EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We’re just trying to finalize and make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed.
As the minister is aware, Rankin Inlet’s current facility is too old and too small for the community and the Kivalliq region that it serves.
However, the new facility will not be finished for at least three years.
Yesterday, the minister announced new funding for upgrades to community arenas.
Can the minister confirm that Rankin Inlet will be eligible to apply for its share of this funding to address immediate issues at the current arena?
Yes, we did make an announcement yesterday with the MP, Mr. Hunter Tootoo, about arena upgrades.
Anyone is allowed to apply, but a common sense approach would be that if a community is going to get a brand-new arena in the near future, it wouldn’t be very wise use of public funds to upgrade an arena that won’t be used for too long.
That’s not to say that they can’t apply. They can apply and every application and submission will be looked at on its own merit and every case will be decided on the best use of these public funds.
Question 192 – 4(3): First Ministers’ Meeting (Mikkungwak)
Before the Premier heads to Vancouver for the upcoming First Ministers’ Meeting, I wanted to ask some questions concerning the Minister’s Statement that he made in the House yesterday.
In his Minister’s Statement, the Premier suggested that establishing a blanket pan-Canadian price on carbon will, and I quote, “increase the costs of basic necessities throughout Nunavut and it will make it more difficult for people to do business in our territory.”
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Premier for standing up for Nunavut’s interests.
For the record, can he tell the House which provinces or territories are in favour of establishing a pan-Canadian price on carbon?
Mr. Speaker, we made it pretty clear between the three territories, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, in our June statement at the Quebec City Climate Change Conference that we oppose carbon tax being imposed on the three territories.
We do have a very delicate economy and any more taxes put forth to our small businesses, our economy, and our people are very damaging.
We have an economy that is right on the borderline of either making it through the year or being put through a bankruptcy process.
We are quite different from all other southern jurisdictions. We are not at their level where they have millions of people.
We do have a small population here in Nunavut of 37,000. We all know the high cost of living up north. Everybody knows that in the Arctic, we have the highest cost of doing business and the highest cost of living.
Any more taxes imposed on our people are very damaging. When we talk about food security, it is an issue up north here throughout the Arctic.
Putting in more taxes to our people is just not the right thing to do at this time.
Mr. Speaker, we made that pretty clear during our Quebec City conference on climate change and with the three territories, we hope to get that message across to the Prime Minister.
As the MLA for Baker Lake, I am very much aware of the positive impacts that the Meadowbank gold mine has had on my community.
As the Premier is very much aware, a second gold mine is in development for the Kivalliq, and I am very much aware of the importance of the Mary River project as well as the great potential for mining in the Kitikmeot.
Can the Premier indicate what the federal government’s position is on the issue of carbon pricing?
Mr. Speaker, it was discussed at length in the Paris COP21 Climate Change Conference and that is one of the things that have been brought forth.
It’s more or less a wait-and-see approach. I can’t tell the hon. member how many jurisdictions or how many provinces are going to be opposing, I guess, the size of what the federal government wants to accomplish.
There are many different things and I can’t talk about the outcomes because we just don’t have that clear until we have completed our First Ministers’ Meeting.
Mr. Mikkungwak: Mr. Speaker, as a lifelong hunter, I am also very much aware of the importance of realistic and responsible action to address climate change given its impact on the Arctic.
However, Nunavut itself hardly compares with major industrialized jurisdictions when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Can the Premier indicate what specific climate change measures our government supports?
Although we have a very small contribution to greenhouse gas emissions from our small population, at this point, you could say that we contribute the most per capita when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s why, as a government, we have indicated to our colleagues in Ottawa that we need upgrades on our generating systems in Nunavut.
We have old generating systems and generating plants that are from the ‘60s.
They’re not fuel efficient and they’re not economical.
That’s the indication we’re hoping that the federal government would pay attention to our contributions and cutting down greenhouse gas emissions because have old equipment that isn’t necessarily effective and efficient when it comes to diesel generator power plants.
One of the things, of course, is that we want to modernize to new generators and new engines so that we could contribute less to greenhouse gas emissions.
We’re still a long ways off from tidal power. We’re still a long ways off from wind power or solar power.
We’re still quite a ways off, but in the meantime, to upgrade our old, broken-down generating power plants, we do need some assistance from the federal government in modernizing our generating plants in Nunavut. We’re not connected to any grid. We have individual power generating stations in our small communities and at this point, we desperately need modern equipment for our energy uses in our communities in Nunavut.
Question 193 – 4(3): Grise Fiord Needs a Social Worker (Shooyook)
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member’s Statement, the community of Grise Fiord has not had a social worker for a very long time.
Can the minister clearly explain why there is no full-time social worker for Grise Fiord when there is a vacant position and a house for them?
Acting Minister of Family Services, Mr. Mike.
With the Department of Family Services, we are doing all we can to provide adequate services to the people of Nunavut.
Regarding Grise Fiord, first all, I should say that it’s very hard to recruit people. As the member indicated, there’s a house provided for the incumbent.
We have made improvements, but I’m not sure where recruiting personnel for Grise Fiord stands at this time.
I’ll make sure that I get the information and provide a response to the member.
The residents of Grise Fiord feel forgotten and neglected.
This makes resolving problems and issues even more difficult.
Can the minister provide an update on what specific efforts are being made to fill the vacant social worker position in Grise Fiord?
As I stated, I’ll look into the position that needs to be filled.
I apologize that they feel neglected, according to your statement.
I will look into whether or not the Department of Family Services is taking care of it.
I will expect the minister’s support for that community.
Mr. Speaker, the residents of Grise Fiord need a social worker and they need one now.
They should not be asked to keep waiting with no help or guidance to work towards a better life. Will the minister commit to filling the Grise Fiord social worker position immediately?
I will look into his concern.
I want my colleagues to know and further state that human resources sometimes take a lot of work in the government.
It would seem that it is a priority to fill the position.
I will take care of it and I will try to let you know before the day is over.
Question 194 – 4(3): Staff Housing Units (Rumbolt)
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to have been able to vote last fall to provide funding for the construction of two new staff housing units for the community of Sanikiluaq.
Can the minister confirm today what the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s timeline is for the construction and tendering of these units?
There’s a duplex that’s looking at being built in Sanikiluaq. As of right now, the tendering is going to be going out in the next couple of weeks, and then we will get a firmer timeline on when the units will be completed. At the time, that’s the information I have for the member.
During yesterday’s question period, I raised a number of concerns regarding the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s changes to the design of its public housing units, which appear to have been made in order to reduce the cost of each unit.
Can the minister tell me today what design changes have been made to the types of staff housing units that will be constructed in Sanikiluaq over the coming year?
With the ongoing housing shortage that we have across public housing and staff housing, we’re trying to utilize every dollar that we’ve got to maximize the impact for every community that we do construction in.
There have been a number of design changes, like I had mentioned yesterday, with regard to standardization of fixtures in the units. There have been some minor decreases in the footprint per unit to maximize the space.
Normally, we’re building five-plex units in a lot of the communities. In Sanikiluaq, we’re building two units.
If the member is looking for specifics, I can go over the design with him at a time that might be more appropriate, but in the meantime, I can assure the member that we’re maximizing the effect of every dollar to provide housing to our staff.
I am going to provide an example of how the realities of living in a smaller community are not always taken into account by government planners working in headquarters.
As the minister may be aware, another design change that has been made to public housing units concerns the design of the laundry rooms. The new design only accommodates stackable washers and dryers.
However, these types of appliances are often not actually sold in the local stores in the smaller communities.
This may sound like a small change, but when you add up all of the small changes, there’s a real impact.
Will the minister commit to ensuring that the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s design planners consult with LHOs and local housing managers when they are considering making changes to the design of units?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of the Nunavut Housing Corporation, Mr. Hickes.
I thank the member for bringing that issue up.
It’s something that I came across during the tour of some communities that I did a couple of months ago and speaking with LHO staff and boards and within the Nunavut Housing Corporation staff. I don’t want to say that there’s disconnect because they do communicate with each other.
I can assure the member that it is an issue that I have identified with all design ongoing to make sure that LHOs are communicated with to not customize the design because we want to have a standard design across the territory, but to at least identify issues that LHO staff bring forward that may assist us in providing the best, appropriate housing that we can to our residents, whether it be public housing or staff housing.
Question 195 – 4(3): Staff Housing (Enook)
Mr. Speaker, as the minister is very much aware, an ongoing issue of concern to Pond Inlet that I have been repeatedly raising in the Legislative Assembly concerns staff housing units in the community that remain vacant for years at a time.
When I last raised this issue during our sitting of October 29, 2015, I was informed that the Nunavut Housing Corporation would be working with the Department of Finance to, and I quote, “review the whole staff allocation process.”
Let me first ask the minister: can you update me today on what this review has achieved?
I thank the member for brining that topic up as well. It’s not just an issue in Pond Inlet itself but across the territory.
This government is striving very hard to deal with capacity issues at the community level and one of the needs is staff housing.
One of the concerns that the member has brought up and that I’m aware of and have had some discussion with the Minister of Finance on is how long some of these competitions remain ongoing on the books.
There are extenuating circumstances and it’s a very high-level decision to cancel a competition for employment. One of the things that I’m looking at in Pond Inlet, as an example, is to re-evaluate the staff housing that is allocated to positions that haven’t been filled for a number of years.
This topic itself is also a very large component that we will be discussing in our stakeholder meetings and community consultations when we’re finalizing our blueprint for action to assist this government and this territory moving forward with actual action items to be able to deal with housing, again, whether it be staff housing or public housing across the territory.
I’ve had some very succinct discussions with the Nunavut Housing Corporation and we’re working very hard to get the schedule out so that we can meet the obligation of finalizing this Blueprint for Action on Housing for Nunavut.
I have made it very clear that I fully understand and completely appreciate the need to have staff housing units available for life and death positions in the community, such as nurses and physicians.
However, when it comes to other staff housing units that remain vacant for years and years, my position is that serious consideration should be given to transferring the units to the community’s stock of public housing.
Minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation, Mr. Hickes.
I have heard the member bring up that potential solution or option to alleviate some of the demand, yet at the same time, if we were to look at the actual numbers of positions that are vacant in Pond Inlet itself, we’re still short staff housing units.
One of the focuses that we have been using to try to address and alleviate some of the pressures is we have been concentrating our construction in Pond Inlet on public housing units, not staff housing units.
I’m not going to commit to carrying forward that option.
I will take a look at the stock that’s available again.
I can’t reasonably fathom taking units from staff housing and put them into the public housing stock because we want to deal with the capacity issues from a government employment level.
In an ideal world where we are hiring people from the community who may be currently in public housing units and move them into staff housing units, it could alleviate some of the stresses and open up more units on the public housing side.
It’s something that I will continue to work with the member on in addressing that topic in his community.
In May of 2015, I received a letter from the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation which provided a very detailed and very useful breakdown of staff housing unit allocations in Pond Inlet.
I am certain that this type of information would be valuable for every Member of the Legislative Assembly.
Will the minister commit to tabling a Nunavut-wide report on staff housing allocations in all 25 communities during our upcoming spring sitting, yes or no?
I would have no problem with providing the number of active competitions and the number of staff housing units that are available in each community for the members.
Question 196 – 4(3): Preserving Inuktut (Keyootak)
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my Member’s Statement, many of my constituents are concerned about the suggestion that children in our schools will be taught Inuktitut using the Roman writing system.
Can the minister provide an update on the Department of Education’s current policy on the use of syllabics in our schools?
If we can all recall, if you remember or rather if we all remember, I stated back then that I wanted a study compiling the Roman orthography writing system and how it can be utilized in our schools and when it would start being taught.
This was just a study to review the possibilities and no decision has been made yet.
Just so members are aware, it hasn’t been implemented in our schools yet and there are no directives stating it will be used at this level or used at all.
However, what I can state is that up to now, based on my previous statements, to date, all of our schools already use Roman orthography currently.
Starting at grade 4, this writing system is already being taught along with the syllabic system, which is the other version.
Nonetheless, with respect to the mandated inclusion of this system, we haven’t provided that direction. We have not stated that the Roman writing system will be used within the schools, but we’re still looking at the studies, so we’re just waiting.
The Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit discussed this during their meeting with our department.
At this time, we are just waiting and we have not enforced it yet.
I can tell you that we have not decided whether to use the Roman writing system or syllabics.
From grade 4 on, the two writing systems have been taught in the schools to date.
Many of my constituents feel strongly that the use of syllabics plays an important role in preserving our language, culture, and identity as Inuit.
Can the minister clarify what consideration is given to using the Roman or syllabic writing system in our schools and what role local DEAs play in making that decision?
When we did a study, the local DEAs were involved, they participated, and we consulted with them and the teachers.
When we held a public meeting in the community, we met with the DEAs in the communities. We also provided information and we consulted fully with the DEAs.
As I stated before, we have not made a decision as to which writing system will be taught in the schools, but I keep saying that the education, no matter where in Nunavut, should be more unified and standardized.
We should have standardized education in Nunavut because it’s not standardized.
When it’s standardized, we have fewer problems.
I keep stating that when we come up with new things, the local DEAs are consulted. We provide information to the DEAs and we constantly consult with them.
Perhaps I don’t fully know what qaniujaaqpait or qaliujaaqpait are, Roman or syllabics, so I’m still trying to learn the difference between the two writing systems.
As I stated before, we did a study and we have stopped the study because we’re waiting for the other entities, such as the Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit, and their position on it.
Many Baffin Inuit consider the use of syllabics a critical component of the Inuktitut language.
Will the minister commit to consulting with parents, DEA representatives, and residents of our communities before any decision is made to use the Roman writing system?
Education is an extreme priority for this government. The Inuit language is also vastly important and will continue in the foreseeable future. In our schools, we have to continue to teach Inuktitut to our students.
When students are taught courses in Inuktitut, the linguistic level has to be on par with the English and French course materials and equivalent wordage has to be used within our schools.
This is our commitment to ensure Inuktitut is retained and kept.
Within the conference pertaining to Inuktitut having already transpired, it became clear that our language will not change.
Any writing system we utilize reflects the spoken language.
A writing system will not result in changes, as it only reflects the spoken language.
With respect to qaniujaaqpait or (interpretation ends) syllabics, (interpretation) this system will continue to be the main system used in our schools, as per my previous statement that no changes have been enacted within any of our schools as to the preference over one system or another.
As per my earlier statement, both syllabics and Roman orthography will continue to be taught as has been the practice for many years now.
Nonetheless, we didn’t review this with the purpose of unifying a writing system or having a single system.
These were the questions we raised, but to reiterate, this hasn’t been implemented.
For my colleagues’ information, both qaliujaaqpait and qaniujaaqpait are utilized in our schools throughout Nunavut.
The Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet North and Chesterfield Inlet, Mr. Tom Sammurtok.
Question 197 – 4(3): Dialysis Services for Nunavummiut (Sammurtok, T)
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, as you may recall, last October, I asked the minister about the number of patients who were receiving dialysis services in Winnipeg.
At that time, the minister indicated that there were two patients from Nunavut who were receiving dialysis treatment outside of the territory.
Can the minister provide an update on the current number of Nunavut patients who are receiving dialysis treatment outside of the territory?
The number of patients has not changed and I haven’t heard of any changes. I haven’t been told whether the number of patients has increased or has stayed the same.
Mr. Tom Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I understood from the minister’s response last October that in order for Nunavut to be able to provide dialysis services within the territory, the caseload would have to be great enough to justify having the qualified health workers on staff.
Can the minister clarify how many Nunavummiut requiring dialysis would there have to be before the department would consider purchasing the equipment and hiring the necessary personnel for providing this service in Nunavut?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) From what I understand, there have to be enough patients for the nurses to continue to keep their licence to deliver that service.
If there are not enough patients to deliver to the number of patients, then they will lose their licence. It’s the number of cases that nurses and physicians have to deliver for these patients that it is not possible to do that in our own territory at this time. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Tom Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) Individuals generally need dialysis when their kidneys fail to work effectively.
One of the leading causes of kidney failure is late onset diabetes.
It has been shown that many aboriginal communities in Canada suffer from high levels of diabetes.
Can the minister provide an update on what efforts are being made to track and monitor the spread of diabetes in Nunavut’s population?
With respect to the actual numbers, I can’t answer that question about the number of people suffering from this chronic illness.
However, it seems obvious that this is disconcerting to say the least since we don’t want more people suffering from diabetes.
Once the actual figures have been tabulated, I will try to provide a response, but I do have last year’s figures as of March 31, 2014. There were 1,256 Nunavummiut with (interpretation ends) type 1 or type 2 diabetes. (interpretation) As of March 31, 2014, there were 101 people faced with kidney complications.
These are the figures available to me at this time.
Question 198 – 4(3): Housing Design (Joanasie)
My questions are for the new Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, during my recent community meetings in Kimmirut and Cape Dorset, a number of my constituents raised concerns regarding the design of public housing multiplexes.
Similar to the issues brought forward yesterday by my colleague from Hudson Bay, I have also received concerns that multiplex units in my constituency also lack a second exit, which would appear to me to be a significant safety risk in the event of fire or other emergency requiring rapid evacuation.
I would like to ask the minister what he will do to address this concern.
I would like to thank Mr. Joanasie for bringing that issue up again.
In my response yesterday when we spoke of the removal from the design of the second exit from the public housing units on the five-plex design, I did check into it with the Nunavut Housing Corporation.
I don’t want to discredit the safety component of having a second exit.
It’s something that, as the new Minister of Housing, I’ll be taking a look at the design and the costs associated with it.