EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
An application deadline was set for September 17, 1999. All MLAs also received two letters from the Chair of the Standing Committee encouraging them to bring the position to the attention of interested and qualified constituents.
Some additional outreach was also done by the Chair and Assembly staff to encourage people in Nunavut to apply for the position.
As the Standing Committee was involved in the selection process for three separate Commissioners, it was agreed that they would use three subcommittees to conduct the interviews and preliminary selection process for the candidates.
The following Members conducted all of the interviews for the position of Conflict of Interest Commissioner and made the preliminary recommendation to the Committee: Hunter Tootoo, Chair; Ovide Alakannuark, Co-chair; and Olayuk Akesuk, Member.
It was agreed that applicants would be pre-screened for interviews according to criteria set by the Committee.
The pre-screening identified 11 applicants who had northern experience at some point in their careers, 7 of whom had more experience in administrative law or conflict of interest matters.
Of these candidates, one was a current resident of Nunavut.
In addition, there were two southern candidates who had no northern experience, but extensive experience in a broad range of financial and conflict of interest matters.
After reviewing these 13 candidates, the Members of the Subcommittee selected three for face-to-face interviews.
A list of 32 oral questions was developed by the Committee, to be asked of all candidates in a two-hour interview.
In addition, seven written questions were given to candidates following the interviews and candidates were given 48 hours to return their written answers to the Committee.
The Committee developed a point system to be used to evaluate the quality of the answers and other information provided by the candidates.
MLAs on the subcommittee assigned points to each answer and other materials of the candidates.
The candidates were then ranked in their overall results and the subcommittee discussed the final results of this process.
The Committee tried to select for two strengths - legal expertise, particularly with respect to conflict of interest provisions; and business expertise, particularly with respect to advising people on matters such as blind trusts, etc.
The Committee sought advice from Full Caucus as to where the Members felt the emphasis should be placed.
Reference checks were performed and reviewed by the Members.
The recommendation was brought forward to the whole Standing Committee for discussion and a motion, as well as a draft report for their review.
As the Legislative Assembly was not in session, the report and recommendation were subsequently brought to the Management and Services Board for discussion.
The Management and Services Board agreed to appoint an Acting Conflict of Interest Commissioner under their authority described in Section 79.01 (4) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, with the expectation that the Full Caucus would review the final selection at the first opportunity and the appointment would be formally made during the next Session of the Assembly.
The Standing Committee wishes to emphasize that all of the candidates interviewed were very committed and qualified for the position.
The decision of the Members was difficult and the Members approached it in an unbiased manner and in the spirit of collegiality.
It is the hope of the Members that all candidates will continue to make contributions to public life in Nunavut.
I will now pass on some of the report to Mr. Akesuk.
Committee Meetings Conducted
The Committee and subcommittee met in Iqaluit or by conference call on the following dates, for the purposes described below:
August 17, 1999 - Conference call to discuss process and review draft advertisements.
September 9, 1999 - Review of hiring process; Presentation by Human Resources on hiring procedures.
September 14, 1999- Review of draft pre-screening criteria and draft list of oral questions.
September 24, 1999 - Review of names of 26 applications received by this date; Selection of candidates to interview.
September 29, 1999 - Review of Interim Report to Full Caucus
October 16, 1999 - Interview
October 18, 1999 - Interview
October 25/26/27, 1999 - Review of answers to written questions, analysis of results of oral interview, written questions, résumé review for all three candidates interviewed.
October 29, 1999 - Discussion of presentation to Full Caucus
November 2, 1999- Discussion with Full Caucus regarding priority expertise of Conflict of Interest Commissioner
November 1999 - Discussion of reference check; Discussion of Draft Report to Full Caucus and to Management and Services Board and Motion
December 14, 1999 - Presentation to Management and Services Board
February 2, 2000 - (interpretation) Final discussion at Full Caucus.  That is the end of my portion of the report and I will ask Mr. Alakannuark to read the next part.
Position of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner
The position of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner and their duties are laid out in the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act.
On March 31, 1999, as per the Nunavut Act, and except as otherwise amended, all legislation currently in effect in the NWT became the law in effect for Nunavut on April 1, 1999.
The legislation in the NWT has undergone a number of changes over the years.
For example, the amendments of 1994 made it possible for a member to seek the advice of the Commissioner and to receive, under s.79.2, a binding opinion as to the conflicts issues raised by a proposed action or economic activity.
The amendments in 1996 switched to a single Commissioner system, instead of a five-member panel.
Ms. Anne Crawford, a lawyer in private practice in Iqaluit, was appointed as the Conflict of Interest Commissioner in February 1997.
Other substantive amendments in 1996 moved from a two-tiered process to a more flexible inquiry by the Commissioner intended to respond to the variable nature of conflict complaints.
The 1996-97 Annual Report of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner also recommended further changes to the legislation.
However, the most recent changes to the NWT legislation were made by the Legislative Assembly of the NWT in the summer of 1999, following an inquiry in the NWT.
These amendments give the Conflict of Interest Commissioner a greater role in providing preventative advice to Members and it is thereby hoped that the need for an expensive inquiry in the future will be minimised.
As well, a separate adjudicator would be appointed in the event an inquiry was needed.
As these amendments were made following division, they are not included in the legislation which was duplicated for Nunavut.
Nevertheless, it will be instructive for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut to review them and decide if any would be appropriate for Nunavut.
Prior to division, the Office of the Interim Commissioner established an Ethics and Accountability Panel to which John Amagoalik and Roger Tassé were appointed.
The Panel assisted candidates in the first Nunavut election and the elected Members prior to April 1, 1999.
Following division, the Management and Services Board arranged for Robert Clark to be appointed as the Acting Conflict of Interest Commissioner, if a matter arose, until the Legislative Assembly conducted its own selection process.
Mr. Clark has a full-time position performing the duties of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner of Alberta.
The Conflict of Interest Commissioner is an independent Officer of the Legislative Assembly.
On the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, the Commissioner of Nunavut appoints a person who has been recommended for the position.
The Conflict of Interest Commissioner is accountable to the Legislative Assembly and must report annually to the Assembly on the work of the office and any complaints that have been received by the Commissioner.
The annual report is required by statute to includes a number of categories of information, such as:
Filing of Disclosure Statements by Members
Late Filing of Disclosure Statements by Name of Member
Failure to File Disclosure Statements by Name of Member
Extensions Granted to Members to File their Disclosure Statements
Contract approvals to any Members who are given authorization to accept a contract under s. 75.1 (3) of the Act
Contracts entered into by the Government and a corporation which is a Member's controlled corporation or a controlled subsidiary.
The Conflict of Interest Commissioner also provides opinions and advice to Members and comments on the operation of the Act.
For example, in the 1997-98 Annual Report, the Conflict of Interest Commissioner of the NWT issued two general guidelines on "Budget Voting" and on "Question Period"; three opinions on "Participation in NWTHC Home Ownership Programs"; "Legal Expense Funds"; and "Ownership of Shares in Publicly Traded Companies"; and included a discussion paper on the issue of "Blind and Management Trusts".
The budget for the Conflict of Interest Commissioner has been allocated to the Legislative Assembly budget based on the experience of the NWT.
It has not been a full-time position, but rather is part-time, on an as-needed basis.
This budget will need further review in Nunavut, once the position is in place.
I will now hand the report over to be read by my honourable colleague.
The Conflict of Interest Commissioner plays a key role in ensuring the successful application of the conflict provisions of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, an Act that we inherited from the NWT.
As noted in the Annual Report for 1997-98 of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner of the NWT:
"The Commissioner is in a position to advise and instruct as to the appropriate arrangements which will meet the Conflicts requirements.
The legislation does not set out the methods or means which the Commissioner is entitled to use or recommend.
The discretion and judgement of the Commissioner are the primary factors in making these decisions.
The solutions crafted for each Member will reflect the Commissioner's understanding of public concern and acceptance in this jurisdiction, and the likelihood and extent of risk of conflict."
As noted above, the Commissioner also attached a number of guidelines, opinions and a discussion paper in the 1997-98 Annual Report.
While these are not binding on the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, they are nonetheless instructive of the kinds of issues on which the Conflict of Interest Commissioner must provide advice to Members and it is vital that the Conflict of Interest Commissioner of Nunavut has the skills and credibility to do so. These skills will also be necessary for the Commissioner to assist in the review of the legislation to ensure it is appropriate for Nunavut.
There are many challenges ahead.
The lack of adequate funding for providing all important services across Nunavut and the competition for government finances to meet many other important needs in Nunavut means that vigilance and preventative advice will be needed in ensuring Members live up to the highest standards of integrity and are not in conflict. We cannot afford costly legal proceedings.
At the same time, Nunavut is a small jurisdiction, with a relatively small private sector.
We want to encourage Members in private business to run for office, without undue penalty to their entrepreneurial initiative or family's livelihood.
A balance must be struck.
And, as with other legislation inherited from the NWT, we need to review the whole Act to ensure it is appropriate for and meets the needs of Nunavummiut.
The Conflict of Interest Commissioner must recognize and be able to meet these challenges.
The Commissioner must be a strong, committed voice for an open government, which makes unbiased decisions that do not personally benefit the Members or their families.
The Commissioner must have diplomacy and grace to mediate solutions, sensitivity to the needs of government decision processes, ability to assist different language groups within Nunavut, and the integrity and administrative competence to deal with complaints in a fair and timely manner.
And although this Commissioner is resident elsewhere in Canada, as with all public offices in Nunavut, they must be a leader in the Inuit tradition, able to hold the respect and confidence of all Inuit, Elders and youth, as well as French- and English-speaking residents of Nunavut.
The Standing Committee of Ajauqtiit has taken its responsibilities in this selection process very seriously.
The selection process was fair and thorough, and the Committee is confident that it has selected an outstanding candidate for the position.
Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee of Ajauqtiit unanimously recommends to the Legislative Assembly that Robert Stanbury be appointed Conflict of Interest Commissioner of Nunavut, pursuant to Section 79 (1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act.
Mr. Speaker at the appropriate time I will give notice of motion to appoint the Conflict of Interest Commissioner.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you members of the committee for the report.
Item 11 on the Orders of the Day, Reports of Standing and Special Committees.
Item 12, Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills.
Tabled Document 40 - 1(3): Collective Bargaining
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a document that I received from one of my constituents, Mary Kablutsiak, concerned about the tone and direction of the negotiations between the Government of Nunavut and the collective bargaining unit.
Item 14, Notices of Motions. Notices of Motions.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, March 24th, the year 2000, I will move the following motion.
Now therefore, I move, seconded by the honourable member from Hudson Bay that pursuant to section 79 (1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, that this Legislative Assembly recommends to the Commissioner of Nunavut, that Mr. Robert Stanbury be appointed as Conflict of Interest Commissioner for a term of four years.
And further, that the appointment shall be effective on March 22, 2000.
Mr. Speaker, I will seek unanimous consent to deal with my motion under item 16, motions.
Bill 13 - Appropriations Act, 2000/2001 - Notice
Mr. Speaker, I have two notices of motions for First Reading of Bills.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on March 24th, 2000, I shall move that Bill 13 – Appropriation Act, 2000/2001 be read for the first time.
Bill 14 – Interim Appropriations Act, April 1st to May 31st, 2000 - Notice
Further, Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on March 24th, 2000, I shall move that Bill 14 – Interim Appropriation Act, April 1st to May 31st, 2000 be read for the first time.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Ng. Under item 15, notices of motions for the first reading of Bills.
The member seeks unanimous consent to deal with his motion today.
Proceed with your motion, Mr. Tootoo.
Motion 14 - 1(3): Appointment of Conflict of Interest Commissioner
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, the motion is for the appointment of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner.
Whereas the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act contain provisions defining what are conflicts of interest, placing a number of obligations on members with respect to arranging their personal affairs in such a manner so as to resolve conflicts in the public interest and requiring members to make a public disclosure of their assets and liabilities; and
Whereas the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act provides for the appointment of a Conflict of Interest Commissioner to advise members of their obligations under the Act and to investigate complaints alleging a breach of the Act, to conduct inquiries and make recommendations to the Legislature and to report to the Legislature on an annual basis on the activities of the Commissioner during the preceding year; and
Whereas it is desirable that a permanent appointment be recommended by the MSB as Conflict of Interest Commissioner for a term of 4 years and further the appointment should be effective March 22, 2000.
Mr. Speaker I would like to congratulate Mr. Stanbury's who is sitting in the gallery over there.
Speaker (interpretation): We also congratulate Mr. Stanbury.
Now back to our orders.
First Reading of Bills. Item 18.
Mr. Speaker as long as there are no more items that are on there I would like to propose that we adjourn for the day.
There is a motion on the floor to adjourn the meeting.
It is not debatable.
Motion Carried.
Orders of the day for tomorrow.
Meeting tonight at 6:00 the full caucus.
Meeting tomorrow at 8:30 am, regular caucus.
Meeting tomorrow at 9 o'clock for the Standing Committee of Culture, Health and Education.
Orders of the day for Thursday, March 23, 2000.
Ministers' Statements  Members' Statements
Replies to Opening Address  Replies to Budget Address
-Tabled document 27-1(3)
The House stands recessed to Thursday March 23, 2000.
>>House adjourned at 5:45 pm
DAY 21
Thursday, March 23, 2000
Pages 846 - 870
Sergeant-At-Arms  Jaco Ishulutak
Tel (867) 975-5000 Fax (867) 975-5190 Toll-Free (877) 334-7266
Table of Contents  Opening Prayer 846
Budget Address 846
Members’ Statements 863
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 866
Tabling of Documents 868
First Reading of Bills 869
Second Reading of Bills 869
Orders of the Day 869
Thursday March 23, 2000 846
184 - 1(3): Budget Secrecy (Tootoo) 863
185 - 1(3): Pond Inlet AWG Medal Winners (Nutarak) 863
186 - 1(3): Nunavut Budget (Iqaqrialu) 864
187 - 1(3): Kimmirut AWG Participants (Akesuk) 864
188 - 1(3): Baker Lake Students at London Science Fair (McLean) 864
189 - 1(3): Air Canada Tournament (Kilabuk) 865
190 - 1(3): Arviat Arctic Winter Games Participants (O'Brien) 865
191 - 1(3): Smaller Communities at Arctic Winter Games (Kattuk) 865
41 – 1(3): Main Estimates 2000/2001 (Ng) 868
42 – 1(3): Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti (Okalik) 868
Bill 13 – Appropriations Act, 2000/2001 869
Bill 13 – Appropriations Act, 2000/2001 869  Friday March 24, 2000
Page  Thursday March 23, 2000
Thursday March 23, 2000
Speaker (Mr. Puqiqnak) (interpretation): I would like to ask Mr. O’Brien to say the opening prayer.
We have a very distinguished guest here today, the Honourable George Hicks, the Speaker of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.
Also we have Mr. Binx Remnant, who is the former Clerk of Manitoba.
Please feel welcome to our Legislative Assembly.
I would also like to inform the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of Nunavut.
"Speaker of the House, Nunavut Legislative Assembly, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut the passage of the following Bills during the third session of the first Legislative Assembly.
Appropriation Act, 2000/2001.
Interim Appropriation Act, April 1 to March 31, 2000.
Supplementary Appropriations Act, No. 3, 1999/2000."
We will now go to the Orders of the Day.
Item 2. Budget Address.
Item 2: Budget Address  Budget Address
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour of tabling the Government of Nunavut's second Budget.
As we enter our second year it is appropriate to comment on what we already have achieved.
Mr. Speaker, Nunavut's first year has been a success.
We have made good progress in building our new territory.
We have established a functioning government.
We have begun to shape our programs and services in a manner that better meets the needs and aspirations of Nunavummiut, while operating within our means.
Mr. Speaker, while we all have a right to be proud, our challenges remain great.
Our Challenges and Priorities
Nunavut faces many unique geographic, social and economic challenges.
We are the largest geographic jurisdiction in Canada and we have the smallest population.
Our communities are widely disbursed, and in many instances have inadequate infrastructure, including housing.
Our population is very young by Canadian standards and is growing at more than twice the national rate.
This has placed pressure on government to deliver needed programs and services - particularly in the health and social sectors.
Our graduation rates are improving, but they are still well below the Canadian average.
We need to help our young adults attain a level of formal education that will help them succeed.
We must address these challenges in a well thought out and meaningful
way.  If we are to effectively address the priorities of our people, we will have to continue to find ways to do things better and be more resourceful.
We realize that expectations remain high, and we are committed to meeting those expectations.
But we must keep in mind that meaningful change requires understanding and time.
In our first budget, the primary focus was to ensure a smooth transition in governing Nunavut, especially the delivery of programs and services for our people.
We committed to creating healthier communities, families, and individuals.
We outlined our intention to work towards making Nunavut more self-reliant within Canada.
We also recognized the importance of streamlining administrative functions, acting in a fiscally responsible manner, and being more accountable to our people.
Mr. Speaker, this government has initiated measures in support of all of these commitments.
Furthermore, these commitments continue to play a significant role in shaping our approach to governing the territory.
Over this past year we have worked hard to identify and understand priorities shared by the people of Nunavut.
Last fall, we released The Bathurst Mandate, which presented this government's vision for Nunavut.
This document was the result of a series of meetings involving Cabinet and all Members of the Legislative Assembly, including a meeting of our Full Caucus in Baker Lake.
There are four major themes contained in this mandate: healthy communities, simplicity and unity, self-reliance and continuing learning.
Mr. Speaker, in keeping with our consensus building approach, we undertook an ambitious pre-budget consultation exercise.
The goal of this exercise was to formally seek public input in the setting of budget priorities.
All Members of the Legislative Assembly participated in this exercise, which included public meetings in our 25 incorporated communities.
The more than 900 people that attended these meetings shared their knowledge and opinions about setting budget priorities.
These priorities are summarised in the Pre-Budget Consultations Report to be tabled later.
Mr. Speaker, Housing, health care and education were identified as being important areas  for the government to concentrate policy and spending initiatives.
Other high priorities that were brought forward during these consultations included: capital and hamlet funding, as well as programs supporting elders and youth, cultural initiatives and economic development.
This exercise gave us valuable insight into the needs, aspirations and priorities of Nunavummiut, and provided clear direction for the development of this and future budgets.
Mr. Speaker, before presenting our fiscal plan and budgetary initiatives, I will outline our economic prospects and fiscal performance.
Economic Prospects
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian economy enjoyed strong growth in 1999, and this growth is expected to continue in the coming year.
We expect that Nunavut's economy will be positively affected by these conditions.
Business opportunities within Nunavut will continue to increase.
We expect our tourism and service sectors to do well.
Export opportunities are expected to increase, particularly for fish and meat products, as well as  for our arts and crafts.
The development of the Nunavut economy will remain largely dependent on the strength of our own initiatives, the self-reliance of our people, and our success in managing our natural resources.
We recognize that government represents the largest single sector in our economy.
We have seen the impact of the creation of our new government in many of our communities.
Our challenge is to ensure that the economic benefits of this activity reach as many people in Nunavut as possible.
Similarly, some Nunavut communities are experiencing a construction boom that will continue in the short to medium-term.