EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We’re most of the way through our plan. Because it has been fluid through the different circumstances and different information as it has come to us, we have modified our plan and it’s still not finalized.
That being said, again, until we get the money for the positions, it’s a moot point.
Hopefully we can go forward and get this budget approved so that we can finalize the planning and get the advertisements out with HR as soon as possible to get these positions filled.
As soon as we do have a plan on what communities we’re going to put them into, I’ll have a chat with my colleagues around this House.
I know I’m running out of time, but one of my colleagues asked a question on page 4 of your opening comments. There will be six new positions for the Quality of Life Secretariat.
Either the minister or one of the staff responded by saying that they will be based in Iqaluit.
People work very hard to try to prevent suicide throughout Nunavut.
Can’t you decide to have two workers based in the Baffin region, two workers in the Kivalliq region, and two workers in the Kitikmeot region?
Suicide affects everyone. Would it not be more beneficial to spread those positions out in the three regions?
While I appreciate the member’s comment, it’s not a matter of two, two, and two.
These are six positions that are coordinating a long-term strategy and action behind it to make sure that the territory as a whole has a distinct focus with the momentum that we have built up to now and to continue that momentum on suicide prevention.
They work with every community in the territory. They work with the mental health workers.
They work with the community wellness coordinators from every community.
Having those positions located centrally in one community, whether it be Iqaluit or Baker Lake or Kugluktuk, to me it is paramount to where the functionality of what that office is trying to accomplish.
Right now, with the people that are involved and through the approval process, we’ve got that office located here in Iqaluit where I have direct access to my associate deputy minister responsible to that division.
Maybe down the road it could be something that could be explored.
This is a brand-new division within the Department of Health. Within the Government of Nunavut overall we want to make sure that we do this properly.
This is a very serious topic. I don’t take it lightly.
I have been to a couple of different conferences and to my knowledge, and I have yet to stand corrected, I believe I’m the only minister in the world that has a responsibility for suicide prevention in my title. I don’t take that lightly.
I take that very seriously.
I want to make sure that any control I have over it is done right.
Next name on the list, Mr. Keyootak.
Let me first ask a question. I just recently visited my other constituency community where I was elected.
My other community has had a vacant nursing position for a very long time and they’ve had only one nurse.
The population of the community is over 1,000.
Can that position be filled soon or can the minister tell us when that position will be filled?
Hon. George Hickes: Sorry, just to clarify, I believe the member is talking about Clyde River.
I apologize for the delay, Mr. Chairman.
Just to re-echo some of the comments I made earlier, the Department of Health has been, in my opinion, very successful in hiring indeterminate nurses in the last little while.
I’m still keeping up as numbers are changing in the communities, sometimes it seems to be on a daily basis.
I’m just looking over my numbers right now.
When I look at Clyde River right now, we’ve got two permanent and one agency nurse that is in the community right now.
Now, there are some vacancies that are filled through casuals at the moment and there’s one permanent nurse that’s in the process of… . She’s hired or he; I’m not sure if it’s a he or she, but there is an indeterminate nurse that has been hired and in the process of going into the community.
The people of Clyde River told me when I was there that the nursing station is only available for emergencies for too long and they haven’t been able to deal with non-emergency cases. They have told the people that they will only accept emergency cases and the people say that they have been in this situation for far too long.
They want to know when they’re going to get a new nurse.
They don’t like it at all when they have just one nurse who is able to see patients. They have made it so that they will only accept emergency patients for over a month now, which is not appropriate for people who need to go to the nursing station.
I’ll move on to something else. That was just a general comment.
Mr. Chairman, some of the questions I was going to pose have already been asked. I know that many people know me and I have gone to the Qikiqtani General Hospital many times and I have been asking questions in regard to the way the Tammaativvik Boarding Home is operated.
I have been requesting that they change the carpeting to regular flooring. Many patients don’t like the way the boarding home is operated.
Could you be dealing with the boarding homes the same as the Kivalliq boarding home?
Is that going to occur?
Maybe just to reiterate something from his previous question and comment, we will look into the circumstances on why the nursing station in Clyde River has been only open on an emergency basis.
I do know that in some communities there have been issues with the influenza outbreak as well as pertussis that has impacted the volume and even in some cases the staff, which has put some restrictive hours.
If I can and if the Chair will indulge me, I want to commend a lot of the nurses in our communities that have been working inhuman hours through some of these outbreaks with very little relief.
For the record, I very much appreciate the level of commitment that they have to their communities.
With regard to the Tammaativvik Boarding Home, it is very much the same scenario as with the Inuit centre in Winnipeg.
We do have regular contact.
Again I just want to reiterate that if there are specific circumstances where people have concerns or issues, they let me know or let the patient relations office know.
It is an ongoing discussion.
We’re continuously working with the leadership over at Tammaativvik to make sure that the residents that we send there on medical travel are getting their level of expectation met.
Again, it’s the same kind of story as what I was saying about the Winnipeg Inuit centre, but we are working very closely with them to make sure that they are following the conditions of the contract as well.
We have noted and observed that they need to improve the operation or services.
Every time I come to Iqaluit, I visit the boarding home as many of my constituents stay at that facility.
That’s where most of the residents of the Baffin region stay.
My colleague and I went to the boarding home just to visit patients.
We did not go there to do some investigation, but the people were very pleased to see us when they found out that we’re Members of the Legislative Assembly.
Some patients don’t even want to eat at the boarding home and some patients don’t even want to sleep in the room because the pillows, blankets, and sheets are never changed even though a different patient is using the room.
This is directed to the Department of Health. That shouldn’t be happening.
Some patients don’t even want to eat there anymore because they have watched the cook serving the food onto the plate using their hands and serving it to the patients.
My colleague and I were told that they were even stomping on their feet. As Inuit, we’re tired of being treated like that and that’s exactly what we heard when we are at Tammaativvik.
We realized that this has to be resolved.
One thing that I keep mentioning is the carpet because it’s a public place and people walk in with their dirty boots and they don’t take their boots off. They walk in to the boarding home wearing their boots that they use outside, even though the building has to be clean.
This requires more attention.
I’m not going to sit here and defend some of the perceptions on inadequacies of the facility.
I do know that officials have been meeting with them very regularly to make sure that they’re adhering to their contract conditions.
At the same time and with carpeting, I realize the member is talking about more for the entranceway for cleanliness, but the facility has removed carpet from some rooms so that people with allergies have a safe place to go.
In addition to that, environmental health officers would be inspecting the kitchen and if there are concerns with food-handling services, it would be a discussion that they would have with the facility administration to make sure that their staff are trained in proper food-handling procedures. Of the concerns that have been brought to my attention on the facility, that hasn’t been one of them.
It’s something that I’m sure my officials are taking note of and I’m sure somebody will be going over the environmental health officer records to see if there have been any discussions on food-handling processes or any concerns brought to their attention.
I know it may not be specifically my constituents, but I’m responsible for all the health care delivery across this territory and that facility is located in my home city of Iqaluit.
I want to make sure that people are getting the appropriate level of care. I take the member’s comments very seriously and I’ll continue to look at and have my officials work with the administration of that facility to make sure that people are getting the care and the service that they expect and deserve.
It’s very good to hear that and I appreciate that he will look into this issue. We will expect a response and I will also be expecting your department to deal with the issue.
Our constituents tell us their concerns and they can’t even get their breakfast in the morning.
They only serve lunch. Some Inuit wake up very early in the morning and they’re not served breakfast.
The only time they eat is at lunch hour.
It’s not acceptable for the patients, so I’ll expect some resolutions on these issues.
I thank the member again for raising that issue.
Again, under contract that facility is supposed to provide three meals a day, seven days a week, including snacks throughout the day.
There is a contracted obligation from the facility and if the member is aware of that not being be made, I would very much appreciate some detailed specifics on days and even times and people involved, if that could be provided to either myself or again, through the patient relations office.
I do understand some of the challenges of the facility as well; 30 percent of the time over the year they are overcapacity.
I do empathize somewhat with them on trying to deal with an overcapacity so frequently.
If I understand correctly from other information, they are looking at possibly expanding the facility.
I know it’s something they’re taking a look at the planning and feasibility of, so hopefully that will come to fruition some day.
It is stretched to its maximum most times out of the year.
I do appreciate the member’s comments. We will continue to look into those specifics and if he could provide some more detail, I would be more than happy to look into those personal instances.
Chairman (interpretation): Mr. Keyootak, are you done?
(interpretation ends) Next name on the list, Mr. Joanasie.
I would first like to ask about the suicide prevention file that was given to the Department of Health last year.
What kinds of impacts did it have within the department as a whole? I would like to ask for the status of it to date.
As we’re just getting started on this Quality of Life Secretariat, my associate deputy minister would be able to elaborate a little bit further with some details, but we haven’t seen a notable decrease in numbers as of yet.
This is something that is going to be ongoing.
The Resiliency Within strategy was a short-term strategy on how to address some of the immediate needs.
Actually creating this Quality of Life Secretariat, having monies allocated, having more community engagement, and what we’re looking at setting up with the grants and contributions side of things from the budgeted amount will help put more programming at the community level, where we feel most communities know what their triggers are.
There are a number of different reasons why people feel that suicide is an option in their issue and we need to make sure that we’re addressing it, not as a cookie-cutter model.
What works in Pond Inlet may not work in Clyde River or may not work in Kugaaruk.
We want to make sure that the communities are leading the initiatives on preventative programming and prevention initiatives so that we can have the biggest impact.
That being said, this isn’t going to be an overnight success.
Hopefully it is, but realistically it is going to take time for people to learn that there are more options available to them, that there are resources available to them, that there are different groups that can help them through different challenges in their life.
My vision and how I see this going forward is we have been building momentum this last year and getting staffing.
As I had mentioned earlier, we have two people on transfer assignments to the Quality of Life right now.
We have four people on CSAs.
To get those PYs filled and solidified into permanent people that can coordinate their efforts with stakeholders... .
One of the things that has concerned me from the get-go of getting this portfolio assignment to me is everyone is going to be looking to me or to the government in general to fix this issue.
It’s going to take communities, regions, families, and so many different stakeholders that are involved in this whole process of moving this file forward in a way where we can actually start seeing results.
I know that was a very long-winded answer to a fairly short question.
I’m not sure if my associate deputy minister would want to elaborate on specific numbers, but I don’t know if we have realized any immediate impacts.
To me the numbers are still fairly horrendous, but I do look forward to better days.
I agree with him. For example, nowadays we are providing funds and we have identified this as a priority within the Department of Health, although we realize that this is not going to be resolved overnight.
In my view it should be based on healing programs if it’s going to proceed smoothly. For example, you are the Department of Health, but where do healing programs fit within the department?
If we envision it as a picture, where is the healing program in your organizational chart?
For example, with the practice we use nowadays and the concerns we hear about mental health and addictions, there are various problems that we encounter and we need treatment and healing.
That’s why I wanted to talk about this issue.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was geared toward the entire country. There was also the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. There have been a few commissions.
Historical traumas have deteriorated or impacted our lives. Do you have any programs for those things?
That’s why I’m asking.
For example, I believe that your department provides funding to the Mamisarvik Healing Centre in Ottawa.
Perhaps you can elaborate further.
I believe it’s on page H-7 of the main estimates, the Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program, $1,347,000.
My question is if that’s what it is, Mr. Chairman.
I do agree with the member when he’s talking about the impact of historical traumas.
We’re dealing with the repercussions of that and we will probably continue to deal with them.
It took generations to occur and it’s going to take generations to get into that healing and past that.
When he’s talking specifically to an alcohol and drug treatment program, it’s not necessarily all with Mamisarvik.
There are also counselling services delivered at the community level.
There are six communities currently accessing this funding.
Clyde River, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Coral Harbour, Rankin Inlet, and Arviat are accessing dollars to deliver alcohol and drug counselling services currently.
Yes, it’s a good example. For instance, he mentioned Mamisarvik and Ilisaqsivik in Clyde River.
I’m also aware that there are other communities that are lacking such services and these communities provide services to those other communities.
Are you going to be spreading out those programs in the coming years for those communities that lack those services, for instance, mental health counselling?
People don’t know who to approach.
Are you going to be spreading these programs out?
I thank the member for bringing that up because, again like I had mentioned earlier, there are counselling services and mental health services available in all communities across the territory, but we want to make sure that we’re enhancing that with some of the additional PYs that we’re applying for.
That being said, when we’re talking about us rolling out, these are hamlet-driven initiatives that they apply for funding for.
If Cape Dorset wanted to apply for funding under these drug and alcohol awareness initiatives, they can apply for funding under this as well.
One of the things that we’re really excited about through the Quality of Life of having these grants and contributions, we’re still ironing out all the details of being able to target different initiatives.
Again, I keep saying community-driven because that is going to be the route going forward of how we’re going to see success.
It’s the communities that know what they need in their backyard to deal with certain issues and which issues are higher priority than others.
That’s where we want to make sure that we’ve got a broad enough scope with the funding that we’re not pigeonholing ourselves into one specific tack.
We want to make sure that it’s open enough that as a community identifies an issue or a program or an initiative that they want to address, we’ve got a funding model that can help promote that.
I wanted to also bring up another topic.
It was brought up by a few of my colleagues, but in relation to the relationship or the way in which the department deals with, for example, health care concerns, Mr. Mikkungwak talked about the Office of Patient Relations and we heard Mr. Okalik talk about some serious cases.
What is the department doing in terms of… ? There’s a gap that’s conflicting between the community and the department. How are you trying to address a better situation for all the communities, not just in one particular community?
I thank the member for that question because it’s an important one.
I want to make sure that people are comfortable when they go into a health centre, that they know what level of care that they’re getting and it’s the level of care that they’re expecting to get it. There have been a number of initiatives that are being developed.
Let me just back up for a second if the Chairman will allow me.
Any time we’re dealing with health care professionals, I like to think that they went into that field because they want to do good and they want to help people.
We need to make sure that the guidelines and the processes are in place for them to be successful at their jobs.
If those processes, guidelines, and procedures are in place and they don’t follow them, that’s a different story.
We want to make sure that the quality of care and the assurances that we can provide to the general public are at least adequate, if not more than adequate.
There are some additional steps, if the Chair will allow, I would like my deputy minister just to elaborate on some of the detailed aspects of some of the quality assurance initiatives that we’re doing right now.
Ms. Stockley.
The department is having a focus right now on the territorial Continuous Quality Improvement Program. We have talked already in this session about critical incidents and coroner’s reports. They highlight the need for a territorial approach to quality improvement activities in order to ensure, as the minister said, equitable access to quality health care throughout Nunavut.
The whole purpose of the Continuous Quality Improvement Program is to identify system gaps and inefficiencies. It’s to address concerns that you guys put forward and that you hear from your constituents.
We also want to collect meaningful data. The idea is to implement quality improvement initiatives across every health facility that we have in Nunavut.
Through our business case you probably remember from last year, you approved the business case for us for three new PYs to staff the Continuous Quality Improvement Program. This was in addition to the continuous quality improvement manager position that we transferred from the Professional Practice Unit.
Right now the quality improvement lead position is being filled through a casual staffing action.
The competition process for the position has closed and applicants are being screened, so we will have a long-term person in that role.
The health data analyst position has been posted with the closing date of March 3 of 2017. We’re hopeful that will get us an appropriate person in that role. The competition process for the risk management lead position has closed and applicants are being screened.
Thank you for that additional response.
I look forward to the department’s continued efforts in this regard.
In recognizing the clock, I want to move on to another topic.
On page 134 in their business plan, the Inuit Employment Plan, his department says that as of five months ago, September 30, 2016, there were 308.17 Inuit working for the department and by next year, March 31, you plan on having 511.43. That’s over 200 Inuit staff you are planning on hiring over the course of the year.
Can the minister elaborate on how the department plans on doing it?
As I had mentioned in an earlier response, the Department of Health right now is kind of at the same average as the GN as a whole.
One of the things that we have been really making sure that we’re concentrating on and I know that I have spoken to my officials on is to make sure that we’re setting realistic targets.
We’re also looking at a number of different initiatives.
As Member Okalik brought up earlier of people that are exploring professions in health that are from Nunavut, we want to make sure that we support those students and those types of initiatives.
We provide bursaries to nursing students, as an example.
That’s just one component of it.
One of things that we’re really, in my opinion as a government as a whole, and we have talked about this and I talked about it as a regular member, of having in casual positions for long periods of time... .
One of the initiatives that we have been utilizing is a tool that the Department of HR has provided us is restrictive competitions.
When we have identified people that have been in a casual position for too long of a period of time in some cases and are completing their work in a very competent manner, and have proven to their supervisors and proven to themselves that they can do the job, we have used restrictive competitions in some cases to get them indeterminate positions.
I believe the latest number in the three months we have done almost 20 of those, if I recall the numbers correctly.
Another component that we’re looking at is identifying people that are, again, in long-term casual positions, direct appointments are still an option for this government.
We haven’t processed any right now, but there are a few of them that are in the works right now.
In addition to that, I think the most positive way of going about it is to making sure that the Department of Health is a great place to work.
When Minister Peterson spoke in his Budget Address today of being the employer of choice, that’s great.
I want the GN to be an employer of choice, but I want the Department of Health to be “the” employer of choice.
When people are targeting working for the Government of Nunavut, I want them to want to work for the Department of Health.
We have worked very hard to create a safe workplace.
We have been doing a lot of training. As Minister Peterson mentioned, we’ve had a number of people in the GN take workplace harassment training.