EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
There are many children that do wrong things and we want to put a stop to it.
As I said earlier, the RCMP have found the youth who set the fire and I hope that we can put a stop to this type of vandalism.
With that in mind, I will direct my question to the Minister responsible for Education.
He said this morning that priority will be given to children through the Children First Secretariat through the cooperation between the departments of Justice, Health and Social Services, Culture, Language, Elders and Youth and your own department.
I would like to ask the minister what his vision is for the communities, for example using Pangnirtung or Gjoa Haven, are you going to be getting employees outside of the DEAs that will be running the secretariat.
Are you going to hire employees or how will you involve the children and the people at the community level?
As I said in my Minister’s Statement, there is a person that deals with children and their mandate is children and youth to make sure that their place of residence or their home is safe and healthy.
In regards to the concern about having children prevented from causing vandalism, suicide or other problems for which they require assistance, the secretariat is to deal with children to help them and their families through pilot programs.
We feel protective of our children and when they commit vandalism we feel like it’s our fault and we start to blame ourselves especially when they are charged.
We know that we have to make sure they are in a healthy community and that they are well fed.
My question Mr. Speaker is, that when the minister mentioned the Children First Secretariat, they must have some funding in place.
I just wondered if the Secretariat will be travelling to communities or if they communities will be able to access funding for programs and services.
In our operations and maintenance that was approved, the secretariat funding levels were identified…the committee that planned the Secretariat for children…will be in place and I would like to assure the member about this program and services although I don’t have it with me at the moment.
Question 186 – 1(6): Consultation Process of New Capital Estimates
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Community Government and Transportation.
Mr. Speaker, as we all know in the fall we will be looking at new capital estimates and I would like to ask the minister what process will they use to consult with the City of Iqaluit, and the other communities over the summer with respect to their capital needs for next year?
We communicate with our communities quite often and as a department we are committed to community consultation and we will be beginning another round of capital consultations with our communities again, which will be happening very soon.
Even though we are always consulting with our communities we have to start planning for the next capital projects.
So in the fall, before the fall we will be consulting with all the communities again in all the regions.
Mr. Speaker, it’s good to hear that the department is going to be consulting with the communities on their needs.
I know over the past couple of years that has been something that all members in this House have raised as a concern.
Could the minister commit to including or letting members of the communities, MLAs of the communities either be given the option to be involved or be aware of when these meetings are going to take place and to attend them?
I think that as a department we should let all members be aware of when our department is visiting their communities, whether it is policy consultations, fire training, whatever it is.
So I will make a commitment in this House that MLAs are notified when my staff are going into the communities to consult with the City or the Hamlets in the territory.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the minister, I know that in the last couple of years the government came up with its five year capital plan as far as its priorities for capital.
As a result of these consultations, that the minister and her department are going to be undertaking is there the possibility that any of those priorities or any of those items on the capital plan may change based on the communities priorities.
Changes during the consultation process are always something that we try to do.
We just have to work within the budget but that’s part of the consultation.
Where we can have flexibility with the communities within their targeted budget, we try to do that and that certainly is a commitment that we have made as a department; that if we can make changes to reflect their priorities, we will try to do that.
It’s just a matter of how much money is going into their capital budgets.
Mr. Speaker, it’s good to hear that, I think you know I just want to confirm that the minister is saying that basically the five year capital plan that was developed by the government is open to change based on a community deciding that its priorities are different than what is in the existing capital plan and they will have the option, within the resources allocated to the community to vary from the projects that are listed in the plan already.
Speaker: Was that just a statement Mr. Tootoo?
I was just asking if that was confirming in fact what the minister had indicated that communities will have the option to put forward their priorities and the projects that they would like to see go ahead, that may not be on the government’s five year capital plan.
We do have a list of unfunded capital projects from each community already that don’t fall within our targets and because the councils change and the mayors change every year in some cases, the priorities change within that community, and as a department we should be flexible with the communities through the consultation process.
There might be a change in the priorities of the previous council, but that is something as a department that we have committed to, we will try to work with the community and we should be working with the community to see where we can help them within their targeted budget.
But we also have to address the regulatory issues such as health and safety in those communities.
But Mr. Speaker, through our consultations we already know what the wish lists are of each community.
And with their five year capital plan as a department, we will be committed to consulting with the people in those communities and try to work with them on their priorities.
Sometimes it doesn’t always work, but that is a commitment that I have made as a minister, that we will find flexibility where we can within the targeted budget for that community.
Before we proceed I would like to recognize a former member of the Northwest Territories Assembly, a good friend of ours from the High Arctic, Mr. Ludy Pudluk.
Welcome to the gallery Ludy.
Question 187 – 1(6): Employment and Training for Addictions and Mental Health Professions
And thank you for recognizing the individual from my constituency, Mr. Pudluk.
My question Mr. Speaker, is directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
This morning he made a Minister’s Statement and it was very good to hear for the people of Nunavut in regards to the addictions and mental health strategy.
The minister said that he would be tabling the Nunavut addictions and mental health strategy which is in the amount of 2.995 million dollars and I will welcome the report that the minister will be tabling.
I will look forward to reading that tabled document.
My question to the minister is whether there would be different mental health workers for the communities and Iqaluit.
By that I mean are there going to be Nunavut-wide, regional mental health workers who travel as needed or community workers?
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member’s question, the mental health strategy has been a long time coming for the Government of Nunavut, and I think it’s a very important piece of the budget that was just recently passed for the Department of Health and Social Services.
In the mental health strategy, as the members will have an opportunity to look at, not only does it include infrastructure, the operation of a 24 hours a day, seven days a week psychiatric facility which will help with some of the mental illness problems that we have, but it also includes money to hire wellness counsellors in communities as well as the staffing of extra mental health specialists to deal with some of the issues surrounding suicide and so on.
So the answer to the member’s question is yes.
My second question to the minister is, in regards to one of your stated goals such as networks, I would like to ask again so that a response will be heard as to exactly how the community workers will be trained and how is this strategy going to be placed?
Mr. Speaker, the mental health strategy is one of broad detail as well as focusing on several different issues and areas.
For example, part of the mental health strategy that we tabled, that I will table later today, includes increases in funding to family violence shelters, increases to PYs, person years of employment, the hiring of new psychiatric nurses, mental health workers, wellness workers and counsellors, as well as Mr. Speaker, looking at the opportunity that presents itself within the strategy of involving more community activities and organizations.
So it deals with issues surrounding mental health, as well as addictions, it looks at the opportunity for the first time since the Parnaisivik closed down in Iqaluit, for the first time the opportunity for a detox program in Nunavut run by Nunavummiut.
So the strategy is broad in its interpretation as well as the way to facilitate and bring the strategy forward.
I appreciate his candid reply which is comprehensible.
I want to ask the minister, can we expect to see an addiction centre, or a mental health centre developed in Nunavut in the future?
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we have heard across Nunavut in the past three years, since April 1, 1999, is that there are no resources anywhere in Nunavut to help patients with mental illness, especially patients with mental illness that are severe.
We have no psychiatric facility in Nunavut and we have to send people south.
In some cases Mr. Speaker, it is a known fact that some people with mental illnesses have been incarcerated.
Mr. Speaker, one of the main issues, planks in the platform in the mental health strategy is to develop a 24-7, 24 hours, seven day a week, mental health facility which will be based here in Iqaluit.
Also Mr. Speaker, when the members get an opportunity to look at the strategy, next year, depending on how this program goes here, is to open a facility in the Kivalliq, a similar 24-7 psychiatric facility and then Mr. Speaker, in the Kitikmeot.
As well Mr. Speaker, to enhance counselling services at the community level in all communities in Nunavut as well as the extra staffing of psychiatric nurses.
I would suggest to you Mr. Speaker, that one of the downfalls, or one of the shortcomings of the Health and Social Services network has been the lack of a coordinated mental health strategy.
I believe Mr. Speaker, that we have made the first step with this strategy.
I look forward to suggestions and comments, not only from the members, but from the communities, the community health committees, where the strategy will be released.
Again, Mr. Speaker, this is the work of ten years of studies from communities across Nunavut as well in the last three years input of community health committees as well as comments made in this Assembly.
My last question to the minister is, we talk about prevention and he had stated there is going to be a focus on prevention. This idea to help addicted individuals is a very good idea and I am wondering if the minister has an idea of how much money would be spent on prevention.
Does he have any idea?
Mr. Speaker, in the mental health strategy there is prevention and promotion as well as community development.
That ties into self help programs and services and community based programs and services.
So those three specific areas, there are dollar figures attached and it’s about 1 million dollars in total that would be dedicated to those services that the member spoke about.
Question 188 – 1(6): Insurance for Students During Land Trips
I would like to direct my question to the Minister responsible for Education.
Some students during the school year are taken out on the land and in fairly large numbers in the spring especially.
If there were an incident where a student got injured, what process would be followed?
Let’s say that they broke a leg or arm, is there compensation available for students?
Presently when students are taken out on the land, once the principal agrees to a place where the students would be taken out there is compensation available.
For example, if a student got injured there is compensation available because there is now insurance available for these situations.
The minister said there is insurance available. How long has this been available?
Did this just come out recently or has it been there for a ten or twenty year period?
I can’t really say as to the exact year when it was developed, but what I can say, is that today as long as the principal is in agreement that the students can go out, if a student is injured they can be insured.
This was raised previously in the House and this is something that we worked on for students that are taken out on the land.
It was not available until we requested this type of coverage.
The students who are taken out on the land have just recently been insured.
Speaker: Thank you, minister. Supplementary. Mr. Nutarak.
In the 1970’s, around 1971, if there was a student that was injured are they covered under this insurance?
If students were taken out in 1971 is this retroactive or what?
In the 1970’s I am not sure what was in place then.
The minister stated that he is not aware of what the policy was back then.
Can he look into whether the students were covered by insurance in the 1970’s?
I will look into this matter for the member.
Question 189 – 1(6): Number of Elders that Work for Health and Social Services
Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding his statement and I read, two key aspects of the strategy concern the development of supports to community networks and the enhancement of education and supervisory support to Inuit staff.
This will ensure that Inuit with their understanding of their cultural and Inuit values are prominent in the planning and delivery of services.
Mr. Speaker, my question today is how many elder Inuit staff do we have working for the Department of Health and Social Services to deal with mental health issues?
Mr. Speaker, I think Mr. Arvaluk made a good point this morning when he mentioned what the respected elder from Pond Inlet Elisapee Ootoova said, that you don’t have to be old to be an elder.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t have the number of people that are working as elders in the Department of Health and Social Services. But what I can suggest to the member is that at the addictions level as well as our wellness people that work for the Department of Health and Social Services in communities, 90% of them in all communities in Nunavut are Inuit.
The mental health workers that we have Mr. Speaker, the same number applies.
So I would suggest to you Mr. Speaker, that the member is correct, the majority of the workers right now in the field strategically working especially on wellness as well as mental health issues, are Inuit.
That’s great to hear and I am sure if I asked the minister responsible he will give me a list of the elders that are employed by the Government of Nunavut in the mental health profession in Nunavut?
Can the minister confirm that he could give me that list of elders working in the mental health area in Nunavut?
Mr. Speaker, well Mr. Speaker, again I just refer back to what Mr. Arvaluk said.
I mean who defines what an elder is.
I would suggest to you Mr. Speaker, that based on life experiences and so on, you are an elder.
Is an elder, does Mr. McLean want me to give him a list of people over the age of 50 who are Inuk?
I don’t think that would be appropriate.
What I can do for Mr. McLean, is make available a list of community based people that we have working in the area of addictions, of mental health and so on.
When the minister is making that list up of the 90% of Inuit in this profession in Health and Social Services, could he also include in that a list of the training that his department is going to do in the next few years to show that we are going to train more Inuit in the mental health strategy?
Mr. Speaker, I think that Mr. McLean has raised a very important point and that point is that right now in the field, for example we have talked about it here in this House, how the reality therapy training that is going on and continues to go on in Clyde River, where we have trained unilingual Inuit to be counsellors.
Mr. Speaker, the wellness counsellors in every community, the hamlets receive money through community wellness money, they have the opportunity of hiring Inuktitut speaking only people to be counsellors.
Mr. Speaker, we continue with the training, the member is correct.
One of the major components of the mental health strategy is training in the area of mental health counselling and so on.
Not just for addictions but also for mental health and supporting suicide intervention, post-vention and prevention of suicide.
And could the minister confirm to give me a list of the elders that are volunteering in mental health in Nunavut?
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry I didn’t quite catch that last question.
Could the member repeat the question again?
Speaker: Mr. McLean could you repeat the question please?
Mr. Speaker, we all know that we have a lot of elders in all of our communities in Nunavut that volunteer many, many hours to help with mental health issues.
I wonder if the minister would make available to me and this House those volunteers that are out in all the communities doing hours of tireless work volunteering to help with the betterment of our communities.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, as the member knows, a lot of the counselling services that are delivered at the community level are done in confidence, in private.
People know in the community who to go to for help and counselling services and so on.
I don’t think and I would have to check with the Minister of Justice, I don’t think that under the current legislation that I can release names to Mr. McLean of people who are counselling, informally or formally at the community level.
But I will endeavour to check that the rules and regulations surrounding the request that Mr. McLean has made and I will endeavour to try and provide that information.
But it would be quite a momentous task to try to say that I know or that my department knows every person who is providing counselling at the community level, elders or what have you.
And again, once I can define what an elder is, then I would be able to provide that.
Maybe an elder could be someone who is 35, 40, 50.
As Mr. Arvaluk said earlier who determines who an elder is?
So with all that information that Mr. McLean has requested I will endeavour as the minister responsible to try and make it available, logistically, technically as well as administratively and expeditiously as possible.
Question 190 – 1(6): Update on Water Treatment for Kugluktuk
My question is for the Minister responsible for Community Government and Transportation.
In the year 2001-2002 there was a capital project underway which was called the water treatment plant for Kugluktuk.
Can I get an update on that project?
Is he talking about the water supply line Mr. Speaker?
Speaker: Mr. Havioyak. Point of clarification.
There are two projects for the community; the water supply line that is one of the projects, the other project was the water treatment plant.
Maybe I will just mention one of the things that they were doing.
They were putting in a water filtration into the plant and they were working on it this winter.
I was just wondering when the project should be completed?
Apparently there were three phases with the water treatment in Kugluktuk.
I am not sure what the status is on those phases that were done but there were some consultations.
The phase 3 was supposed to conclude the consultations on this issue and I would have to find out more about this project from my department, but I am told that the final completion and commission is anticipated for the summer of 2002.
So I believe that there will be some work happening according to what I have been told by my officials through my briefing notes, this summer.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, but Mr. Speaker, I could get more information for the member through the regional offices and the Hamlet office in Kugluktuk on this issue.
They have been working on it all winter long.
But as you know the water gets pretty muddy after the ice break up.
The community would like to see the project completed before the ice breaks up.
Could you work on it as soon as possible? The break up is usually about mid-June for your information.
The phase 3 activity was supposed to happen where the construction contract was being prepared in the spring which is now.
The contract was anticipating the awarding of the contract, so I can only say Mr. Speaker, that there will be some work this summer on this project and that’s what my staff has been working on.
So if there have been any changes, my regional staff in Cambridge Bay can contact the Hamlet of Kugluktuk and update them on this project.
But yes we were committed to it and we still are.
Yes, I appreciate the response from the minister. We would like to hear as soon as possible before the ice break-up in June.
As you know the water gets pretty muddy.
When I talked to the mayor yesterday, they want to have this in place before the spring break-up and they would like the work done. But the question would be how soon would this project be done, as they have been working on it since winter and perhaps before the ice starts to break up?
I have already made a commitment that my regional staff will contact the Hamlet in Kugluktuk and they will be able to communicate better if they have the substantiation sheets at their fingers, well, they have the substantiation sheets and the details at their fingertips at the regional office.
So we will get the information to the mayor as soon as possible.
Question 191 – 1(6): Ruled Out of Order
I will direct my question to the Minister responsible for Community Government and Transportation.
Mr. Speaker, I apologize to you ahead of time if I make a mistake.
The Minister responsible for Community Government and Transportation I apologize ahead of time should I make an error so I apologize to you ahead of time.
In regards to the bad gasoline, the Minister responsible for Community Government and Transportation was the previous Minister responsible for Public Works and Services.
So therefore, I will be asking the question, since she was a recent Minister for Public Works and Services.
When she held that portfolio she used to say that the bad gasoline was up to standards.
I was wondering if she is willing to apologize to the Nunavummiut for stating her position then based on the results now.
If I make a mistake Mr. Speaker, I apologize ahead of time.
Speaker: Mr. Iqaqrialu, you were right in the first place to apologize before you made the statement.
You cannot question the Minister to a former portfolio.
So I rule your question out of order.
Question 192 – 1(6): Contaminated Country Food: Health Prevention for Nunavummiut
In regards to a statement that was made earlier, I would like to ask the Premier, for approximately twenty years we have heard that the wildlife and Inuit people have had diseases, especially life threatening diseases.
I believe that the Inuit people and the wildlife are getting sick from the contaminated food that they eat.
So I was wondering what the Premier is doing to allay the concerns of the people of Nunavut as it relates to the unknown dangers of this pollution.
I will pass this on to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services because he knows more about the health of the people.
The people, especially people, seem to be not as well as in the past.