EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We talked to people about not coming to the community.
I found it difficult, as the mayor, that there wasn’t an overarching policy or procedure put in place between the Government of Nunavut and the community about who has the authority to make decisions on shutting down a community where an epidemic breaks out.
Would the minister comment on that, if her department is taking the lead, working with her colleagues and other departments to put a policy in place where there is someone at the top somewhere that can make a final decision with authority.
Of course, it must have been hard and I would like to thank the member for having been a part of the individuals who took charge.
In regards to your question, the Chief Medical Officer would be the one responsible.
Her staff worked with me to make a lot of those decisions.
Dr. Roger Lake, the Executive Director of Health was there and we were in touch with Dr. Talbot here, who was keeping us informed.
One of things that came out in our discussions during the time when this whole emergency was occurring, although this was a small emergency in Cambridge Bay, just localized, in three to five years and who knows how long, there is a pandemic coming across, around the world, North America.
When it hits Nunavut, we’re going to have a very difficult time dealing with it.
Our communities aren’t prepared.
The government isn’t prepared.
I’m very concerned as a citizen of Nunavut about that.
I’m wondering if the minister can tell us, is her department preparing the government and the municipalities for a pandemic.
Hopefully it doesn’t occur, but if it does occur, will we be ready.
Although we have great concerns, if it should happen, if there should be a large outbreak, I’m with you about your concerns.
I am sure that the Chief Medical Officer will be in the process of preparing for a major outbreak with the outlets in southern Manitoba and Edmonton and Ottawa.
Those are the routes that we follow.
Hopefully, there will be a protocol in place and in the meantime, I will try and find out what the protocol will be in case of an event. I share with your concerns.
Question 109 – 2(2): Arctic Bay Airstrip Feasibility Study
I think it’s been approximately two years since there was a feasibility study to make sure that Arctic Bay will get an airport.
Arctic Bay has not heard about the results.
Perhaps the minister could table those results.
I’m asking this question to the Minister responsible for Transportation.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for Transportation.
Yes, the study that was done for an Arctic Bay airstrip, at this point is still under consideration.
They are doing a feasibility study to see how much it would cost to move the airstrip or to lengthen the airstrip in Arctic Bay.
So, it’s still under review as we speak.
We can probably estimate how much it will cost, but they’re still reviewing the figures as we speak.
Arctic Bay residents want to have a clear understanding, since the current airstrip that we’re using is experiencing problems.
Everything is deteriorating at the airstrip.
What are we going to do with the airstrip.
Are we going to continually use it or do we have any other plans.
Hon. David Simailak (interpretation): Yes, the current airstrip in Nanisivik is going to be revamped next year or this coming spring.
We’ve been working urgently on the airstrip in Arctic Bay, we want to make it longer and not utilize the airstrip in Nanisivik.
Once I’m able to go to Arctic Bay, I’ll go visit that community to do the report to the hamlet council and to the residents of Arctic Bay.
Once we have that opportunity, we’ll be going up there.
Question 110 – 2(2): Tabling of a List of Contracts
I’m not sure who to direct this question to, but it should either be the Premier or the Finance Minister.
I’ll let them decide who wants to answer it.
Mr. Speaker, as you know, the member of the first assembly and the other members of the first assembly know it’s been a long painstaking attempt to ask for lists of contracts and things like that to be tabled by this government here in the House.
I’m just wondering if this government keeps track of all the contracts that it has, sole source contracts.
Was there a list of these things, and will they be willing to table that in the House.
Before I respond, I would like to rebutt the member’s allegation that I missed a goal last night.
At least, I scored one goal.
The member actually put the puck on my stick.
When he passed it, I would have actually scored a goal, another one.
So I ask the member at least say, that when you make a pass, make it count.
I made a beautiful pass right in front of the net to the member.
He was all alone and he didn’t score.
He didn’t score a single goal.
At least I scored a goal last night.
Mr. Speaker, in the previous assembly we did table some contracts.
I thank the member for asking the question.
When we can get all the contracts together for this coming year, I’m sure that we can look at tabling them again.
In some cases, we’re bound by contract to keep some contracts confidential, but I will commit to tabling some contracts as soon as we can.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t know how this, if it’s public money that’s being spent on what ever the contract is, that the public has the right to know where that money is being spent.
It doesn’t need any details on it but that’s kind of surprising.
Everyone has the right to know where public money is being spent.
But, just to go a little more into it, is there a list.
Do they have a list of sole source contracts that go back.
This is something that we’ve been asking for, for some time.
Do they have that information readily available.
We can put together a list.
Each contract varies.
Some are local contracts, some are sole source, some are advertised.
So, depending on the type of contracts that the member wants, we can work on compiling a list and some details on what particulars.
We can disclose the amount but a lot of cases, this is a competitive process and a lot of contractors do not like disclosing.
They are confidential competitive issues.
Looking at it, sole sourced contracts, I know the minister had indicated earlier in this sitting with his other hat on as Minister of Justice that they do sole source legal professionals for the government.
Not just that, but all sole sourced contracts that I am looking at.
Is that something that does exist, is there a list and is it readily available?
We do now have a readily available list of sole sourced contractors.
They take, depending on availability, time to put it together, but I can commit to tabling one in the next upcoming session.
Speaker (interpretation): Your Last Supplementary.
I would just like to ask my last one.
I just wondered if this information that the minister had indicated, is this something that is kept just within the government or are there any other different levels of government or any other agencies or groups that this information is shared with?
It’s all internal government services, so we are not in the process of disclosing confidential information to outside sources.
Member for Uqqurmiut.
Question 111 – 2(2): Policy on Elders’ Medical Checkup
Too many elders do not receive annual examinations and those that do often get them too late.
Is there a policy within your department for elders to get their medical check-up, for a complete physical?
I don’t know if we have a policy or not, but I can look into that.
The member’s question is a very good question and I appreciate it because I have heard of the same concern where a diagnosis is made too late all too often.
We all have to make sure we do not hesitate to seek medical diagnosis when we discover anything abnormal.
Quite often the doctors and the nurses can’t diagnose you right away for any number of reasons beyond their control.
But, I really appreciate his question and I will look into the fact if we have a policy or not.
I will look into that and take it as notice.
Yes, thank you Madame Minister for that response.
Well, if in the case that is not in the policy, I would be very happy to see the public informed about what they can do to get an annual physical check-up.
Hon. Levinia Brown (interpretation): Thank, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, people used to get a physical when I was a child, with x-ray machines and blood test labs on the hospital ship, so as a result we miss the CD Howe that use to travel around to do medical checkups.
I will look into the member’s question and let the member know.
Speaker (interpretation): The member is taking the question as notice.
Question 112 – 2(2): Consider One Bill for Government of Nunavut Utility Bills
I’m not sure if the minister responsible want to answer this question with his energy hat on or his education hat, but I’ll leave that up to him.
Mr. Speaker, I know one of the issues that have been talked about a number of times over the last few years is that the subsidy for power that is out there.
I understand that it is Department of Community and Government Services that pays all the power bills for the government and government owned facilities throughout the territories, except for the schools.
I was just wondering if the Minister of Education or Energy, which ever he wants to answer under, would look at trying to put all their eggs in one basket so that, at some point, it might help them figure out exactly what they are paying and how much subsidies are out there.
If all those bills are being paid by one department, so instead of the money flowing through the education budget down to the DEA’s and into the schools for the utilities, would the minister be willing to look at including that like all government facilities those bills being paid for and appropriated, funding appropriated to the central bill paying department.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister for Education and responsible for the power corporation, Mr. Picco.
First of all, under the different departments of the government, the member is correct that the majority of electrical bills, oils bills and so on, are paid by the government.
A good example are the rate subsidies, and the cross rate subsidies that are in place.
For example, if the rate is 38 cents in Iqaluit, the subsidy that is in place is 16.5 cents, Mr. Speaker, the public would have to pay that for the first 7 hundred kilowatt hours.
But to the member’s question. First of all, the Government of Nunavut, including the Nunavut Arctic College, at the present time, all the bills, utility costs, electrical costs and everything are actually paid directly by the college itself.
As the Minister of Health, we thought that at the time, when I was minister, it was appropriate to have those billings transferred to the department that actually took care of the billings and that administrative cost, logistics as well as finances, was transferred.
Mr. Speaker, the issue has come up, for example, as I said earlier, with the college and the dean that I met yesterday in Cape Dorset and again on Saturday here while the member was off while I was in meetings, meeting with the college people and then travel to Cape Dorset to discuss the issue around how we could facilitate the payments that the college pays.
At the same time, the issue of education had come up on the transfer of the utility cost of the department.
I guess, it depends on one’s interpretation, I’m lost I guess.
Maybe as the Minister of Education, I might get a better or more clearer definition or answer.
Would the Minister of Education be willing to look at taking the utilities, the power bills out of the Department of Education and the schools budget and having those funds allocated in and administered through where most other bills are paid through Department of Community and Government Services.
Mr. Speaker, I raise this as an issue because I know I was talking to the Iqaluit District Education Authority.
I know the Minister knows a lot of those people very well, as they are his constituents, they were indicating that their power bills have gone up.
Close to 40 percent over the last three years. With no forced growth funding in the education budget, they are being forced to take money out of the schools just to pay the power bill.
I am just wondering if just on that basis of letting education dollars goes to education and not power.
Would the Minister be willing to bring that forward to his colleagues?
I would like to stand here right now that over the last couple of weeks I have had an opportunity to try to address the questions on energy and electrical matters and try to clear the record of what occurred.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to have some fun with the member, and keep stringing him along, but for the sake of time, we have already done what the member has asked, and indeed, a couple of weeks ago we were at the Financial Management Board and a request came forward by the Minister of Education to remove the utility costs from the education budget.
That was expected by the Financial Management Board, I am not sure if it was in this supplementary, or not, but the decision has already been taken.
We think, as the member has suggested, that that would be the proper course of action.
So, instead of stringing him along we have already done what he would like us to do today, we did that actually a couple of weeks ago.
I don’t mind stringing along.
Could the minister come out behind that shroud of secrecy.
The government, sometimes, seems to hide behind its decision making and inform those people that are affected by the change and policy, so that they will have some relief, not knowing that they won’t have to worry about it for the next couple of years, or so.
The decision has been and I am not giving away any information because you have to be very careful with what information that you release in the House before it becomes a full house.
I am saying that we have done it. I believe the information may be in that supplementary right there.
Therefore and thus, Mr. Speaker, once that is available and the supplementary has been passed, then I would be writing, as Minister of Education, to all the DEA’s and to our staff and our administration people and let them know of the very good news that they no longer have to do that.
I also suggested to the member, yesterday, in my conversations with head of Arctic College, Mr. Robert Leonard, that I would indeed be looking at some opportunities to do the same for Arctic College, because they are in the same situation as our schools.
It makes sense logistically, administratively and financially if one agency that takes care of utility and oil costs, and so on, for our schools and our public buildings, does the billing, the invoicing and the receivables.
Question 113 – 2(2): Power Increase
One of my constituents, also my community, is facing an increase in 8.5 percent and Iqaluit is getting an increase percentage-wise.
I am not talking about commercial, I am talking about residential.
Are we going to get a power increase? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister responsible for the Power Corporation, Minister Picco.
First of all, the Utility Rates Review Council, right now, is looking at a proposal made by Qulliq Energy Corporation, to look at the rates.
I can’t say how much the rates will increase.
I think the business community and the general public of Nunavut all know that the rates do have to increase because the costs of running the operation since 1998, when the rates were set, has certainly changed and increased, for example, the costs of fuel.
We are not in the position right now, Mr. Speaker, to say how much that will be.
We have to let the Utility Rate Review Council process go forward.
There are meetings tonight in Iqaluit.
They have visited several communities across Nunavut.
I have extended the contract for them to report February 1st.
Minister Okalik has responded favourably and extended their opportunity to receive submissions from the people in Nunavut to the 17th of December.
We are listening.
We are hearing what people have to say.
Mr. Speaker, the long and short of it is I don’t know what the amounts will be.
There is a proposal by the power corporation.
The Utility Rate Review Council has to hear all submissions, analyze the proposal, make their recommendations to me as Minister of Energy and the Cabinet.
We will have an opportunity to look at it and then Mr. Speaker, look at what their rate will be on April 1, 2005.
Committee Report 001 – 2(2): Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Legal Professions Act; Bill 6, Electronic Commerce Act and Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Evidence Act
I’m not really sure, I guess I have to say Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to report Bill 5, an Act to Amend the Legal Profession Act, Bill 6, the Electronic Commerce Act, and Bill 7, an Act to Amend the Evidence Act has been reviewed by the Standing Committee, Ajauqtiit and that these bills are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 68 (5) and have Bill 5, 6, and 7 moved into Committee of the Whole for today.
Some members: agreed
Bill 5,6 and 7 will be put to Committee of the Whole.
Tabled Document 035 – 2(2): Senior Officials Healthy Lifestyle Committee – Departmental Plans Review
I wish to table the following document; Senior Official’s Healthy Lifestyle Committee, Departmental Plans Review.
Tabled Document 036 – 2(2): Letter from the Mayor of Arctic Bay
I would like to table a document from the mayor of Arctic Bay.
It is in regards to the generator and the lighting at the airport.
Tabled Document 037 – 2(2): Letter from Kugluktuk Christmas Committee
I would like to table a letter from Kugluktuk Community Christmas Committee and it’s coming from group signed by co-chair Millie Kuliktana, Danielle Adjun.
Motion 003 - 2(2): Extended Hours and Days – Notice
I give notice that on December 1, I will move the following motion.
I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Natsilik that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours that the Speaker deems fit to assist with the business for the House and I will be seeking unanimous consent, at the appropriate time, to deal with my motion today.
At this time, I would like to seek consent of this House to deal with my motion today.
Motion 003 – 2(2): Extended Hours and Days
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the Honourable Member for Natsilik that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours that the Speaker deems fit to assist with the business before the House.
The motion is carried. Motions.
Item 18. 19.
Consideration in the Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters.
Bill 1, Supplementary Appropriation Act 2003-04, Operations and Maintenance. Bill 2, Supplementary Appropriation Act Operations and Maintenance 2004-05.
Bills 5, 6 and 7, with Mr. Netser in the Chair.
We will break for 20-minutes.
>>House recessed at 16:34 and resumed at 17:06
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you very much for coming back to the meeting. (interpretation ends) I would like to call the committee meeting to order.
In the Committee of the Whole we have the following items to deal with; Bill 1; Bill 2; Bill 3; Bill 4; Bill 5; Bill 6; and Bill 7
We would like to continue with the review of Bill 4 and the capital estimates for the Department of Justice.
After that we would like to proceed with the clause by clause reviews of Bill 5, Bill 6, and Bill 7.
If time permits, we would return to Bill 4, and commence the review of the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Evygotailak. (interpretation end): Are we in agreement that we will first deal with the capital estimates for the Department of Justice.
On Friday, the Minister of Justice had delivered his opening comments and also the chair of the standing committee.
Minister of Justice will you need your officials with you at the witness table.
Chairman: Sergeant-at-Arms.
Welcome, Mr. Premier.
For the record, could you please introduce your witnesses.
For this afternoon, we have on my right Marcus Wilber, who is the Deputy Minister for Justice, Pierre Chartrand; Finance Comptroller, at our office.
Chairman (interpretation): General comments on the Department of Justice.
Do we have any comments on the floor?
I would like to welcome the premier and his officials.
I would just like to make a short general comment in regards to the laws that we have grandfathered from different jurisdictions, and that have been adopted without our reviewing these laws.
Those are the current laws that we use today and we have had to make amendments to make them Nunavut-friendly.
Those laws were adopted by our government from other jurisdictions without our knowledge, or without our consent.
We have gone through a lot of hardship in abiding by these laws, but we have adapted.
As an Inuit society, we adopted these laws without knowing why they were there.
I think we can make a lot of different comments on the issue of laws.
In some parts, I think that we aren’t doing as much as we should.
In all Nunavut communities, we are going through hard times, and I don’t know if it’s appropriate for me to say in the House, but I would like to touch up on the issue of drugs.
I am not going to be saying any names, but I can say that there are some people out there who are using the monies from the government to buy drugs instead, possibly because there is not enough enforcement, and it’s not right.
I think it affects all Nunavut communities.
We have to make sure that these laws are used and we have to help one another.
The use of illicit drugs is part of the problem of the family.
We have to take care of one another, for example, there are people in need of medical attention and they are homeless people around.
It’s harder in the smaller communities because of the problems with drugs that we have up here.
I think that it’s very costly and I hope to see the eradication of the use of drugs sometime in the future.
We have to make sure that we deal with the issue of drugs more harshly, and I am saying that because I am an Inuk and I find that life is precious and so are the future populations.
There are a lot of changes that they have to see in the present laws so that we will have healthier communities.
Mr. Chairman, those were my general comments, but I feel that the lesser crimes should be dealt with at the community level, possible by way of Justice Committees, and to also use Inuit societal values in dealing with the offenders because Inuit are a very caring society.
I think it is important to use our Inuit societal values and also to use the traditional healing methods in dealing with the lesser crimes.
I’m very pleased to see that justice circles established at the smaller communities, but I think that they should be given the resources financially and to have Human Resources available, so that they can do what they have been mandated to do.
A lot of these committees do it on a volunteer basis and they’re doing a very important job.
They deal with the offenders and also help the community as a whole, mentally and physically.
They deal with social problems on a volunteer basis and I think that we should be recognizing these individuals more because of the contributions they have made to the community.
It is something that I am very concerned about.
When it comes to the questions, I will be posing them.
I have no other names on my list for general comments.
We’ll then go on to E-6.
(interpretation ends) Detail of Capital, Tangible Assets.
Total Headquarters Region. $7,860,000.
Chairman: Total Headquarters Region. $7,860,000.
I’m sorry, Mr. Peterson.
I’m not on the standing committee, so I thought I would ask a question.
The Justice Centre is suppose to be a one stop shop.
Could the Minister of Justice can give us an update on who the tenants are going to be in the Justice Centre.
The staff that are currently housed in the current lease facility will be moved there.
Family mediation services will also be relocated.
You are in a facility now, what would happen to the leased facility that you have that people are operating out of currently.
It is currently leased, and the lease expires in 2006, so it will revert back to the owners of the facilities.
So it is up to the owners to decide what they want to do with the facility.