EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Of course, we want to review grants and contribution programs to ensure that the funding that we approve to the external organizations or individuals, and other agencies and third-party groups, are meeting the intent of the programs that we have available.
In terms of good value, we want to make sure that we are getting the results that the money is intended for. We would be reviewing that.
Yesterday, the minister was unable to tell the House which specific programs the government will be reviewing as its first priority under its new program review initiative.
Is the minister able to tell the House today which specific areas of its grants and contributions spending will be looked at as part of this initiative?
No, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
As the minister will recall, I raised concerns during our recent winter sitting about the way that Nunavut Tourism spends its $1.8 million in contribution funding that it receives from the government.
Will the minister commit to ensuring that the government’s upcoming review of its grants and contributions spending includes a detailed examination of the value that we get from Nunavut Tourism?
I can’t commit that we will review a specific organization but I will assure the member that we will probably be looking at core funding that goes to certain organizations.
Perhaps all organizations will be reviewed.
Oral Questions. Member for North Baffin, Mr. Shooyook.
Question 059 – 4(2): Polar Bears as a Threatened Species (Shooyook)
Mr. Shooyook (interpretation): My question is directed to the Minister of Environment.
I’m rising today regarding the Species at Risk Act which the polar bears are in because of global warming.
The people who identify these kinds of things never really come up north and specifically look at the situations of the polar bears. It seems that they reach their own conclusions.
As a minister, what is your opinion in relation to whether the polar bears are at special risk in the future because of global warming? Do you believe that they are in jeopardy in terms of ice platforms melting earlier?
I thank my fellow MLA for asking this question in relation to polar bears being at risk.
I can only state what has been utilized in relation to whether the polar bears’ futures are at risk.
DOE and other co-management partners, NTI, NWMB, RWOs, and HTOs, successfully prevented the up-listing of polar bears to Appendix I under CITES.
CITES keeps tabs on various species of animals that they think are being endangered. The polar bears were put into that category last year because the GN, NTI, NWMB, and the federal government were able to raise our management situations where we had stated that we manage our polar bears quite well over the past several years.
That is all I can say in relation to the management of the polar bears.
I would also like to tell Mr. Shooyook, in relation to the opinion, it should not be in Oral Questions.
The polar bears are increasing as far as my knowledge is concerned. I don’t see their numbers becoming depleted because each community would be experiencing.
However, on the contrary, every community, the polar bears are becoming more of a problem because they come right into the communities. It is becoming quite a concern because the polar bears are becoming a problem.
Why do people like that keep talking about how the polar bears are decreasing in numbers and that their numbers are becoming depleted.
So naturally it is only because their numbers are increasing that the communities are experiencing polar bear problems.
It is the polar bears that are endangering people’s lives by infringing on their settled communities; they maul people and try to eat them alive and so on.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Hon. Minister of Environment, Mr. Mike.
I thank the member for that question. This winter, the Department of Environment indicated during the winter session that a lot of activity has been directed to the management of polar bears.
Once the studies and so on have been completed, we will give a summary, an indication on their condition.
We do know, as a government, that the numbers have increased.
If there is to be a new management review in relation to the polar bears it would be different than what already exists and we would indicate that.
We are aware that many hunters have indicated a problem with polar bears coming into their camps.
I will be able to elaborate this more in our fall sitting in relation to their current situation.
As a minister, what is your conclusion, because ever since the 1970s, there has been a quota system imposed and still in existence today because every time the polar bears come into the communities, people try to drive them away and then they break cabins and equipment and yet the hunters are penalized every time there is a self-defence kill and especially so in the summer time when they start to becoming a problem.
If too many polar bears come in during the summer they are disposed of and so their numbers are taken away from the community’s quotas and also the polar bears, the studies have been done on them and so their bodily functions become different and when helicopters are tranquilizing them and subjecting them to unfamiliar sounds and so on, they develop aggressive behaviour.
When too many polar bears have started coming into communities, the quotas are depleted.
I think that it would be better if….due to the endangering of people’s lives do you have any considerations in terms of doing away with counting the self-defence killed bears as no longer being included in decreasing the quotas.
In my Minister’s Statement, I indicated that when studies are done on polar bears, they will no longer be tranquilized.
The use of tranquilizers will no longer be permitted during research.
Mr. Speaker, we are working to revise the policy in relation the polar bears and in different to the provisions of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. The government will be utilizing more of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit as it pertains to scientific research.
What used to be used in relation to research, the community HTOs were able to take part in terms of developing new policies. Once the policies in relation to polar bears are done, we would be able to present a tabled document in relation to that this fall. When it is finally completed and condensed into everything…
At the current time, I still have to listen to opinions and not say in the future I will be making a decision regardless of this or that.
Member for Tununiq. Mr. Enook.
Question 060 – 4(2): Proposed Merger between Canadian North and First Air (Enook)
My Member’s Statement spoke for itself, so my questions today will be extremely short and to the point.
Does the Government of Nunavut have a position on the proposed merger between Canadian North and First Air, yes or no?
I too will provide a short and concise answer and they too will be clear.
I can state today, Mr. Speaker, that we will be preparing our own position.
Will the Government of Nunavut make a formal submission to the federal Competition Bureau concerning its review of the proposed merger between Canadian North and First Air, yes or no?
I stated earlier that we will need to be preparing not if they will be continuing to proceed with the merger. We are not dealing with the merger. Other bodies are dealing with it and not us.
As a matter of policy, does the Government of Nunavut support competition in the airline industry, yes or no?
I can state today that as a government, the transportation with airlines, whether there is one, two, or three airlines, and we know we all use them; everybody uses them. We all use whatever airlines there are because basically we travel by air across each region.
However, we are not responsible for dealing with the merger or reviewing what the pros and cons are of the merger at this time. Another government is dealing with it.
So, due to that, after it has been completed then we, too, will have our say.
Question 061 – 4(2): Senior Personnel Secretariat (Savikataaq)
My questions are for the Premier, who is responsible for the government’s Senior Personnel Secretariat.
Information provided to the Legislative Assembly last week indicated to the government paid just over $300,000 in performance bonuses to its deputy ministers and heads of Crown agencies during the 2012-13 fiscal year.
Although I recognize that this practice is not uncommon in governments across the country, Nunavummiut need to have confidence that spending of this nature is justified.
Can the Premier explain the government’s methodology for determining the amount of the performance bonus payments that is awarded to its senior management?
Mr. Speaker, the methodology; I can explain that it is a formula based on the pay scale, performance, bonus pay, and merit pay.
Bonus and merit pay will not exceed the deputy head’s pay scale. There is a limit to the bonus and merit pays.
I recognize that we need to attract confident people to work in the government. However, it is also important that we lead by example and to ensure that the compensations that we award are reasonable and affordable.
Can the Premier indicate if the government will make any changes to its system of compensation for senior officials?
The Member for Arviat, as always, is absolutely right. We are in competition with the rest of the nation and other jurisdictions.
It is very difficult to compete with bigger jurisdictions, like NWT, Yukon, and the provinces.
We do have to try and maintain good quality deputy heads, and this is one way of attracting and retention.
At this time, there is no initiative change that process.
In a number of Canadian jurisdictions, information concerning the remuneration for the government’s most senior officials is publicly released on an annual basis; this helps to determine waste and abuse.
Will the Premier commit to ensuring that information for the Nunavut Public Service is publicly released on an annual basis?
Mr. Speaker, as MLAs and Cabinet members, we do have to table our remunerations and our expenses and everything else, so do the regular MLAs.
These are public funds; to be open and transparent; I cannot see why we should not be able to do that with our deputy heads and our senior personnel.
It is one of the things that most jurisdictions are doing and it’s one of the things I want to see happening because this is public money, this is tax-payer money and we do have to be responsible for that.
Question 062 – 4(2): Operations of the Qulliq Energy Corporation (Mikkungwak)
I will ask (interpretation ends) My questions are for the minister responsible for Qulliq Energy Corporation.
The community of Baker Lake is proud to be the home of Qulliq Energy Corporation’s head quarters.
Over 40 employees of the corporation work at the head quarters.
However, the community continues to be concerned that the corporation’s most senior executives, including the position of president, are located in the community of Iqaluit.
Can the minister clearly explain why the corporation’s own president is not located at the corporation’s headquarters in Baker Lake?
Hon. Minister of Energy, Mr. Kuksuk. Mamianaq Hon. Minister responsible for the Qulliq Energy Corporation, Mr. Paul Okalik.
Having the president located in Iqaluit and not in Baker Lake gives us a good working relationship. He gives us information on what is going on at the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
I just want to advise the member that we are continuing to review the operations of the corporation and we would like to leave it that way for now.
According to the government’s most recently tabled quarterly employment report, the Qulliq Energy Corporation had a total of three executive level positions and seven senior managers.
Can the minister clarify how many of these executive and senior management positions are located at the corporation’s headquarters in Baker Lake?
At the present time, there are numerous vacancies, so it is difficult to provide exact figures at this time.
I cannot inform the member how many of the corporation’s headquarters are in Baker Lake, but the chief financial officer, who is very senior, is in Baker Lake.
According to the government’s most recently tabled quarterly employment report again, the Qulliq Energy Corporation had a total of three executive level positions and seven senior managers.
However, none of these positions were filled by Inuit.
Can the minister indicate what steps are being taken to improve this situation?
That is a good question from the member. What we are doing is trying to look for the positions to be filled by Inuit in Baker Lake. We are hiring summer students to pique the interest of young Inuit to work for the corporation.
That is what we are doing at the present time with the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
Question 063 – 4(2): Kimmirut Public Housing Unit 1-A (Joanasie)
Mr. Speaker, just over a year has passed since a tragedy occurred in Kimmirut involving the deaths of three residents. However hard it may be to deal with, I want to make it clear that I’m talking about an incident where a murder-suicide occurred.
The housing unit where the incident occurred has been left untouched and remains unoccupied.
As the minister will understand, this had had a negative effect on the community’s healing process, as the abandoned housing unit stands as a daily reminder of the tragic event.
Can the minister provide an update on the discussions that the Nunavut Housing Corporation has had with Kimmirut’s local housing association and the municipal council to find a way to resolve this situation?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Hon. Minister of the Nunavut Housing Corporation, Mr. Kuksuk.
I agree with the member that this tragic incident that happened in Kimmirut and the housing unit being unoccupied.
I can say today that this is being resolved at this time. Nothing has come to my attention with respect to what kinds of stuff they want to resolve.
I realize that the relatives of those people have had a hardship and we have to think resolving it.
A number of partners, including the Department of Health, the RCMP and the municipality itself have been working together to help residents of Kimmirut in responding to this tragedy.
Can the minister indicate how the NHC has been involved in supporting the community’s healing process?
I realize that this was a tragic incident for the community of Kimmirut, especially for the relatives.
With that, the Nunavut Housing Corporation, the local housing authority, Government of Nunavut, the hamlet council, and the relatives of the people that were involved in the tragedy were talking to each other to find out what they want to do with respect to the tragedy that occurred.
That house that the member is talking about will be renovated, and be set aside to be occupied.
Perhaps it will be used for staff housing for people that go to Kimmirut for short-term work.
That is the plan that we have in place at the present time.
The local housing association in Kimmirut is elected by residents to decide on local housing matters.
Can the minister clarify if the Local Housing Authority has the authority to make the final decision concerning the disposal of public housing units in situations such as the one that is currently facing Kimmirut?
The local housing authority does have the authority on housing matters.
Mr. Speaker, I can tell my colleague that for capital items that are owned by the Nunavut Housing Corporation, we cannot direct a community to change the intended use of the building.
In accordance with the Financial Management Act, they would require legislative approval in order to do that.
I would like my colleague to understand that.
Question 064 – 4(2): Support for Nunavut’s Nursing Graduates (Hickes)
I would like to take this opportunity to warm the minister up for the Committee of the Whole meetings this afternoon.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear the minister’s commitment to employ all Nunavut nursing graduates who complete their course of study at Nunavut Arctic College.
I recognize that in order for these individuals to work as nurses, they must pass the national exam.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister provide further information on what kind of supports and assistance are provided to our newly graduated nurses to help them prepare for and, hopefully, pass the national nursing exam?
Hon. Monica Ell (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for his question.
I will attempt to answer the question, but I don’t know all of the things that are done through Arctic College.
We want to hire all of the graduates.
They get a number of supports from the government in efforts to get them to work for the Department of Health.
Anyone, especially Inuit, get financial assistance for taking the Nursing Program. When they are trying to get a job, they can be hired by the companies that handle the agency nurses. Some of them end up wanting to work for those companies.
What kind of support do they get? I will give you more details once I gather the information.
I thank the minister for that response and I look forward to that information.
Even after four years of intense study and practical training, there is quite a challenge for any newly graduated nurse in this country to start out in a new job.
Can the minister describe what mentorship positions are established so that experienced nurses can mentor and support our newly graduated nurses until they get comfortable in their new positions?
Hon. Monica Ell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) My apologies for calling you Chairman earlier.
The nursing program graduates are getting more and more numerous, and we are very happy about that.
Some nurses want to work as casuals and others want to work as agency nurses, and once they hit the workforce, we are trying to see how we can support them further once they have started their careers.
We are trying to implement some sort of support program for these new nurses, either at the hospital or in clinics, to see how we can train them and make them more proficient if needed. That is one of the things we will be planning for the future.
I was very pleased to hear that the nursing at Nunavut Arctic College currently has 20 students registered.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure you will agree that it would be a terrible waste of time and effort investing in our nursing students if they do not make it through four years of tough and grueling studies only to face barriers to working because they have difficulty in passing their national exam or do not get additional on-the-job support.
Will the minister commit to putting a comprehensive system in place to ensure that adequate support is available to Nunavut’s newly graduated nurses so that they are in the best possible position to become full-time nurses in Nunavut’s health care system?
We are committed to supporting our nursing graduates and our department is committed to looking at opportunities for retention and recruitment of graduate nurses and other nurses across Canada and elsewhere; we will continue to do that.
Question 065 – 4(2): Considering a Board of Management for the QGH (Angnakak)
Mr. Speaker, last week, I asked the Minister of Health whether any consideration has been given to establishing a board of management for the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
She replied that her department had not considered the idea.
I then asked the Minister of Finance where the governance of the Qikiqtani General Hospital would be addressed under the government’s upcoming program review.
He replied that he would talk to the Minister of Health to see if she was willing to consider it.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Health whether she would be willing to direct her officials to consider the option of establishing a board of management at the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
The department continues to review its operations to improve the delivery of health care services, including management structures.
Under a board of management model, decisions can be made much more quickly than they can under a governmental bureaucratic model.
Has the minister been made aware of any issues or situations at the Qikiqtani General Hospital that are taking a significantly long time to resolve because of the slow-moving nature of our government’s bureaucratic process?
Thank the member for that question.
I have not heard of any that has created any slowness in our department, but the hospital is managed by the Department of Health and the hospital executive director directs to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Operations within the department.
That is the current status.
I recognize that under the First Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, the regional health boards were dissolved and this resulted in changes in how health services across the territory were organized.
I also appreciate that the Client Relations Office is now in place to handle complaints or enquiries about health services.
However, a hospital board of management would not replace either of those entities.
A hospital board would be made up of a group of individuals with expertise and commitment to the efficient operation and management of the hospital.
Will the minister agree to work with her officials to consider the establishment of a board of management for the Qikiqtani General Hospital and report back to this House on this issue?
With the creation of Nunavut and the three regional health and services board they were dissolved. Since then the services that they used to provide have been administered through the government’s Department of Health and Social Services and now the Department of Health.
As part of the program review, there may be an opportunity to review governance of the hospital.
Question 066 – 4(2): Patient Complaints Review (Mapsalak)
My question is directed to the same minister, the Minister of Health.
Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure when it was I asked the minister personally – someone went to Repulse Bay once, maybe not just Repulse Bay. There was a worker that went to check on patients that go to the hospital that say they are mistreated or not treated properly. There was a group of people that came and talked about that.
Can the minister explain what happened during these visits, the results of these visits, please?
I want to respond properly to my colleague’s question, however, maybe you should approach me personally and not through a sitting of the House. Tell me who the person was, when this happened, and what was the purpose. I’ll be able to respond to him personally.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Members will note that the time for question period has expired. I have no more names on my list for Oral Questions.
I would like permission to return to Item 5 on the orders of the day.
Speaker (interpretation): Ms. Ell is seeking unanimous consent to go back to Item 5.
Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Ms. Ell.
It’s not often I recognize a sibling in the House, and I’d like to recognize my brother, Jerry Ell. Welcome to the Gallery.
He has done so many things and does a lot. I’m not going to attempt to name what they are.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Welcome to the Gallery. (interpretation ends) Item 7.
Replies to Questions.
Hon. Minister of Justice, Mr. Okalik.
Tabled Document 013 – 4(2): Legal Services Board of Nunavut Annual Report 2012-2013 (Okalik)
I am pleased to table the Annual Report of the Legal Services Board of Nunavut for 2012-13.
[Consideration in] Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters.
Bills 2 and Bills with Mr. Akoak in the Chair.
Before we proceed with the Committee of the Whole, we will take a twenty-minute break.
Chairman (Mr. Akoak): Good afternoon.
Chairman: Is the committee agreed that Minister Ell’s staff go to the witness table?  Some Members: Agreed.
Minister, for the record, please introduce your staff.
On my right is Rosemary Keenainak, Deputy Minister, and on my left is (interpretation ends) Interim Director of Corporate Services Johan Glaudemans. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We are ready once again to go line by line with the budget.