EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Member’s Statement 150 – 1(3): Culture, Language, Elders & Youth Programs
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about why the Nunavut Government was established.
Mr. Speaker, I asked a question to the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and I would like to restate again that we worked very hard to create the Nunavut Government so that we will resolve the problems of the people of Nunavut. So that we can amend the legislation and the laws of Nunavut to reflect Nunavummiut.
Our Nunavut government was established for that very reason, Mr. Speaker.
I stand today because the elders are dying at a rapid pace and they have to apply for funding.
Our elders' programs have to be applied for and still the government is not changing its mind.
Mr. Speaker, I will be asking a question during the oral question period to the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
I think they can change this policy.
Mr. Speaker, this is very important to us.
We should amend the policy so the elders won't have to apply for funding. As soon as possible.
Member’s Statement 151 – 1(3): Iqaluit Arctic Winter Games Participants
Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the youth of my community who will be competing in the Arctic Winter Games in a few short days.
Mr. Speaker, some of the youth of Iqaluit will be heading to Whitehorse as early as Wednesday.
Seventy-three young people will be competing in the games.
The events that they will be competing in include soccer, hockey, curling, basketball, dog sledding and speed skating.
In fact twelve of the eighteen members of the speed skating team are from Iqaluit.
Mr. Speaker, the ages of the youth participating in the games range from twelve to nineteen.
Zachary Armstrong age twelve will be Iqaluit's youngest member and a constituent of Mr. Okalik.
I would also like to ensure that recognition is paid to two of Iqaluit's residents who are on Team Nunavut's mission staff. Denise Hutchings and Mike Rafter.
In addition, members of the 2002 Arctic Winter Games host society will be in Whitehorse to learn valuable lessons in preparation for the 2002 Winter games.
Mr. Speaker, please join me in wishing them the best of success in the games, and for them to enjoy themselves in the spirit of this wonderful event.
Member’s Statement 152 – 1(3): Cambridge Bay Arctic Winter Games Participants
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to recognize and acknowledge some constituents that are attending the 2000 Arctic Winter Games.
We have Reggie Maksagak and Robert Maksagak, who are involved in basketball.
Jonathan Eder, Jennifer Dion who are involved in badminton.
Corey Klengenberg who is involved in arctic sports, and we also have Elee Tologanak and DJ Evalik who are mission staff at the Arctic Winter Games, and we have four coaches and officials. Mr. Kane Tologanak, Attima Hadlari, Debbie Gray and Sandra Card.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of us I would like to wish all the Nunavut Arctic Winter Games participants the best of luck and a safe and enjoyable trip.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Ng. Members' Statements.
Member’s Statement 153 – 1(3): Appreciation to Chesterfield Inlet
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mayor, council and people of Chesterfield Inlet for their warm welcome on Saturday.
I would also like to thank Minister Arvaluk for inviting me to visit the community.
We had an excellent feast as well as a public meeting.
I had a chance to visit the dedicated workers and volunteers at the Saint Teresa's Home and congratulate them for sixty-nine years Mr. Speaker, of continuous dedicated service to the people of Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, it was nice to visit Chesterfield Inlet and meet some old friends again.
Mr. Speaker, many thanks to the people of Chesterfield Inlet for a warm welcome.
Member’s Statement 154 – 1(3): Cost of Private Housing
Mr. Kattuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker I rise today to point out a concern from my community of Sanikiluaq.
It is in regards to access to private housing that is provided to my community.
Today it is very hard to operate and maintain a private home with the cost of living rising.
I can use a few examples of monthly expenses.
When you have an access home your payments are dependent on your salary.
You also pay for your oil and heating, water, your telephone and for other monthly expenses.
Mr. Speaker, the Inuit who are employed need support and the reason they applied for the funding was because they wanted to help themselves.
But they need to have support also because they want to go hunting not only for their family but their whole community.
It is very important for the Nunavut Government to do this because I'm representing the people of my community and also I will be asking this same question during oral question period.
Member’s Statement 155 – 1(3): Inuit Heritage Centre
Mr. Speaker, the Baker Lake Inuit Heritage Centre was opened to the public June 3, 1998 by the Governor General of Canada and the elders.
The Inuit Heritage Centre was built at the request of the elders as a place where they could put their knowledge and exhibits and hands-on displays to reach the youth in a way they understand.
The elders wanted to protect, preserve and promote their unique inland culture of the people of Baker Lake.
The centre's role in the arts community of Baker Lake is to honour the local artists for the contributions they have made to the visual arts and to the preservation of Inuit culture by providing a venue for their works to be exhibited.
This June an early Baker Lake Inuit arts culture exhibition will open in Baker Lake.
The exhibition will be shown at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Museum Of Civilisation, the Legislative Building of Nunavut, the Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife and the Hamlet of Kugluktuk.
This exposure will promote Inuit Art and hopefully increase sales not only for Baker Lake, but also for the rest of Nunavut.
Member’s Statement 156 – 1(3): Visits to Coral Harbour and Chesterfield Inlet
I would like to thank the Premier for visiting Coral Harbour this winter, which is in my constituency and he had a very warm reception.
There are people who still remember the visit this winter.
They are also hoping to see some follow up done on some issues that were brought up during the public meetings they had in Coral Harbour.
I would also like to thank the members and ministers for visiting Chesterfield Inlet.
I apologise that we weren't able to go through with all the planned events but we ran out of time and we had another community that we wanted to visit as well.
But I do know and the people of Chesterfield Inlet do know that they will have something to look forward to from the Nunavut Government and I know that they will be looking forward to seeing the follow-up done on the issues that they identified.
I would like to thank Mr. Alakannuark for inviting us to Repulse Bay where we had a very warm reception and Mr. Speaker, I don't usually square dance but with the excellent music I participated in the square dance and with that I would like to thank the people of Repulse Bay because they never change and also for giving us some ideas.
Even though they are from a small community, they gave us some excellent ideas and thanks to the government members for going to the smaller communities and listening to the people.
Member’s Statement 157 – 1(3): Tribute to Rankin Inlet
First of all I would like to thank the member for Akulliq who gave us the opportunity to go to Repulse Bay.
However today I want to talk about life in Rankin Inlet.
Most of the communities in Nunavut are original communities, with very few newer residents from the outside.
However, Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit are where there are people from all over the country.
Rankin Inlet was established as a mining town.
We are very pleased that we have it very well co-ordinated.
There are still some miners in town, and I'm very glad our town could be well established even though we have all kinds of people from all over the Keewatin Region.
We are very proud of the people who live here in Rankin Inlet, and there were some people who first came here when Rankin Inlet was starting to get established in mining.
There are quite a few of them here even though the mine closed a long time ago.
They went through very hard times but were able to get back on their feet again.
It was very hard for them when the mine closed down but we were able to keep the community going.
There are a lot of private businesses that were established in our town.
I just wanted to make that statement to say how proud I am of Rankin Inlet.
Member’s Statement 158 – 1(3): Appreciation to Rankin Inlet Residents
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Rankin Inlet residents just in case I don’t have time to say thank you tomorrow.
This is going to be our last session tomorrow so I will take this opportunity to thank the Rankin Inlet residents for the great hospitality and their great reception.
The longer I stay here the more I find out about my relatives.
I have met many of my in-laws and again I would like to thank all of you in Rankin Inlet.
Member’s Statement 159 – 1(3): Facilities for Youth
Today Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about the youth.
As parents we all know and worry about our young people as to where they go at night.
I know we all feel that as parents.
We worry about our young people and we know our young people need recreational facilities and they need counselling facilities.
Mr. Speaker, I've gone into many communities and just recently I moved to Iqaluit and I have seen many young people just roaming the street and visiting each other because they don't have a recreational facility so that they won't get bored they just hang out with each other.
I would like to acknowledge a private facility called Aupaluktuq Qullak and Kativik, right across form the Catholic Church.
Mr. Speaker, or young people can hang out in these facilities where they won't get bored.
Mr. Speaker, it is evident that the parents have to spend money on their children because their children want to spend money in these places.
But these places I just mentioned have rules like no smoking, drugs or alcohol.
The young people who are in school have a curfew time.
I would like to acknowledge these facilities for helping the young people so that the young people could have places to hang out.
Member’s Statement 160 – 1(3): Soapstone Mine Safety
I stand today to express the concern of my constituency.
In my communities many people are trying to survive through handicrafts and carvings.
The soapstone mine is quite far from our communities.
It is very hard to go and get a job at the mining campsite.
It is unsafe.
This coming summer there will be Inuit people working in the mine.
We need to rectify the matter with the Minster of Sustainable Development.
I would like to invite him to go down to the mining site and investigate that site because it is not very safe.
At this point I would like to take the opportunity to thank the residents of Repulse Bay and the member for that community for inviting us.
I would also like to thank the Premier and the ministers for going to Repulse Bay and the reception was great.
Return to OQ 199 – 1(3): Qikitarjuaq Clam Harvesting
Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a return to a question asked by Mr. Iqaqrialu on February 23, 2000.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the member's question regarding Qikiqtarjuaq residents who are participating in a commercial clam harvesting operation.
Earlier this month the Workers' Compensation Board, Workers' Safety Officer held a meeting at the Qikiqtarjuaq Hamlet office with the mayor, a representative from the HTO, the secretary of Paparack Fisheries and four clam divers.
Mr. Speaker, it was brought to the divers attention that in order to engage in commercial occupational operations, individuals must have a valid commercial occupational diving certificate from a recognised training facility.
Certification obtained through a sport or recreational diving program is not considered a valid certification for commercial occupational diving.
Unfortunately, these four divers held recreational diving certificates.
Mr. Speaker, the safety officer stated that if the divers were diving for compensation they needed a commercial occupational diving certification with the Canadian Standards Association.
The divers agreed and asked for a letter stating this.
The Safety officer completed an inspection report containing an order to cease operations and to obtain certification.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that my Honourable colleague the Minister of Sustainable Development's department is working to ensure that these four clam divers will receive training in the near future so that they can attain their commercial occupational diving certification.
This will enable them to resume their commercial clam diving operation.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng. Returns to Oral Questions.
Return to OQ 201 – 1(3): Federal Airport Capital Assistance Program.
I have a reply to a question asked by the Honourable member from Baker Lake on February 23rd, 2000.
During preliminary discussions with Transport Canada staff in January, both the Department and Transport Canada identified projects that could be supported with funding through the Federal Airport Capital Assistance Program.
The department uses federal selection criteria to assess projects with high potential for ACAP funding approval before initiating a request for proposals for design.
Applications for these projects must contain the detail engineering design referred to in the request for proposals since the proposal forms the basis of the ACAP application.
Given the regulatory and safety requirements, funding for this design work has been identified in fiscal year 1999/2000 and will be recoverable from Transport Canada on approval of ACAP application.
Return to OQ 175 – 1(3): Support for Smaller Communities
I have a reply to a question that was asked by the Member for Uqqumiut.
The question is in regards to support for smaller communities.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide a response to a question posed to the Premier on February 21, 2000.
The question is regarding the Nunavut Government's plan to provide for the smaller communities who are not receiving decentralised government services.
In his remark the Premier noted that the department had been working with smaller communities in developing community plans.
I would like to provide the member with further information on these initiatives.
Mr. Speaker, in a number of smaller communities, including the members home community of Clyde River, our department has funded a community planning process that encourages communities to discuss and establish their priorities for development.
Other smaller communities such as Whale Cove, Arctic Bay and Sanikiluaq have recently begun these community-planning initiatives.
The aim of these community-planning exercises is to encourage leaders to begin the process of setting realistic economic goals and place a plan to achieve them.
Once community priorities are identified, my department officials along with community Economic Development Officers work with Hamlets and assist community groups, businesses and individuals to access funding in support of their priority projects.
A number of different programs in my department may be used for this purpose including the Community Initiatives Program, the Nunavut Prospectors Program, the Business Development Fund and the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation.
These programs are frequently used by communities to match funding from other programs such as those that are now being offered in Nunavut by the Government of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, in the Bathurst Mandate this government asked my department, along with the departments of Community Government and Transportation and Health and Social Services to work with communities in building their capacity to address community issues with community solutions.
We know this will involve rethinking some of our existing programs but above all it will take leadership in our communities to tell government how and where we can assist with building on the strength in our communities.
I would urge the member of Uqqumiut as well as all members of this House to encourage their community leaders to come forward with realistic community goals, plans and priorities for the next few years so we can facilitate and direct support to these plans.
Return to OQ 50 – 1(3):Contracting Information
I am today making a return to oral question 50-1(3) of October 26, 1999 where I was asked to compile certain information on consultants used during the period of April 1st 1999, to October 31st 1999.
As the information requested is compiled in almost ten pages of documentation, I will not read them into the record at this point.
Instead, I will provide you with some of the background information and table the compiled information at the appropriate time on the order paper.
The information is broken down into nine contributing departments.
The departments have worked to be as complete as possible but we expect that we may have missed some contracts because beginning on October 1st 1999, there were no finance staff in some departments.
Some finance staff were and are very new to their jobs.
Our computer systems do not account for consultant contracts separately from other contracts or other financial information.
Some divisions and functions have moved from one department to another during the period requested.
Some departments have moved locations several times since April 1st resulting in disruptions in their physical records.
If at a later point during this session or when the Assembly is sitting in Iqaluit, a minister becomes aware of a contract which meets the criteria and has not been included in this documentation, we will arrange for an addendum to be tabled providing the relevant information.
In determining which contracts should be included in this response, departments were asked to use the definition of consultant as set out in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Based on this definition and the terms of the original question, the contracts identified are for services, skills rather than for goods entered into after April 1st 1999 and before October 1st, 1999.
They do not include contracts for renewals or extensions of contracts entered into by the OIC, but where a new contract has been entered into and the same person has been hired after April 1st, 1999, it is included.
Consistent with the Department of Justice, they do not include contracts for lawyers who were felt to be distinct from the information requested.
The values associated with each contract are either values to date on existing contracts or maximum values.
They may include travel, sub-contractors, fees, translations and other disbursements.
The value given is therefore often well in excess of the funds actually received by the consultant for the services personally provided.
When looking at this review of consulting contracts, there are a larger number of contracts than this government would like to see.
Some of the root causes of this include, there are many vacancies within the public service and many of the consulting contracts are used to fill these vacancies.
The vacancies caused urgent need and short time frames do not always allow time to publicly tender a contract.
The lack of knowledge and experience among the GN public service with contracting procedures are due partly to the fact that the public service is relatively new.
The costs of advertising are very significant.
For example on a simple ad, the advertising costs are around 2 thousand dollars.
Members will have the opportunity to review the data for themselves.
But having said first that the level of sole sourcing exceeds those that my Cabinet colleagues and I feel are desirable in the future.
I would like to add that some conditions the public service operated under in the past year created continued pressures for immediate action and reduced opportunities to have in place processes such as standing offer agreements which would have responded to some of these pressures.
Of the 104 contracts, 20% are valued under 5 thousand, and 60% have values up to $25 thousand.
Current contracting procedures permit sole sourcing on a number of bases, including allowing DMs to sole source consulting contracts up to $25 thousand if the advertising costs would be excessive.
That provision appears to have been used in a number of instances.
Of the contracts over $25 thousand, 65% were obtained through a public process while among the 10 most expensive contracts, 90% were subject to a competitive process.
It is hard to compare this information to other practices in other governments, as that information is not available in the same form.
Part of the question for us should be not how it compares to other governments but how it compares to the process we want and require as a government.
Beginning April 01, 2000, a number of measures have been approved to respond to this concern including; Public Works will create a process to provide quick access to common advertising by the Nunavut Government of upcoming consulting contracts in both Inuktitut and English.
This will provide easy access for consultants to obtain details of such contracts.
Two, Public Works will make lists of pending contracts available to all communities in Nunavut, and provide information and connect interested parties with departments seeking contract services.
Relevant ministers will report quarterly to the Legislative Assembly and publicly report on the government's progress beginning on April 1, 2000.
It may be necessary that we continue to implement additional measures and I hope the members will join in the discussions of the standards and processes that they consider will give us effective and flexible contracting processes as we move forward in the new contracting year.
I haven't recognised an individual that is related to me in the gallery but I'd like to recognise a future relative, Leonard Forbes.
He is a future in-law of mine.
Speaker: Recognition of visitors in the gallery.
I'd like to recognise, hopefully a future leader of Nunavut and a shy little girl that I hope I don't embarrass her too much today but it's my granddaughter Andrea Kownirk.
I'd like to recognise and I'd like to thank again the Premier for going to the Adult Basic Education class and visiting the students.
I'd like to recognise the students of the adult education centre with their teacher Angie Kubluitak.
During my member's statement, I talked about finding a lot of new relatives here in Rankin Inlet.
I'm not too familiar with their names but I can recognise them.
It's unfortunate that I can't remember their names but I just wanted to note that.
Speaker: Welcome to the visitors that he is speaking of.
Hon. Jack Anawak: I'm really bad at remembering names but I'd like to recognise firstly, I think the individual that has been working very hard with the members, Sandy Kusugak.
I'd like to recognise Sandy for her hard work and also, I'd also like to recognise my nephew and his wife, Eric and Kristine Nukapiaq, if you could stand.
I'd like to recognise all of the grade six class that are sitting on the stage with their teacher Chris Niego.
Question 237 - 1(3): Changes to Elders Funding Policy
My question is directed to the Minster of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth.
The Nunavut Government was established so we could make our laws reflect Nunavummiut.
Our elders are dying at a rapid pace and still they have to apply for funding rather than allocating funds to the community for elders' programs.
Mr. Speaker, this is very important to us and my question is when is the Nunavut Government going to change their policy so that the contributions can be allocated to the communities rather than having to apply for funding.
In regards to the allocation of funding for elders, we are following the normal policy for applying for grants.
We have a policy in regards to the applications.
The one we are using is the GNWT’s policy through the OIC and we are using these policies right now.
We are going to leave those and get new policies that we are going to set up that will be available April 1.