EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I haven’t chaired the Committee of the Whole for a while. Anyway, we’ll get back to the agenda once we finish with general comments. General comments, Mr. Peterson.
Mr. Peterson: I welcome the minister to Committee of the Whole today, and her opening comments.
Mr. Chairman, I’ve been a Member of the Legislative Assembly for three years. I’m going into the fourth year as we all are. Before that I was Mayor of Cambridge Bay for four years, and health issues were our top priority for my community.
I think everybody in my community at one time or another has been at the health centre to see doctors or nurses.
For the most part, from what I know and understand, people are being treated, and treated well.
We have people who do rightfully feel that they are not getting proper treatment and they bring their concerns to mayors and to the Members of the Legislative Assembly.
Of course we have to respond to them. I do try to respond to them.
Sometimes they’re not happy, and sometimes they are satisfied. I think for the most part, given the environment we’re in, the delivery of health in Nunavut is progressing.
I’ve been around Nunavut for quite a long time and I can say with honesty and certainty that it has improved, but we are operating in a very difficult and tough environment up here.
We have not only live here, but we have to travel, we have to put up with some awful weather conditions. The last two weeks here in Iqaluit, with the blizzards closing down the town a couple of times, it’s not an easy environment to operate and deliver health.
I think about those things, but it came home to me last month when I read a Vancouver Sun article. I read an interview with the Minister of Health for the province of British Columbia. It was a very candid interview, and it crystallized what I’ve known for a long time about the Department of Health.
He said that he is the third longest serving health minister in Canada and he’s only been a minister for 18 months.
He’s a bit of a fatalist; he says that he can be fired any day because he’s not keeping people happy. He said that 50 percent of the time is spent on crisis management issues, and not just organizational issues, but personal issues for people calling him up or emailing and demanding attention.
We have 13 health ministers across Canada and he’s the third longest serving. That was an interesting fact.
And then I recalled that we had a Minister of Health who served five years, Mr. Picco. Mr. Picco heard from me quite often.
I have to take my hat off to Mr. Picco for lasting five years. I am sure he had a lot of interesting experiences.
In the north we have to keep in mind that even though it’s the largest territory, in 25 communities, we only have 31,000 people.
The minister probably knows a lot of those people personally, and unlike a minister in the south where you might have problems with two million people, the chances of knowing anyone personally are fairly low unless they are from your own riding.
Up here, knowing a person personally must place even larger pressure on the minister to help them out.
Over the years, as a Mayor, and MLA that this department, unlike other government departments, is the center of attention daily.
Either we or one of our loved ones, or friends that we know you, go to the health centre, it’s just a fact of life. Everybody is concerned about the health centres, and the nurses, and doctors, and other medical professionals who are there will be able to help them.
It’s no secret that in the Department of Health in Nunavut, and all the provinces in Canada, the costs are continuing to escalate.
I don’t know how you can control those costs.
The doctor’s fees go up, the salaries and wages go up. The health department has to compete with other government departments for their budget, their O&M and their capital costs. How do you control those costs when it’s not like you can tell people don’t get sick, when you get sick we can’t medevac you to a proper medical care.
For this department we have to swallow the fact that the costs are going to continue to go up.
We’re going to continue to have to medevac people to the south.
In terms of our retaining our health professionals, like doctors and nurses, in reality in this day and age we have to compete with the provinces.
I read a story the other day that the province of Alberta is offering huge signing bonuses to doctors. They are even enticing doctors who have retired to come out of retirement to come and work for them and receive these signing bonuses.
I am aware from my conversations with some health professionals in the north that headhunting firms in the south working for provinces are calling up our health professionals in Nunavut and offering them jobs and benefits that we can’t even to begin to imagine offering our staff up here because we can’t afford it.
If I was a doctor, or a nurse in Nunavut and someone called me you know, Mr. Peterson, whatever you’re getting paid now we’ll double your salary to come and work for us. How do you turn that down?
I am going to be interested to learn from the minister and her officials how they’re going to compete with southern provinces, deep pocketed provinces in particular on a level playing field to recruit doctors, and nurses, and other health professionals to come and work in Nunavut.
The other issue in my riding, in particular, is housing for health professionals. That’s no secret. We have a health facility in Cambridge Bay that should have 20 nurses and doctors and because we don’t have the housing, the Department of Health can’t hire those health professionals.
Even if they did hire the health professionals, because of the GN's Staff Housing Policy and the rent scale, they’d be paying very expensive O&M costs to the government to rent those facilities.
How do you balance that, the recruitment of nurses and doctors, and pay them enough so that they can cover their rent and utilities in the health facility.
Keep in mind that most of the doctors and nurses are probably working 12 to 15-hour shifts, seven days a week. They’re probably not even going to be spending much time at those houses.
I have concerns, and those concerns are that people worry a lot about their health. I mentioned earlier, none of us as MLAs or other officials like people to suffer or watch them suffer.
So we do have to ask the minister some questions and I hope her and officials will be able to give some good answers and some hope and optimism for the future that health is improving in the north, and will continue to improve, and we’re taking steps to improve it.
I know the minister has had a lot of meetings in the south - Federal Provincial Territorial Meetings. I’m hoping that she can share some of her experiences and knowledge of some of those meetings and discussions with her colleagues. There is also the federal minister, she has meetings with that person.
What direction is the federal level going.
And on a closing comment, Mr. Chairman, I would like to echo the comment of my colleague, Mr. Curley. There are a lot of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who are working very, very hard in our communities to improve the lives and quality and standard of care daily for our citizens.
I would like to recognize them and we do hold them in high esteem and regard. Hopefully through our line of questioning in the next few days we’ll be able to help them out as well.
Mr. Barnabas (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to make a motion to report progress.
Chairman: There’s a motion on the floor. We have a motion on the floor to report progress and the motion is not debatable.
Your committee has been considering Bill 1 and the main estimates, and would like to report progress. Also, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.
There’s a motion on the floor. Is there a seconder? Mr. Netser.
I would like to seek consent to go to Item 5.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. The member is seeking unanimous consent to return to Item 5.
There are no nays. Ms. Aglukkaq, please proceed.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a visitor from Gjoa Haven and he was with the Legislative Assembly in the Northwest Territories. His name is Micheal Angutitaluk.
I would like to welcome him. Thank you.
Chairman (interpretation): Welcome to the Gallery.
A reminder; there is a meeting of the Management Services Board at 2:30 in the Tuktu Boardroom this afternoon.
Orders of the Day for March 19:
This House stands adjourned until Monday, March 19, at 1:00 p.m.
>>House adjourned at 14:12
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Pages 457 – 529
Opening Prayer 457
Ministers’ Statements 457
Point of Privilege 457
Members’ Statements 462
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 467
Oral Questions 468
Tabling of Documents 488
Notices of Motions 488
Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills 489
Motions 489
Second Reading of Bills 489
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 490
Report of the Committee of the Whole 528
Orders of the Day 528
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 457
031 – 2(4): Minister Okalik Absent from the House (Picco) 458
032 – 2(4): Territorial Formula Financing (Simailak) 458
033 – 2(4): Taking Action on Climate Change in Arctic Communities (Netser) 459
034 – 2(4): Local Housing Organization Maintenance Workshop (Akesuk) 460
035 – 2(4): Secondary Inuinnaqtun Program (Picco) 461
063 – 2(4): Members Alagalak, Curley and Barnabas Absent from House (Evyagotailak) 462
064 – 2(4): Reaction to Federal Budget (Tootoo) 462
065 – 2(4): Federal Budget Announcement (Arvaluk) 463
066 – 2(4): Workshops for Community Wellness (Peterson) 464
067 – 2(4): Lisee Kavik – One of Canada’s Outstanding Principals (Kattuk) 465
068 – 2(4): Seal Hunt Protesters (Arreak) 466
069 – 2(4): Staffed Weather Forecasting in Nunavut (Picco) 466
078 – 2(4): Federal Budget – $23 Million to Nunavut (Tootoo) 468
079 – 2(4): Funding for Small Port Projects (Arreak) 469
080 – 2(4): O’Brien Report Recommendations (Peterson) 471
081 – 2(4): Problems with Passport Photographs (Evyagotailak) 473
082 – 2(4): Federal Infrastructure Funding (Arvaluk) 476
083 – 2(4): Passport Issues (Kattuk) 478
084 – 2(4): Territorial Formula Financing Update (Tootoo) 481
085 – 2(4): Inuit School and Museum Funding (Arvaluk) 483
086 – 2(4): Physician Services (Peterson) 485
045 – 2(4): Schedule for the Student Loan Fund for the Year Ending March 31, 2006 (Picco) 488
046 – 2(4): Qulliq Energy Corporation Annual Report March 31, 2006 (alternate format of TD 170 – 2(3)) (Picco) 488
047 – 2(4): Five-day Forecast for Iqaluit from Environment Canada March 16, 2007 (Picco) 488
003 – 2(4): Rejection of the Report of the Nunavut Electoral Boundaries Commission – Notice (Tootoo) 488
004 – 2(4): Extended Hours and Days – Notice (Picco) 489
Bill 09 – An Act to Amend the Nunavut Elections Act – Notice 489
Bill 04 – Workers’ Compensation Act – Second Reading 490
Bill 01 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2007-08 – Consideration in Committee – Health and Social Services 491
Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Honourable Olayuk Akesuk, Mr. James Arreak, Mr. James Arvaluk, Mr. Levi Barnabas, Honourable Levinia Brown, Mr. Joe Allen Evyagotailak, Mr. Peter Kattuk, Honourable Peter Kilabuk, Mr. Steve Mapsalak, Honourable Patterk Netser, Honourable Paul Okalik, Mr. Keith Peterson, Honourable Edward Picco, Honourable David Simailak, Honourable Louis Tapardjuk, Mr. Hunter Tootoo.
First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Arreak, who was able to preside as the Speaker on my behalf.
Hon. Leona Aglukkaq: Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker.
Pursuant to Rule 20(1) I would like to raise a Point of Privilege.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you, Ms. Aglukkaq. (interpretation ends) Please proceed, Ms. Aglukkaq.
On Thursday the coverage of this proceeding is in Inuktitut and I had made a Member’s Statement to my constituents and to the mayors and to thank my constituents for their contributions during the constituency meeting that I held in January and February.
I had raised this similar concern in the past in November to the Legislative Assembly staff but it appears that the matter is not yet resolved.
The privilege that I want to raise today is that when I use my Inuktitut language; Nattilingmiut dialect; in the proceedings in the House, that is translated by our translators into their dialect.
Every other Member in this House can debate in their language, in their dialect but it appears when I use my dialect in the proceedings in the House that it’s being translated to the Baffin dialect.
The other point that I’d like to also raise is that the Nattilingmiut dialect is not Inuinnaqtut, and on the television on Wednesday, my Inuktitut, Nattilingmiut dialect was not being translated into Inuinnaqtut. So in the Kitikmeot there are two distinctive dialects; one is Inuinnaqtut; one is Inuktitut; and one of those is Nattilingmiut.
I don’t believe that the respect of my language is being applied in the proceedings in this House, so that my constituents and people that I represent can hear me in my language, and in their language in deliberations in this House. So I would ask that you review the matter and report back to me.
And I thank you for letting me know.
At the appropriate time I will report back to the House.
At this time we will proceed with the Orders of the Day. Orders of the Day for today.
Minister’s Statement 031 – 2(4): Minister Okalik Absent from the House (Picco)
Hon. Ed. Picco (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) Welcome back to the Assembly. I wish to advise the members that the Honourable Paul Okalik will be absent from the House today.
Minister’s Statement 032 – 2(4): Territorial Formula Financing (Simailak)
Hon. David Simailak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to say hi to the people in Baker Lake.
(interpretation ends) I rise today to update the members on the current status of Territorial Formula Financing for Nunavut. The Federal Budget Speech yesterday contained provisions that, if passed, will return our TFF to a needs-based formula.
Members will remember that for the last couple of years TFF funding has been increasing at a fixed rate of only 3.5 percent, an amount that does not even come close to meeting our growing expenditure needs.
This TFF was to be in place for only a year, in anticipation of a report from an expert panel with respect to reforming TFF: the O’Brien Report.
Acceptance of that report, which the governments of all three territories support, was delayed while the federal government considered its merits.
I am pleased that, by and large, the O’Brien Report recommendations are contained in Monday’s budget.
Those changes include:
A base, or floor amount of funding, based on Nunavut’s needs;
A yearly increase that is cost-based, and not simply a set percentage increase. For example, adjustments will be made in future years for population growth and government expenditures;
A simplified approach to the measurement of territorial revenues;
Improved incentives for us to increase our own revenues and to develop our economy; and
A simplified estimate and payment system to increase predictability.
Although we certainly appreciate a return to the needs-based model, we will still have ongoing discussions and negotiations with Canada with respect to Nunavut’s unmet needs in the base formula, as well as our unique situation.
This new TFF is an excellent start but we are not there yet. The proposals put forward by the federal government draw largely from the recommendations that were released as part of the expert panel’s report on TFF in June of 2006.
In 2007-08 the total of TFF entitlements for Nunavut will increase from $855.4 million to $893 million. This is a $37.6 million increase from the amount that was announced in the 2007 GN budget.
However, strategic investments outside TFF will still be required to help our government reduce dependence on the federal government. Any new funding should be needs based, not per capita based.
This government must continue with its commitment to fiscal responsibility, fiscal discipline and accountability.
We must stay the course through implementing measures of efficiency, effectiveness and economy.
This TFF arrangement is here for the long run. Likewise, we must assure ourselves, Nunavummiut, and indeed Canada, that we, too, are here for the long run, and are charting a correct and prudent course for the future.
I invite all members to join with me in charting that course. I previously committed to a thorough discussion regarding TFF and other possible revenue sources from the federal government and I reaffirm that commitment now. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister’s Statement 033 – 2(4): Taking Action on Climate Change in Arctic Communities (Netser)
Climate change is one of the most important issues facing Canadians today, as this country will be one of the most affected.
For Nunavummiut, impacts of climate change are expected to be the most severe in Canada so it is urgent for arctic communities to address adaptation planning.
In 2003 the GN identified climate change as a priority area and developed the Nunavut Climate Change Strategy.
The Department of Environment is overseeing the implementation of the climate change strategy by identifying and monitoring the impact of climate change on our environment, and developing adaptation strategies and materials that illustrate the impacts of climate change in Nunavut.
We are actively seeking resources that will meet the needs of Nunavut and will help address the direct impacts of climate change to our social, environmental, economic, and health sectors.
We can achieve this through partnerships with the federal government, as we did with the Climate Change Adaptation Workshop, which was held here in Iqaluit last December and also with other GN departments.
Since 2003 we’ve started several programs and initiatives that have helped Nunavummiut. They include an Energy and Environment Calendar Contest, awareness workshops in Nunavut regions, Arctic Wisdom, Inuit of Canada Exhibit, and Arctic Day at the Montreal United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2005.
We’ve also implemented the GN’s Interdepartmental Committee on Climate Change and held the first of many successful adaptation-planning workshops.
In the Nunavut Climate Change Strategy, there are specific actions that need to be taken such as enhancing awareness and understanding, the government leading by example, investing in knowledge, and building a foundation.
My department has been successful, so far, in achieving these actions and will continue to work hard in the future to meet this government’s obligations. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister’s Statement 034 – 2(4): Local Housing Organization Maintenance Workshop (Akesuk)
Good afternoon, Members.
I rise today to speak about one example of the ongoing training initiatives for our partners, the Local Housing Associations, or LHOs, that the Nunavut Housing Corporation is encouraging in Nunavut.
The corporation hosted a Housing Maintenance Foreman’s Workshop during the last week of February in Iqaluit.
Representatives of each community across Nunavut attended our workshop.
Nunavut Housing Corporation design staff from our headquarters office in Arviat, staff from the Department of Community and Government Services, the Workers’ Compensation Board, and the representatives of manufacturers worked together to put on a workshop that dealt with a wide range of topics to assist LHO maintenance foremen in their daily operations.
(interpretation ends) Topics dealing with Maintenance Program Delivery and policy and planning strategies were included to enable LHOs across Nunavut to be up-to-date with Housing Corporation program delivery.
For example, sessions were held on unit condition rating inspections and the introduction of energy efficiency in future housing retrofits under the Maintenance and Improvement Program for retrofitting existing housing stocks.
LHO foremen participated in a series of detailed and hands-on maintenance training on various mechanical components, which require regular maintenance.
LHO foremen had the opportunity to physically explore, open, and operate appliances such as a heat recovery ventilator, and hydraulic heating cabinets, and questioned the various appliance manufacturers present.
These exercises provided a clear understanding of the working of the mechanical components of public housing units.
(interpretation) The housing corporation will be exploring other opportunities to host several more workshops for our partners, the Local Housing Organizations.
Minister’s Statement 035 – 2(4): Secondary Inuinnaqtun Program (Picco)
We believe that it is essential that as part of the Bilingual Education Strategy, curriculum and resource materials be made available in Inuinnaqtun in addition to Inuktitut, English and French.
It is also vital that Inuinnaqtun speaking teachers receive the support they need to help their students in the classroom.
I am pleased to advise my colleagues of the first steps taken recently where Inuinnaqtun teachers from the high schools in Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk received training in the Inductive Language Experience Model, and have begun using this with their students.
The model uses as a foundation, the rich language of an elder who speaks for a period of time, on a topic suggested by the staff including making parkas, mitts, Kamiik, etcetera. Using words and pictures that participants wrote down, the process involves sharing, learning, and supporting one another and writing the language.
I understand that by the end of the week the walls of the training room were covered with words, pictures, sentences, definitions, and pieces of writing.
Teachers now have an opportunity to try out the approach with their students and bring issues and concerns back to the next training session.
They will also be able to share successes they have experienced.
This model of language instruction was shared with colleagues during the Kitikmeot Inuit Teachers Professional Improvement Week at the Language Revitalization Conference held in Cambridge Bay March 5 to 9.
We are committed to providing much needed support to our teachers that will help them in the classroom.
Initiatives such as the Secondary Inuinnaqtun Program give our teachers the opportunity to further develop their skills, especially as they work towards insuring our graduates are fully bilingual in either Inuit language and English or French.
Member’s Statement 063 – 2(4): Members Alagalak, Curley and Barnabas Absent from House (Evyagotailak)
As the chairman of regular members, I would like to welcome you back to the House.
As you know, we have had bad weather for a few days.
Mr. Alagalak, Mr. Barnabas, and also Mr. Curley will not be here today.
Member’s Statement 064 – 2(4): Reaction to Federal Budget (Tootoo)
Mr. Tootoo: If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.
I rise today to offer some comments on this year’s federal budget.
Like all Members of this House, I was anxious, like my colleague from Iqaluit would say, to see what yesterday’s budget would mean for our territory, our community, and our constituents.
Like all Members of the House I had originally hoped to see a good news budget that would put us on a path to fully redeem the needs of our jurisdictions.
Although we did get some good news from Ottawa on such issues as the TFF, and additional dollars for infrastructure, and strengthening financial management, there is more work to be done on a number of issues and I would like to highlight some of these today.
I was disappointed to see no firm federal commitment on funding a deep sea port for Iqaluit as outlined during their campaign. This project is a critical and strategic investment that would benefit the whole country.
I was disappointed to see that although the budget indicated that the federal government will move ahead with negotiations to devolve onshore natural resource management, responsibilities, and resource revenues to the territories, it appears that we may have a battle ahead of us with respect to the issue of including internal waters in the negotiations where much of our oil and gas potential lies.