EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
In the meantime, as the Minister of Finance has stated, I’m sure there is continual lobbying to the federal government. We know we can’t do this on our own.
At the same time, when you are talking about a Canadian energy strategy, if the other premiers from across the country can understand the predicament that it puts us in, if we could offset, again using the Premier’s hydro development project here in Iqaluit, it would solidify costs all across the territory.
It would not just benefit Iqaluit; it would benefit the whole territory.
If he could get a little bit more agreement or understanding from his premier counterparts from across the country, it might help pressure the federal government to give us assistance to move this project forward. I’m just wondering if the Premier has had those discussions with some of his counterparts.
I participate in western premiers’ conferences and northern premiers’ forums. Mr. Speaker, at the northern premiers’ forums, we discuss common issues that are related to the north.
The northern premiers’ forum is Northwest Territories and Yukon, along with Nunavut. This year, I will be hosting the Northern Premiers’ Forum in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, as a territory, we try and put forth our issues to other premiers, including the federal government. It is a struggle. There are other jurisdictions that are doing the same thing.
As you know, with the fall of oil prices, it has made it very difficult for some provinces. They do the same thing as we are doing to the federal government, asking for more funds for programs and other infrastructure that we desperately need in Nunavut, and on and on it goes.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance had met with the federal Minister of Finance in December and he put forth our needs in energy, housing, and the debt cap.
Mr. Speaker, that’s why we are negotiating hard to get our devolution deal so that we can actually start planning and doing some of these things on our own. It’s not going to be instant; it’s going to take time.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to a day when we can actually start doing some things on our own.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. Oral Questions. Member for Tununiq, Mr. Enook.
Question 451 – 4(2): Mental Health Workers in Communities (Enook)
Mr. Speaker, I was interested to note that when my colleague from Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu asked about mental health staffing, the minister responded that he would “see how we can actually further help in every community.”
We have had a mental health worker in Pond Inlet and it has been of great benefit to the community.
Today, I would like to ask: will the minister commit to ensuring that this position is a full-time indeterminate position for the community of Pond Inlet?
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can say today that every Nunavut community has a mental health nurse. It is in place today.
We have been in the recruitment phase and we will look at ways to fill these positions.
This month, we will take part in a meeting of northern mental health workers conference to look at ways to improve how best to set up mental health services in Nunavut.
In the past, I have asked about the allocation of such positions of nurses, doctors, and other health staff in our communities.
Can the minister clearly explain how staffing allocations are determined for each of Nunavut’s communities?
We wanted to put mental health nurses into each community, as there was a need, and the House agreed to have these workers in all communities.
This will now be a permanent set-up.
When we look at community services, we look for the best options. In Pond Inlet’s case, we looked at a nurse practitioner in the community. We now have a permanent nurse practitioner after a trial period and have spread this to other communities.
We look to improve and look at the best options for us.
I was pleased to support the minister’s request for increased funding in his 2015-16 budget to address needs in the mental health field.
The addition of mental health workers and psychiatric nurses will be a valuable resource.
I would like to ask this question: can the minister explain what criteria are considered when deciding where to allocate psychiatric nursing positions across Nunavut’s communities?
In regard to mental health nursing, we have them in all communities.
Here in Iqaluit, we have a number of mental health positions and we are assessing them and reviewing what will work for other communities.
It’s going to be an ongoing effort for our department.
Members, you may have noted that the time for question period has expired. We will move on.
The Hon. Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Taptuna.
Tabled Document 117 – 4(2): Report Respecting Benefits Paid to Ministers under the Ministerial Benefits Policies for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2014 (Taptuna)
I am pleased to table the Report Respecting Benefits Paid to Ministers under the Ministerial Benefits Policies for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2014.
Tabled Document 118 – 4(2): 103rd Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada and Joint Declaration of Provincial and Territorial Education and Labour Market Ministers (Quassa)
I am pleased to table the 103rd Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada and Joint Declaration of Provincial and Territorial Education and Labour Market Ministers.
The Hon. Minister of Health, Mr. Okalik.
Tabled Document 119 – 4(2): FPT Health Ministers’ Meeting, Banff September 30 – October 1, 2014 (Okalik)
I am pleased to table the Provincial, Territorial (PT) and Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Health Ministers’ Meeting, Banff, Alberta, September 30 to October 1, 2014.
Tabled Document 120 – 4(2): Kivalliq Wildlife Board Resolution Concerning the Kiggavik Project (Mikkungwak)
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I wish to table today a copy of the Kivalliq Wildlife Board’s resolution of February 23, 2015 concerning the proposed Kiggavik project.
Tabled Document 121 – 4(2): 2014-2017 Business Plan of the Office of the Languages Commissioner (Speaker)
Tabled Document 122 – 4(2): 2015-2018 Business Plan of the Office of the Representative for Children and Youth (Speaker)
I wish to table the 2014-17 Business Plan of the Office of the Languages Commissioner and the 2015-18 Business Plan of the Office of the Representative for Children and Youth. (interpretation) Thank you.
Motion 020 – 4(2): Extended Adjournment (Mikkungwak)
I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Aggu, that pursuant to the provisions of Rule 3, that when the House concludes its winter 2015 sitting, it shall be adjourned until May 26, 2015.
Bills 1, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 with Mr. Mikkungwak in the Chair.
>>House recessed at 15:07 and Committee resumed at 15:36
I would now like to call the committee meeting to order. (interpretation ends) In Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bills 1, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19.
Mr. Chairman, we wish to commence with the review of the 2015-16 Main Estimates of the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, followed by the Department of Environment and, if time permits, the Department of Culture and Heritage.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you very much. (interpretation ends) Are we in agreement that we first deal with the main estimates of the Department of EIA?
Bill 16 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2015-2016 – Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs – Consideration in Committee
I would now like to ask the Premier if he has officials that he would like to appear before the committee.
Hon. Peter Taptuna: Yes, I do.
Chairman: Does the committee agree to let the Premier’s staff go to the witness table?
Thank you very much. (interpretation ends) For the record, Premier, please introduce your officials.
Hon. Peter Taptuna: Mr. Chairman, on my left is Deputy Minister David Akeeagok and on my right is Virginia Lloyd, Executive Director of Strategic Planning.
Hon. Premier, you may now proceed with your opening comments. Mr. Taptuna.
Hon. Peter Taptuna: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good afternoon.
Today, I am pleased to present to the Committee of the Whole the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs’ 2015-18 business plan and 2015-16 main estimates.
The department continues to provide support to cabinet as a central agency.
Mr. Chairman, the department is also the lead on interdepartmental coordination of Sivumut Abluqta.
As a government, we are committed to fulfilling our mandate and we have, indeed, been making progress in that regard.
Besides interdepartmental coordination, Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs continues to move the Government of Nunavut’s policy discussions to ensure our interests are represented at the national and international levels.
Mr. Chairman, last spring, I committed to reviewing the Devolution Division within Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Today, I am pleased to announce that we undertook changes to the division and to the overarching structure of EIA.
We took the necessary time to reassess the needs of the department.
That reorganization is now complete and I would be happy to expand on it further.
The changes were made to allow the department to implement priorities addressed in the department’s business plan more effectively.
We remain focused on priorities identified in the Sivumut Abluqta Mandate.
Within the mandate, we identified five core business areas:
The Directorate,
Strategic Planning,
Sivumuaqatigiit,
Intergovernmental Affairs, and  The Devolution Secretariat.
Mr. Chairman, we moved the function of devolution out from Intergovernmental Affairs and created a secretariat that now has a direct line of communication to my office.
Before I provide more detail regarding that approach, I would like to report on the department’s main estimates.
For the 2015-16 fiscal year, the main estimates total $27,547,000.
I am presenting to the Committee of the Whole the departmental business plan. The main estimate total is comprised of approximately $17.5 million allocated toward salaries and benefits, $100,000 for grants and contributions, and $9.9 million for remaining operations and maintenance costs.
The changes as they relate to core business areas are as follows:
The Directorate, as you know, provides the overall management and coordination of activities for the executive branch of government.
As secretary to cabinet, the deputy minister provides cabinet and ministerial support.
The branch also provides advisory services regarding access to information and privacy protection issues, communications, and administrative support to both the department and the Utility Rates Review Council.
The Directorate Division also supports the Senior Personnel Secretariat function. As well, we have added $200,000 in access to information and protection of privacy expenses for salary and benefits for the addition of an ATIPP officer and remaining O&M costs.
This $200,000 is included in the overall departmental budget of $27,547,000.
Mr. Chairman, the department’s governmental liaison officers are now housed within Intergovernmental Affairs.
The GLOs are very much connected to their communities and Intergovernmental Affairs seemed to be a better fit for their role and how it relates to affairs between governments.
The Strategic Planning Branch provides broad advice on government business planning, strategies, policies, legislation, and supports the Government of Nunavut in collecting statistical information.
The Strategic Planning Branch also works directly with the Department of Finance to oversee the government-wide operational audit, which this government has committed to in Sivumut Abluqta.
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to inform the Committee of the Whole that a request for proposals for the first phase of the operational audit was issued and we expect to award the contract in the coming weeks.
Phase 1 of the operational audit sets to carry out a high-level review of all departmental and corporate programs.
Results and recommendations from the first review phase are expected this coming fall in time for preparations of the next business plan cycle.
The aim is to identify programs that need improvement or need to have better efficiencies built within their scope.
What’s identified here will go under a more in-depth review during the second phase of the operational audit.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs’ Sivumuaqatigiit Division is responsible for providing human resources planning and direction on initiatives aimed at increasing and maintaining Inuit employment in the Government of Nunavut.
Sivumuaqatigiit also provides assistance and support to departments in training and developing their staff, including interns. The branch also leads and coordinates initiatives to support the government’s decentralized model.
As I mentioned earlier, the Intergovernmental Affairs Division is now responsible for providing support to the network of government liaison officers. Given the role of Intergovernmental Affairs to provide leadership and coordination for the management and development of strategies, policies, and initiatives relevant to all levels of government, GLOs are a logical and well-supported fit within this division.
Intergovernmental Affairs is also being tasked with working with departments to coordinate an overarching approach to matters related to seniors.
This new function also supports my role at the Council of the Federation on the Seniors Working Group on behalf of Nunavut.
Departments remain responsible for providing the day-to-day programs and services to seniors across Nunavut.
The Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is expected to liaise between departments, stay abreast of key issues, and coordinate matters pertaining to seniors.
This facilitation is an important step in ensuring that departments are communicating, overlaps are managed effectively, and programs are meeting the needs of our seniors.
Mr. Chairman, besides these additions in responsibility, Intergovernmental Affairs continues to manage relationships with aboriginal, circumpolar, and international organizations.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, we have made significant changes regarding the additional core business function of the Devolution Secretariat.
The reorganization of the devolution function was completed to support the Government of Nunavut’s position and drive devolution in an assertive manner. The branch, as I mentioned, now becomes a standalone secretariat.
The Devolution Secretariat leads both the Government of Nunavut’s preparation for and participation in negotiations with the Government of Canada and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated towards the conclusion of a devolution agreement.
$38,000 in additional funds was allocated to operations and maintenance for this secretariat.
This addition is included in the overall departmental budget.
The transfer of authority over Crown land and non-renewable resources in Nunavut is a priority for this government and essential for the territory’s long-term political and economic development.
The secretariat is also responsible for coordinating the implementation of the final agreement when it is reached.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs’ main estimates and business plan.
I welcome comments and look forward to answering questions.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you very much. (interpretation ends) Does the chair of the standing committee on oversight have opening comments?
I am pleased to provide opening comments on behalf of the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts on its review of the proposed 2015-16 main estimates and 2015-18 business plan of the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
The standing committee notes that the department’s proposed 2015-16 operations and maintenance budget of $27,547,000 is 0.87 percent higher than the department’s 2014-15 main estimates.
The number of positions in the department has increased from 136.0 PYs in 2014-15 to 138.0 PYs in 2015-16.
The amendments added provisions to allow individuals to request the Information and Privacy Commissioner to review the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information, and to require public bodies to notify the Information and Privacy Commissioner where a breach of privacy has occurred.
Mr. Chairman, the number of positions in the department’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Office is increasing from 1.0 PY to 2.0.
The department’s draft 2015-18 business plan indicates that “additional supports are required to ensure compliance with the new privacy provisions of the ATIPP Act.”
Mr. Chairman, the department’s draft 2015-18 business plan indicates that one of its priorities for the 2015-16 fiscal year is to “Explore options regarding municipal access to information and protection of privacy legislation.”
It also indicates that one of its priorities for the 2016-17 fiscal year is to “Provide support to the municipalities of Nunavut in implementing access and privacy principles based on the successful implementation within the City of Iqaluit.”
Mr. Chairman, the 2013-14 report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on November 4, 2014.
The department’s draft 2015-18 business plan indicates that “The next cycle of the [food price] survey is planned to be conducted in March 2015.”
It also indicates that one of its priorities for the 2015-16 fiscal year is to “Conduct [the] 2016 Nunavut Food Price Survey to collect prices on food and non-food items in all Nunavut communities.”
In light of the Auditor General’s recent report to Parliament on the Nutrition North Canada Program, it is important for the department to work closely with federal authorities to share data that could lead to improvements in this important area.
I would also note that information from the 2016 Nunavut Food Price Survey can be expected to be of use to the Department of Family Services in evaluating the adequacy of food allowance rates under the Social Assistance Regulations.
The standing committee notes with concern that the statutorily required 2012-13 and 2013-14 annual reports of the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics have not yet been tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
The department’s draft 2015-16 main estimates and business plan indicate that the Government Liaison Office has been transferred back to the department’s Intergovernmental Affairs Branch.
Mr. Chairman, the department’s draft 2015-18 business plan indicates that one of its priorities for the 2015-16 fiscal year is to “Coordinate and promote existing programs and services available to Seniors.”
As members will recall, a number of interventions have been made in this House concerning the need for the government to address this issue, including the question of whether to harmonize the age at which residents are considered to be “seniors” for the purpose of eligibility for certain programs and services.
The Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs has assumed a number of functions and responsibilities that were previously exercised by the Department of Human Resources, which was dissolved on April 1, 2013. Other functions have been transferred to the Department of Finance.
Mr. Chairman, information contained in the government’s quarterly employment reports indicate that a total of 1,165 beneficiaries were employed by the government in June of 2004. By June of 2014, that number had increased to 1,689.
This constituted an increase of approximately 45 percent over the course of a decade.
On average, the government gained approximately 52 new Inuit employees each year.
Mr. Chairman, it is important for the government to develop realistic and achievable timetables for achieving full representativeness across all occupational categories in the government, which is commonly understood to mean a public service that is composed of 85 percent beneficiary employees.
Information contained in the government’s June 2014 quarterly employment report, which is the most recent report to have been tabled in the Legislative Assembly, indicates that there were a total of 4,503 positions across the government’s departments and Crown agencies. 3,359 of these positions were filled, of which 1,689 were filled by beneficiaries.
Assuming that the government could fill all of its positions, it would need to hire 2,138 new beneficiary employees to achieve full representativeness.
The standing committee notes that the government’s proposed 2015-18 business plan indicates that its current government-wide Inuit Employment Plan target is 51 percent Inuit employment by March 31 of 2016.
Mr. Chairman, in its response to the standing committee’s report on the 2010 Report of the Auditor General on Human Resource Capacity in the Government of Nunavut, the Government of Nunavut stated that it will “continue to lobby the federal government for funding in regards to obligations under Article 23.”
It is important that the government publicly clarify its current position concerning how much additional federal funding would be required in order to meet its obligations and achieve its objectives.
The 2012-13 Public Service Annual Report indicates that 756 employees were receiving a bilingual bonus as at March 31, 2013.
However, the annual report does not provide a detailed community-by-community breakdown of the number of positions that are eligible for a bilingual bonus.
Future editions of the annual report would benefit from the inclusion of this information.
The standing committee notes that section 17 of the Inuit Language Protection Act provides that the Inuit Language Authority “may develop, review, recommend or administer surveys or tests that evaluate Inuit Language proficiency…” Given the importance of complying with the Inuit Language Protection Act, the standing committee encourages the department to develop objective tests for evaluating language proficiency within the public service.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee notes that the government’s new Human Resource Strategy, 2014-2018, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on November 4, 2014, indicates that “A Language Incentive Program will be introduced in 2015-2016 to actively encourage employees to improve their oral and written proficiency in Inuktut.
The program is currently being designed, including the finalization of proficiency levels, assessment tools and recommended compensation for each level.”
Mr. Chairman, on June 5, 2012, the Government of Nunavut’s Decentralization Action Plan was tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
The department’s proposed 2015-18 business plan indicates that one of its priorities for the 2015-16 fiscal year is to “Continue implementation of the Decentralization [Action] Plan…in collaboration with other departments in the GN.”
On April 20, 2011, a new cooperation protocol between the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated was signed.
Mr. Chairman, some of the priority areas identified in the protocol were to review the Child and Family Services Act, consult on the NNI Policy, and develop new regulations under the Official Languages Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act.
The department’s 2014-17 business plan indicated that one of its priorities for the 2014-15 fiscal year was to “Renew the protocol with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and continue to work on matters of mutual interest to Nunavummiut.”
The department’s draft 2015-18 business plan indicates that “A protocol and work plan has been drafted for review by both parties.”
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee supports a positive working relationship between the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
The department’s draft 2015-18 business plan indicates that one of its priorities for the 2015-16 fiscal year is to “…work to finalize the devolution Agreement-in-Principle for transfer of authority over, and administration and control of Crown lands, water, and resources from Canada to GN.” The standing committee looks forward to reviewing progress towards a devolution agreement.
On October 31, 2014, the Premier tabled A Northern Vision: Building a Better North in the Legislative Assembly.