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I want to thank them for their dedication as they conducted their duties during a particularly cold day, which was challenging, but they showed us how capable they are.
Further, I want to thank all the staff of the City of Iqaluit as they spent long hours assisting the firefighters.
Additionally, whenever an event occurs, the community spirit of the residents of Iqaluit flares up as they try to provide assistance and this community spirit was on display immediately afterwards up to this current day.
The capabilities and dedication of our residents showed as people gathered donated materials by volunteering their time and offer their donations.
The elders as well, even though some of them don’t have excess stuff, provided donations to those who lost their entire belongings and homes.
There are none. Please proceed, Ms. Ell.
Ms. Ell (interpretation): I had almost completed my statement.
Another person I wish to mention who lives in my constituency is Amy Elgersma, who works for the city’s recreation department and also volunteers with the Red Cross.
I wish to express my gratitude to this woman.
Although many people deserve to be thanked for their untiring assistance, I have only mentioned these three people out of the many Iqalummiut who have provided assistance and a show of community spirit as they work towards assisting those in need.
I am very proud and grateful of all of them.
Since volunteers rarely get thanked, on behalf of my constituents and the residents of Iqaluit, I want to thank all the volunteers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member’s Statement 188 – 3(3): Pangaggujjiniq 2012 - Nunavut Quest (Tapardjuk)
With respect to the statement about the late Leonard Putulik of Chesterfield Inlet, those of us who went to the residential school in Chesterfield Inlet were also assisted by this individual.
I want to send our condolences to those he left behind and those who are grieving are in our thoughts and prayers. This individual assisted many people, even if they were not residents of Chesterfield Inlet.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about an event that was created at the same time as the Nunavut government in 1999.
I’m not going to be speaking about our Nunavut government nor am I inclined to speak about our government.
However, I wish to talk about husky dogs and in particular, dog teams and in this case, an event that was created in 1999.
Mr. Speaker, the Pangaggujjiniq committee created the Nunavut Quest in 1999 and is in its 12th year of operations, with this year’s race that will be held on April 23 departing from Igloolik.
It is quite obvious that the High Arctic communities, particularly the communities of Pond Inlet, Arctic Bay, Clyde River, Igloolik, Hall Beach, and Repulse Bay, will be sending local representatives to partake in this traditional race.
What I do know for a fact, Mr. Speaker, is that Igloolik will have five dog team racers who will be in the Nunavut Quest.
On April 20, the participants will be gathering in Igloolik for this race.
Therefore, I would like to invite the MLAs who represent these communities that I just mentioned to partake in this race. We welcome them to attend this celebration as many Inuit utilize this quest to celebrate their culture.
We wish the dog team racers a fast and safe trip.
Obviously, in a race, there can be only one winner, and many residents of the participating communities will be cheering on their local racers. Therefore, I would like to inform my colleagues that if you want to take the chance to make a friendly bet, I’m open to any member who would like to shake my hand prior to the event occurring on that date.
I’m sure all members wish them a safe and swift journey.
Return to Oral Question 240 – 3(3): Nunavut Marine Council (Arreak)
I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Tapardjuk, Oral Question No. 240 – 3(3).
Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide a response to an oral question posed to me on February 23, 2012 by the member from Amittuq.
The member asked about the recently established Nunavut Marine Council and whether or not the Government of Nunavut is going to be involved in this organization.
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA), the Nunavut Marine Council consists of the land and resource management organizations established by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, specifically the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, the Nunavut Impact Review Board, the Nunavut Water Board, and the Nunavut Planning Commission.
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement does not provide that there is a formal role for government in the Nunavut Marine Council.
However, also pursuant to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, in making decisions that affect marine areas, government is required to consider the advice of all of the above organizations either severally or jointly as the Nunavut Marine Council.
As members, we don’t often get to recognize visitors from our communities, especially from our community of Rankin Inlet due to its distance from Iqaluit.
However, at this time, I urge my colleagues to welcome and recognize this individual from Rankin Inlet, Cathy Towtongie.
Mr. Speaker, perhaps you ought to do a formal recognition since we all know that she is the current president of NTI.
I, too, would like to welcome the representatives of an organization that is at the heart of Nunavut as it also created our territory. I would like to recognize the President of Nunavut Tunngavik, Cathy Towtongie, and the recently hired employee, Anne Crawford, who is from my constituency.
She is now the principal secretary for the president. Another person from my constituency is Terry Audla. He is the executive assistant for Nunavut Tunngavik.
I would like to represent the Inuit of Kitikmeot in my recognition of Cathy Towtongie, President of NTI.
Ms. Ell (interpretation): Several members have already recognized this individual, but since we can also recognize a person, I wish to recognize my maternal cousin, who is the President of NTI, Cathy Towtongie.
Although she doesn’t reside in my constituency, her office was situated in my riding, but it seems I have now lost her to NTI. I wish to recognize Anne Crawford. She used to have an office when she was practicing law in my riding, but now she has been hired by NTI.
Another person, a fellow Iqaluit resident and currently the executive assistant, I wish to recognize is Terry Audla.
Welcome again.
Moving on in our orders of the day. Before we proceed to Item 6, oral question period, I wish to make a brief statement.
After reviewing both Hansard and the audio recordings of yesterday’s proceedings, I note that the Member for Rankin Inlet North did indicate in his preamble that his questions were directed to the Minister of Community and Government Services.
Unfortunately, your Chair heard a different portfolio being referred to and I do regret the confusion that that caused.
We will now proceed with Item 6. Oral Questions.
Question 280 – 3(3): Contracting Process for Air Ambulance and Scheduled Medical Travel Services (Curley)
Mr. Curley: Thank you. (interpretation) Yesterday we received a short break from the Speaker’s ruling.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to continue with my question so that it will be quite clear to the minister and to the Department of the Community and Government Services.
I had tried to raise this question yesterday.
In the case of the air ambulance service contract for the Kitikmeot, the government has entered into a contract with a company that does not actually hold a valid air operator certificate issued by federal authorities.
All of the actual flight operations are performed by another entity.
This situation also exists with respect to the government’s contracts for medical travel on scheduled airlines.
Why does the minister not support a requirement in the government’s RFP process that mandates the primary contractor to hold a valid air operator certificate?
I will respond to the member’s question clearly. I didn’t say I didn’t support it as I do support that all aircraft flying within Canadian airspace require proper licences.
I wouldn’t want to see aircraft operating without the proper licence in our airspace, so I fully support this requirement and I have never stated that I’m not in support of this requirement.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): Thank you. That response was certainly clear and I thank the minister for that response. I hope that his senior departmental officials have noted this support.
Earlier this week, the Minister of Health and Social Services informed the House that he has told his departmental officials that he wants “a full review of the RFP process” in respect to air ambulance and scheduled medical travel services.
I strongly support a change to the RFP process for medical travel and air ambulance service contracts to require that the companies with whom the government signs contracts hold a valid air operator certificate.
Does the Minister of CGS support this change, yes or no?
Minister responsible for Community and Government Services, Minister Kusugak
On the issue of the contracts he’s questioning, air ambulance service is a very specialized field.
When the government and the Department of Health and Social Services were determining the specifications required, the terms of reference and criteria for this contract was done by the Department of Health and Social Services.
My colleague was the Minister of Health and Social Services at the time that the requirements and specifications were drawn up for this contract in particular.
That would have been a good opportunity to decide the specifics and details of what kind of contract you would want.
Mr. Speaker, our government is always in support of contracts being let to Nunavummiut. This is no exception.
Mr. Speaker, our government supports Inuit owned companies to join other companies in order to be able to take contracts that are put out by the Government of Nunavut.
In terms of this contract, it followed the rules, procedures, and criteria specified and there were four people from the Department of Health and Social Services who let this contract, of which my colleague was the minister of, that decided on this contract. Everything was followed.
For the record, Mr. Speaker, I think the facts can speak for themselves, and I appreciate the minister and the department’s position on the issue of compliance with respect to the certification requirement.
My supplementary question No. 2, Mr. Speaker, is: when does the government’s current contract with Aqsaqniq Airways expire?
I believe it is five years.
There are some questions with respect to the compliance, whether or not the airline has defaulted on some of its obligations.
My last question, Mr. Speaker, is: on what grounds can the government terminate the current contract for air ambulance services in the Kitikmeot region?
If there is breach of the contract, I’m sure there are procedures in there on how the contract could be terminated, but I don’t have the exact details and all the parameters on that in front of me, Mr. Speaker.
Question 281 – 3(3): Igloolik School Closures Due to Extreme Cold (Tapardjuk)
Mr. Speaker, on the news today, we were informed that both schools in Igloolik were closed due to extreme cold temperatures outside, not in the buildings.
This winter, there have been quite a number of days whereby schools were closed down due to cold temperatures.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister apprise this House of whether there is an existing policy pertaining to school closures and what the parameters are for determining school closures? Mr. Speaker, I would first like to understand what this policy is.
I thank my colleague for his question.
The local DEAs are involved whenever different circumstances arise, whether it is extremely cold temperatures or a blizzard. The principal, along with the DEA, discusses the matter and then makes the determination to either close the school or not.
Furthermore, the other aspect they have to take into consideration is whether the buses can operate or if they have been shut down due to the temperature or when a community has taxis, if the taxis have been taken off the road. There are different factors in each community affecting closures, but they consider transportation as well.
In particular, the local DEAs, along with the principal, debate on whether or not to close their local schools.
I thank the Minister of Education for that response.
I want further clarification on that policy. Whenever the temperature drops or if a strong blizzard occurs… . In the case of a strong blizzard, that is not the problem when transportation services are not available, such as water, sewer, or dump trucks cannot run.
However, when the sole reason for closure is just extreme cold temperatures, I wonder if the communities have a clear and concise policy that they can refer to.
Whenever a school is closed down, you see most of the kids either running around or playing outside. Thusly, even though the closure of the school is because of weather-related concerns, the kids, who are supposed to be the ones protected, run outside to play whenever a school is closed due to extremely cold temperatures.
This is teaching our children to become fearful of cold temperatures.
With this in mind, Mr. Speaker, I don’t believe that when the officials want to close the school, the DEA should quickly meet to make a determination to close the schools down.
I don’t think that is the case, Mr. Speaker.
When the decision to close the schools due to extreme cold temperatures is made, is this careful consideration of the needs of the students or is it because they feel merciful towards the teachers?
The students are the ones we are trying to be merciful towards.
With respect to that, we have a written policy that states that once the temperature dips past minus 50 degrees Celsius, this can be a factor used to close the schools.
One person cannot dictate the closure of the schools and that is why the principal has to debate the closure with the DEA.
As per my previous comment, all decisions to close schools are reviewed.
They also check to see if transportation services have been taken off the road, particularly in this day and age, where houses are quite far apart and sometimes more students need to be bused than those who walk to school. If they were to suffer frostbite on their long walk to school, the school would be at fault or someone would blame the school.
So these types of factors related to the safety of the students are the main reason for why policies are drafted for school closures.
Mr. Tapardjuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the minister as I now better understand the reason and that a temperature of minus 50 degrees is the lynchpin for school closures.
That makes me wonder who pulled this number out of a hat. Indeed, I find this nonsensical. What kind of criteria was used to determine that the temperature of minus 50 degrees is when they will close the school?
I don’t understand the reasoning for this policy. How did they determine this number of minus 50 degrees?
As a child, I used to suffer frostbite all over simply because I was playing outside in the cold weather and I’m still functional.
My parents were not at fault; it was my fault for not going inside.
Due to this reason, Mr. Speaker, can the minister please inform me how the temperature of minus 50 degrees was chosen as the point when schools could be closed?
The reasons for the closure of schools is not a “Let’s just close the schools” type of foundation as there are different reasons that come into play. It may include the wind speed.
Let me read some of the factors that are used: if the temperature is extreme or if the blizzard is causing poor visibility, if the roads are closed, or if the temperature with the wind chill factor goes below minus 50 degrees.
As to the member’s question about how the minus 50 degrees was arrived at, this policy was enacted prior to my stepping into this portfolio and I don’t have the reasoning behind the decision to add it into the policy. I imagine there would have been very good arguments as to why this temperature was chosen to be included in the policy. Once I have done some research and have found the reasons for this number, I will get back to the member and inform him of how it was arrived at.
Many parents speak about their concerns, especially when the temperature dips down that low, as they fear for their children. I imagine this applies to the teachers as well.
Some parents are not at all concerned about the temperature as they will call and ask, “Why is the school closed today when it is such a clear, cold day?”
Even though, in their eyes, it doesn’t seem to pose a problem.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister, while she is researching this issue, clearly indicate whether or not this can be revisited when a school has to be closed, especially in cases where the reasoning is simply due to cold temperatures?
I know for a fact that when buses and other modes of transportation are closed and when students live on the far side of town, those are good reasons.
However, it was just in the recent past that Igloolik received its bus prior to it growing larger as a community. The people didn’t complain about the distance to the schools.
As a matter of fact, according to the traditional ways, this was a means of toughening up a child for when they would become hunters and this was a way of preparing them for the future.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister provide more direction as to whether the current policy, as it stands, will be reviewed by Department of Education officials to ensure that school closures are not trivial in the eyes of the community?
The district education authorities are the sole determiners of this decision for their local schools.
We can try to revisit that with the DEAs as to what their wishes are in this matter and whether to proceed.
Question 282 – 3(3): Climate Change (Ningark)
I would like to direct my questions to the Minister of Environment, the Hon. James Arreak.
As I noted in my Member’s Statement yesterday, the impact of climate change and global warming is a concern to many of my constituents and it should be to all of us, Mr. Speaker.
One of the ongoing priorities of the Department of Environment is to “Develop a Nunavut Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan.”
Mr. Speaker, can the hon. minister update us today on when he expects this action plan will be completed and tabled in the Legislative Assembly?
The member’s question is regarding an issue that I have yet to be briefed on, but (interpretation ends) I’ll take the question as notice.
The question has been taken as notice. We will move on in Oral Questions.
Question 283 – 3(3): Filling of GLO Positions (Rumbolt)
My questions are for the Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, Madam Premier.
In the Minister’s Statement earlier today, she mentioned that eight GLO positions were filled and five more positions would be filled in the short term.
Can the minister update us today which five communities she is referring to and when the positions will be filled?
Our priority in trying to fill the GLO positions has been the non-decentralized communities.
Let me start from the beginning of the initiative to provide some history.
The regional supervisor position in Pond Inlet was filled with an employee handling the duties. We have now hired approximately nine GLO employees in these communities: Arctic Bay, Hall Beach, Chesterfield Inlet, Coral Harbour, Kugaaruk, Repulse Bay, Taloyoak, and Sanikiluaq.
In Sanikiluaq, the successful candidate has been identified, but to date, we’re conducting criminal records checks and we haven’t received the results yet from the RCMP. We have the same situation existing in Qikiqtarjuaq, although they have identified the candidate to hire for the position. We’re just waiting for the results from the criminal records check at this time.
Mr. Rumbolt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for her response.
The Premier mentioned that the criminal records checks were one of the stumbling blocks.
Criminal records checks have been required for many government positions for many years and it never seemed to be a stumbling block in the past.
Why is it that criminal records checks are taking longer to obtain today than they were in the past?
I don’t have the corporate history on why this process has slowed, but it has had an impact on our government and the criminal records checks have also affected our operations.
Not just for GLO positions, but they are required for teachers since they work with children, including other positions within our government that require criminal records checks from the RCMP.
Sometimes it becomes fairly lengthy when several criminal records checks are delayed and the position remains open.
I have also enquired as to why this is so. I was informed that in the south, there is a backlog because so many records checks have to be done.
We have been continually working on that and I have discussed this issue with my officials on the best possible ways to deal with it because these important positions remaining vacant definitely has an impact on us.
When these five GLO positions come online, that will give us a total of 13 GLOs in place in our communities.
When does the government expect to have all GLO positions filled?
I also thank the member for his question. I would like to elaborate further on the communities that I didn’t mention.
Arviat has received the information and they are now screening the applicants. In Baker Lake, the hamlet council hasn’t identified whether they want to have a GLO or MLO.
In Cape Dorset, they just closed the employment opportunity and Clyde River hasn’t identified whether or not they want to have a GLO. Also, in Gjoa Haven, they have applicants and they are now screening. For Grise Fiord and Igloolik, the position has closed this month and now they are looking at the applicants.
In Kimmirut, the screening is completed. For Kugluktuk, the hamlet council has not identified if they want to have a GLO or not. Pangnirtung and Resolute Bay are now screening applicants.
For Whale Cove, they have selected an individual to fill the position and they are now in the staffing process.
That is the update I have in front of me. I will try and keep the members informed as we fill those positions.
Question 284 – 3(3): Programs for Adult Learners (Elliott)
Mr. Speaker, as indicated in my Member’s Statement, I would like to encourage the Government of Nunavut to ensure that Nunavut’s adult learners do not fall through the cracks when it comes to access to programs and services.
Can the minister clearly describe how her department identifies adult learners and determines their eligibility for programs and services?
High school students in grade 12 are not categorized as adults.
If the member would like to compare it to those who are no longer in school, I will have to confirm that, although I believe it is 18.
When people have left school and attained a grade 12 diploma, they are then eligible for courses that are offered in the adult learning categories.
As the minister and her colleagues will be aware, programs and services for adult learners are designed and delivered by different entities, including the Department of Education and Nunavut Arctic College.
Can the minister update this House on what mechanisms are in place to ensure that program design and program delivery for adults progress in a coordinated and timely manner?
We have been working continually with Nunavut Arctic College, the CLCs, and the committee that works with these issues. I’ll speak in English.
(interpretation ends) In collaboration with aboriginal skills and employment training and aboriginal human resource development agreement groups and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the department is involved in the Nunavut Integrated Labour Force Planning Committee, which includes representatives from the asset holders and HRDC, as well as other partners.
This committee was established to develop greater partnership amongst organizations funded to provide adult training in Nunavut.
This new collaboration will strive to ensure that Nunavummiut who may face barriers to employment or career development will have opportunities to receive support when participating in approved training.