EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
During the Governor General’s visit to Cambridge Bay in May 2002, the Rangers provided the honour guard as Her Excellency de-planed on a very cold day.
We were very privileged by her visit, the more so that the Rangers welcomed her.
It was a very proud occasion for everyone.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kitagon is not retiring.
He will continue to serve our community as a regular member to provide support to the new sergeant, Johnny Avalok.
Nunavut and Canada will continue to be well served by Canadian Rangers.
Member’s Statement 065 – 2(1): Environmental Protection (Kattuk)
I rise today to talk about environmental issues.
As a member of the Legislative Assembly, I will work hard on the protection of our environment.
Yes, we are very concerned about the environment, for pollution can travel anywhere in our North, by water, by air.
The concern that I have is that in Nunavut we do not have anything to do testing on the environment.
We have no form of identifying, or we have no laboratory, as at times we are now seeing different species and animals with diseases and sicknesses.
So, at the appropriate time, I will be addressing the minister in regard to environmental issues.
Member’s Statement 066 – 2(1): Kugluktuk Issues (Evyagotailak)
I rise today to encourage my constituents in Kugluktuk.
I am pleased that the hamlet council has chosen Peter Taptuna as mayor.
I am sure that the members are aware of the problems that the hamlet of Kugluktuk has been having.
I have stood up in this House to speak about the fire at the church, the Catholic church.
This fire touched many people and was made more tragic by the death associated with it.
The community gathered together and refused to give up.
The community celebrated the coming of spring with the Nattiq Frolics.
The games brought people together and reminded everyone that there is hope in spring.
My community has also had difficulties with crime.
I look forward to the opening of the new healing facility in Kugluktuk.
I believe that officially it will lead to healing and that people can be rehabilitated so that they will not become repeat offenders.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working closely with Mr. Taptuna and encourage him to contact me with any concerns that he or the council has so that I can pursue them in this House.
“Koanaqutit Uqaqti.”
Member’s Statement 067 – 2(1): Transparency and Accountability in the Legislative Assembly (Tootoo)
I rise today to address the issue of transparency and accountability.
The quainter phrase that my retired colleague from Qamanittuaq would use is that it is no secret that during the first Legislative Assembly, I may have been somewhat of a thorn in the side of certain Cabinet ministers who were in no hurry to make information readily available to the public or to this House.
Yesterday, I urged our new Minister of Finance to table in this House copies of ministerial directives that have been issued to Crown corporations.
Frankly, I was surprised and disappointed by the new finance minister’s apparent eagerness to embrace the old style of secrecy.
Mr. Speaker, it is instructive to remind ourselves of what the Financial Administration Act says.
Section 77 of the law is very clear and I will quote it: “A public agency is ultimately accountable through the appropriate Minister to the Legislative Assembly for the conduct of what it serves…”
Interestingly, in that the very next section says, “…for the appropriate Minister and the Executive Council are of the opinions that if it is in the public interest, the Minister may issue a directive to a public agency respecting its financial management and financial administration…”
Mr. Speaker, I fail to understand how it is in the public interest to keep secret the details of directives that are supposedly made in the public interest in the first place.
It’s like saying, we’re going to make a decision but we’re not going to tell you what that decision was.
You’ll have to try and figure it out later on by yourself.
I want to contrast this attitude with what is going on in our national parliament.
It is no secret again that I’m not necessarily a Liberal.
I have to say that I was impressed with comments made in the House of Commons on February 18 this year by the Prime Minister in relation to work being conducted by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
He said, and I’ll quote, “Mr. Speaker, the government is quite prepared to have those cabinet documents pertinent to this matter released.”
And he went on to say, “As far as this Government is concerned we are prepared to be totally open, totally transparent, and to lay everything on the table that can be laid on it.”
Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to ask unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Please proceed to conclude your statement, Mr. Tootoo.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, colleagues.
Nobody is asking our government to compromise the integrity of its internal discussions.
However, the decisions of the government should not be taken and kept behind closed doors.
However, when the government issues important directives to Crown corporations, the public has a right to know the details of what is being done in their name.
The government is not handcuffed in this matter; it has the ability to make a decision and to do the right thing.
Member’s Statement 068 – 2(1): Long Weekend in Pangnirtung (Kilabuk)
I just want to state that this coming weekend, I will now be able to go home for the long weekend.
I’ll be home from Friday to Monday, just so that I can inform my constituents ahead of time and also send my greetings to my Kevin in Qikiqtarjuaq.
Member’s Statement 069 – 2(1): Docking Facilities Required in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord (Barnabas)
I rise today to talk about the breakwater or docking facilities in my constituency.
One of the members was talking about the five-year capital plan and I really am in support of that.
We really feel the effects when these five-year capital plans are no longer being used, especially in the non-decentralized communities and in the smaller communities.
It is because they take away all our basic needs.
The two communities that I represent have no docking facility or breakwater and they are the most expensive places to live; if you want to bring something up it is very expensive to do so.
Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay require a docking facility or breakwater in the five-year capital plan.
Yet, these breakwater and docking facilities have been deleted in the previous years when I was a member of the Legislature, and it is still the case today.
There are a lot of problems encountered.
They have to clarify for us what is the problem in trying to construct a breakwater.
The reason why I stand today is the breakwater that was constructed in the High Arctic… They tried to build a breakwater in Grise Fiord and they had to stop the construction.
And that is why I rise today on behalf of the two High Arctic communities that have a dire need to get a breakwater.
Honourable Ed Picco.
Member’s Statement 070 – 2(1): Bishop Paul Idlout’s Retirement (Picco)
Member’s statement: this past Sunday a service was held in the St. Jude’s Anglican Cathedral to honour retiring bishop, Paul Idlout.
Bishop Paul was the first Inuk and the first Nunavut-born resident to be elected bishop in the Arctic.
Bishop Paul was honoured for his service to the people of Nunavut and to Iqaluit.
The special church service and celebration at the parish hall were very well attended by many of the members of this House and the Premier.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bishop Paul for this service and commitment to Iqaluit and Nunavummiut, and wish him and his wife Abigail the very best in their retirement.
Honourable David Simailak.
Return to Oral Question 009 – 2(1): Nunavut Mining Strategy Report (Simailak)
I would like to respond to a question that was asked by the Member for Cambridge Bay on May 13, 2004.
I am pleased to provide the following information. This is regarding the Nunavut mining strategy.
The Department of Economic Development and Transportation is currently working in partnership with NTI and the regional office of INAC to develop the Nunavut Mining Strategy.
The work plan and the consultation process is being defined by the department, NTI, and INAC.
Among others, we will be consulting with industry, regional Inuit associations, and other stakeholders including impacted communities during the development of this strategy.
It is expected that the approved strategy will be completed and released by the end of December 2004.
We fully intend to table the strategy in the Legislative Assembly.
Speaker (interpretation): Returns to oral questions.
Question 060 – 2(1): Environmental Protection Testing (Kattuk)
I would like to ask regarding the wildlife within Nunavut, in the communities, that is in danger from contaminants.
I would like to ask the minister if there could be some testing done in labs, to do some testing for contaminants on wildlife.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Environment, Hon. Olayuk Akesuk.
Yes, we have put out a booklet package on which wildlife are touched by contamination.
We would suggest that if you see an animal or if there is something wrong with the animal, it go to the wildlife officers.
Most of the communities are aware of this, that there are contaminants coming to the arctic.
If you see any animals that have something wrong with them, go to the wildlife officers if there are contaminants in the wildlife.
Again, I will say that last winter, I caught a seal that was not normal in the liver, the blubber, and the skin. You could tell that there was something not right with that seal and we need to let the public know that there will be a department in place for hunters to go to when there is something wrong with wildlife.
Yes, we do not get aircraft coming into our communities every day, so it is very difficult to send samples out.
But I would like to thank you and remind you again that my community, Sanikiluaq, would be an ideal place to have a laboratory to test this wildlife.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Environment.
Yes, this is a very important issue that we will definitely support because we need to make sure that every single country food that we get is not contaminated.
I am aware of your concern, Mr. Kattuk, but I would like to say that we have to work together because we do have our concerns, because Mr. Kattuk’s community is the place where the wildlife are coming to Nunavut; they go through Sanikiluaq first.
Any animal that is coming to Nunavut goes through that certain area.
Yes, we will be working together and reviewing and studying them together, especially in the case of Sanikiluaq.
Speaker (interpretation): Second supplementary.
This is more of a comment, but I would like to say that I am very pleased to hear the minister stating this.
But just to clarify that in my community, we do have concerns.
Also, we are getting our water from the lakes of Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba, and the waters are going to start getting contaminated through the Hudson Bay waters. This is going to become a serious problem in the future that I will speak on again in the future in the Assembly.
Question 061 – 2(1): Status of Chesterfield Inlet Five-Year Capital Plan (Netser)
Mr. Netser: “Qujannamiik,” Mr. Speaker.
Earlier today, I raised the issue of the Chesterfield Inlet five-year capital plan.
My question today is: what communications has the department had with the hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet on this capital plan?
Yes, our department is working on these issues right now, and right now we are working with the mayors and the Nunavut Association of Municipalities.
We have been communicating with the people of Chesterfield Inlet up to today.
I will direct my staff to see what status is right now on that issue.
Speaker (interpretation): Mr. Netser.
Question 062 – 2(1): Status of Five-Year Capital Plans – Docking Facilities (Barnabas)
My statement that we need to get docking facilities in my communities of Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay... .
I am asking the minister responsible for transportation: where are we at right now for the five-year plans within the communities?
This is my question, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of transportation. Mr. Simailak.
I will now direct my staff to look into this.
Speaker (interpretation): The minister has taken that as notice.
Question 063 – 2(1): Education Tax Deductions (Tootoo)
Yesterday in the minister’s budget address she was pleased to announce that the budget contained a reduction in property taxes and that effective in the 2004 taxation year, the education component of the Nunavut Property Tax would be eliminated.
I would like to ask the minister: how many communities pay that school or the education component of that tax?
All communities.
In my understanding of the past, Iqaluit is the only tax-based community in Nunavut that has that tax that is in there, and I was just wondering how many other communities that were going to follow them did?
I look forward to seeing the breakdown of the numbers by community of how much is collected on that.
Mr. Speaker, my next question to the minister is: as a result of this announcement of the elimination of that component of the tax, when does the minister plan on bringing forward legislative changes to allow that to happen?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Finance.
I will not be putting forward any legislative changes under property taxes.
Speaker (interpretation): Second supplementary, Mr. Tootoo.
Maybe the minister could explain why there won’t be any amendments coming forward.
Of course, I understand the current process; within the Property and Taxation Act, within the Education Act, there are references to that education tax and that the education body has the ability to set an act for those taxes within the legislation.
One would think that if that’s going to be eliminated that there would need to be a requirement to do some amendments to those legislations to actually take those powers away from the education bodies in the communities.
So I would just like to ask her if she could explain how it’s going to be done without any legislative changes.
The Minister of Finance in Nunavut has the authority to make the changes related to education components of the tax.
We’re not making any amendments to the property assessment and taxation act.
As the minister, I have the authority to change the rates within the legislation through to regulations.
Speaker (interpretation): Final supplementary, Mr. Tootoo.
I know, again, it hasn’t been the practice in the past, but I know that the district education authority here in Iqaluit was looking forward to discussions with the Minister of Education on where that education component of that tax would go.
According to the current legislation, they have the right and the ability to determine what they need and request that the taxing body, in this case, it’s the municipality, collect that tax for them and provide it to the education body.
Now, we inherited that from the Northwest Territories, when the divisional boards of education were in place, and that money would have gone to the divisional boards of education.
Given that they’re not there anymore, and we dissolved them, one would think that if they have the right to ask for that, what’s going to happen.
Are they going to get told, no, you can’t ask for that now, if they determine that they need it?
I know there is no money in the budget for forced growth in the education budget.
If they determine that they need more funding and that it is there for them to be able to ask to do that, is the minister saying that she’s going to turn down any requests, if from an education body they decide to ask for it and exercise that right that they have under legislation?
The Department of Education is the source for district education authorities to request for the funding.
When we collect taxes in Nunavut, whether it be payroll tax or whatnot, it’s not for a specific purpose; it’s collected, it goes to a general revenue.
The Government of Nunavut provides funding to departments, to the appropriate minister.
If the district education authority here is lacking funding, then that type of issue should be addressed through the Minister of Education.
The reason why we eliminated the tax for education, part of the property tax is to support home ownership in Nunavut, to encourage more people to build homes.
Within my mandate as minister, or as my authority, I can eliminate the mill rate to zero, which we’ve done in this particular case.
The savings of that will go to the general revenue.
Question 064 – 2(1): RCMP Emergency Phone Calls from the Communities (Curley)
It is in response to the emergency phone calls that are made in the smaller communities, where the RCMP is not responding.
I don’t think that only happens in Rankin Inlet, but in a lot of the smaller communities.
The phone calls are directed to the detachment here in Iqaluit.
Can the Minister of Justice assure that there is going to be a change in the system?
Speaker (interpretation): Minister of Justice, Mr. Premier.
We have heard of this concern in the majority of the communities and there has to be a change.
From what I know, the hamlets are involved in the review process and it is still under review.
I have heard of this problem way too many times and I would like the RCMP to look into this matte, if they are going to be re-routing these phone calls to the local detachments instead of having them directed to the headquarters here in Iqaluit.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Mr. Curley.
I would like to thank the minister, because of course the people who are calling the RCMP are in an emergency situation.
The dispatcher has to make that split second decision, whether it is an urgent matter or if it can be re-routed.
I think the RCMP work in shifts and usually they do the administrative work during the slow times.
The RCMP deal with bootlegging.
They deal with drug dealers. And the RCMP usually know that they are going to have a slow time during the graveyard shift.
In the communities, I think that all detachments will have to be reviewed.
I would like the Minister of Justice to work with these bodies.
Are you going to be doing that?
Well, the RCMP work on a 24-hour shift, or are on call during the graveyard shift.
They don’t work just during the day.
I would like to tell the member that the RCMP are on call 24 hours a day and they deal with emergency situations as they arise.
Question 065 – 2(1): Tabling of New Leasing Policy (Peterson)
My question is for the Minister of Finance. I was just sitting here reading the Blues from yesterday and I was doing some math; $175,000 was overpaid to someone to buy the Sivumut Building.
One year of tuition is $4,000; $175,000 is 44 years of tuition for one student.
I look forward to getting the answer of who made that decision to spend that kind of money.
My question for the minister is, yesterday she stated that she would provide a copy of the Government of Nunavut’s new leasing policy today.
I am wondering, Mr. Speaker, will the minister table that document today?
Speaker (interpretation): The Minister of Finance. Ms. Aglukkaq.
I checked on that this morning.
The document is in translation.
As soon as I have it, I will table it in the House.
I thank the minister for the information.
Will the minister commit to a date that she will table the policy?
Will it be in this session, before June 4?
As soon as I have the document back from translation, I will table it in the House, and I hope that it will be within this week.
Speaker (interpretation): The minister will get a copy, have it translated, and table it.
If you have a supplementary question, Mr. Peterson.
I was hoping that I could get a specific date that she will table it. I am hoping that she will say that she will table it during this session.
I will table the report this session.
Hopefully, by the end of this week, but during this time the translation bureau is very busy in Kugluktuk.
As soon as I have it back from them, I will table it.
I will follow up this afternoon the urgency to table that report in this House; maybe I’ll have it by tomorrow.
Question 066 – 2(1): Trained Police Dog (Alagalak)
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Paul Okalik.
I don’t ask many questions, but I would like further clarification from the time I was the mayor of Arviat.
We had a lot of problems with our detachment and the instructor at that time told us that they have dogs that not only sniff out drugs, but that are specialized, entering to sniff out bombs or drugs. And what I was told was that these dogs are very expensive and they have to be trained.
I think when the communities take the initiative, usually what they do is do some fundraising in order to get what is needed or required at the community level.
My question to the minister is: is it possible for you to find out whether the communities in Nunavut would like to use dogs and if it is possible for your department to purchase a dog for that specific purpose, to get it trained and to have it landed here in Nunavut.
And how long it would take.
We need the help of outside agencies.
But I would like to know if you can train and purchase a dog.
We do have a dog that is fully trained to sniff drugs and dangerous goods, for example, guns or bombs. And they are specifically trained to search for humans also.
The dog is used when required and the training component is very long.
Usually they have an RCMP handler who has been trained specifically to work with a dog, even though the dogs are available they need specialized trained RCMP dog handlers which slows down the process.
The dogs are expensive and they have to be fully trained.
The dog we have is available to all communities and I would like to know from the communities if they would like to utilize this dog.
But then again, we can’t say on what specific day it would come to the community, because, of course, we don’t want the communities to know that we’re going to be coming in on a particular date which would ruin the whole plan.
Speaker (interpretation): Supplementary question, Mr. Alagalak.
Mr. Alagalak (interpretation): Thank you.
You did make a minister’s statement on that issue.
But my question is if it would be possible to purchase one; what kind of process we have to go through in order to purchase one that would be locally based, or based at the community level.
I am well aware that they have to have specialized, trained handlers.
I think that utilizing canines in the enforcement fields would make a big difference in what’s happening at the community level, and there are more and more communities requesting dogs.
I would like to ask the minister if he would like to be able to compile some information and make it available to the communities so that if they would like to purchase one, that would be community-based that they could do so.
Minister of Justice, Hon. Paul Okalik.
Hon. Paul Okalik: That is very impressive and shows that the communities are involved.
I could have a discussion with the RCMP to see if it is possible to purchase another dog.
Question 067 – 2(1): Property Assessment and Taxation Act – Issue on Education Tax (Tootoo)
My question is again to the minister responsible for finance.
I would like to read a section of the Property Assessment and Taxation Act and in 75[5], “…where an education body makes a request under paragraph 135[3b] of the Education Act of the amount it requires for education purposes, the Minister of Finance may, by order, establish an education mill rate for the education district to raise property tax in the amount required by the education body.”
Mr. Speaker it also states that when an education body makes a request, that paragraph section of the education act, the amount that it requires has to provide that requested from the taxing body council, the municipal taxing authority, in this case the city of Iqaluit. Shown by bylaw an education mill rate for each property class in the education district is to raise the property class in the education district, to raise the property tax in the amount required by the education body.