EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
As you know, the premier and the first Ministers meeting in respect to health care funding, the Health Accord, and recognising that, we knew during the course of the upcoming fiscal year, that there would be more than likely an adjustment to the Department of Health as a result of the Health Accord Agreement.
It’s kind of a must now, otherwise the new government after the election will start with a minus, or in the red.
I don’t think that would be a very polite thing to do.
I would hope Mr. Chairman, that they would start at least on an even basis, similar to what we did when we stepped in on April 1st, 1999.
Various, 10 million dollars.
Total department, $10 million dollars.
Page 8, Sustainable Development, Operations and Maintenance, Sustainable Development, not previously authorized $370 thousand dollars.
Total Sustainable Development, $370 thousand dollars.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Department. $770 thousand dollars.
Mr. Arvaluk: Mr. Chairman, are you being recorded.
I think you should say $370 thousand rather than $770 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): I’m sorry.
Total department. $370 thousand.
Go back to page 2.
Supplementary Appropriation. $15 million, 565 thousand.
Bill 32.
We’ll move on to Bill 32.
Operations and Maintenance Act. No. 2. 2002/2003.
Total Supplementary Appropriation. $15 million, 565 thousand.
Do you agree that Bill 32 is now ready for third reading?
I would like to thank you for being here and also Minister for appearing before the committee and also would like to thank your officials.
Minister, do you have any closing remarks?
I thank the committee as well and also to thank Mr. Vardy and Mr. Tootoo.
Chairperson (interpretation): We’ll take a 20 minute break.
>>Committee recessed 15:33 p.m. and resumed at 16:03 p.m.
We will resume with the Committee of the Whole.
We will review the Main Estimates for the Department of Sustainable Development.
Minister of Sustainable Development, do you have your Opening Remarks?
You may start now Minister.
With the Department of Sustainable Development Main Estimates for 2003-2004. $35, 302, 000 dollars.
The department has identified a budget and business plan for the fiscal 2003-2004 that focuses in three key areas:
Increased support for communities and their efforts to plan for a sustainable future.
Enhancing the department’s capacity to deliver our mandate in an effective and appropriate manner, and
Continuing with our existing management, regulatory and land claim responsibilities.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Sustainable Development has a very broad mandate, encompassing Wildlife Management and Legislation, Economic Development and Community Support, Fisheries Development and Diversification, Mining and Development Activities, Environmental Issues, Management of Parks and Conservation areas, working towards the implementation of the Inuit Impact and Benefits Agreements, funding various organizations and individuals through our many Grants and Contribution Programs, as well as core funding for Nunavut’s Tourism Industry and our two Crown Corporations.
Mr. Chairman, in 2003-2004 the Department of Sustainable Development will be streamlining services and operation and enhancing our capacity to reflect the requirements of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, the Bathurst Mandate and our own department’s objectives.
We are working towards implementations of an Inuit Employment Plan that will meet the Government’s 2008 targets for Inuit employment.
Our Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Program has been up and running of just over a year now and are working toward including Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into every part of the Department’s operations.
We look forward to working with the rest of Government towards the full integration of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in all Government operations.
In addition, in 2003-2004, we will finally reach our goal of having a Department of Sustainable Development employee in every community by ensuring that we have permanent full-time wildlife officers in Chesterfield Inlet, Sanikiluaq and Whale Cove.
Mr. Speaker, although in total our proposed 2003-2004 Main Estimates represent a $150 thousand reduction from the 2002-2003 Main Estimates, we have internally reallocated an additional $495 thousand to funding contribution programs.
Our budget for delivery and administrative services has been scrutinized at length to make this possible in order that communities and the people of Nunavut receive the greatest value from this budget.
As you can see, Mr. Speaker, our 2003-2004 Main Estimates and Business Plan clearly supports the priorities of the Government as well as the needs of communities throughout Nunavut.
Our plan is centered on providing support to strategic and important areas within our operations and in so doing; we ensure the funding provided to the Department provides real benefit to all Nunavummiut.
Do you have officials here with you?
Minister, do you have officials here with you?
Is it okay with the Committee that he brings his officials in?
Sergeant-at-Arms, please ascertain his officials.
Minister, can you please introduce your witnesses?
To my right, ADM, Rosemary Keenainak and to my left, Terryl Allen, Financial Manager.
Standing Committee Chairperson, do you have opening comments?
My opening comments are lengthily today because this is my problem, my last opening comment as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee is the Nunavut community empowerment and Sustainable Development for the next general election.
As Chairman of the Standing Committee of Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development, I am pleased to be able to provide opening comments as we begin the review of the 2003-2004 Main Estimates and the 2003-2004 Business Plan for the Department of Sustainable Development.
Mr. Chairman, the Standing Committee has had the opportunity to meet with the Minister as Cabinet reviews Departmental Main Estimates and Plans.
Mr. Chairman, the Department has a broad mandate and Members are concerned that the different branches of the Department may well have varying if not, competing goals.
For example, the Environmental Protection Division and the Minerals, Oil and Gas Division may have competing goals or objectives.
Mr. Chairman, it remains unclear how the Department balances these competing interests within its overall mandate.
The Standing Committee urges the Department to undertake restructure initiatives to ensure that economic development and environmental protection are equally promoted and supported.
Mr. Chairman, members continue to believe that well supported, trained CEDOs are critical to their community.
It is for this reason that members support the departments initiatives to work with CEDOs across Nunavut to increase training opportunities, implement a certification process and increase CEDO accountability through direct funding.
Mr. Chairman, members were pleased to hear the recent announcement regarding the increased quality and quantity of sealskins sold at the annual auction last year.
Mr. Chairman, past budget addresses business plans and Minister’s statements have stressed the importance of the traditional economy to Nunavut.
The standing committee urges the department to compile and table a report on traditional economic activities such as trapping, hunting, arts and crafts and their contributions to the Nunavut’s economy.
It is no secret that Nunavut abounds with a multitude of natural products including food stuffs that could find buyers in southern and international markets.
The standing committee strongly urges the Minister to continue to pursue federal funding for economic development including the allusive economic development agreement.
The committee supports all efforts by the Minister to lobby the Federal Government for a long over due economic agreement for Nunavut.
Mr. Chairman, members are pleased that the department continues to invest in test fisheries and wish to see successful test fisheries develop into viable and sustainable commercial fisheries.
To capitalize on these opportunities, the standing committee urges the department to support industry in the development of training initiatives that will prepare Nunavummiut to enter fishery related jobs.
Mr. Chairman, members heard from the Minister that combing the grants for small business fund, with the business development fund to form contributions to business development will stream-line the application process.
Members are concerned that businesses applying for loans under $5 thousand dollars will be required to meet more stringent criteria to secure funding compared to those currently required under grants for small business programs.
For this reason, the standing committee urges the department to ensure that funding criteria do not become excessively stringent so that artists, crafts persons and harvesters can continue to access this funding.
Members would like to see the department table an annual report on the grants and contributions funding.
Mr. Chairman, members noted that the Nunavut Development Corporation is entering its fifth year of operation.
The standing committee urges the corporation to focus new development initiatives in non-decentralized communities.
The standing committee would like to see increased capital funding provided to the corporation for new initiatives in non-decentralized communities.
Members believe that a new meat plant, located in Coral Harbour would be a sound investment.
In addition, members noted that recent tabling of the Nunavut Development Corporation’s 01/02 Annual Report.
Mr. Chairman, members were pleased to note the corporation’s effort to quantify the number of jobs created by each subsidiary and encourage the corporation to continue its efforts.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee looks forward to the tabling of a community by community grants and contributions report.
Mr. Chairman, members noted with interest that one of the department’s priorities for 03/04 as noted in the business plan is to launch the carving stone supply program.
Carvers too often do not have adequate access to suitable soap stone.
The standing committee would like the department to ensure that soap stone used for this program comes from Nunavut and meets the requirements of Nunavut’s professional carvers.
The standing committee also urges the department assist carvers who find their own stone.
Mr. Chairman, members are concerned that the department continues to develop strategies and plans in areas like economic development and tourism without showing concrete results.
Members believe that it is important that paper strategies result in concrete initiatives that are implemented in a timely manner.
Mr. Chairman, a clean environment is a legacy that all members would like to pass onto their children, our children.
Members remain concerned that environmental hazards are not being cleaned up and assessed as is necessary.
Many abandoned sites, including DEW-line sites require clean up to ensure that hazardous chemicals are not being released into the environment.
It is often not clear who’s responsible for cleaning up these sites.
The standing committee urges the department to take a leading and active role on this issue.
Last year, Mr. Chairman, the standing committee recommended that one time spending of $1 million dollars be injected into the Nunavut Tourism Association for the 02/03 fiscal years.
Members are concerned that this amount of appears to have been added to the associations core funding.
Members were pleased to note that the Minister tabled a Nunavut Tourism 2002/2003 Implementation Activities report earlier this week.
The Standing Committee cautions the Association to ensure that staffing increases are focused on program delivery and are not administration-focused as has been in the past.
Members also look forward to reviewing the long-awaited Tourism Strategy.
Mr. Chairman, Members are concerned that the fund for community-organized hunts is not being accessed for intercommunity trade.
The Committee strongly urges the department to ensure that current funding is used to the best effect to help communities work together through intercommunity trades that isn’t happening now.
Mr. Chairman, Members noted that Nunavut is rapidly opening up to mineral exploration.
The Committee urges the department, once again, to work with other departments and implement a training program so that Nunavummiut can take advantage of job opportunities in mining sector.
The Committee looks forward to reviewing the department’s mining strategy.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my comments to this point but I’d like to add some further points of my own.
I just want to bring a few issues up that seem to jump out over the last couple of years in this department.
I think the department is heading in the right direction.
There is still one issue that has jumped out in the last year or two in regards to this department.
I think that the mandate of this department is so broad that its time to maybe looks at in, like I said in my opening remarks, competing interest within its overall mandate.
I think it’s time to look inside this department and maybe create two assistant deputy ministers positions instead of one because you’ve got minerals, oils and gas, environment is done.
Oh, I wish the minister had to put that in his opening comments rather than let me babble here for 30 seconds before I did it.
But I commend the department if they’ve done that because I think and the Premier; I commend the Premier for doing that because I think at this tenure in Nunavut that you need two ADMs.
One that looks after one side of the equation the other one that looks after the other side of the economic development equation.
So, I commend you for doing that.
You must have been reading my mind or my notes.
But any how that’s good.
Also on this, there seems be a resurgence in the traditional economy.
I have to commend the department because I remember 4 years ago the sale of sealskins wasn’t very good.
Or it wasn’t very high and now the results that were seen where the department’s been proactive that sewing sealskins and this is not just a simple matter of selling sealskin and getting $60 per pelt.
We all know what’s involved when a local person harvests a sea animal mainly before food and clothing but the end benefit is that it contributes and like I’ve been saying for years, that $100 in a community goes to a harvester goes all around the community into the extended family.
So, keep being vigilant on that and don’t let the bureaucracy take that away from you because we’re making money.
Build on it more because we hit a certain level, double or triple it.
Work at that because like I say, it will contribute significantly to those communities that don’t have a strong economic base.
The traditional economy.
You know, we don’t know, we don’t know, there is nobody in this territory can tell me what the traditional economy contributes this territory a year and I think it would be very, very difficult to see what the traditional economy contributes to this territory in real dollars.
And I wouldn’t be bold enough to say that it doesn’t commit, this doesn’t contribute $30 or 40 or 50 million dollars a year. We just don’t know.
But more carvings are being sold that aren’t reported more wall hangings, prints, etc. etc. etc., so you know, I think we look at the traditional economy sometimes and forget about it.
But it’s a significant contributor to every community in Nunavut.
The other issue that I wanted to bring up is the Mining Strategy.
I do not know where it is.
I was reading an article the other day that there is going to be $225 million dollars spent in the Territory this year on Mining Exploration.
That is not all that is going to be spent in this Territory.
I know that it is spent with companies that have helicopters, airlines, etc., etc.
That is a significant amount of money that is being spent in here.
Real dollars in Nunavut, I do not know, what is it?
10 percent?
I am encouraging you to get this off.
I am very happy to see that we have a carver’s programs for soapstone coming.
I encourage that.
That is a traditional economy again.
Someone told me that hey saw my cousin’s carvings was seen in a shop for seven thousand dollars. I did not think that he was that famous, and I want to commend him, and I want to get to know him better, and I hope that he will give me a discount on one before my term ends.
I would really encourage you to get this soapstone thing that there is.
The more soapstone that there is, the more carvings that are being produced and the more money get into the communities.
The 2003-2004 Main Estimates and Business Plan.
We will deal with them at the same time.
Before we start, you already know that I will give each person ten minutes for general comments, according to our rules.
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): Some of my colleagues are tired so I will try and wake them up.
I think that Department of Sustainable Development can do more to support the communities, and set up more programs regarding economic development opportunities, because some of the jobs are not even filled in the communities.
Small business policies, I think should still be worked on.
According to the Land Claims Agreement through NTI, they have programs but the criteria is quite stringent for small businesses to tap into.
We know that they come from Government policies, and if they are meant to help Inuit, I think that they should make it easier for small businesses and individuals to access those funds.
We as Nunavummiut, I think that we should make it easier for small businesses to set up in Nunavut.
That is the comment that I wanted to make.
For Hunter and Trappers Organizations, we have to figure out ways to find more funding for them.
I know that they are dealt with through the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and other funding agencies, but these HTOs in the communities are always short of funds.
We need to figure out ways to give them more funds; either they lobby the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, or whether they can commit to working on this issue after the budget is passed.
It is hard to say, but that should be a big consideration as to how we can help these HTOs.
As Inuit they represent us, and they help to implement and protect our rights.
We have to figure out ways on how to restructure and implement Inuit traditions and Qaujimajatuqangit, and our culture.
Those should be considered.
I want to make a short comment in regards to the questions that we raised in the House specifically to the Minister and his department in terms of the carvers in Nunavut; in particular, using Kugluktuk for example, as far as stone quarry is concerned.
We use the term kulihaq.
The stone quarry was used before but now there’s a concern as to using it because it’s becoming more of a danger, trying to access the stone from the quarry.
Recently it’s hazard, although they want to take the stone out of the quarry but they’re afraid they will fall into the pit.
Before I left Kugluktuk, a carver had approached me because he was asking for help in terms of getting quarry for carving.
Without the stone quarry, it’s difficult for the carvers to make economic opportunities.
For that reason, I would like the Minister to keep that in mind.
It was not in his opening comments and I would like to urge the Minister to help supply and as well to find more stone quarries in the surrounding areas of the communities.
So, we have easy access to that.
If it’s in the opening comments, or if it’s in the main estimates, if there is funding that we can use for locating quarries for the communities that would be great.
Another concern I have, as far as the Hunters and Trappers Organizations are concerned, we have a problem with funding with the local Hunters and Trappers Organizations.
As we know, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board allocates funding to the Hunters and Trappers Organizations.
The problem is that the funding is inadequate.
Would the Minister be willing to help the local Hunters and Trappers Organizations access more funding for Operations and Maintenance?
As we’ve heard before, the Hunters and Trappers Organization funding differs from each community.
For example, in Kugluktuk, because the Hunters and Trappers Organization also monitors applications for mining exploration.
And once the applications become too overwhelming because there is so many of them, it’s difficult to get all the applications processed without the proper funding.
We need to encourage the department to help at all costs, the local Hunters and Trappers Organizations to get proper Operations and Maintenance dollars in place.
Once you have allocated the funding, it would make the job for the Hunters and Trappers Organizations that much easier.
The manager of the HTO from my community had approached me that because they did not have adequate funding there and they are from the jobs and the work is so enormous, they do not get them done.
As far as the mining exploration is concerned, I would ask that the Minister meet on a regular basis with the communities and some of the mining communities.
For example, PHB direct to meet with them regularly to discuss mining and training employment.
As we know the numbers of employees are slowly increasing, but we still have a high unemployment rate in our communities, why is that?
Maybe it’s because some of the residents in the communities would like an opportunity to work in the mining sector but do not have the training.
If the Minister of Sustainable Development and the Minister of Education, jointly work together to find a solution in terms of mining training on the jobs on employment for the mining sector.
The Hamlet of Kugluktuk had come to me prior to me leaving for the Assembly here. (interpretation ends) The employment officer worked very closely with the mining companies, taking applications for employment for different exploration companies or existing mining companies, for example, PHB, Diavik, Echo Bay and so on.
He works very closely with those mining companies. I was informed by the Hamlet that this employment officer position will be no longer there as of April 1st. I have not got updated right now, but the last discussion was done about four weeks ago.
So I want to inform you first of all, one of the mining companies is interested in funding this position at least up to third of the percentage. I’ll give you an example where one of the mining companies say, if I pay 50%, is the Government of Nunavut interested in funding the other 50%?
Maybe along with the community, I am just giving you ideas here because of employment office position is very important to have.
He is the guy, have a very close connection to the community that are unemployed and also goes to the mining company for the mining company’s say, it needs two three people to work.
So, it is very important to have this person in that Hamlet for the community to make sure that we have a good communication with the mining sector and also to the community.
So, that is very important, I will be asking later on when we get to the budget how this Department could assist.
Please watch your time when, I’ll give you a chance to ask questions after.
You have just a short one left?
Mr. Havioyak: I apologize I went over my time but I just want add to opening comments about small business proposal.
When there is a person interested in getting the business going locally, he or she identifies or a group identifies the needs to start up.
But when it gets to the department they seem to readjust that the needs of the individuals by saying you don’t need to, you could start with that.
That’s the kind of things that are happening and it was brought up to my attention, these are the things that are happening in the department or a staff saying you don’t need this to start up a business.
But actually it’s identified by the person that’s interested in starting I need it but the department says no you don’t need it.
So it’s very hard for the individual to get it started if the staff is saying you don’t need it, we’re setting up to fail the individual on the business that he’s interested.
So, I just want to bring that to your attention.
I welcome the Department of Sustainable Development and the minister and his staff.