EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Hon. Paul Okalik: Ma’na Uqaqti. As I said we will be reviewing the law itself and we will try and deal all the other issues relating to alcohol, whether it be taxing or changing the laws in place to make them.
Perhaps we can look at using the fines that we collect from the bootleggers, as an alternative, so we have to look at all the options in trying to generate more publicity on alcohol abuse.
Question 073 - 1(4): Recreational Facilities Update
I will direct my question to the Premier regarding recreational facilities in communities, such as arenas and community halls.
Can he update me on what is planned for recreational facilities, because last year I posed a question about Pond Inlet.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, last year we set aside funds to conduct a review as to how we can help communities get more recreational facilities.
But right now I cannot supply a detailed answer, however, I have to say that we are dealing with other priorities such as schools and health facilities.
There are some issues that take precedence over recreational facilities.
There was a review done but right now I cannot really supply a detailed answer for the member as the minister responsible is not available today.
Question 074 – 1(4): Status of Gjoa Haven Funding Proposal
Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth.
Mr. Speaker, I represent two communities that have submitted a proposal to the Department of Culture, Language, Elders & Youth.
I will use this example, in Gjoa Haven there was a proposal submitted for funding to run a program where one of my constituents applied for a grant to teach youth how to make traditional Inuit caribou clothing.
This application was made in May of 2000.
Mr. Speaker, the applicant was verbally told at that time that it was possible to get this going and was very happy about this Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, to date the applicant has not received anything in writing regarding this proposal.
My question is Mr. Speaker, has the department reviewed all applications for grants to date.
I will respond to the member's question this way.
All the proposals for funding that are submitted are not addressed directly to me so I will check with my staff and find out the information that the member is seeking and will provide it later on Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Did I hear the minister say he was taking the question as notice.
I will direct that question to my staff since I don't have the information in front of me.
To my understanding the question is taken as notice.
No. Okay, supplementary then.
I am glad to see you sitting there today.
Mr. Speaker, why has this applicant not received any response to their application that was made in May, whether it was approved, denied or required further information.
They are waiting to hear if they have been approved, rejected or require further information so, I would like to see them replied to as soon as possible.
Hon. Peter Kattuk (interpretation): I did not hear a real question but as I stated earlier, I will get my staff responsible for these funding proposals to check into this information and get back to you.
Just a reminder to the ministers once again that when they take a question as notice try to make it extremely clear.
I was certain that the minister took that question as notice, which in that case would not allow the member to ask any of the supplementary questions.
Hon. Ed Picco: Point of Order Mr. Speaker.
Speaker: Point of Order Mr. Picco.
Mr. Speaker, I don't think it is fair to say to the minister that he should take the question as notice or explain it.
In actuality Mr. Speaker, the letter that the member was talking about was not before the House.
If he had tabled his letter at the beginning of the session or yesterday then he could speak to the letter.
The minister doesn't have the letter in front of him.
So the point of order would be Mr. Speaker, that the question would have been out of order because it was not before the House.
Speaker: Mr. Picco, I beg to differ, I don't see that as being the case and I don't see that you have a point of order.
Question 075 – 1(4): Cultural Training for Mental Health Workers
I would like to direct my question to my friend, the Minister of Health & Social Services.
We have mental health workers in our communities.
We like these workers but the problem is that these mental health workers do not know enough about the culture, the language and the lifestyle of the people of Nunavut.
My question to the minister is, is it possible to get more mental health workers who know the culture and the language.
Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity to be in the member's communities this summer and had an opportunity to meet with several of the social services staff.
Mr. Speaker, when we are hiring a mental health worker we try to hire someone who has the professional capabilities as well as the understanding of the culture and of course, of the people in Nunavut that we are working with.
We try to do that in as many cases as possible Mr. Speaker.
In this case Mr. Speaker, we also would provide cultural training and enhancement for a person who would not have been either from the community or from Nunavut in general.
Mr. Speaker, we will, and we are Mr. Speaker, working at trying as the Premier has indicated and also the Minister for Human Resources, increase the numbers of Inuit participation in all fields in Nunavut.
That's one of the reasons, Mr. Speaker, why we started the Nunavut Nursing Program.
Thank you very much for your clear response to my question.
With the declining population of the elders has your department thought about using the elders in teaching these mental health workers and health professionals.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that question.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health & Social Services has been incorporating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and have had the opportunity to bring in elders to review our business plan.
For example, Mr. Speaker, our present business plan that we will be discussing in committees over the next few weeks has been reviewed by elders from the Kitikmeot, Keewatin and from the Baffin.
So we are getting that input from our elders and at the community level Mr. Speaker, with the support of the local health committee which in most cases do have one elder on there.
We are talking about incorporating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit within the Department of Health & Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, what we want to do in the Department of Health & Social Services is try to incorporate more advice and support from the elders of the particular communities as well as incorporating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit within the Department of Health & Social Services.
So we are doing what the member has asked.
We are hoping over the next several weeks to do a little bit more and again the member will have an opportunity to speak to that during the review of the business plans for the department.
Question 076 - 1(4): Holistic Approach in Treatment Programs
Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the minister responsible for the Department of Health & Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, after reviewing the Hansard yesterday, I discovered I made a very terrible mistake and that was asking two questions at once.
The minister did a very good job at answering one of the questions but never answered the other one.
So today I will ask the minister, in light of comments that he made in mid-September regarding what the department is doing or the urgency of what the department is doing with a review on any type of alcohol or drug program.
At that time I believe he said that they were not in a rush to get a review finished.
I would like to ask the minister if his department is taking a look at developing alcohol-drug type treatment programs that would incorporate the holistic approach that we talked about yesterday.
Mr. Speaker, I tried to explain yesterday what the holistic approach was as part of the holistic, as part of a continuum of care which is being used by the Department of Health & Social Services.
I also went on to point out Mr. Speaker, that through reality based therapy, which is another tool, and the holistic approach Mr. Speaker, is only one tool in a tool box that addictions counsellors use.
So Mr. Speaker, we are doing enhanced training right now for alcohol and drug counsellors. We are also using a registered certificate program from the Glasser Institute from Ontario and we just graduated several alcohol and drug counsellors from the program.
A few weeks ago myself and the Premier were actually present for the graduation exercises. Right now Mr. Speaker, in the community of Clyde River we are doing a program for, again "choice vary" certification for drug and alcohol counsellors as well as community wellness counsellors from across Nunavut and that program is going on right now and will be continuing I believe until 2002 when the participants will be graduating from the program.
Mr. Speaker, it is great to hear that the minister indicated that there are all kinds of training opportunities available for people in the communities.
But again training opportunities are a little different than the development of a program to help treat some of the individuals that need treatment.
You know would the minister commit to taking a look at, say if a community says we want to set up a healing centre in our community to deal with these issues.
Would the minister be receptive in looking at providing support or the development by working with groups in the community to develop this type of a program, and outlining some of the things that would happen within a program and not just training people with the more broad range of training that is being offered.
Mr. Speaker, that is a bit of a different question and the answer is an emphatic yes.
Mr. Speaker, as you know in Baker Lake as an example we have a community based treatment that occurs and they are very experienced.
I should point out Mr. Speaker, in most cases 90% of our alcohol and drug workers are from the community, and most cases Mr. Speaker, they work out of a wellness centre.
So for example in Iqaluit we have a wellness centre that the member is talking about where people go right now for AA counselling and other types of alcohol and drug program counselling.
Mr. Speaker, we have a program right now in Clyde River.
If a community group or the community health committee or the wellness committee comes forward with a plan to look at opening some type of centre where they are running things out of, because in most cases Mr. Speaker, that is already in place.
Most communities do have a wellness centre in place at their community that they use.
If there is a building that needs to be accessed then my department through the help of the committee would be interested in helping to facilitate that type of physical infrastructure that the member is talking about.
The program that the member is talking about is given all the time.
Those types of programs in counselling addictions training and so on.
As I said earlier there are different types of programs and counselling sessions depending on what type of treatment the individual is seeking.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for pointing out the infrastructure stuff.
I was more interested in the programming itself and the development of what would be, take for example the programs that were offered and how they were delivered in the past that the minister stated over and over yesterday that weren't relevant to our circumstances in Nunavut.
We need to develop a program that would suit our needs.
Specifically I am just wondering when would the department assist and take the lead in developing a standardized program that could be used in any community in the way of treatment.
A way of development of a holistic type healing centre that does not just deal with alcohol or drug related issues.
Usually as he indicated yesterday there are more deeply rooted problems and those are just the result.
Would he be willing to do that and not only Mr. Speaker, with the health committees that he talked about if there are any other groups within a community that came forward or requested to the department to participate in such a thing.
Would he be willing to work with them.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member was able to clarify the programs separate from the facility.
For example Mr. Speaker, the Apex treatment centre was a residency based treatment centre.
Where actually people who had a physical addiction to a substance went to be taken away, take their physical addiction away.
As I explained there yesterday Mr. Speaker, and I am trying to get the numbers right now for the member for his question yesterday.
The number of people who actually have a physical addiction to a substance whether it be cocaine, whether it be heroin, whether it be alcohol are very few in Nunavut.
What we do have Mr. Speaker, as a example is a major problem with binge drinking.
And the underlying problems with that.
What the department of Health & Social Services had tried to do and is doing is over the past 16-18 months since the creation of Nunavut is to provide more professional development and training for our local wellness and mental health workers and our social services people at the community level to deliver those counselling programs.
Those programs are tailored to each individual person, a person who has a physical addiction Mr. Speaker, to heroin would have a different program than a person who had a problem with binge drinking as an example.
So Mr. Speaker, those are the types of programs.
On the residency based treatment programs, what I talked about earlier, Mr. Speaker, in this House, is do we need a residency based treatment centre and if we do need a residency based treatment centre, what would be the best type of program to run at that residency based treatment centre to take someone away from being addicted to substances and substance abuse. So I hope that helps clarify that question Mr. Speaker.
I’m really thinking and trying to listen to what the minister stated and I never found or was unable to decipher an answer, other than an explanation on the different types of problems that we face.
Maybe again I would like to ask the minister, if his department can commit to, or would they work with maybe other groups, other than those community health committees, if there is an interest in the community to develop something like that.
Mr. Speaker, he finally hit the nail on the head with regards to the type of program to be delivered in a community.
I’m not saying it needs to be a regional thing, it could be in each community, a residency based type program to be able to deliver, to help those people who need it.
That’s what I’m getting at is the department looking at developing a program like that, that would be relevant to us here in Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, I appreciate the member bringing up this area, and there is no easy answer and no short answer when you are dealing with substance abuse, when you are dealing alcohol and drug problems.
Because in 99 % of the cases Mr. Speaker, the underlying problems are a lot deeper than just the drinking problem, and you have to be able to deal with all of those, at the same time, when you are doing the program and the program is tailored to the individual, Mr. Speaker.
That’s why I said that if you are looking at a residency program, that’s where you go to be weaned off of a physical addiction to a substance, in most cases Mr. Speaker, those type of referrals for an individual are clinically made by a doctor, by a nurse, by another professional.
Or Mr. Speaker, they are made by the individual who realizes he needs or she needs help. At the community level, Mr. Speaker, we’re trying to provide the training and so on, to our community alcohol and drug counsellors, our social workers, our other staff, our professionals at the community level to be able to provide support, not only to the individuals but to the families.
Mr. Speaker, the answer again is yes, to the member, we are doing what he’s asking, we are looking at that right now, do we need a residency based program in Nunavut, like we had in the past, so we are doing that.
Is there any one out there that the members is talking about out there in Nunavut who needs help, are they receiving it, yes.
If they need to be brought to a treatment centre, for substance abuse, a physical addiction, are they being treated, yes Mr. Speaker, they are being given that help.
Can we do more with professional development, yes Mr. Speaker, we are trying to do that.
We’re trying to review the programs that we’re offering, as I just explained, we are doing programs right now, with Clyde River, with people all over Nunavut, with 12 different participants.
Mr. Speaker, I know that the short answer, the guys keep going like this, if you want to hear the short answer, I’m trying to give you the answer.
Mr. Speaker, I’m trying to give the members the answer that they are asking for. If you want a short answer, are we delivering a program, yes. How are we delivering it, at the community.
Are we looking at residency based treatment programs Mr. Speaker, yes. I know the member and other members support me in getting more money in my budget to open up treatment centres in all the communities, so I know that they’ll support me on that later too.
Question 077 - 1(4): Traditional Clothing Modelling
Last year, and just recently, they have been modelling Inuit traditional clothing, I would like to ask the minister what benefits this has produced.
When the Nunavut Government was just recently created we wanted to advertize the fact that Inuit can make their own clothing.
Today we have modelled this traditional clothing and since last spring, different countries are starting to understand and have been requesting our clothing.
Just recently they have travelled overseas to model the Inuit traditional clothing and if there is going to be a show they bring this clothing to model them because people around the world are getting more interested in how Inuit people make their clothing.
Speaker (interpretation): Supplementary. Mr. Iqaqrialu.
Mr. Speaker, since the minister said that they are progressing well, I would like to ask him again, will you be asking Nunavut residents to make more traditional clothing.
Will they produce more clothing so that they could sell it for the shows.
I was wondering if the minister is working towards that.
To date, as we keep informing the members of the legislature, the government will not be imposing things on the communities.
The communities will be working on their own behalf.
I know that many of the communities are more interested in working this through the Nunavut Development Corporation.
They are more interested in being involved in the creation of traditional clothing.
Women’s groups or private businesses are taking on more of this initiative.
There are more and more applications coming in for private businesses and we have been able to give them assistance to date.
Question 078 - 1(4): Assistance by Laypersons in Dealing with Social Issues
Mr. Nutarak (interpretation): I will be directing my question to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
It is supplementary to the question that was asked previously.
If an individual in the community would like to help to resolve some social issues what would the minister do if there was such a request or would he say they do not have enough education.
Mr. Speaker, we would look at the request and direct it to the Department of Health and Social Services.
We would review the request and then help where possible I guess Mr. Speaker.
In most of the communities in Nunavut, the majority of the communities in Nunavut deal with social issues and they deal with how to resolve some of the social issues that they have at the local level.
These committees or these entities that do this work do it voluntarily, without getting paid.
So my question is would he be able to recognize all the volunteers because they already know the Inuit culture and they are more than capable to counsel the people.
So would you be willing to recognize these individuals.
Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to thank the member for bringing that point up.
There are many, many people in our communities who are volunteers.
Who provide counselling and wellness support to our communities without being paid.
Mr. Speaker, we would like to recognize those people.
At the same time Mr. Speaker, we recognize that the social workers, our alcohol and drug workers, mental health workers all work under very trying and stressful circumstances and we as a government and as a minister appreciate the hard work that they are doing delivering at the community level.
Since the minister has stated that he would like to recognize the people who do volunteer work on social issues, I am sure that he will be asking the communities before he recognizes these volunteers.
Perhaps you will officially recognize them in 2001.
Mr. Speaker, there may be an opportunity working with individual communities to recognize people in their community who provide that type of service.
In many cases Mr. Speaker, counselling and what you are doing as well as the member knows, a lot of the counselling sessions are confidential between a client the person they are working with.
So in a lot of cases some people do not like to be acknowledged for their work.
But Mr. Speaker, I think the member has a good idea.
Maybe that is something as the Minister of Health & Social Services I could write to our community health committees as an example to note some of the volunteers in the community that would like to be receiving notification and receive a commendation for the outstanding work they are doing and I think we would be prepared to do that.
Mr. Speaker, as the member said 2001 would be a good date if not sooner.
Question 079 - 1(4): Rodent Infestation at Ublivik
Uqaqti, my question today is to the Minister of Health & Social Services.
Uqaqti, over the last week it has been no big secret that we have a vermin problem at Ublivik in Winnipeg.
My question today to the minister is, has Ublivik centre today passed all fire, electrical and health codes.
Mr. Speaker, I believe when the member is talking about vermin in this case, the member is talking about a varmint, Mr. Speaker.
The varmint the member is talking about is a mouse.
As the media has reported Mr. Speaker, there was a problem with mice at the boarding home in Winnipeg.
The Ublivik centre it used to be called.
As the member knows that centre is run by contract and owned by the Inuit of Nunavut.
Owned by the members of this House through a joint venture company with Nunasi.
I have spoken with one of the directors about the situation and my staff contacted Nunasi about the problem with the mice in the building.
As you know Mr. Speaker, the building is an old building.
I was there in August, I believe the Premier was with me.
There were about 80 patients there I believe at that time when I was there.
To my knowledge Mr. Speaker, the problem with the mice has been rectified.
I have not heard any complaints on that this week.
So that is something that we could look into.
Mr. Speaker, for any building that is operating in Winnipeg or any other civil jurisdiction they have to follow the safety codes, building codes, fire codes and so on, or they would not be open.
So I would base the answer on Mr. McLean’s second question that indeed the centre would be following those codes or they would not be open.
The jurisdiction of Winnipeg, the city of Winnipeg, would not allow them to function as a boarding home so I hope that helps answer the member’s question.
I would like to thank the honourable minister for the education on vermin and mice.
I have been in that building numerous times myself and the building is quite old.
In fact, it is probably one of the oldest structures in Winnipeg.
We have a lot of constituents that go down there and if I am correct it could be around anywhere from 80 to 100 people at any one time.
When was the last time the building was inspected and is there air conditioning in there.
Your two questions Mr. Picco.