarify this to me.
If we look at per capita of all the population of Nunavut, this 500 thousand dollars would pay for one individual’s dental care.
So I was wondering if the minister can elaborate to me because this doesn’t seem right.
Thank you, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Thompson is correct too.
The money for the dental therapist as well as dentists and dental services are found, it could be three different areas within the budget.
For example there are the salaries, and that’s under the compensation and benefits as well as the contract payments, dental services are also included under the NIHB which is the non-insured health benefits.
The amount is certainly more than the half million dollars that the member mentioned.
So he is correct on that.
Chairperson: Would you like to continue Mr. Arvaluk?
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): I was wondering, looking at one individual isn’t it too expensive for one individual.
Aren’t we paying too much for our dental care and we’re trying to educate our people in the nursing program and compared to this 500 thousand dollars per person.
Perhaps if you can review this, because if we’re going to be paying 14 million dollars, I think there’s only 27 thousand people in the population of Nunavut.
I mean I know that it’s expensive, we live in Nunavut.
I know it costs a lot for transportation and meals, but five hundred thousand dollars per person.
So, I was wondering if you can clarify and inform us in a written form and give us a detailed breakdown on the costs as to why it is so expensive.
Mr. Chairman, what I would endeavour to do for the member and the committee is on the dental services, breakdown what the total costs the NIHB is covering, what the total dental therapists as well as dentist costs are, because we have contract services in place for those and some of those costs are covered by NIHB and including the transportation costs.
We just successfully negotiated an additional…I believe we have successfully increased our claim available to the NIHB by over 1 million dollars in the past nine months in negotiations with the federal government.
So I can make that information available to the committee.
Mr. Arvaluk: Well if it cost the total amount of 14 million dollars, I could buy that, Mr. Chairman.
What I cannot buy is the efficiency of the department on the dental program on a per capita basis.
Can you try to find a better way or a more efficient way of having a dental program and use the remainder of money elsewhere like the nursing program.
Mr. Chairman, I would disagree with the member on that.
I would suggest to you that if anything, I’m not putting enough money into dental services.
One of the biggest costs to our government right now under health care and health insurance programs, is flying out little children under the age of 2 for having all their teeth removed because of baby bottle decay and so on or hygiene.
I would like to be able to increase dental therapists and have those in every school.
There are lots of schools that we don’t have dental therapist in.
What I’m suggesting to the member is the 14 million dollars you see there is contract services which includes a whole range of things more than and more than just dental programs.
I believe the total amount I’m spending right now on dental programs is a little over 2 million dollars.
So, I’ll be able to clarify that for the members tomorrow.
So I would suggest to the members that the member has made a good point and I’ve committed to him, hopefully by tomorrow, we should be able to come back with the salary dollars for the dentists, the dental therapists as well as travel and what’s billable under the NIHB.
Again, I strongly suggest to the member that if anything we’re not doing enough in dental therapy and dental services and we should be increasing it.
One of the things I hear from the members, on a regular basis is that we don’t have enough coverage and dentists in their communities and enough… (inaudible)...Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Do you have emergency money put aside on this page?
Hon. Ed Picco: The answer is no, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): My colleagues have already asked the questions I was going to pose so I’ll just stop for now.
Chairperson (interpretation): Perhaps I will follow up Mr. Arvaluk’s question.
The minister has stated that he’ll probably get the information tomorrow.
If you want to continue skipping this part and go ahead.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): I’ll wait until tomorrow.
Chairperson (interpretation): Are we agreed to this?
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): At times, in some rules, once we’ve passed this page, we can’t ask any more questions in regards to that.
Perhaps the minister can come back tomorrow to the House.
There’s a motion on the floor to report progress. It’s not debatable.
Thank you for attending the meeting.
We’ll start off with the same department tomorrow.
We can ask the Speaker to come back to the chamber.
Speaker: Returning to Orders of the Day. Item 21. Report of Committee of the Whole.
Ms. Williams is the seconder.
Meetings for tomorrow Thursday May 9, 2002.
Meeting of regular caucus at 9 o’clock in the Natsiq Boardroom.
Meeting of Ajauqtiit at 10 o’clock in Nanuk and meeting of the Management Services Board at 11 o’clock in Tuktu.
Orders of the day for Thursday May 9, 2002:
The House stands adjourned until Thursday, May 9 at 1.30 p.m.
>>House adjourned at 7.56 p.m.  Nunavut Canada
Thursday May 9, 2002
Pages 603 - 695
Opening Prayer 603
Ministers’ Statements 603
Members’ Statements 604
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 607
Oral Questions 609
Tabling of Documents 626
Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills 627
First Reading of Bills 627
Second Reading of Bills 628
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 629
Report of Committee of the Whole 693
Orders of the Day 693
Thursday May 9, 2002 603
031 – 1(6): Home and Community Care (Picco) 603
032 – 1(6): Building Nunavut Through Decentralization (Okalik) 604
112 – 1(6): Birthday Wishes to Daughter (Kilabuk) 605
113 – 1(6): Training for the Mining Sector (McLean) 605
114 – 1(6): Sean Doherty Awarded Scholarship for Outstanding Community Leadership (Picco) 606
115 – 1(6): Birthday Wishes to Wife (Nutarak) 606
116 – 1(6): Patients Inconvenienced by Medical Travel (Irqittuq) 606
135 – 1(6): Timeline for Overdue GN Response to Committee Report on Tourism (McLean) 609
136 – 1(6): Signing of Chesterfield Inlet Care Facility Construction Contract (Arvaluk) 610
137 – 1(6): Improving Medical Travel Logistics (Irqittuq) 611
138 – 1(6): Authority Over Airline Schedules (Iqaqrialu) 613
139 – 1(6): Increased Legal Interpreters for Court System (Williams) 616
140 – 1(6): New Vehicles for Home Care Program (Nutarak) 618
141– 1(6): Training for Inuinnaqtun Reading and Writing (Havioyak) 619
142 – 1(6): Allocation of Funding Based on Pupil-Teacher Ratio (McLean) 621
143 – 1(6): Fees Charged to Patients in Boarding Homes (Arvaluk) 622
144 – 1(6): Costs of Severance for Senior GN Staff (Irqittuq) 624
016 – 1(6): Gjoa Haven Gasoline Study (McLean) 626
017 – 1(6): Gasoline Requirement Specifications (Kattuk) 626
018 – 1(6): Building Nunavut Through Decentralization – Evaluation Report (Okalik) 627
019 – 1(6): Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce AGM Resolutions (McLean) 627
020 – 1(6): Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner – April 2001 to March 31, 2002 (Speaker) 627
Bill 11 – An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act – Notice 627
Bill 11 – An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act – First Reading 628
Bill 11 – An Act to Amend the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act – Second Reading 628
Bill 6 – Appropriation Act No. 2, 2002-2003 – Consideration in Committee 629
Honourable Olayuk Akesuk, Honourable Jack Anawak, Mr. James Arvaluk, Mr. Donald Havioyak, Mr. David Iqaqrialu, Mr. Enoki Irqittuq, Honourable Peter Kattuk, Honourable Peter Kilabuk, Mr. Glenn McLean, Mr. Jobie Nutarak, Honourable Kelvin Ng, Honourable Kevin O’Brien, Honourable Paul Okalik, Honourable Ed Picco, Honourable Manitok Thompson, Ms. Rebekah Williams.