EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We will continue to lead the implementation of the Inuit Employment Plan, by working closely with all departments to develop a more defined plan, targets and shared accountability.
We will establish and implement the communication strategy and peer group programs to promote employment and training opportunities to beneficiaries.
With this increase, awareness and improved communication, the Department will ensure all government opportunities are known to beneficiaries.
About 29 percent or $5.6 million of the department’s budget is allotted for Inuit Employment initiatives.
Almost half or $9.3 million of the department’s budget is allotted for the effective management of its recruitment and retention programs.
We will continue to look for new ways to improve our centralized recruitment services.
The new standards of service have been introduced to provide more responses and to improve service delivery.
The department is continuously enhancing the staffing process and guidelines to provide a responsive and transparent recruitment process to all government departments, and to ensure the consistent application of the priority hiring policy which provides employment priority to beneficiaries.
The funding for summer student employment program is increased by $250,000.
Cabinet has approved recommendations for the changes to the program regarding eligibility and administration.
With the additional funding, new terms of reference, we will continue to provide training and employment opportunities to the young people of Nunavut.
The remaining $4.5 million or 23 percent of the total budget is allocated for employee wellness, employee relations, and job evaluation programs.
The department will continue to provide wellness programs by delivering year round courses and workshops designed to improve the well being of employees, and to ensure safe working conditions.
In the next fiscal year, the department will start negotiations for the new collective agreement with the federation of Nunavut teachers as its present agreement expires on June 30th, 2005.
The review of the public service act will be completed in 2005/06 which will reflect the objectives, policies and practices of the Nunavut government.
We will also continue to audit job descriptions to eliminate artificial and inflated barriers and will increase efforts to include Inuit culture and language components in government positions.
Mr. Chairman, the programs and services of the department are fully supportive of the goals and priorities that are outlined in Pinasuaqtavut, and are culturally sensitive to Inuit society values through the principles of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, to enable us to carry out our task in leading and developing the governments public service and provide human resource management support to Government of Nunavut departments and agencies.
We will need the resources identified in the draft main estimates.
I would be pleased to answer your questions. Thank you.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Minister Tapardjuk. (interpretation ends) Does the Chair of the Standing Committee have comments?
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to provide the committee’s comments on the 2005/06 main estimates and business plans for the Department of Human Resources.
The committee notes that the proposed 2005/06 budget for the department is $19,396,000.
This represents a 79 percent increase over the department’s initial 1999/2000 budget allocation of $10,836,000, and a seven percent increase over the 2004/05 main estimates for the department.
The committee has noted that the Government of Nunavut’s overall vacancy rate remains at almost 20 percent.
In other words, almost one out of every 5 full-time positions in the Government of Nunavut stands vacant.
Approximately 42 percent of the vacant positions are located in Iqaluit, where there are approximately 240 vacancies.
Half a decade ago, in January of 2000, the Government of Nunavut-wide vacancy rate was approximately 25 percent.
It remains unclear to the committee as to whether reducing the government’s overall vacancy rate to 10 percent is a realistic goal in the short or even medium-term.
The committee has noted that almost all Government of Nunavut departments added PYs to their organizational structures in their 2005/06 business plans, despite being largely unable to fill all or most of their existing positions.
Members are aware that departments develop their annual budgets on the assumption that all positions are filled.
Indeed, the vacancy rate continues to serve as an informal contingency fund for the Government of Nunavut.
The committee is aware that the department has Government of Nunavut-wide responsibilities in relation to job evaluation and classification.
The committee is concerned by what appears to be an inordinately high rate of growth in the number of Government of Nunavut positions classified as being in the management category, as opposed to the number of non-management, front-line positions.
For example, according to the department’s own quarterly IEP reports, in January of 2000, there were 233 positions classified as middle management.
By contrast, the number of administrative support positions has actually decreased by almost 20 percent.
Indeed, from September 30 to December 31 of 2004, the number of middle management positions jumped from 380 to 410 – an increase of almost eight percent in just one fiscal quarter.
In the past, concerns were raised with respect to the excessive use of casuals to fill positions on a long-term basis.
In its recent response to a Written Question posed in the House by a committee member, the department indicated that the total number of casuals has decreased from 476 in September of 2002 to 331 in September of 2004.
The committee is supportive of efforts to ensure that casual hiring concentrates on bringing Inuit into the Government of Nunavut’s workforce.
Members note that the Inuit employment rate remains static at approximately 45 percent.
Members note with particular concern that the Inuit employment rate for headquarters positions in Iqaluit is just over 30 percent.
In other words, only 3 out of every 10 Government of Nunavut jobs in Iqaluit is filled with a beneficiary.
Members noted that the department’s business plan indicates that work is being undertaken to review the Public Service Act and bring forward amendments to the statute.
The Committee does not want to see this undertaking be a consultant-driven process, and would wish to see the Nunavut Employees Union and the Federation of Nunavut Teachers have a meaningful involvement in the process.
The idea of re-introducing binding arbitration into the GN’s collective bargaining regime is one worth considering.
The Committee noted that the department’s business plan indicates that reviews of the GN’s Priority Hiring Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, Anti-Harassment Policy, Language Incentive Policy and Code of Conduct continue to be at various stages of development.
In the case of the Language Incentive Policy, which would apply to bilingual bonuses for employees, the Committee notes that this policy has been under review for a number of years now without apparent resolution.
The Committee would wish to see such a policy encourage the use of Inuit languages in the workplace, especially with respect to front-line positions that directly serve the public.
In many cases, Inuktitut proficiency should be a job requirement.
It is also worth considering providing incentives for employees who bring recognized knowledge of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit practices to the workplace.
The Committee would also wish to see the department give consideration to modifying the Priority Hiring Policy with respect to long-term Northerners and the disabled.
The Committee looks forward to these revised policies being provided to the Committee for comment prior to their being finalized and tabled in the House.
The Committee has noted with concern that a clear system for whistleblower protection for members of our public service is not in place.
At the national level, Bill C-11, the new public servants disclosure protection legislation, was introduced last fall in the House of Commons.
The Committee urges the GN to give serious consideration to developing similar legislation during the life of this Legislative Assembly’s mandate, including the establishment of some form of ombudsman position from whom employees could seek advice and assistance.
The issue of workforce morale is important.
Although the Committee has noted with approval that the GN’s turnover rate decreased from 31% in 2000 to 18% in 2003-2004, the issue of workplace absenteeism is clearly a problem.
The recent response to a Written Question posed in the House by a Committee Member revealed that the absenteeism rate across the GN doubled between 2002-03 and 2003-04, and increased again in the first six months of 2004-05.
The number of active grievances increased from 96 in March of 2003 to 116 in March of 2004.
Members would caution the Minister with respect to the risk of public confidence in the fairness of the government’s employment practices being undermined by perceptions of favouritism, especially with respect to the hiring of employees’ spouses or partners.
At the same time, it is incumbent on the government to ensure that its hiring practices are rules-based, and not influenced by unsubstantiated rumours regarding individuals.
The Committee would also wish to see the GN’s practices in such areas as overtime and educational leave applied consistently, fairly and responsibly.
Members continue to note with concern the striking gap between the number of beneficiary males and the number of beneficiary females employed by the GN.
According to the 2003-2004 Public Service Annual Report, although almost 800 female beneficiaries were employed as of March 2004, the number for male beneficiaries was only around 300.
Members have noted the department’s intention to consider actions to address this issue with revisions to the Priority Hiring Policy.
Members await with interest the formal tabling of the “Seeking Balance” IEP strategy document.
Members are aware that the GN has set a target date of 2008 for 50 percent or more of all positions across all occupational categories to be filled by Inuit.
This is an ambitious goal, given that almost 400 new Inuit employees will need to be hired in order to achieve it.
Members urge the department to continue its efforts to work in partnership with other entities to secure training investments from the federal government in order to help us achieve our long-term Article 23 goals, and build a representative and professional public service.
On a related issue, the Committee noted with interest that a training audit has been undertaken with respect to quantifying the amount of investment in training across the public service.
Members would wish to see training opportunities to be designed and delivered in Nunavut, in order to minimize the costs associated with sending our employees out of the territory for courses, and to maximize the relevancy of the training for our circumstances.
Mr. Chairman, the Committee supports such valuable initiatives as the Summer Student Employment Program.
However, concerns have been raised in the past with respect to the issue of fairness in respect to the treatment of some categories of students under this program.
The Committee is pleased that the 2005 program will address these inequities, while retaining as its core focus the need to provide meaningful training and work experience opportunities for Inuit students.
Members also look to such excellent programs as Nunavut Youth Abroad and Nunavut Sivuniksavut as being the source of many of our future employees.
I would like to recognize the clock and move to rise to report progress.
Chairman Evyagotailak.
Your committee has been considering Bill 8 and the Main Estimates, I would like to report progress.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Report of this Committee of the Whole be agreed to.
Speaker (interpretation): There’s a motion on the floor.
Who seconds it.
The motion is in order, all those in favor.
Item 21, Third Reading of Bills Item 22, Orders of the day Mr. Clerk.
An announcement for tomorrow, meeting of the Regular Caucus at 10 o’clock in the morning in the Tuktu Boardroom.
Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 17, 2005:
Consideration in the Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
This House stands adjourned until Thursday, March 17, 2005 at 1:30 in the afternoon.
Thursday March 17, 2005
Pages 1908 – 1964
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 1917
Oral Questions 1920
Tabled Documents 1938
Notices of Motions 1938
Motions 1939
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 1943
Report of the Committee of the Whole 1963
Orders of the Day 1963
Thursday March 17, 2005 1908
089 – 2(2): Workers’ Compensation Board – Nunavut Operations (Akesuk) 1908
231 – 2(2): Recognition of Elders (Okalik) 1909
232 – 2(2): Wildlife Act Regulations (Alagalak) 1909
233 – 2(2): Elders Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Meeting (Tapardjuk) 1910
234 – 2(2): Sixty Year Wedding Anniversary – Robert and Annie Tatty (Curley) 1911
235 – 2(2): Education in Nunavut (Barnabas) 1911
236 – 2(2): Recognition of Rangers in Nunavut (Evyagotailak) 1913
237 – 2(2): Housing Shortage in Nunavut (Netser) 1913
238 – 2(2): Federal Responsibilities in the North (Tootoo) 1914
239 – 2(2): Birthday Wishes (Kilabuk) 1915
240 – 2(2): Income Taxes (Kattuk) 1915
241 – 2(2): Locating Biological Fathers (Arreak) 1917
305 – 2(2): Update on the Five Year Capital Plan (Tootoo) 1920
306 – 2(2): Update on the Environmental Technology Program (Netser) 1923
307 – 2(2): Status of Draft Regulations on the Wildlife Act (Alagalak) 1925
308 – 2(2): Post Secondary Student Funding (Barnabas) 1927
309 – 2(2): Marketing of Other Seal Products (Arreak) 1929
310 – 2(2): Assistance and Support for Marine Service Fees (Curley) 1930
311 – 2(2): Support for Filing of Income Tax Returns (Kattuk) 1931
312 – 2(2): Tabling of Five-Year Capital Plan (Tootoo) 1932
313 – 2(2): Update on the Shipment of Fuel (Netser) 1936
314 – 2(2): Update on the Additive for Bad Gasoline (Kattuk) 1937
104 - 2(2): Petition 4-2(2) Co-op Refunds and Income Support (Clerk) 1938
017 – 2(2): Marine Service Fees – Notice (Curley) 1939
017 – 2(2): Marine Service Fees (Curley) 1939
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Honourable Olayuk Akesuk, Mr. David Alagalak, Mr. James Arreak, Mr. Levi Barnabas, Honourable Levinia Brown, Mr. Tagak Curley, Mr. Peter Kattuk, Honourable Peter Kilabuk, Mr. Steve Mapsalak, Mr. Patterk Netser, Honourable Jobie Nutarak, Honourable Paul Okalik, Honourable Edward Picco, Honourable David Simailak, Honourable Louis Tapardjuk, Mr. Hunter Tootoo.
Members absent:
Mr. Keith Peterson  Item 1: Opening Prayer
Minister’s Statement 089 – 2(2): Workers’ Compensation Board – Nunavut Operations
I rise today to recognize the Nunavut operations of the Workers' Compensation Board.
The Workers' Compensation Board has offices in Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit, which delivers safety and training programs, workers’ claims services and employer services, as well as the associated support functions.
Workers' Compensation Board Nunavut operations has been very successful in attracting and retaining well qualified and committed staff.
I am pleased to announce that Nunavut’s Workers' Compensation Board offices are currently fully staffed, with 44 percent Inuit employment.
As a result of its qualified and committed staff, Workers' Compensation Board Nunavut Operations is able to provide services to all communities in Nunavut in a timely fashion.
I would like to share two of these highlights:
Worker claims are being processed more quickly.
In 2005, 93 percent of all claimants received a first payment within 25 days.
This is up from 35 percent in 2004.
This means that injured workers can focus on recovery, instead of worrying about finances.
Training programs and safety inspections have increased significantly.
Nine communities have already been visited in the first two months of 2005.
These programs help to prevent accidents from occurring.
As a result, the number of worker injuries has decreased by 17 percent even while the Nunavut workforce continues to grow.
More interactions with workers and employers, and partnerships with industry and Government Departments will continue throughout 2005 as the Workers' Compensation Board initiates a number of new initiatives, which include the new rate classification system, a strategic safety plan and legislative changes.
Member's Statement 231 – 2(2): Recognition of Elders
I am not exactly how to say it, but I am very pleased that the elders are here.
I was extremely proud last night when I was able to meet with the elders and watch the entertainment.
I now know that there is a vast amount of wisdom and I felt like a little child when we had our banquet.
I would like to thank every elder, who are sitting in the House, for their contributions.
It was very significant and it shows that they are proud to be an Inuk and they are proud of the government, and they want to be closer to their government.
That was obvious last night at our function.
I thank you very, very much, I am extremely proud of every single one of you.
I was there with my children and they saw the significance of being Inuit.
They are very young but they saw the significance of being with the elders.
I asked how it felt and they said that it gave them a true meaning of who they are.
With all the work that you are doing, we will carry it on through the appropriate minister.
Thank you very much for being able to get together with us last night.
We will move forward with your wisdom.
Member's Statement 232 – 2(2): Wildlife Act Regulations
I rise today to express my concern with respect to the development of regulations under the new Wildlife Act.
This new legislation was passed by the first Legislative Assembly; however, we know that the regulations that are made under the Act will have a significant impact on how this new law will affect our hunters and our trappers.
In a letter dated January 10 of this year, the Minister of Environment advised the Standing Committee Ajauqtiit, that he would be shortly taking the draft regulations to Cabinet for approval before going to communities for consultations, before consulting with the hunters and trappers and the affected stakeholders.
I know that the minister is a hunter himself and I am certain that he will agree with me, as being a hunter himself, when I say that the hunters who will be most affected by the regulations need to have the opportunity to have a say in the development of these regulations.
There will have to be consultations with the Members of the Legislative Assembly, with affected hunters and trappers and with Inuit in all communities, because it will have a very long term affect on them.
I will speak in English. (interpretation ends) Hunting is the foundation of our culture as Inuit.
The regulations of the Wildlife Act need to be well thought out. (interpretation): It will have to be well thought out.
I am urging the government....
I would like unanimous consent to conclude my statements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Speaker (interpretation): The member is seeking consent to conclude his statements.
As I said there will have to be a thorough scrutiny by the affected stakeholders like the hunters and trappers throughout.
I am very proud of our elders in Nunavut and I do not want the regulations to go through without the scrutiny of those affected.
Member's Statement 233 – 2(2): Elders Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit Meeting
The elders are here through Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.
For some of the elders, this is the first time that they are here and so I would like them to be welcomed.
I think that they are in their proper places because the House was designed so that the elders would be in the actual House.
They are here on a conference and it boosts our energy when we see the elders.
They have made a huge contribution.
When we first became a government, we stated that we would incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit into the government system.
At the appropriate time I will take the opportunity to recognize the elder who are here in the House.
Member's Statement 234 – 2(2): Sixty Year Wedding Anniversary – Robert and Annie Tatty
I rise today and we will have an opportunity to shake hands with the elders sitting around here.
I would like to focus on one couple from Rankin Inlet in particular. They will be celebrating their wedding anniversary – Robert and Annie Tatty, on March 23.
Those two will have been married for 60 years on that date.
If you would like to send a wedding gift to Mr. and Mrs. Tatty, the minister sitting over there, the Minister of Health and other ministers might want to send wedding gifts to those two.
Their extended family is very large.
I asked how many grandchildren they have and the reply was, I think, over 50.
A long time ago when I was very little in Coral Harbour, they used to go hunting by dogteam., but I don’t believe that he has dogs anymore.
He does still go out on the land.
If possible, and so that you don’t have any excuses, this is their telephone number: 867-645-2617.
I am sure they are watching the proceedings here and we wish them 60 more years.
Member's Statement 235 – 2(2): Education in Nunavut
I rise today to talk about something that we have been discussing for many, many hours in the House.
I know that the Members of the Legislature will agree that life-long learning is very important to the future of Nunavut.
We have worked for a long time to improve our student in the schools.
We have worked to improve adult learning and to do capacity building and to train them with job opportunities and we are working very hard for students to complete their grade 12 to get their certification and to become qualified.
(interpretation ends) I agree that encouraging our student and adults to continue with their learning is important to the future of Nunavut.
I agree that we want to promote self-reliance and we need to learn the skills to do the job that right now are being fulfilled and trained by southern professionals.
I agree that we should support Nunavummiut in their goals to become trained and educated professionals.
I don’t agree that we should encourage our children to follow their dreams and to get good education and then once we have them set on the path of professional cut off their support and financial assistance.
Nunavut does have a financial aid system for Nunavut students.
Some of the students manage to do well.
They succeed in getting university degrees and they continue with post-graduate studies.
When you are training to becoming a doctor, or an engineer in a highly specialized profession, it requires a number of years of study.
Speaker (interpretation): The member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statements.
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues for letting me conclude my statements. (interpretation ends) I urge the government to ensure that adequate funding is available to the students while they are working toward higher degrees and qualifications because sometimes, it takes a number of years to fulfill a requirement on some of the programs.
We need qualified professionals from Nunavut in Nunavut.
We need to support those individuals from Nunavut who are trying to get those qualifications.
To cut off a student’s funding because of an arbitrary policy on the length of time a student can receive funding is short-sighted and counter-productive.
We need to encourage and support our young academics, and not leave them high and dry.
At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker I will ask questions on this issue.
Member's Statement 236 – 2(2): Recognition of Rangers in Nunavut
I rise today in this House to recognize recent events in Kugluktuk.
The Kugluktuk Ranger Patrol provides valuable service to the community.
Rangers are essential to search and rescue efforts and provide other important services.
There will be a parade and graduation ceremony tonight at 7 p.m. in Kugluktuk, 9 p.m. Iqaluit time.
The ceremony will also involve opportunities for the community to recognize the recent sacrifice of the four RCMP officers.