EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
As members are aware, questions and answers must go through the Chair.
Members should refrain from the use of the word, “You.”
Members should, instead, refer to “The Minister” or “The Member.”
This will assist your chair in maintaining order, and contribute to the decorum of the House.
We’ll proceed with Orders of the Day. Item 6. Oral Questions.
Question 256 – 2(4): Accreditation of Qikiqtani General Hospital (Tootoo)
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the minister on the opening of the new Qikiqtani General Hospital that took place last week. And I do apologize that I was not able to attend the opening ceremonies because as you know, I was busy here with a number of my colleagues holding public hearings on the Language Bills currently under review by the committee.
All Members of the House, Mr. Speaker, will recall that the Baffin Regional Hospital lost its accreditation in 2005. Accreditation is an evaluation of an organization’s services and operations set against national standards.
With the opening of the new Qikiqtani General Hospital, residents of the Baffin region will once again need to be assured that the services of this new facility meet national standards.
Can the minister clarify what specific steps have been taken to achieve accreditation at the Qikiqtani General Hospital?
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The work has been ongoing for some time now in terms of trying to address the accreditation of the hospital.
The department has been working closely with the organization to address many of these recommendations coming out of the Accreditation Report.
The department’s plan is to produce its plans to the accreditation organization early in the New Year. At which time the accreditation company will be evaluating what we have done to address many of these recommendations outlined in the report.
Some of the work that has gone to date includes increasing PYs to address the recommendations. At the same time, with the move to the new hospital, many of the recommendations outlined in the Accreditation Report will be addressed with the expansion of the facility and a newer modern facility.
So, the work is ongoing, in fact, the accreditation company representatives were recently in Iqaluit again to meet with my staff. The work is ongoing to date.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for that response.
Mr. Speaker, the minister indicated in her response that there are increased PYs, and I know that when the hospital first lost its accreditation, low staffing levels was a critical issue.
Can the minister explain what steps have been taken to ensure that staffing levels would be adequate to provide the necessary services at their new facility?
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That question’s a little bit different from the accreditation positions versus the new facility itself.
When the Accreditation Report came out, 26 new positions were allocated to the hospital to address the accreditation recommendations in itself. Some of these positions were to increase existing positions such as housekeepers, RNs, LPNs, health records, clerk interpreters, dietitians and so on.
Many of those positions have been filled and are ongoing as well.
In terms of the hospital itself, with expanded services, the plan right now is to move existing staff from the old hospital to the new hospital as is and as we work towards expanding the services, we’ll be looking at additional PYs.
Mr. Tootoo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for allowing that question to be asked.
Mr. Speaker, the minister indicated that a self assessment of the hospital is targeted for completion in the spring. Can the minister clarify what that self assessment will achieve and how it will lead to the successful accreditation?
The self assessment will be presented to the Canadian Council on Health Accreditation in the New Year.
And what that will achieve will be to address the recommendations coming out of the Canadian Council on Health Accreditation when they did the review a few years ago.
At the same time, again, I note for the record that in the process of addressing the accreditation recommendation, the Canadian Council of Health Service Accreditation changed their standards in the middle of us trying to address their original recommendation.
So, the Department of Health has been working very closely with the Canadian Council on Health Accreditation to address both the original report and the new standards that they created.
So the report going forward, in terms of our self assessment, would be to, say, where we are at in terms of those standards and not what they’ve presented to the council for review. At a later time, they would come back to evaluate us and then they will make a determination of whether we have met the accreditation standards.
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier, staffing levels was one of the key components to the last accreditation, and the minister did indicate that they increased the number of PYs at the hospital.
Could the minister provide us, I don’t know if she has it with her but if she doesn’t, could she provide us with the status report of the increased positions or the positions that were identified in the Accreditation Report, how many of those had been filled, and if not, with some of them that haven’t, when they anticipate filling those positions?
I can provide that information now.
We had originally identified 26 positions to the Baffin Regional Hospital. Of the 26 positions, 16 positions have been filled to date. The other positions have been created in different areas and are at different stages of the recruitment process, such as infection control practitioners, quality improvement, risk management, coordination and so on.
When I mentioned earlier that the new hospital opening will help address many of the recommendations outlined in the Accreditation Report, one example of that is that we didn’t have the space to put all those 26 positions in the old building.  So, with the opening of the new hospital, the 26 positions required to address the Accreditation Report, we weren’t able to fill them all because we didn’t have the space.
With the opening, we will be able to address more of those recommendations in the accreditation.  Presently, we have 16 filled and the remaining vacant positions are in different stages in the recruitment process.
Mr. Arreak for Uqqummiut.
Question 257 – 2(4): Review of the “Child & Family Services Act” (Arreak)
Mr. Speaker, a number of my constituents have come to me with serious concerns about how the loss relating to child welfare is being applied.
Parents not understand why children are being apprehended. This is a lack of communication and information.
Can the minister clarify for the Members of this House what process should be followed to inform parents of the decisions made by social workers regarding the welfare of their children?
We currently have the child welfare legislation in place and the role of the social workers in the community is to implement the child welfare legislation in the community.
Obviously, in order for the children to be apprehended, there would have to be very serious allegations made and that would have to be investigated by the social worker. Sometimes it involves the RCMP and so on before a child is apprehended.
So depending on the situation, the investigation is conducted by the social workers along with the RCMP.
The primary goal, first and foremost, would be to ensure that the child is protected. As far as I understand, in terms of the process in doing so, the child welfare workers would have to communicate to the family why the child is being apprehended as well.
The Child and Family Services Act is an Act that we inherited from the Northwest Territories upon division.
A number of my colleagues in this House have argued that this law, in its current form, does not take into account the Inuit culture and lifestyle.
Can the minister update for this House what steps have been taken to ensure that the laws and regulations relating to child welfare in Nunavut take into account Inuit culture and lifestyle?
The member is correct, the legislation, along with any other legislation from the Northwest Territories, was inherited like any other legislation.
Currently, the legislation is being implemented as is. We have not gone through the formal process of evaluating that child welfare legislation process.
Through the IQ committee, I understand that my colleague, Minister Tapardjuk, as Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, has done some review on that legislation at a preliminary stage.
As it is right now, it stands as we inherited it. There has been no change to that.
However, we try to incorporate Inuit knowledge into how we deal with child welfare legislation, or when children are apprehended.
Under the Nunavut Foster Parent program, when children are apprehended, the first primary placement would be within a family member of that child.
If the child was apprehended from two parents, the social workers would work to ensure that the child is placed with extended family members before the child is placed elsewhere.
So that’s one example of the recommendations that had gone through the foster parent group that we work with in trying to deal with children that are apprehended.
Once the child is apprehended, some of them are sent to different communities to the people that they’re not used to.
This is a concern to the Nunavut communities.
Can the minister clarify to this House whether the Child and Family Services Act will be reviewed with a view to making it more appropriate to Nunavut?
The placement of children with foster parents is a very long process that we follow in evaluating, first of all, whether the individual can be considered as foster parents.
We have an evaluation process that involves criminal records checks, that involves medical records checks, home visits and so on.
The criteria is quite long, and first, they would also have to volunteer.
Before we can place a child anywhere, we still have to take the steps necessary to ensure that by placing the child in a foster environment, that we’re not putting them in danger.
I want to say that for the public that it is a rigorous process that we follow before we place the children.
It’s not just taking a child away from individuals and placing the child in a family.
There’s still a process that we have to follow in placing that child with family members as per the requirements under the legislation.
The legislation right now has not identified an area to update in this term of this government.
So recognizing that, it has been an issue that has been raised in the past, we are internally trying to see how we can deal with that, but I don’t expect that legislation will be amended or changed in the term of this government.
I thank the minister for her response. I know the legislation is going to take some time.
A lot of times it’s a big concern to their lifestyles when replacing them to another family because their lifestyles and their attitudes change.
The minister answered some of my questions, but we need this legislation as soon as possible, for the Child and Family Services Act.
Can they put this legislation into effect as soon as possible? Will the minister commit to reviewing the Child and Family Services Act before the term of the Legislative Assembly comes to an end?
I will consider the member’s recommendation and bring it forward to the Cabinet Committee on Legislation.
It takes time to go forward and I know we have a number of legislations that we’re dealing with during the term of this government.
I will put it forward through that process.
Question 258 – 2(4): Canadian Dollar Value (Curley)
Mr. Curley (interpretation): I thought that my colleague was going to be first. I would like to direct my question to the Minister; I believe he’s responsible for Consumers; for Economic Development and Tourism.
This question is with regard to the strength of the dollar which I believe it is at its highest to date.
I think the minister should have meetings with the consumers in Nunavut because I don’t believe there has ever been any such forum.
We live in a territory that has extremely high prices and we have to fit our clothing, the hunters have to buy supplies, and the seamstresses have to buy the materials to make the clothing.
With that, would the minister consider having meetings with the retailers?
I apologize. I would like to ask you to identify which department you are directing this question to.
Mr. Curley: I am not 100 percent sure which minister is responsible, I know that there is a Minister responsible for Consumer Issues and I believe it’s the Minister of Finance or the Minister of Economic Development.
I am very glad that the member brought up this question.
I do know that the goods are brought in by barges and ships, and the products were bought when the Canadian dollar was lower.
We have to keep an eye on whether the price of goods is going to be increasing or decreasing.
I have been trying to get a meeting with the North West Company for the last few months and he went to Baker Lake a few months ago but I wasn’t able to be there. But I do want to have a meeting with retailers.
I’m sure that the people of Nunavut are eager to find out if you are going to have a meeting with the retailers or not. It’s not only the North West Company that I am talking about; there is also the Arctic Co-operatives and the private companies.
For example, if I say the price of goods is way too expensive, I want to make a comment on the tabled documents which is about the Northern Residents Tax Deduction; on page 2 it says that our price of goods is about 75 percent higher if we compare it to the southern prices. The Employees Union had made that statement in 2003.
When the goods come up here, it’s not only the freight cost that’s factored in; they put in a 75 or 50 percent over and above that for profit.
Is it possible for the minister to have meetings with the retailers to make sure that the prices of goods are kept to a minimum, or to be at a better price?
Yes, I will try to set up a meeting.
I have been trying to make an arrangement to have meetings with the retailers and I will make sure that I pursue it further.
My last question: if the minister was to be able to have a meeting with the retailers, could the minister give us an update on what was discussed and what came about?
If we are able to have a meeting, I will make sure that I inform the members.
Question 259 – 2(4): Health Benefits Coverage of Scooters/Wheelchairs (Barnabas)
In my Member’s Statement, I raised an issue and I will direct it to the Minister of Health and Social Services. The department does not cover wheelchairs and scooters, why is that?
The Non-Insured Health Benefits Program is an insurance program that covers drugs, medical, transportation, dental, medical supplies and equipment, vision care, and wheelchair activities.
It’s a federal program that we administer for Inuit in Nunavut. Whether they cover scooters, I’m not sure.
I know they cover wheel chairs for people with disabilities.
Does the Department of Health and Social Services look at the applications to see if it is essential to have that equipment?
I have heard of individuals who bought their own wheelchairs and scooters.
What is the minister going to do about this issue?
The insurance program that we administer on behalf of the federal government for Inuit of Nunavut, when a person goes to the clinic, usually, medication, seeing an eye doctor, or dentist, all of that is covered and patients don’t have to apply to receive medication and what not.
I do know that, in some cases, under the insurance program, that if you received eye glasses in one year, you cannot receive another pair of eye glasses under that program until the following year.
There are guidelines like that that are being administered.
So I imagine, in that scenario, that that would have been the case if they had to apply or pay out of their own because the insurance coverage covers, say for instance, one pair of eyeglasses every 12 months as a scenario.
Could the minister consider reimbursing the individuals if they had bought equipment in over a year as long as they have a receipt proving that they had bought the equipment and if it’s obvious that the individual would need that wheel chair?
Would the minister consider reimbursing those individuals with receipts?
I would be happy to look into the matter with this individual and evaluate why the individual had to purchase their own wheelchair, and look into the matter.
If the member has the receipt, please forward it to me and I’ll have my staff follow up on that matter.
Question 260 – 2(4): Health Committees of Council (Peterson)
My question is for the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services and it concerns the health committees of council.
First of all, Mr. Speaker, I’m very pleased to hear that the health committees of council had their first conference take place face-to-face.
I recall that the health committees of council were established around the year 2000 when the Government of Nunavut eliminated the regional health boards, and for the record, the Kitikmeot still thinks that we should have a regional health board but that’s an issue for another day.
My question for the minister; she mentions the terms of reference were signed with the health committees of council: can the minister tell the House how the terms of reference will give a voice to residents regarding health issues in their communities?
The health committees of council, the terms of reference, what we try to do in developing the terms of reference is also, in the process of doing that, we had consulted with the mayors of all of the Nunavut communities. Many of the committees of council are under the hamlet; they’re subcommittees of the hamlet.
So in developing the terms of reference with the committee, we, first of all, had to recognize that there are subcommittees of the council with the emphasis on health. In developing those terms of reference, what we try to outline is the role that they would play in supporting us in our initiatives, such as public health initiatives, and clarify the roles of health professionals in supporting the health committee; how often they would meet, as an example, how they are paid and so on.
So those terms of reference took a long time in developing but what we try to do is really clarify the roles that they would play at the community level in directing the Department of Health in developing wellness initiatives for the communities.
Mr. Peterson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the minister for the information.
Mr. Speaker, the Cambridge Bay health committee of council there has fluctuated between five to eleven members, there have been concerns about not having enough elders on there and not enough youth. There are too many health department officials on the committee, and then, in some years, the health committee actually didn’t function. So we’ve had those problems.
The concern in my community and I’ve heard from other mayors over the years, that the health committees don’t actually have any powers to make changes, I think it’s just an organization that the Government of Nunavut set up where they can say they’re exchanging information but nothing really happens.
So, the concern I have is: what powers would the health committee have to advise the minister or the health department? Maybe if I could question the minister if she could expand on what powers and what authorities the health committees of council would have to make meaningful changes at the community level as a benefit to residents.
I guess to start off; the difference between the boards and the committees is that the committees are not the boards.
So having said that, the aim of the terms of reference that we’ve been working with is how we can work better with the health committees that were established back in 1999-2000 in the efforts that we’re undertaking as a government in the whole area of developing healthy communities.
So the department’s approach to trying to deal with them is to seek input from the community level through committees on the whole area of health promotion, prevention, awareness activities by community, and community-driven priorities; what are the priorities of a community in keeping people healthy?
It could be teen pregnancy, it could be smoking, it could be FASD; depending on what they are, we want input through the committee.
The other area that we had discussed with the health committees is what are their roles in keeping our staff at the community level in helping us with our nursing, social work, retention, what is their role in that. The health committees do not have direct supervisory responsibility of health centres. They do not supervise our staff, for instance, but certainly, they have a role in sharing information from the community issues to the health care professionals.
Some committees, in the past, have functioned well; some committees have not functioned well, which is another reason why we had gone back to meeting with the committees to come up with a terms of reference that would have some consistency in how we work with the committees at the community level, and consistency in the support that they receive and how they function.
Mr. Speaker, as an MLA, I estimate that 50 percent of the issues that I deal with every week are related to some health issue or concern. I’m sure it’s the same with all my colleagues in the House that a lot of their constituents come to them for help with the health department.
A former Health and Social Services Minister told me that the chair of the health committees would have direct access to the executive directors and the Minister of Health, if necessary, to correct problems and address issues.
Can the minister today tell me, is that still the case, rather than come to the MLAs, can constituents to go the health committee chair and then the chair can address the issues?
The Public Health Healthy Community Initiative, the Public Health Strategy, will further explain the roles of health committees once I table that document in the House.
Health committees in the communities, in my view, have a real strong role in advocating health issues at the community level, and surely, any individual can go to those committees as they are advocates for people in the communities. They have direct access to the staff at the health centre in conveying concerns, as well as the ED; Executive Director.
So, that is an option for members.
Again, through the updating of the terms of reference, we hope to clarify that further. At the same time, through the Public Health Strategy initiatives, we’re also trying to strengthen the support that they receive at the community level through our department and what role my community health representatives will play in supporting health cmmittees in the development of public health initiatives at the community level.
I thank the minister for sharing that information.
Mr. Speaker, I was the Mayor of Cambridge Bay in the year 2000 when our health committee was struck and I attended several meetings over the years with that health committee. They wanted to do a lot of work for the community and help the residents out.
I believed at the time and I still believe, in the absence of a regional health board, that a committee like this can play an important role in the community.
They have a lot of work to do to operate effectively because, after all, health affects all of us everyday; we know someone who is sick, or ill, or needs help pertaining to health.
My question for the minister: if she wants the committees to play a larger role in the communities, will her department plan to increase the $10,000 funding that they receive now so that they have resources for studies, health surveys, travel, honorarium, and to hire support staff?
Again, recognizing that these committees are subcommittees of the hamlet, it’s certainly something that we can look into.