EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We would like to see more training involved so that we would be able to get local hire and that would keep influx in the population down.
I do not see any other names on my list.
We will go back to the Main Estimates.
Total operations & maintenance 567 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total expenditures 567 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Turning over to page 2-13.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs Nunavut Cabinet.
Branch summery.
Total operations & maintenance 3 million, 597 thousand.
Mr. Chairman, here again I am just wondering if we are going to leave anyone out.
There is 242 thousand dollars this year under contract services.
I am just wondering what types of services are being contracted in this area.
Hon. Paul Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) This is one area we can say we have cut costs.
So I am very happy to report that we have a lot for purchasing computer, printers, and those necessities that you need for an office so they will be less of a need since we have been in office for a year.
So it is for on-going office supplies that we usually need.
It is paying for leases the printers that we use for Cabinet. So those types of facilities that we require.
Mr. Chairman I am just wondering if any of the amount in contracting services is used for the hiring of consultants to do any work.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
From what I understand there is no money set aside in my office budget for consultants.
It is usually departmental use of budgets used for hiring consultants.
Mr. Tootoo you are done.
Operations & maintenance there is a slight decrease in the operations & maintenance is it because your require less this year or are there going to be some programs that are going to be taken out.
We are a little bit more knowledgeable based on the experience that we had this year.
Also we used last year’s figures. We have put in a decrease. There is also some that we be moved to other departments.
This was an intentional decrease.
Anything further Mr. Nutarak.
Do minister’s offices include salaries expenses for the seven minister and their support staff.
What does that mean.
I believe there are eight Ministers, I believe that is Mr. Alakannuark question.
This is for the Cabinet, seven ministers and I make eight.
They are used to pay for the salaries and operational expenses for the seven Minister and one Premier and their support staff.
I do not have any more names on my list.
We will return to 2-13 total operations & maintenance. 3 million, 597 thousand.
Total expenditures 3 million, 597 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Page 2-14.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs work on behalf of others.
Chairperson (interpretation): And turning the page 2-15.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs distribution of budget.
Chairperson (interpretation): We return to 2-3. 2-3.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs detail of expenditures.
Program summery.
Total operations & maintenance 11 million, 297 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): Total Capital 0.
Total expenditures. 11 million, 297 thousand.
Chairperson (interpretation): That is Tabled Document 97-1 concluded.
Chairperson (interpretation): I would like to thank the Premier and his staff for being at the witness table.
Closing remarks if you have any Mr. Premier than we will take a break.
I would like to thank my staff for always being available and it has been a good working experience this year and again I would like to thank my colleagues and the next time around I would like to have the same working relationship next time around.
Before we move on to another department. We will take a 20 minute break.
>>Committee recessed at 3.15 and resumed at 3.43 p.m.
Legislative Assembly Main Estimates
We have a quorum.
Welcome members.
We will go under the Department of the Legislative Assembly.
We will deal with the Legislative Assembly office.
I would like to thank Manitok Thompson for giving us some country food during the break not just today but previous days as well.
Thank you very much to Manitok. The Inuit were able to eat some country food during the break.
We are going to be dealing with the Legislative Assembly.
Perhaps Mr. Speaker can begin with his opening remarks.
Mr. Speaker, welcome to the House.
Perhaps if you can get your officials in with you at the witness table.
Mr. Speaker you can begin.
Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.
Mr. Clerk. Mr. Pollock.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you. Mr. Kevin O’Brien, Mr. Speaker.
Can you hear me.
The Speaker does not hear the interpretation.
Is it ok now Mr. Speaker.
I wanted you to hear that we thank her for providing us with country food during our break.
Ok Mr. Speaker and your officials.
Perhaps you can introduce your officials. Mr. Speaker.
On my right is the Clerk of the Assembly John Quirke. On my left is the Director of Corporate Service Mr. Steve Pollock.
They will be assisting me today in answering all the tough questions.
Mr. Chairperson I have some opening remarks and from there we can proceed with one or two questions.
Mr. Chairperson and Members of the Legislative Assembly I am pleased to have the opportunity today to present to you the 2000-2001 Main Estimates and Business Plan of the Legislative Assembly and to respond to any questions that you may have.
Before getting into the detail of the 2000-2001 Main Estimates I would like to take some time to highlight some of the key initiatives that the Legislative Assembly has undertaken in the past year and what we hope to accomplish over the coming year.
As honourable members know well, the business of this House is one of the most visible expressions of their Government at work.
The Legislative Assembly works to ensure that the public has access to the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly.
Our bilingual Hansard is one of only three such publications in all of Canada that serves as the record of the proceedings of the Assembly.
The daily Hansard blues are posted on the Assembly’s website which itself will expand over the coming year in terms of the information it provides to the public.
During session the proceedings of the Assembly are broadcast throughout Nunavut on APTN as are the proceeding of Canada’s other northern legislatures.
Our Legislative library in co-operation with several other Government of Nunavut departments and the Nunavut Library Association is working on a unique project.
The Nunavut Automated Library System.
One of its unique features will be its ability to support Inuktitut syllabics.
This positive innovation will help to strengthen the use of Inuktitut in government.
Our library is accessible to all members, Government of Nunavut departments and the public.
The Legislative Assembly Building itself has been occupied for less than a year.
The Assembly has been proud to host a number of travelling exhibitions of Nunavut art over the past year.
Over time the Assembly will strive to fulfil its commitment to making the Building a showpiece for our Nunavut artists.
We look forward to co-operating with the Department of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth and Sustainable Development in the development of the Assembly’s permanent collection.
Another initiative in our Business Plan that I would like to speak on is the idea of planning for a “Speakers Youth Parliament”.
This would bring together youth from each of the nineteen constituencies represented by the Members of this House.
As members know our sitting in Rankin Inlet was widely regarded as a success.
The residents of the community spoke positively about having their Assembly come to them.
As you know the Assembly has the authority to sit at any time in a place other than the capital.
I look forward to hearing the views of all members as to whether we should work towards holding more sittings outside of Iqaluit.
Last year the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit conducted a successful process to recommend the appointment of three independent officers of the Legislative Assembly: the Languages Commissioner, the Conflict of Interest Commission and the Information Privacy Commissioner.
The Office of the Legislative Assembly provides certain support functions to these independent offices.
As members know each of these individuals is required to submit an annual report to the Legislative Assembly.
I expect that the Standing Committee will table these reports during the fall for subsequent review.
Mr. Chairperson I would like to discuss the Main Estimates for 2000-2001.
The Legislative Assembly accounts for just 1 percent of total Government of Nunavut spending in the coming year.
The Legislative Assembly has no capital spending, Grants and Contribution spending, or decentralised positions.
Total 2000-2001 operations & maintenance spending has been set at 9 million, 676 thousand a small decrease from 1999-2000.
Such areas as security and janitorial services are funded through the budget of the Department of Public Works.
While the budget for the office of the Chief Electoral Officer is funded through the overall appropriations of the Legislative Assembly.
The final report of the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit on the review of the CEO’s report on the first Nunavut election may bring forward some recommendations for change.
The budget for the Languages Commissioner is also funded through the appropriations of the Legislative Assembly.
$4.004 million is allocated for expenditures on behalf of members.
This spending also provides for the salaries for members’ constituency assistants in their communities. $5.126 million is allocated for the Office of the Clerk. $1.361 million of this amount is allocated to the costs of sessional administration. $995,000 is for committee administration.
Mr. Chairperson I would now invite Members of the Legislative Assembly to express their questions and concerns on the 2000-2001 Main Estimates of the Legislative Assembly.
The Chairperson of Ajauqtiit, Mr. Tootoo.
Mr. Chairman, as the Chairperson of the Ajauqtiit committee I have some opening comments to make and I believe it can be turned over to any members for questions if they like.
Mr. Chairperson I welcome the opportunity to give introductory remarks as we begin debate on the Main Estimates for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.
As Standing Committee Ajauqtiit noted, our members have taken great interest in matters of the Assembly.
The Assembly has the responsibility for some of the most important matters for Nunavut.
It provides the framework for the elected members to discuss and debate the initiatives of the Government and to make decisions about meeting the needs of Nunavummiut.
It also provides the forum whereby the people of Nunavut can see the elected officials conduct the important business of government.
It is also the key arena where public concerns and input can be brought forward regarding the actions or proposed actions of government.
The Legislative Assembly is the very heart of our democracy in Nunavut.
The Standing Committee has met with the Speaker and the Clerk on a number of occasions over last year and has issued two reports with recommendations.
A number of our recommendations have been acted on such as the support for opening ceremonies in October to involve Elders and the support for more outreach to the public.
As well the Standing Committee was given the responsibility for the appointment of three important positions that report directly to the Legislative Assembly as a whole: the Languages Commissioner, the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the Conflict of Interest Commissioner.
The Committee conducted a very thorough selection process outlined in our Reports and we were pleased that our recommendations ere accepted by the Legislative Assembly.
Over the coming year these three Commissioners will all play a role in reviewing the relevant legislation with a view to amending it to ensure it better meets the needs of Nunavummiut.
The Standing Committee expects that more explicit work plans and budgets will emerge regarding their work in the future.
The Standing Committee will also continue its review of the Elections Act and the Report of the Chief Electoral officer on the First Nunavut Election reporting back in the Fall Session.
Over the past year much of the focus has been on establishing both the Legislative Assembly building and the personnel infrastructure of the Legislative Assembly.
The First and Second Sessions took place in interim facilities in Iqaluit.
However in October we moved into our own permanent building, equipped with a very modern audio-visual system ensuring that we can function in English and Inuktitut and that our work can be televised across Nunavut. members are pleased that the building has been a showcase for visiting dignitaries.
Having held a number of sittings over the past year the Standing Committee looks forward to more exact budget information the year on the sessional costs, Committee meetings, Hansard and other functions associated with the Assembly’s work.
We are particularly interested in the costs of the Rankin Sitting and how they compare to sitting in the Legislative Assembly in Iqaluit.
Over the past year the Standing Committees were established and the Legislative Assembly developed processes for reviewing legislative proposals and Bills, draft budgets and Appropriations Bills, government policies and procedures and appointments.
All of the elected members and Assembly staff have been learning as we have participated in these important review processes over the first year of the Assembly and it will be important that we build on the lessons we have learned.
Many of the Rules and Procedures of the Legislative Assembly were adopted with minimal changes from those in the NWT and there were a few times that they seemed to restrict open and full debate.
As well members sometimes did not feel they had all the information before them to make important decisions.
As we continue to develop what it means to be a truly consensus government it needs to be more clearly recognised that the Regular Member do have important roles to play in these review processes.
We look forward to the upcoming review by the Standing Committee on Rules to ensure that they do reflect the needs of Nunavummiut for a Government that is truly accountable to the elected members of the Legislative Assembly.
The Standing Committee is also very pleased that efforts have been undertaken to make the work of the Legislative Assembly more accessible to the public.
The creation of the Assembly website, the availability of Hansard on-line in both Inuktitut and English, the televising of the Assembly debates and the welcoming to the Chamber all ensure what goes on in the Legislative Assembly.
As well the outreach by the Legislative Assembly to the public regarding the selection of symbols, reinforces the important role for the public as we continue to shape Nunavut’s identity.
We look forward to more initiatives in the coming years that support members and their constituency assistants to more effectively involve the people in their constituencies in the work of the Legislative Assembly.
At some point we will need to reflect on whether the budget for work at the constituency level is adequate to meet the needs.
This will be increasing important over time as members are asked to consult with their communities on important policy matters or to encourage their communities to engage in consultations with government departments.
As well members look forward to more information on newsletters, youth parliaments and other activities that will continue to make the Assembly a vibrant institution.
We also want to continue to see the work of the Assembly evolve to be more culturally relevant and members are hopeful that more Elders will be in the elders’ chairs in our Chamber in the coming year and that we develop more of a rile for them to share their traditional wisdom in a modern Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Chairperson I would like to speak for a moment about ethics and accountability of members.
One of the most important areas to continue to develop in the Legislative Assembly are the guidelines that ensure that all members perform at the highest standard of conduct and leadership.
So that we can maintain the people’s trust in our ability to put the public interest ahead of any individual interest.
We have to be ever vigilant and the adoption of our own Code of Members’ Obligations is another illustration to the public of the seriousness with which we elected members take the trust that has been put in us by the voters.
The Standing Committee also looks forward to the review over the coming year of the conflict of interest provisions in the Legislative Assembly and Executive Act.
Which is the law that governs the behaviours of elected officials in this regard.
This will be part of an overall review of this Act to ensure it is relevant to and meets the needs of Nunavut.
In Nunavut every dollar can be used to meet an important need.
We must scrutinise the Assembly’s expenses as any other department to ensure that its expenses are reasonable and appropriate to meet the work it must carry out and that there are no expenses that the public would consider wasteful and extravagant.
We look forward to an interesting discussion on these matters and note that the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit will prepare and table a report with recommendations before the final vote on the Appropriations Act.
General comments or questions to the Department of the Legislative Assembly.
The floor is now open.
I would like to make a few comments that are not necessarily questions.
I hope that I get the message across.
I would like to touch briefly on the issue that we have been going through since we were sworn in as Members of the Legislative Assembly.
I have had a concern about us as Members of the Legislative Assembly and our staff.
Some of the MLAs have two communities in their ridings.
It has created a problem since the time we were elected. There are some of us who have two communities but we have constituency money that is the same amount as the dollars members have for one community.
That has created a problem. It has also created a problem because we have only one constituency office whereby that creates a problem.
We like support staff.
When you are representing the people in your communities you want to represent them properly and you would like your staff to be properly compensated and to have adequate office space.
We should consider this issue in the up coming years.
Sometimes we say that when we start working our housing rent scale goes up.
It is the same case where constituency assistants start working their rent goes up.
They do not receive adequate salaries.
I would like to get this reconsidered sometime in the future or for the 2001-2002 fiscal year.
If it not in here already.
I would like to be kept updated on those issues.
I just wanted to make those comments.
Mr. O’Brien or any of his officials would like to respond. Mr. O’Brien.
I was just listening to those as comments but I did make some notes and we will try to address the points that were brought up by the Honourable Member.
In reference to members that have more than one community that is under review now and hopefully we should have an answer sometime by the fall as to how we can accommodate the members with more than one community under their wing.
Also included are salaries that he speaks of in reference to the staff.
Unfortunately, we can not address that right now it is on-going.
Our finance director has been dealing with this.
Hopefully by the fall, we should have the package complete for consideration by the members.
That is very good to hear and I do hope that something comes out of the considerations.
Again, I would like to make a few comments on the MLAs who are representing more than one community.
I hope that something will come out of those considerations.
Again, I would like to make a few comments on the MLAs who are representing one community.
They have the same amount of money for travel as the ones who have two communities.
When you have two communities the travel budget is not enough because you have to go to the other community.
We have the same amount of budget whether you have one community or more. I think there should be a proper budget so we can truly represent our communities.
I believe there is somewhat of a difference in the various budgets that go to the various members. Depending on where they are from but
I think more importantly I would like to inform the member that is also part of the review package and we will be able to present it to the members for consideration by the fall.
Anything further. Mr. Iqaqrialu.
In regards to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit how will you integrate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into your department.
Mr. Chairperson the member brings up a good point.
I think we only have to look around this chamber and its trappings to see that we made a good start tying in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit for this particular building.
I think if you look at the staff here, the qualified staff, I think more importantly is the real issue here.
The changes, the ideas the members want to see incorporated into the running of this facility, of this Assembly should really come from the members.
A Committee has been struck to review Rules.
I believe it is the Rule Committee.
There is a motion in place that ties in how the members wish Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit incorporated into the running of the Assembly.
I think the question is better answered by them and I say that with all respect. We are eagerly waiting the results of the conclusions that members bring forward regarding Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and we will put them into place as soon as possible.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Speaker.
Yes. I could give you a few recommendations on how we could integrate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.
My next question is in regards to the arts and crafts or the showpieces that we have in the House or in the legislative building.
Chairperson (interpretation): Mr. Speaker.
We did approach the local arts and craft association to have art on display here in the building.
Unfortunately, we have not been able to tie this issue down. We are still waiting on a response.
We are waiting to provide an opportunity for art from around Nunavut to be on display here.
I believe there is a budget item approximately a hundred thousand dollars that have been earmarked and hopefully the plan is to have various pieces of art from all the communities in Nunavut to be displayed here in the Legislative Assembly.
So we are working toward that and that is one of our goals over the next year and hopefully over the next six months.
I guess for lack of a better word, to dress up our new home.
I know it is pretty stark right now.
It is bare. There is only one tapestry wall hanging in this Chamber given the fact we have been in the building for last eight months.
We are trying to move forward hopefully by Christmas that we will have these pieces that will be placed around the building.
Another question is in regards to MSB.
Could you give us an explanation on how they are going to operate.
I thank the Member for the question.
The Board has been appointed by the members here in this House.
They deal for the most part with the issues that directly effect the members, whether it be pension, salary, benefits.
Also the running of this House.
In reference to capital projects, if a member wishes to have something put on the agenda for MSB he just has to contact my office or the Clerk and the item would be put forward.
We are also establishing, we have talked about this but we have no firm guidelines set up right now but, a Member's Services Program, where if the member feels that they need some assistance, whatever that may be, they can come to the Management Services Board for those services.
I think most importantly the issues that the members would like to see on the agenda, they can feel free to contact my office or the Clerk and they will be put on the agenda for discussion.
It is our intention to have management services, to have the Management Services Board as a more open and transparent committee, as opposed to the last Assembly.
So that's our intention to make it as open and transparent as possible.