EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
That formula that they are a part of is based on the student enrolments and the population within the school. All of that is taken into account when the funding allocations are provided, whether it be for what programs they offer, the number of staff and the educators that are required based on the enrolment populations, that are re-looked at every fall after the intake year.
As far as I’m aware, that is how all of the schools are funded.
I would recommend that the minister look at funding some of these programs for these communities because we’re trying to get students into universities.
That’s our big problem with filling a lot of our jobs.
So how is it possible when the government itself and the Department of Education are not even interested in funding it?
I think, as the member’s view on things or of his view that the government is not interested in helping our young people succeed and achieve excellence in education, I would disagree with the member and say that that’s exactly what we are doing.
We’re implementing the new Education Act.
We’re trying to find ways to be able to attract and retain students in the system.
If you look at some of the graduation rates, I think it would show that there is some success in that area. If you look at the number of students who are moving on to post-secondary education, those numbers are increasing.
This government is committed to providing tools to our young people to be able to achieve excellence in education and move forward.
So again, if he thought that, I just want to clarify that that is not the case.
The government is interested and doing everything it can within the resources it has available to it to be able to provide the quality education to all Nunavummiut.
Speaker: Thank you, Minister. (interpretation) Please note that question period is now over.
I want to ask my colleagues for unanimous consent to return to Item 5 in the Orders of the Day.
The member is asking for unanimous consent to return to Item 5, Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery.
There are none. Mr. Komoartok, you may proceed.
I wish to welcome our community’s long-serving wildlife officer.
Furthermore, he is my nephew who is also serving as the Mayor of Pangnirtung. I would like Sakeasie Sowdloapik to be welcomed to the Gallery.
Committee Report 004 – 3(2): Recommendations for Amendments to the Rules of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut and Other Matters (Elliott)
I have the honour today of presenting the first report of the Third Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and Privileges.
I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation to my committee colleagues for the collegial manner in which we worked together. The recommendations in the standing committee’s report reflect the unanimous consensus of the committee.
Mr. Speaker, I will take this opportunity, for the benefit of all Members of the House and the listening public, to highlight the standing committee’s conclusions and recommendations.
I am confident that all members will concur that these recommendations will serve to enhance our deliberations.
The standing committee’s first recommendation is a housekeeping measure to simplify the process by which House Bills that are introduced under the authority of the Management and Services Board are considered by the Legislative Assembly. I would emphasize that all Members of the Legislative Assembly will continue to have a number of opportunities to scrutinize House Bills.
*See Appendix for full text of Committee Report 4 – 3(2).
The standing committee’s second recommendation will serve to clarify the process by which standing and special committees report back to the House with their findings on bills and other matters.
The standing committee’s third recommendation enhances the transparency of our Assembly’s proceedings by introducing a new item on the order paper of the day: Responses to Petitions.
The introduction of this item will help enable the public to be clearly aware of the government’s responses to petitions that are presented by Members of this House on their behalf.
The standing committee is also recommending that a number of amendments be made to existing provisions in the Rules to provide clear limits on the number of extensions that can be granted to returns to oral and written questions. This measure will serve to strengthen the accountability of the government to the Legislative Assembly.
The standing committee’s fourth recommendation proposes to amend the Rules of the Legislative Assembly to more clearly define the periods of time in which the legislature will sit during any given year.
The standing committee is recommending an approach that will balance the goal of achieving more planning certainty with the need to preserve reasonable flexibility to accommodate the business before the House.
These changes will improve the transparency of our proceedings.
I would also note that the standing committee has made a number of related recommendations concerning such matters as sitting hours and public holidays, including explicit recognition of Nunavut Day in our Rules.
The standing committee’s fifth recommendation concerns the use of portable hand-held electronic devices, laptop computers, and other technologies in the Legislative Assembly’s Chamber and committee rooms.
The standing committee’s deliberations on this issue recognized the importance of our institution’s keeping pace with technological change, while preserving important elements of order and decorum.
The standing committee will conduct an evaluation of the application of the Speaker’s new guidelines and report back to the House at the spring 2011 sitting of the Legislative Assembly with our final recommendations on the use of hand-held electronic devices, laptop computers, and other technologies in the Legislative Assembly Chamber and committee rooms.
The standing committee’s sixth and final recommendation addresses the issue of translation of House documents.
These recommendations will serve to increase the number of items that are available in Nunavut’s official languages, while ensuring that House business is not impeded as a consequence of delays in obtaining translations of documents.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude by thanking all members for the valuable contributions and comments that have been received by the standing committee in the course of its deliberations.
Pursuant to Rule 91, I move that the report of the standing committee be received and adopted by the House, entered into the record as read, and its recommendations for amendments to the Rules of the Legislative Assembly deemed to have been accepted, effective the first day of the winter 2011 sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
Do members agree that the report by the standing committee be received and adopted by the House, entered into the record as read, and its recommendations for amendments to the Rules of the Legislative Assembly deemed to have been accepted, effective the first day of winter 2011 sitting of the Legislative Assembly?
Committee Report on Bills 016 – 3(2): Bill 35, Licensed Practical Nurses Act (Okalik)
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I wish to report that Bill 35, Licensed Practical Nurses Act, has been reviewed by the Standing Committee on Legislation and that the bill is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) and have Bill 35 immediately moved into Committee of the Whole. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The member is seeking unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) and have Bill 35 immediately moved into Committee of the Whole.
Bill 35 has been referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Committee Report on Bills 017 – 3(2): Bill 37, Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act (Okalik)
Mr. Speaker, I wish to report that Bill 37, Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act, has been reviewed by the Standing Committee on Legislation and that the bill is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) and have Bill 37 immediately moved into Committee of the Whole.
Our colleague is seeking unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) and have Bill 37 immediately moved into Committee of the Whole today.
Do my colleagues agree?
Bill 37 has been referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Committee Report on Bills 018 – 3(2): Bill 42, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2010, No. 2 (Okalik)
I wish to report that Bill 42, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2010, No. 2, has been reviewed by the Standing Committee on Legislation and that the bill is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) and have Bill 42 immediately moved into Committee of the Whole.
Our colleague is seeking unanimous consent to waive Rule 68(6) and have Bill 42 immediately moved into Committee of the Whole.
Do our colleagues agree?
Bill 42 has been referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Tabled Document 232 – 3(2): Turfed Outfitter Fights Back (Okalik)
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) As per my commitment to the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation, I am tabling an article from Northern News Services Online dated October 25, 2010, “Turfed outfitter fights back.” (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Tabled Document 233 – 3(2): Report #1 on Status of Action Plan (Peterson)
I am pleased to table Report #1 on the Status of Action Plan on the Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut - 2009, Management Practices – Follow-up on the 2005 Report to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut; and Recommendations by the Standing Committee on Oversight of Government Operations and Public Accounts dated March 2010.
Tabled Document 234 – 3(2): 2010 Annual Report Utility Rates Review Council of Nunavut (Tapardjuk)
I am pleased to table the Utility Rates Review Council’s 2010 Annual Report, Mr. Speaker.
Tabled Document 235 – 3(2): Fuel Tax Rebate Program Annual Report, 2009-2010 (Peterson)
I am pleased to table the Fuel Tax Rebate Program Annual Report for 2009-2010.
Tabled Document 236 – 3(2): Nunavut Arctic College Annual Report 2009-2010 (Shewchuk)
Hon. Daniel Shewchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to table the 2009-2010 Annual Report for Nunavut Arctic College.
Motion 030 – 3(2): Special Sittings of the House – Notice (Ningeongan)
Mr. Ningeongan: Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, October 29, 2010, I will move the following motion:
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Hon. Member for Rankin Inlet North, that the Speaker be granted the authority to recall the House and set its sitting days and hours for the purpose of holding special sittings during the month of November 2010.
Motion 027 – 3(2): Referral of Tabled Documents 207 – 3(2), 209 – 3(2), 210 – 3(2), and 212 – 3(2) to the Committee of the Whole (Elliott)
Mr. Elliott: Motion 27 – 3 (2): Referral of Tabled Documents 207 – 3(2), 209 – 3(2), 210 – 3(2), and 212 – 3(2) to the Committee of the Whole
WHEREAS the Nunavut Housing Trust experienced a $60.0 million shortfall;
AND WHEREAS the Affordable Housing Initiative experienced a $50.0 million shortfall;
AND WHEREAS these shortfalls have seriously impacted the Government of Nunavut’s fiscal position and its ability to establish new programs;
AND WHEREAS Members of the Legislative Assembly have expressed significant concerns regarding these shortfalls;
I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to my motion and I would like to thank my colleague from Nanulik for having seconded it.
As members will recall, I gave notice on Monday of this week that I would be moving this motion today.
All Members of this House and the listening public have been aware since Monday afternoon that regular members planned to move these documents into the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny during our sitting.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, the government’s annual reports on its contracting, procurement and leasing activities were referred to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
This was a productive exercise and I am looking forward to a similar process taking place with the items that are now before us.
Mr. Speaker, it has been suggested that MLAs are on a witch hunt to place blame on certain individuals for the Nunavut Housing Trust and Affordable Housing Initiative “fiascos,” as I believe the Premier herself has referred to them.
However, Mr. Speaker, it has been said that if you don’t learn from the mistakes of the past, you are condemned to repeat them.
I would also note that a measure of accountability needs to be in place for those who are well-compensated to make major decisions involving tens of millions of dollars in public money. Suggesting that we should forget about the past is not acceptable to me.
I had hoped that the Government of Nunavut and the Nunavut Housing Corporation would have corrected the problems themselves but this does not seem to be the case.
I would have hoped that the GN and the Minister responsible for the Nunavut Housing Corporation would have been able to get a grip on the situation.
For me, what has happened in the past is a travesty, but what I want to find is answers to our problems today.
Have controls actually been put into place to make sure overspending does not happen again? Is the human resources capacity and expertise within Nunavut Housing Corporation sufficient to handle the expectations that have been placed upon it?
Is the Nunavut Housing Corporation’s tendering process adequate?
These are all important issues that are raised in the accounting firm’s report.
However, we are not getting clear answers.
The report itself has made 19 formal recommendations for improvements, but I have not seen a concrete response or action plan from the Nunavut Housing Corporation to implement them.
I want to understand what was done in the past and evaluate what is being done now to make sure that we do not find ourselves in a similar position at this time next year, being forced to cut programs and services from other departments to make up for a shortfall.
From the vague responses that we have been getting, it seems like the Nunavut Housing Corporation has not learned from the past mistakes because it would appear they are doing business as usual without any changes.
Mr. Speaker, this exercise will allow the Nunavut Housing Corporation to clearly account for its plans to address these problems and nobody is more hopeful than me that the testimony that we hear this week will give us cause for confidence.
Mr. Speaker, we all agree that housing is much needed in all Nunavut communities. All members on both sides of the House have repeatedly made this point.
I guess the sad reality is that even with the over 1,000 new houses we are receiving with the Nunavut Housing Trust and the Affordable Housing Program, it does not even scratch the surface for our housing needs across the territory.
Mr. Speaker, what really angered me was the Nunavut Housing Corporation announcement from a few weeks ago. In my view, I felt that it tried to spin the revelation about the new $50 million shortfall into a good news story.
We need to face our problems frankly and tackle them head-on.
First of all, we’re happy to support the motion.
I think the public deserves to have clear, honest, and fair answers.
There have been many allegations made against some of the very hard-working people who are in each district, who have been employed by the Nunavut Housing Corporation and this government for a long time.
They are still working hard, honest, hard-working taxpayers working hard to ensure that fair and realistic work assignments and projects are well built for the benefit of Nunavutmiut, if I may say.
No one questions the importance of building the houses required. Nunavut continues to have the largest overcrowded homes, which will be confirmed shortly by Stats Canada.
We need to address the shortage of housing in Nunavut continually.
The mistakes that we’re dealing with were uncovered by the current Housing Corporation executives.
Most of the flawed budgeting processes that were used and wrong investments that were used were committed by the previous administration.
Even I, Mr. Speaker, predicted that there were going to be problems in 2006, when there were so many problems that were presented to the House with respect to marshalling contracts and the choice of the investments that were being made.
It took the current new administration, at least the executives of the Housing Corporation and financial officer, to discover there were flawed budgeting processes used. They did discover them and reported them.
The actions have been taken by this government, with the help of members on the other side, during the spring session that there be audits conducted on the whole Nunavut Housing Trust and the Affordable Housing Trust.
Nothing was left undone. It was hoped at that time that would lead to further investigations, if any are required.
My colleagues from the Department of Justice and the Minister of Justice have made his office completely available for any work that may be required to dig into further missing information, if any.
The Auditor General certainly has helped in providing budgeting problems that the member quoted earlier.
These have been addressed. The Nunavut Housing Corporation has significantly changed its budgeting and cost control procedures.
However, Mr. Speaker, it cannot unilaterally move the positions that are so desperately needed to help correct the budgeting, cost controls, and resources needed because there are sensitive issues involved.
We cannot just move positions without proper evaluations by the cabinet as well as my friends from FMB.
These particular reviews are going on, but it is too early to indicate whether or not we will make that step.
The evaluations will be confirmed by the executive, by the cabinet, whether or not the positions should be moved.
I alluded to my reply to one of the questions: status quo is always an option.
I, as a minister, don’t believe that status quo is a choice that we should make, but we are careful in crafting these responses and, no doubt, the member will be provided with responses.
But I cannot, in this House, indicate whether the member or any members will be satisfied with the information that we are going to be providing.
Nunavutmiut, be assured that houses will be made.
My constituents will be provided with homes so desperately needed and they will be built by the partners that we have, many of the contractors, and even in some cases, local housing associations.
But I want to assure them that we will support those community workers, our corporation staff who have been working hard, and they are doing everything they can to correct the problem, and I certainly acknowledge their contribution to date.
The motion is carried and the tabled documents are referred to the Committee of the Whole.
Mr. Ningeongan: Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with my special sittings motion today.
The member is seeking unanimous consent to deal with his motion on special sittings.
There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Ningeongan.
Motion 030 – 3(2): Special Sittings of the House (Ningeongan)
WHEREAS the Legislative Assembly has, by way of motion, determined that the winter 2011 sitting of the House shall commence on February 22, 2011;
AND WHEREAS Members of the Legislative Assembly have agreed that when the House has completed its fall 2010 sitting, the Nunavut Leadership Forum shall convene to conduct a mid-term leadership review of the Executive Council;
AND WHEREAS the Nunavut Leadership Forum may meet at times determined by Caucus;
AND WHEREAS the deliberations of the Nunavut Leadership Forum may require that the House be subsequently recalled to fill vacancies on the Executive Council and conduct other business;
Bills 35, 37, 40, 41, and 42, and Tabled Documents 207 – 3(2), 209 – 3(2), 210 – 3(2), and 212 – 3(2) with Mr. Schell in the Chair.
>>House recessed at 15:25 and Committee resumed at 15:55
Chairman (Mr. Schell): I would like to call order.
In the Committee of the Whole, we have the following items to deal with: Bills 35, 37, 40, 41, and 42, and Tabled Documents 207 – 3(2), 209 – 3(2), 210 – 3(2), and 212 – 3(2).
We would like to continue with Bill 40 and follow with other bills in this order: Bill 41, Bill 35, Bill 37, and Bill 42.
If time permits, we will proceed with the concurrent review of the following tabled documents: 207 – 3(2), 209 – 3(2), 210 – 3(2), and 212 – 3(2).
Are we in agreement that we first deal with Bill 40, supplementary estimates, O&M, No. 3, 2010-2011?
Chairman: Will the Sergeant-at-Arms please escort Mr. Peterson and his officials to the witness table.
Minister Peterson, for the record, would you please introduce your witnesses.
To my right is Deputy Minister Peter Ma of the Department of Finance and to my left is Jeff Chown, Director of Expenditure Management of the Department of Finance.
We are on page 6. Justice. Operations and Maintenance.
Not Previously Authorized. Directorate. Total Directorate. $2,500,000.
Chairman: Total Department. Not Previously Authorized. $2,500,000.
Mr. Elliott: We are still on page 6. Is that correct, Mr. Chairman?
Chairman: Page 6, yes.
Nothing? Okay.
Not Previously Authorized. Total Department. $2,500,000.
Chairman: We will move on to page 7. Education. Operations and Maintenance.
Not Previously Authorized. Adult Learning and Post Secondary Services. Total Adult Learning and Post Secondary Services.
In terms of the increase, it mentions that it’s for the shortfall for the Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students program. Does that mean that there is an increase of students who are applying for this program?
Mr. Chairman, yes, there is an increase in students applying for the program.
Is this increase in terms of the number of students who have applied and are going to school presently or is it forecast for students actually beginning in January for new programs?
Mr. Chairman, some will be for January and some are for the current calendar year.
The reason I was asking is because the Minister responsible for Nunavut Arctic College, in his Minister’s Statement this morning, was talking about the Nunavut trades school and how there are 40 students who are enrolled in the program already and the capacity is 88. So I just figured that you had factored in the possibility of 44 more students being on the program as well.
As far as we know, these applications are for any student applying for FANS assistance.
Just one quick question in regard to the increased $2.5 million increased financial assistance for students.
With the increase, will you be increasing the budgets next year to offset any possible future hikes in this financial assistance?
Hon. Keith Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank Mr. Rumbolt for that important question.
Mr. Chairman, it is under consideration.
When I saw that issue noted, I was quite happy since there are now more students attending Arctic College.
I can only state my agreement with this.
I’m just applauding this much needed service.
We need to support the students because after they graduate, they will be joining the labour force down the road and providing assistance to their fellow residents.
I have been reviewing the FANS program on more than one occasion as it is geared towards providing assistance to people who are taking courses in post-secondary institutions.
The program is unable to keep up with the payments and tuition fees, which have deadlines for payment.
I was wondering if the minister is going to review the FANS program in the future so that the students at the Arctic College will not go through hardship.
When they are attending classes and awaiting funding, their debts are just accumulating and these expenses increase every year.
Mr. Chairman, I think that question will be better answered by the Minister of the Department of Education.
I can concur with him that I too am quite pleased to see the numbers go up on that.
I know specifically with the college in 2007-08, there were 209 Nunavut Arctic College students who received FANS. For 2008-09, it was 261. As of March, 2010, there were 344.