EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
So that's my question today, would we consider moving some jobs into the community because we have a surplus of staff houses and office space even if it's just on a temporary basis until there's other accommodations made for them.
I believe the minister has already answered that question but if he wishes to answer it again. Proceed Mr. Premier.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The member has a very good point that there's a real shortage of housing throughout the territory and it's great that there are surplus units in Baker Lake.
Perhaps we can look at utilising those resources, perhaps for public housing or for additional requirements that have to be met.
Question 493 - 1(5): Assisting Dog-team Races through Funding
I will be directing my question to the Minister for Culture, Language, Elders & Youth.
In Nunavut we have dog team races and it's part of our culture.
Soon there will be a dog team race from Clyde River to Pond Inlet and we're proud to see dog team races because they show our traditions.
Today, if we don't have funding, we can't go ahead with these things.
I was wondering if the dog team racers require funding assistance, would the minister be willing to assist them.
In order to promote Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, we'd like to see the promotion of these activities.
When I was the Minister for Community Government & Transportation, this was under the Recreation Division. Although for me it is just recreation, it is part of the Inuit culture.
I will anticipate a request for funding for this project that he mentioned.
For recreation, I know that some events are recognised by the government especially if it's going to be a competition.
The dog team races are more than recreation, more than competition.
I was wondering if the minister has any plans about the future of dog-team events.
As I've stated before, we've never really considered this aspect but when the member asked that question, in view of the fact that it touches on the promotion of our culture and tradition, then I would expect to see an application for funding.  Although we’ve never really considered it in our department, according to what the member has stated it’s self-explanatory and I’m sure we can consider it.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): My question, although your department has never really considered that, I’m sure the department will consider it now.
Is there a deadline as we are nearing fiscal year end at March 31, is there a deadline for them to follow.
Yes, many of us have had to deal with deadlines, and we have to apply prior certain dates.
If we are going to consider this through Culture, Language and Elders and Youth, we would have to be mindful of the fiscal year end but it is only one of the factors.
We would look at the validity of the application and view the cultural and traditional aspects of it.
So I wouldn’t be too overly concerned about the fiscal year ends but it can be a factor with the government.
Question 494 - 1(5): Update on Formula Financing Agreement
Mr. Speaker, as all members are aware the minister indicated that they were in negotiations with the Federal Government to try and improve or renegotiate our Formula Financing Agreement. I’d like to ask the minister if he could update the House on where things are at.
Mr. Speaker, the officials first met in the last week of January to begin the initial discussions and negotiations.
Mr. Speaker, the minister indicated that there was just an initial meeting in January.
Does he have an idea when they plan to meet again?
Mr. Speaker, I believe the next one is a couple of months away.
They have both taken away some requests to develop timelines and understandings of what would take place once they get back together.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the minister, in their approach to this are they looking at trying to find some additional funding through our Formula Plan and Agreement with the Federal Government for the Government of Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, the obvious goal would be to try to ensure that there is as much possible funding that we could get for our territory to operate our programs.
At the same time, let’s not forget we also have the fiscal review initiative that’s been undertaken in conjunction with Federal Finance.
Right now that’s coming near its end as far as trying to put together a presentation that both ministers we hope to sit down and discuss it sometime in the immediate future.
Mr. Tootoo: Mr. Speaker, I’d like ask the Minister of Finance, he indicated that they’re looking for, does he anticipate, in light of comments identified by the Auditor General in her report that the government will be moving towards the objective of being able to access additional funds for the government through our Formula Financing Agreement.
Mr. Speaker the goal of any Finance Department is to maximize its revenues and ours is no different from that perspective.
Whether it is directly through the Formula Financing Agreement itself or through other agreements with the Federal Government or whether it is one-time initiatives, on-going other programs that we deliver on their behalf.
The intent would be the same, is to maximize those revenues.
Question 495 - 1(5): Work Together to get More Information from the Federal Government - Grave Workers
I asked the Premier a couple of days ago whether the Government of Nunavut is working with Department of Indian and Northern Affairs about the grave relocation issue.
I know through the correspondence they have been working together.
But I have not seen any correspondence other than what we have.
I just wondered if they could start negotiations with the Federal Government along with myself and the Premier to go and negotiate payment for the people who worked at the gravesites.
We tried to assist those people to receive payment for the relocation of the gravesites.
As the Government of Nunavut we would like to do as much as we can to try to help the member out.
We are waiting for their response as to whether those people that worked on transferring the gravesites could be paid. Anything that the member wants us to do, we will try to do our best. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Premier for the response.
Mr. Speaker, to me it is a very important item and it has to be taken as a priority.
The oldest person that worked on the graves is 70 years old.
Can the Premier agree that he would be able to work with me with the Federal Government, to negotiate the payment for those individuals that worked on the gravesites?
I could agree to that but I am not sure if the Federal Government would agree right now because I would have to talk with them prior to negotiating with them.
I am not sure what the response would be from them.
I can talk with them and ask them if they would be willing to negotiate with us.
If they agree to negotiate with us then I would invite the member to attend.
I know it doesn't hurt to ask.
The Premier responded to me by saying that he could ask the Federal Government. But I would like to ask the Premier if the Federal Government refuses quite often?
What I said was that I'll have to ask them first when the best time would be to meet with them on the concerns of the member before I can agree to the member here in the House.
If it's okay and they agree, then I'll meet with them and I'll invite the member.
When we finish our session today, would he be able to write them a letter to ask them if they can meet with us.
I will share a draft of the letter with the member first.
Question 496 - 1(5): Plans for Transportation before the Mine Closes
It's about the plan they have in place for transportation to Arctic Bay because it's only six months before the mine closes.
When I became the Minister for Community Government & Transportation, I wanted to work closely with the people at Nanisivik Mines and Arctic Bay regarding the transportation schedule changes that the community will be facing.
I'm not really clear as to what the plans are at this time although I've been briefed by my staff.
I know that this is an urgent situation for the member.
Perhaps if I could get some information and take it as notice.
Question 497 - 1(5): 500 Thousand Dollars Provided For All of Nunavut - Clarify -Breakwaters
I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Community Government & Transportation in regards to her announcement today.
It says in the third paragraph of her Minister's Statement, that Nunavut will be provided with 500 thousand dollars in each of the next five years to preserve, maintain and enhance marine transportation infrastructure.
This includes marine re-supply sites and community docks and breakwaters.
Is that for all of Nunavut, that amount?
That 500 thousand dollars is for all of Nunavut for re-supply sites, community docks and breakwaters for the next five years.
I know it's not a huge amount but at least it's a beginning for people who have been requesting those kinds of facilities.
That's as much as we can get for the next five years.
Thank you to the minister as well.
She says this 500 thousand dollars is a beginning.
At least there's some money in there.
Where is the money coming from for the construction of those facilities?
At this time there's no money in the government funding for the construction of the docks, breakwaters and re-supply sites. But there is some money set aside for repairs and we will talk with the hamlets in each community that need those facilities.
Although this amount of money is small, we will have to be asking for more funding from the government and from the Canadian Coast Guard. We can negotiate with them for more funding but in the meantime, they have agreed to give us 500 thousand dollars in each of the next five years.
Supplementary, Mr. Arvaluk.
If I recall from the Department of Education infrastructure report, the school designs, architectural and engineering, cost approximately 300 to 400 thousand dollars.
Mr. Speaker, 500 thousand dollars for the whole of Nunavut, can the minister tell us what it will be used for.
Is that for designs?
You stated earlier that this is very small.
It could be only a start up.
Can she specify a little bit more clearly what the 500 thousand dollars is going to buy?
This money is allocated for a variety of marine facilities.
I know it's not very much but we're also in the process of seeking more funding for building and supporting marine infrastructure projects under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans under the Small Craft Harbours Program.
There's some money we can access.
This money is supposed to give us some flexibility in maintaining the marine facilities that are currently in use.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): That was just too brief Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the minister knows very well, as she has gone to Chesterfield Inlet and the other communities that need breakwaters, community docks and so on, that there are boats that capsize during high winds.
The minister is well aware of the big boulders along the shoreline.
Some are as large as this circle that we have here.
It's very dangerous when there are shifting sands and so on.
There are some communities that have absolutely no re-supply sites or docks or breakwaters.
So with this 500 thousand dollars the minister mentioned from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, how much and when can we get some money that will be used for the actual building of these facilities.
We do know that we need to improve on the marine facilities and I'm aware of the Chesterfield Inlet dock that needs to be improved.
It's been on the books without any dollars from the hamlet for some years.
Mr. Speaker, there are currently three initiatives under way in the department to secure this funding.
As I said earlier we are in the process of seeking funding for building and supporting marine facilities under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
That is under their Small Craft Harbours Program and that is something that we are working with right now.
The other means we are using to secure more funding is through initiating discussions with DFO and the Canadian Coast Guard on the devolution of the Northern Remote Resupply Sites program to the Government of Nunavut.
This will allow us to get some more capital dollars for the development of those facilities.
So we are in the process of talking with them, this 500 thousand annual budget under the Memorandum of Understanding should give us more opportunities to respond to the marine facilities that need to be fixed right now.
I know it’s not enough but it’s a start.
Question 498 - 1(5): Clarify Minister’s Statement on Sealskin Rebate
The Minister of Sustainable Development made a statement today and it was good news because it is going to help the hunters out there.
With one skin the harvester would get a certain rebate.
I wasn’t quite sure what he said, but is there a rebate to the harvester for each sealskin that he brings in.
Is it in the form of cash?
One sealskin pelt would be bought for 30 dollars by the department and if Mr. Alakannuark brought in five skins he would get a 20-dollar rebate for each sealskin that he brought.
If Mr. Alakannuark brought us in five pelts, he would get a rebate of 100 dollars.
I understand his response and I thank him.
Is this just for sealskins?
What about fox pelts, and other species, would there be a rebate on other types of pelts?
Fox pelts, wolf pelts, wolverines, we are looking at 25 dollars for a fox pelt and then if they are sold the trapper would get the difference.
Question 499 - 1(5): Update on Policies for Women’s Shelters
Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
It is an issue that drew attention to the Legislative Assembly and the MLAs last week in regards to women’s shelters.
Mr. Speaker, it’s a fact of life that we do have violence in Nunavut and it’s not going to go away any too soon.
My community is no different from other communities that we have these incidents that cause a great deal of stress on the community.
A couple of months ago I had a couple of elders call me about an incident that their son was making life very difficult for them in that they had to be relocated.
We had no place to put them.
There is a temporary place in the health facility, but it doesn’t provide 24-hour care because the employees work 9 to 5.
Can the minister update me on what kind of a policy this government has in regards to people that need 24, 48 or 72 hour care in regards to being thrown out of their homes or leaving a family situation where it is not tolerable.
Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Minister Picco.  Hon. Ed. Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have two types of facilities in Nunavut for family violence.
Here in Iqaluit we have the Qimaavik home, which is 24-7.
That means Mr. Speaker, it operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Mr. Speaker that is the only transition home that we have where if a person was in a relationship that was abusive, that person could go for more than two, three, four or several weeks if needed.
Mr. Speaker, the other type of facility that we run in Nunavut is an emergency home.
That’s a safe house located in different communities where a person is involved in a relationship which may have turned violent, as an example, they can go to seek shelter.
Right now Mr. Speaker, under the Mental Health Strategy and framework that we have put together as a Department of Health and Social Services, Mr. Speaker we addressed both those issues in that.
It is good to see the minister addressing this situation.
Like I say, it affects a lot of people in Nunavut.
So the minister is telling me if there is a situation in my community where somebody may need a shelter for 24 hours to say a week.
That as an organization in a community can they approach the minister and he'll assist them?
Hon. Ed. Picco: That is correct, Mr. Speaker.
Question 500 - 1(5): Process of Budget Session
Mr. Speaker as you know our next session is coming up.
Our sitting is going to be a budget session.
I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for Finance and the Chair for the Financial Management Board if he could explain the budgeting process that the departments go through, that they use to develop the budget.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Do we have half an hour, Mr. Speaker?
Mr. Speaker as the member knows, the Standing Committees are quite involved in the whole process.
As it stands now if he means the specific stage right now of the whole process, I don't know what information he is requesting.
Is it more global on the whole process or specifics of where we are?
Maybe he could clarify that.
Mr. Tootoo could you clarify your question please?
I guess what I am looking for and hopefully he can make it clear.
In the process, the budgeting process that the government goes through, I think the departments submit their proposed budgets to the Financial Management Board for consideration and what happens from there on in.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I hope that has clarified it.
Yes, I thank him for clarifying that.
Where it stands right now, as you know we have two budgetary processes one is the capital, which we have moved to the fall and another for the Main Estimates.
Right now we are in the process of the Main Estimates for the 2002/2003.
What happens is based on the current fiscal year, we haven’t finished the current fiscal year yet, depending on what was approved at the start of the year, what has been approved for supplementary appropriations during the course of the year, there have been targets or budgets that have been adjusted for each department.
Based on that there are some preliminary targets set for each department for 2002/2002 which reflects all the changes that have taken place over the course of the year.
Of course there are some things that have taken place over that time that may have just been reflective of one time current year initiatives.
So that kind of funding would have been taken out of that preliminary target, so it would reflect really the ongoing needs of each department.
For this year also there was an additional, because of the financial situation of the government being fairly positive, there was an additional 20 million dollars that the FMB, the Financial Management Board had approved as additional amounts that all departments could put proposals forward for.
There was a meeting recently to determine which departments would get which amounts of that.
From that it has now gone back to the departments to try and bring back some firmer targets, which we are planning to have finalized in the very near future.
Mr. Speaker, I realize that we approved the Capital Budget last fall.
Looking at the O&M budgets that are coming up and the submissions that are received by the FMB, can the minister indicate when departments submit their initial submissions, do the departments usually receive all the funding that they request.
Or are there instances where they are asked to go back and cut their numbers because they are over the targets that have been set by the FMB?
Mr. Speaker, I indicated that we had an additional 20 million dollars that we are looking at spreading out to departments for new initiatives or for forced growth needs within their department.
Even within that relatively small allocation, we narrowed it down that departments would bring forward 40 million dollars worth of initiatives for review, recognizing that it would be nailed down.
So, from that perspective, it is always, departmental initiatives are always reduced because not every department gets what they want.
That’s how you set the priorities depending on what the government feels are priorities Nunavut-wide, or what each minister is able to bring forward and argue for on behalf of their specific department.
If we hadn’t put that 40 million dollar limit on departmental initiatives, it could very easily have been 100 million dollars worth of initiatives come forward from departments.
Because that is just the way it works with every department having new initiatives that they want to put in place, forced growth that they know they want to try and address within their existing programs.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for explaining the process on that 20 million dollars that they had allocated.
If I understood him correctly, that is for the current fiscal year.
I would like to ask the same question as far as the budget being requested by departments for the next fiscal year.
I wanted to get some clarification there if they get what they ask for, and is it we don’t have enough to cover off everything that we asked for, so bring us back some lower numbers.
Mr. Speaker, I was speaking about the 2002/2003 Main Estimates exercise, or the process that we are undertaking right now.
Question 501 - 1(5): Kugluktuk Artificial Ice Project
This question is directed to the Minister of Community Government & Transportation.
I spoke about the artificial ice project in Kugluktuk.
As the minister knows, there is going to be a shortfall on the project.
Could I get an update from the minister on this project as to what is happening to cover the shortfall on the artificial ice?
I apologize for making you last, your name was on the list but I guess I just forgot to wear my glasses.
I am aware of the artificial ice project that is happening in Kugluktuk.
I think it’s going to cost about 700 thousand dollars and I’m aware that they need additional funds for that process.
I have my staff working with the community on that project and that other initiative that I’m working for on artificial ice is trying to secure some funds through NTI if I’m able to.
At this time, I could not give him a definite answer on the shortfall of that project but I know I have my staff working with the community.
That’s all I can say at this time.
You’re working on it, that’s good.
Do you expect any results soon?
Like you said, you’re not sure but do you have any, at least a time frame before the end of the fiscal year.
Is it a month, or a couple of months down the road to have some kind of answer, some kind of result of the meetings that are happening now?
When I speak to my staff, the things that I speak to them about I want to have happen as soon as possible.
This is one of the initiatives that have been going on, so I can only say that as soon as we get some definite answers for this process from the staff and the community I will inform the member of the process.
Question 502 - 1(5): Sealskin Rebates
I’d like to direct my question to the Minister of Sustainable Development.
Earlier today he made a Minister’s Statement regarding a sealskin rebate. He stated that there is an average price of less than 20 dollars.
Will they be able to get their rebates very soon like within this month?
Before I respond, today is my youngest daughter’s birthday. So happy birthday to her.
The sealskin rebates are being handled by Wildlife Officers in the communities and we have forms that can be filled out for this purpose.
Forms will be made available and hopefully this will be completed by the end of April for these individuals to be able to receive their rebates.
This process will begin very shortly.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Quite often when you use these forms that have been filled out problems arise if an individual’s form has been misplaced.
Is there a deadline as to when these forms have to be brought in?
It doesn't happen very often but our staff at the wildlife offices in the community would keep copies and if forms were misplaced, we would have the extra copies brought in.
The forms that have been completed will identify how much money is being given back.
Question 503 - 1(5): Restrictions on Nunavut Drivers’ Licences
Mr. Speaker, I have a question regarding an issue that I've just heard about.
I have a question for the new Minister of Community Government & Transportation.
I've just been informed that the students that attend the Fort Smith college campus have licenses that are no longer recognised.
What is the situation with these licences?
Perhaps the member could better clarify or rephrase the question.
I understand there are different levels of licenses.
Could he better explain his question?
Mr. Irqittuq, the minister is asking for you to further explain your question.
I'm talking about Nunavut driver's licenses.