EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
There is no Nunavut Arctic College learning centre in Baker Lake as of August.
Is the minister going to construct one next summer.
Speaker: Minister Responsible for Education, Mr. Kilabuk.
I thought you wanted to know if we were going to build another school this year.
This will be dealt with through the capital plans of the Department of Education and I will be dealing with it in the House.
I do not quite understand the minister properly.
Will there be a new Nunavut Arctic College learning centre constructed in Baker Lake next year.
I will try and answer the member, as I did in the other language, but in English.
Because of the process that this has to go through in the House, I am unable to at this time indicate to the member if we will be building a community learning centre in Baker Lake next year.
Supplementary. Final supplementary, Mr. McLean.
My final supplementary and I will get into this later if I have another question to ask. Was the building insured.
Hon. Peter Kilabuk: Mr. Speaker, I do not have that information with me at this time, so I will have to take that question under notice and get back to the member.
Question 272 - 1(5): Assistance to Hamlet of Repulse Bay for Bad Gasoline
My question is about what I mentioned earlier about the bad gas in Repulse Bay.
I am sure the Minister Responsible is aware of the issue.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the minister, will the minister's staff endeavour to assist he staff of the Hamlet of Repulse Bay, to resolve the bad gasoline problem in Repulse Bay.
First of all, if I could say something about the statement on the bad gas ceasing the motors of some vehicles.
I would like to say that when we buy the gas, we have it inspected first and if it is going to go into the community tank farm, we also check it again to make sure that it is the right type of gas and it's good gas.
What I am saying is that we don't just buy any old gas when we buy gas for the communities.
We try to get the very best.
In answer to the member's question, to see whether my department could go there to look at the gas, I heard about it last week and I received a letter from the Hamlet of Repulse Bay.
The Petroleum Products Division has been working with the Hamlet of Repulse and they have worked with all of the Hamlets in regards to petroleum products.
Will the minister's staff try to get correct information to see whether they can assist the Hamlet of Repulse Bay in regards to bad gas.
I already answered the member's question.
My department is open to any community whenever they need assistance, but I am already saying that since we have lowered our gas prices, I don't want the community to think that we just bought gas without checking it or without studying it.
Because we buy gas and fuel oil only after we do an inspection and before they pour it into the tanks farms in the communities.
What I said to the member is that my staff at the Petroleum Products Division is always available if they need some help.
My question to the Minister Responsible for Petroleum Products, I understand her response.
Regarding the all terrain vehicles and snowmobiles, I spoke with the Mayor and he said to me that those vehicles have had their motors ceased and they are not running any more.
So I just was wondering if the minister's staff would be able to help the people of Repulse Bay in this regard.
You all know that I am not a mechanic and I can't fix the motors of those vehicles that were ceased.
There are other reasons that motors or engines may break down.
So it might have something to do with something else.
There could be various reasons why their motors could have broken down.
We purchase gas and ship it to each community, then we check it, and we check it again before it goes into the tank farms.
So I asked my staff to go and check the Hamlet's tank farm, so I just wanted to tell the member that it is not only the gas that makes the motors in these vehicles break down.
Question 273 - 1(5): Appointment of Liquor Licensing Board Members
I would like to ask the Minister of Finance about his Minister's Statement about the Liquor Licensing Board.
The Chairperson was Goo Arlooktoo and they had to reappoint members to that commission.
I would like to congratulate the new board members.
My question is, is the minister asking us to appoint those members, did you make a submission to the members requesting names before you appointed those new members.
Mr. Chairman I was announcing the appointments that have been made.
As I've indicated in my statement there have been request to members to solicit individuals that might be interested in the public at large as well, through advertisements in major newspapers in Nunavut prior to pulling together all those individuals from which we selected.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): The minister stated at the beginning of his statement or in the middle of his statement that they were going to have a meeting.
I submitted some names last year.
My question is who selected those ones that are already in place.
Mr. Speaker, I made recommendations to the Cabinet in respect to the appointment after reviewing all the candidates and qualifications of the candidates that were put together.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister Ng. Supplementary Mr. Nutarak.
It just seems like the minister wants us just to submit names to a board.
Like you want submissions of names and you ask the regular members.
I have been giving names whenever you want a name for an appointment to a board.
My question was whose names were submitted from the members.
I put in a name and that person is not considered.
I just wondered how they are considered to become board members.
Perhaps next time I’m asked to submit a name maybe I won't even bother.
That is not really a question.
It is just a comment. Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Ng, do you want to respond to the question or comment that Mr. Nutarak has made.
He does raise a point, but I think one has to recognize that we have all sorts of individuals that put forward their names and all sorts of members that recommend individuals.
Unfortunately, if we take every single one, it would be for example in this case I believe if you have one for every community, 25 representatives to the board.
That would not be practical.
So we try to balance out the needs from the representation perspective of regions or by area.
By the size of the community.
We try to proportionately balance the board and represent as many interests as possible and one also has to remember that there are numerous boards and agencies that this government appoints individuals to represent communities or the territory and we try to make a balance of that as we enter these appointment processes as well.
Question 274 - 1(5): Funding Application for Small Businesses
Mr. Speaker, I would like to let you know we were not standing up during the Nunavut Leaders Forum.
It is kind of hard to get up.
My question is to the Minister Responsible for the Department of Sustainable Development.
The request is in regard to requests for funding for small businesses.
Especially in my community of Taloyoak.
I just wondered whether those application forms reach the office of the minister.
I wondered if he has the application for funding from my community of Taloyoak.
Yes, Mr. Speaker for the applications for small businesses, they don't come to my office.
We have staff that look after those applications.
They go to the Kitikmeot region to Steve Hannah’s office in the Kitikmeot region.
As the member representing the Nattilik riding, there have been some applications that were made by the small businesses whereby, if they wanted to get an outpost camps, usually these individuals in my constituency come up to me and tell me about their concerns.
I have to state their concerns in the House and I have to take back information from your department.
The people are expecting to get their application forms made to your department and that is what we are expecting.
Yes, the applications don't come up to me personally but I can look into it if you have a grave concern on that.
I could look into it.
If the member from Nattilik riding can give me copies of an application form so I can try and find out where they are.
I cannot approve the application myself. I cannot approve the application form, but I can give support.
We try to work within our capacity.
If you are concerned about it, you can write to me or to my staff with recommendations or suggestions so that I can look into that further.
Mr. Speaker, the application forms that are filled out by elders I think these application forms are 4-5 years old.
These application forms are very old and I can give you copies of the application forms but I would like to ask the minister about your staff.
I think they should be keeping up with the application forms at the regional level.
Also, I would like to point out further, they are not just application forms that are being sent out.
They get a consultant as a helper and they get a consultant to help them with their application forms, and even though these application forms are filled out properly, they are not properly responded to.
There is a stumbling block.
I would like to ask the minister to make sure that his staff looks at all the application forms that they receive from regions.
Yes, we usually budget those at the regional level either in the Kitikmeot, Baffin or Keewatin.
We try to allot the money the best we can.
We also make reports as to who was allotted funding and which community so that we can give support to all the communities at equal levels and after review of all the applications forms.
We cannot approve all the application forms but we try to give support to them as much as we can.
I would like to look at the future application forms more carefully.
Question 275 - 1(5): Incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit to New Education Act
I am very hard to please now but I don’t know why.
The Minister of Education made a Minister’s Statement about all Inuit teachers in the Pond Inlet School.
He also stated that this is a good example of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in our schools.
I am not pleased.
As long as we don't amend the old NWT Education Act, we won't be able to incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
Speaker: Minister Responsible for Education, Minister Kilabuk.
My Minister’s Statement tried to make it very clear.
If we have all Inuit teaching staff in Nunavut, we could use that as a foundation within the schools and I am sure it would benefit the students.
With the Act that he mentioned coming from the NWT to Nunavut, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit is not mentioned in that Act.
I know that as long as we don't amend the Act this is just going to be lip service.
I know that these teachers are all Inuit now.
But if they adhere to the Act, they won't be able to incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit or Inuit knowledge.
I would like to know if you are considering this very carefully.
I would like to elaborate to the member here that the Department of Education has rules and responsibilities and they have set objectives and they wanted to see that incorporated more.
The teachers that are now graduating from the EATEP are now working on Inuktitut curriculum and this is just the initial stage.
This is a development stage as the member had stated about the Act, yes we have been in consultation with the Members of the Legislative Assembly on the proposed amendments to the Education Act.
I have stated that I would like to table the amendments to the Act in the spring.
So we don’t want the Act to hinder us from proceeding and developing.
Mr. Speaker, the Pond Inlet Ulaajuk School has excellent all Inuit teaching staff, so do you know if they will be utilizing Inuit knowledge in their teachings.
Hon. Peter Kilabuk (interpretation): Yes thank you, Mr. Speaker.
To date the Inuktitut teachers, we really appreciate them.
Even before we gave them our goals and objectives, they started writing Inuktitut curriculum and there are teachers out there that are still writing their curriculum for the next school day.
From there by using the Bathurst Mandate, we wanted to produce more Inuktitut curriculum from kindergarten up to grade twelve.
They wanted to base the curriculum on traditions and also they wanted to strengthen the Inuktitut curriculum within the upcoming ten years.
To date in Arviat there’s a curriculum development office and it’s staffed.
They teach part of the day and they make teaching curriculum part of the day.
Mr. Speaker the goal is very good and I’m very pleased with it.
Final supplementary, Mr. Iqaqrialu.
I can smile again.
I appreciate his response so we’ll just be able to go ahead with his comments.
As the minister I will do my best to make this go ahead well.
I’d just like to make the member know that this has been hard.
We send our children to school daily and it’s been hard for young children who aren’t able to be taught in Inuktitut.
But I feel that this is urgent that our young children are taught in their language.
Question 276 - 1(5): Position on Mine Closures
Mr. Speaker I’d like to direct my question to the Minister of Sustainable Development.
My question is, has the Department of Sustainable Development put together a position on mining.
What kind of plans do they have for positions in mining.
I appreciate this question.
With some of the mines closing in the New Year, we’ve heard from Nanisivik and other mines.
As the Government of Nunavut, we are looking into this to see what we can do with the staff and how it will affect the people of Nunavut.
We will work very closely with the mines and see what can be done once the mines have been closed.
He gave that same response to the same question a few times.
I hope things will be done before the mines have been closed.
When is he going to be traveling to meet with the mining industry.
We hope that the mines will be open while we are waiting to decide what we are going to do.
But we’ll look into what is going to be done.
I will instruct my staff to discuss this further with the mining industry and work together with the staff.
Would the minister commit to establishing a working group that consists of community people, people from the mine, Government of Nunavut, and maybe NTI.
Would he commit to having a working group to make sure that the clean up and other things will be taken care.
Yes, Mr. Speaker I will work on making sure the organizations work closely together and we'll involve the organizations that the member has brought up.
We will deal with the cleanup issue.
We will work closely High Arctic communities and make sure those areas are taken care of.
Ms. Williams: I would like to further ask the Department of Sustainable Development Minister, when will he establish this working group between these agencies or bodies.
I can't really say when this committee will be put together.
But we are working on this right away, in creating a committee that would deal with the issue that the member has raised.
But we will start this right away within the month.
Question 277 - 1(5): Access Trails and Sewage Lagoon
I have a question to the Minister Responsible for the Department of Sustainable Development. (interpretation) Perhaps I will try Innuinaqtut.
During our last two sittings here at the House and at the Cambridge Bay session, I mentioned the sewage outlets which are too close to the trails that lead to out of town.
This is something I want the minister to try to work on perhaps along with the other ministers.
I have been raising this issue with the Department of Sustainable Development and I would like an answer.
I am not sure which department would be responsible for this. My department or Community Government & Transportation but I could work with the Minister of Community Government & Transportation in order to find out how we could deal with this.
I am starting to get very tired with the responses that these ministers are giving.
When they answer the question, they refer to other departments.
I would like to make it clear.
I want to know which department is responsible for that before the session is done.
I want to find out because these hunters as well the Hamlet use the area.
We have to make it clear that this problem will be completed not next year, but we would like to get it fixed as soon as possible.
We've sat here and again the last session in Cambridge Bay during our spring session.
When will you as a minister try to fix the problem.
Perhaps we can build a bridge or we can fix this problem in another way, but we would like to get an answer.
The first question I took as notice. That is what I said in Inuktitut.
I guess the translation didn't come through.
I took that as notice.
Question 278 - 1(5): Update on NNI Appeals Board
Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Public Works and Services.
Mr. Speaker last May I asked the minister about the NNI review committee.
At that time, she indicated that they were at a stalemate with NTI on the set up.
I would just like to ask the minister if she could update as to any progress that have been made there.
We haven't made very much progress on that appeals board being created because we've had some disagreements with NTI and NTI is having disagreements with us.
So we are still trying to open our communications with NTI and see how we can work this out because this has been taking quite a while.
Mr. Speaker, I believe in the minister’s answer last May she said they have to work this out between NTI and the GN. What are the things that are causing the problems that no one seems to be able to want to budge on that.
Since last May, we haven’t made any progress but maybe if you could inform this House on what those specific issues are.
Sorry, Speaker.
It’s contagious.
Our understanding is that NTI has not agreed with the terms of reference that we are trying to come up with as a government.
NTI would like to be more involved in the contracts that are given out in terms of the design of the buildings, all the details before they can agree to an appeals board.
That’s how I understand this.
The appeals board is just supposed to be on appeals according to the NNI policy.
The Public Works Department specializes in the design of the buildings and all the details of the contracts.
We just don’t seem to be able to work things out with NTI on the terms of reference because they have one interpretation and we have a different interpretation.
That’s where it stands.
But we have been communicating with NTI through EIA, and we’re trying to work things out but we just can’t seem to agree on the terms of reference.
NTI wants to be more involved in all the details of contracting of the government.
Mr. Tootoo: Mr. Speaker, am I correct in that the minister is stating that the reason for this stalemate is that NTI wants to have input or involvement into the actual projects that the government is looking to put forward in tender.
Is that what you think that they want to be able to decide what kind of projects you’re going to go for, how they’re going to look or whether if it’s a building, on that detail. Is that what you’re saying that they want to have some decision-making in how those projects or buildings look.
That seems to be the case that NTI would like to be more involved in the contracting of the government and the projects of the government.
The appeals board is just to appeal if the NNI policy was followed.
We have not been able to agree on the terms of reference for the appeals board because we have different interpretations as two parties.
Mr. Speaker, I guess agreeing on what a project is going to look for now is one thing but the minister also stated that they can’t agree on the terms of reference of the appeals committee.
Can she provide more details of specific things within the terms of reference of the appeals committee that they’re having differences on.
The terms of reference are quite forward and pretty clear.
The appeals board was supposed to be an appeal under the NNI policy if the NNI policy was followed.
In simple terms that should be the main focus of the appeals board.
NTI has a different interpretation.
NTI would like to put in the terms of reference more detail so that they are more involved in the designs of buildings and other things and to make the contracts into smaller sections and all the other stuff.
So they would like to be more involved in the contracting procedures of the government.
That's where the argument seems to be.
The terms of reference are quite simple when you think about it, it should be just following the NNI policy.
That's why the appeals board was going to be created and is going to be created.
So we are trying to re-establish our working relationship and our communication with NTI right now.
We are just having a difficult time coming up with the terms of reference.
Question 279 - 1(5): Additional Classroom Space Jonah Amitnaaq School
My question today is for the Minister of Education.
Mr. Speaker, an occurrence happened this August when the Jonah Amitnaaq School opened up this fall.
When the school opened up, in the first week, the Department of Education realized that they were about two and a half to three classrooms short.
So, there was a major panic and a movement of children all over the community.
In August of next year there’s are going to be an additional 60 children go into the school, but the problem with that Mr. Speaker, is that there is no place else to put them.
Has the minister made arrangements to have additional classroom space provided next year to the students in Jonan Amitnaaq.
Minister Responsible for Education. Minister Kilabuk.
With the building of the new school as the member has indicated, we are also predicting at the same time an increase of students in that community.
I want to assure the member, though at this time the space that we will require has not been identified in the plans for the building of the new school, we will ensure that the students have a place that they can go to, to attend school.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman., Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister Kilabuk. Supplementary.
Mr. McLean: Thank you, Mr. Chair, um Speaker, um. It seems contagious today.
That is the answer that I have been looking for.
So the minister will in fact make sure that we have some additional classroom space for next fall's opening of the school. Because like I say, space is getting to be a premium in our community right now and I don't want to have to go through the crisis that I went through last August when I was in Qamanittuaq when the school opened and I had thirty to forty students looking for classroom space.
So the minister can guarantee the community that there will be additional classroom space available next fall opening.
Mr. McLean, is that a comment or a question.
Question. Mr. Kilabuk.
As I just indicated to the member, I will ensure that my department does provide the space that the students will require.
Mr. McLean, you have a double guarantee now.
Question 280 - 1(5): Liquor Licensing Board Community Representation
Mr. Speaker, with respect to Jobie's question, he asked the Minister of Finance, and we wanted to give names for the Liquor Board who would be the next board members.
Could you do something about involving the other communities and their names, I would appreciate this.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Or Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that was more of a comment but I can say as I indicated earlier, we try to reflect some balance with all individuals to make sure that there is an equal balance and as much proportional representation as possible in trying to appoint individuals to boards and agencies of the government.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister Ng. Supplementary, Mr. Iqaqrialu.
With respect to the names that we give to your department, do they give a response and tell them that they are not going to be involved in that board.
Are they given a response.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Chairman, the normal process is to write them a letter thanking them for expressing an interest and advising them that we will keep their name on file in case there are future opportunities where their qualifications may be appropriate.
How many times do you usually write your response to people that usually give names for those who wish to be involved in boards, if they are refused.
Are they usually refused once, or more than once.