EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Can the minister work on this.
The court system is dealt with by legislation and we have to use federal legislation so the problems that we encounter right now are beyond our control.
We have tried our best to deal with them by letting the Justice Committees deal with the people who have been charged and to train the committee members so they can better deal with those individuals.
If we can do more, we will do more.
Question 176 – 1(5): Income Support Deductions
I asked the Minister of Sustainable Development a little while ago, if the income support for individuals gets reduced when they sell their fox furs or sealskins.
The Minister of Education deals with income support recipients.
For individuals who are not working they receive about 50 dollars from selling his furs, so would his income support money be deducted by that amount.
It has to be according to how much the individual has received for income.
There's a thing in the form where by if the individual makes a certain amount of money, there's a certain allowance and that money does not get deducted when he sells his furs or his sealskin.
Speaker (interpretation): Supplementary, Mr. Nutarak.
The question that I had about the selling of fur and sealskin has got to do with income support.
Say for instance, an individual or myself gets some money by selling an ivory carving. The minister stated that there's a limit of income support that you can receive, is it the same if I sell my ivory carving and I'm not working.
Would they deduct so much money off my income support.
It has to follow the guidelines, if it's a small little ivory carving or whether it's a big one, it depends on how much it costs.
On the form that he has to fill out, if he received a lot of money out of it, then some of his income support would be deducted.
The individual who receives income support and after they figure the income support and the money that he's making from his carvings or his fur, say for instance if I'm going to get 300 dollars on April 1st, and if I receive 50 dollars from selling my products, then would they deduct that 50 dollars as soon as possible even though it's a new year.
It depends on where that individual gets that money.
They would deduct it right away.
The income support workers have a policy or a manual whereby they will know what amount of money to deduct or what the limit of the income support should be for the individual.
Income support workers have to follow their manual in cases like that and they would deduct that 50 dollars.
The question period is over.
Written Question 012 – 1(5): Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti
Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Public Works and Services on the NNI Policy.
Mr. Speaker, the first one;
Who are the members of the contracting policy review committee that has been established pursuant to section 17.1 of the Government of Nunavut NNI policy.
Which members of the contracting policy review committee were appointed by the Government of Nunavut.
Which members of the contracting policy review committee were appointed by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
Who are the members of the contracting appeals board, CAB, that has been established pursuant to section 18.3 of the Government of Nunavut NNI policy.
Which members of the CAB were appointed by the Government of Nunavut.
Which members of the CAB were appointed by Nunavut Tunngavik.
Which members of the CAB were appointed by the Nunavut Chamber of Commerce.
How many challenges have been received by the CAB pursuant to section 18.1 of the NNI policy.
How many decisions has the CAB issued with respect to challenges received.
When is the first annual report of the CAB due to be received by the Government of Nunavut and NTI pursuant to section 18.8 of the NNI Policy.
Reply 001 – 1(5): Mr. Alakannuark
Mr. Speaker, it has been approximately two years since we were elected to our position and looking back it doesn’t seem to have been that long.
First of all I would like to thank my wife, my children and my constituents from Kugaaruk and Repulse Bay.
Mr. Speaker, there are many issues related to Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit that we can use today in the modern world.
There is Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit that can be applied to social issues, to the climate, to the environment and management and leadership issues.
Mr. Speaker, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, our traditional common laws and systems and practices were applied in the past and are still applicable in the modern world.
The Inuit of today are still using them.
Mr. Speaker, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit can be used in the Education system.
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit can play a critical role when we are dealing with social issues.
Mr. Speaker, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit can be applied when we are doing community planning and Mr. Speaker, we can utilize our elders when there is a crisis or emergency at the community level.
I could use the example of where we could bring psychologists from the south to intervene during these times.
Mr. Speaker, our elders can assist in doing this type of work.
I know that there are many Inuit in Nunavut who can help and who want to help.
Mr. Speaker, I urge you let us utilize the elders more in these situations.
Mr. Speaker, our elders with their traditional knowledge can be great benefit to the department of Justice.
All you have to do is ask some to participate and incorporate that knowledge.
Mr. Speaker, Arctic College should invite the elders to speak to the students so they can share and pass on their knowledge and wisdom to the next generation.
Elders from the Kitikmeot, Kivalliq and Baffin regions may not have diplomas or certification but they have been given the wisdom of the world, they have had life experiences that can never be taken away by anyone in this world.
Mr. Speaker, it often appears to me that the government does not always see the practical connections between traditional knowledge and the world of contemporary programs and services.
I'd like to give one example of how they can be integrated.
In the past, if you were out on the land, you couldn't depend upon the government or the military to send out a Hercules to find you if you went missing.
Today, it's comforting to know that modern search and rescue procedures are there for us.
But, Mr. Speaker, we all know that search and rescue isn't cheap, and involves risks itself, and happens too often.
I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that the Elders could be involved in teaching on-the-land skills courses to our younger residents.
These skills would go some way to reducing the incidences where search and rescue is required.
Traditional skills would have a positive impact on modern programs.
Mr. Speaker, it would make things a lot easier in the future if we included the Elders when we are making plans for the whole of Nunavut in the areas I have just discussed.
Mr. Speaker, the Inuktitut language is extensively used in the circumpolar countries, and in Nunavut.
There are different Inuktitut dialects used in Nunavut.
Geographically, Kugaaruk, Taloyoak and Gjoa Haven might be situated closely together, but different dialects are used in each of these communities.
We cannot, and should not, forget the original dialects that originated from these Nunavut communities.
I am pleased that the Legislative Assembly has established a Special Committee to review the Official Languages Act.
I would like to see the Members work to explore ways that will protect the diversity of the Inuktitut language.
Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I raised the issue of restoring the famous and historic stone church in Kugaaruk.
I think that the Government must be active in preserving all aspects of our heritage and diversity.
Mr. Speaker, we have to teach our children Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, because they are the future keepers of the land, and we are only in this world for a short time.
Our children will also only be here for a short time, and they have to take care of the land during their time.
I have many things to say, but I'll leave it at that.
Item 15. Notices of Motions for First Reading of Bills.
Bill 1 with Mr. Irqittuq in the chair.
In accordance with the authority vested in me by motion 002-1(5), the Committee of the Whole will stay in session until it reports itself out. With Mr. Irqittuq in the chair.
Before we proceed with the Committee of the Whole, I think members will agree that we should take a short break for fifteen minutes and return as the Committee of the Whole with Mr. Irqittuq.
>>House recessed at 3.26 p.m. and resumed at 3.42 p.m.
We can start our Committee of the Whole, what is the wish of the committee.
Ms. Williams: Qujannamiik Itsivautaq.
This afternoon we would like to continue with our review of Bill 1, Department of Sustainable Development and then we can commence with our review of the capital and mains of the Department of Justice.
Bill 1, Appropriations Act 2001-2002, Department of Sustainable Development.
We'll start on page 11 in the main estimates.
We are on page 11-9, we concluded yesterday on page 11-9.
Mr. Minister, you can take your seat at the witness table.
Will you be sitting alone or will you be asking your witnesses to join you.
The witnesses could be brought in to sit at the witness table.
Thank you for taking your seat.
Mr. Minister could you introduce your witnesses.
On my left is Katherine Trumper the Deputy Minister for Department of Sustainable Development and on my right is Jim Martin with corporate services.
I would like now to ask if the members would like to ask any questions on this page.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the Deputy Minister, her name is easily pronounced.
Regarding the fur-pricing program for 120 thousand dollars.
The minister said that it depends on the quality of the fur if the price is going to increase.
If that is the way it is going to be, would it be possible to raise the 25 and 30 dollars per skin prices.
I am wondering if the review will be done at the same time and when the review will be done.
The reason why I am asking this question Mr. Chairman, is that it is not only the hunters in the communities who go out hunting.
Retired elders hunt as well and they enjoy going out seal hunting and fox trapping.
My question is when might the fur pricing program review be done.
Good afternoon members.
I hope that I respond to his question accurately.
We are working on the pricing of sealskins and hopefully we should be able to announce it this spring.
The fur pricing program, the 120 thousand as I said earlier, and the pricing, when we sell fur pelts and sealskins in North Bay, it is to benefit the hunters and we will continue to do this.
The fur-pricing program is intended to help offset the revenue shortfalls from the fur wholesale revenues.
Thank you for your excellent response, I appreciate and look forward to it.
How about caribou skins.
For example, in Coral Harbour we lose over 3 thousand caribou skins because we can’t send them out anywhere.
In the winter, the quality of the skins is very good.
I am sure the hunters could benefit from selling their caribou skins and I think they are very good quality.
Some can be prepared as leather and into other varieties.
Has that been thought about.
Chairperson (interpretation): Before I turn to the minister, I would like any member who might want to ask questions after Mr. Arvaluk is finished to raise their hand right away.
We have not reviewed the sale of caribou skins, but we do know that some are made into products for sale through sewing activities, but we could ask the Nunavut Development Corporation to look at this and see if they can come up with something.
Chairman (interpretation): Do you want to continue.
We are on page 11-9.
On page 11-9, Science Scholarships and Bursaries.
The 20 thousand is to recognize excellence in science at the grade 10 and grade 12 levels.
Does this include Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit such as on weather information.
The 20 thousand has not been spent and we will start to spend it in next two months.
We are presently working on its funding policies. It is set aside towards students who might be interested in pursuing further science courses that are often not available.
It is primarily aimed at encouraging Inuit students to take on programs such as science.
Once you have identified or gone through the policy, will the schools be informed.
Yes, that will be the case.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): Is it my turn. I apologize, I did not hear you.
I will use my Inuit knowledge.
Allocated to renewable resources in partnership with Canada for researching potential health risks to wildlife.
I think we are on 11-13. Is that correct.
Chairperson (interpretation): We are on page 11-9.
Do you have any comments to make regarding 11-9, Mr. Iqaqrialu.
I apologize I made a mistake.
I am on another page again.
I do not have any comments to make regarding 11-9.
On 11-9 it states that this is for science programs.
I wonder if that includes the research project near Grise Fiord.
If I could say it in English, it's called the Mars Project, under the science scholarships and bursaries, is money available for that project.
You could ask in whatever language you are comfortable with, just to let you know Ms. Williams.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): This will be towards any projects that may come up but once we have gone through the policy, we will be able to make it available.
Ms. Williams (interpretation): I'll have a question regarding the last item, disaster compensation.
Grants are available to hunters and trappers to replace equipment lost as a result of natural disaster. I'd just like the minister to clarify what kind of equipment they'd be able to replace.
There's 15 thousand dollars that would be towards boats or snowmobiles.
Just to add to that, it states that loss as a result of natural disaster.
Can the minister clarify what he means by natural disaster.
I could use an example.
If somebody was hunting at the floe edge and his equipment, if he lost his snowmobile because it went in the water, that would be what we mean by natural disaster.
Ms. Williams (interpretation): My last question.
That 15 thousand, I think that the 15 thousand can purchase one snowmobile.
I realize that this is a small amount but if there were more that we would need to compensate, we would look for more money to compensate individuals that might lose equipment.
If an individual was to lose equipment that is over 15 thousand dollars, to replace the equipment, 15 thousand dollars is like, you'd be able to buy one boat or one snowmobile.
Are you, do you have plans set up so that you could replace it if it's more than 15 thousand.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): I realize that this is a small amount.
Just to, we would make sure that individuals understand there is compensation for disaster and we would work with the communities and make them understand that there is money and we would try to cover whatever we needed to if it ever came up.
Just to add to Ms. William's question.
I think there's insurance for hunters through HTOs and that's how I understand it.
Hunters are able to insure their equipment through hunters and trappers associations.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): We would look at working with Nunavut Tunngavik, we have worked with Nunavut Tunngavik and other organizations on how to compensate individuals.
When an individual is assisted by being given a snowmobile, they are insured as soon as the snowmobile is given to the individual.
So they are able to be insured but I don't know how well it's done in the communities.
But we could look into seeing that they are insured when assistance is given.
Thank you, for the reply.
In my constituency, from what I understand, we can be insured and we have worked on insuring equipment and I would like to thank the minister for his response.
I didn't hear a question but we will look into this with the renewable resource officers in the communities and the HTOs, we could work with those organizations as to what we can do to better compensate for equipment that is lost.
I think I asked a question but I think we need to look into this so that the people in our communities are able to understand what is available.
I think we need to look into this further so that our people are able to understand what is available and our people know what can be compensated.
If you'd like to respond Mr. Minister.
Chairperson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I agree, this is a very important issue and I agree that we should work with the community members and inform members as to how they could insure their equipment and what kind of compensation is available.
I'd like to thank him for his questions.
Under the same topic that it's very difficult to get coverage by traditional insurance companies with those kinds of disaster, you know, it is a lot easier to get forest fire coverage in Nunavut than to get one for the floe edge.
Because traditional insurance companies usually don't have policy coverage under these circumstances, I would encourage the government to come up with some kind of recognition of what the natural disasters are whether floe edge, anything that could happen on a traditional hunting method not expedition type things.
And the cost for example, the person must be, must drive carefully on the highway and not recklessly in order to get good coverage you know, that kind of thing.
So with that you probably can distribute the responsibilities for different communities like Mr. Iqaqrialu is saying by giving them grants and contributions for that coverage.
Also have some, it's education, like by the elders, like they do with Workers' Compensation Board, like you know, I would encourage you to explore that a little bit more.
Because this, this disaster compensation is a start but it probably will require better recognition of the hunters equipment importance, like GN recognizes their buildings all of them are covered Nunavut-wide under the umbrella coverage.
So I think that kind of recognition would really help to say that yeah, we are using Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit or at least having a good consideration for Nunavummiut with all the things we do as a government.
Your comments are very well taken Mr. Arvaluk and also it's very clear as to what we can do if we were to make policies on insurance, insuring the harvesters.
His comments were very interesting and we will note them down to make sure that we'll use these options when we start dealing with reviewing the insurance in Nunavut because Nunavut is quite unique to the rest of the world.
Because we don't have highway systems.
Yes, in view of our uniqueness we will review it very carefully to see how we can deal with the harvesters' insurance.
Chairperson (interpretation): Would you like to continue.
Since there are no further comments, 11-9.
We'll go onto page 11-10.
Page 11-10.
Mr. Arvaluk: Under the hunters and trappers organizations, HTO contributions that, we give 317 thousand for example to the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and the board distributes that 317 thousand to communities.
There's nothing else, no contribution from NTI, management boards, regional organizations or development corporations to help the GN out to work with to contribute to the HTOs.
The Department of Sustainable Development contributes and also NWMB through the land claims agreement do give support to the HTOs.
Mr. Arvaluk: Your contribution is 317. What is the NWMB contribution then.
The contribution is given to the NWMB and then in turn they distribute it to the HTOs in the communities.
They do provide more funding than that.
Also on the same page I would like to ask a question about the contribution to the NWMB, which is 317 thousand.
When they are allocating it to the communities, do they set the criteria, or does the Department of Sustainable Development set the criteria, or does the NWMB provide criteria on how to spend the money.
Our department does set criteria for the communities, we know how much each community will be receiving so this funding is allotted with criteria to the communities.
Chairperson (interpretation): Any additional questions.
Ms. Williams (interpretation): Just for further clarification.
For example, when the Department of Sustainable Development gives the funding to the NWMB does the department have a written document, like here is an outpost camp and here is the funding for that outpost camp with those criteria.
If the outpost camp meets the criteria then that is when they receive the funding.
The funding is allocated to the NWMB without criteria, just to support them.
For example, they support wildlife meetings.
If there was going to be a meeting in Arctic Bay, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board would allocate 50 thousand and our assistance would be 11 thousand.
So that is how it goes.
So the funding has no criteria.
NWMB has no criteria.
Chairperson (interpretation): I have no more names on my list.
At the bottom, regional wildlife boards. (interpretation ends) The government is trying to rid some of these regional organizations so that we will have unity in Nunavut, to have direct access to the government.
Is there, do you have plans with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, to get rid of some of the regional wildlife boards so that the HTOs could have direct access to the NWMB, directly.
Or is it covered under the DIOs under the land claims agreement that they must exist in the regions.
In the NWT days, we inherited the system and how funding is allocated so, since we inherited that, we're still using it.
We're still using the Government of the Northwest Territories system and we're reviewing it.
This is the part of what is being reviewed.
I'm sure it will be part of my response to your questions because they are in review at this point in time.
This has not changed and we're still using it since it was inherited.
Once the reviewing is done, we'll have a clearer picture as to where we're going to go.
I would like to go back to 3-17, Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organizations.
Although we completed the capital estimates yesterday, I wanted to make further clarification to the Hunters’ and Trappers’ Organizations while we're on this topic.
Perhaps in my constituency, only in Qikiqtarjuaq and Clyde River, the HTOs office was using very mediocre office facilities.
I was wondering if they could be given better facilities.
Yes, the contribution to the secretary managers, each HTO has one secretary manager.
Some part of this is for the HTO members.
It's totally up to the discretion of the HTOs on how to expend their funding.
They have the discretion as to how they would like to expend the funding.
Chairperson (interpretation): Just for further clarification, yesterday we passed and agreed to the capital estimates.
Mr. Iqaqrialu, just a reminder.
Although I know that I asked a question which was agreed to yesterday, we're still on Sustainable Development, on HTOs.
I did not see any capital items to be allotted for HTOs, so therefore I have no questions in regards to that.
At this time, since I have seen the HTOs under the main estimates, I thought it would be an interesting question because the officials and the minister are sitting at the witness table, I thought it was proper to ask.
Three hundred and 17, hunters and trappers, yes I know the funding is now up to their discretion.
If the HTO had used this 317 it's only good enough for three communities.
Perhaps, how much assistance have you given to the communities.
I'm not going to go on and on, I just want further clarification.
Mr. Arvaluk (interpretation): I know what Mr. Iqaqrialu is talking about, thinking that he could go back to this item even though we're not talking about capital estimates anymore.
I think he could be breaking the rules. As the Chairman what the Chairman says is what goes on with the procedures of the meeting at this time.
At this time anyone can speak.
Hon. Olayuk Akesuk (interpretation): Under the budget of the previous Government of the Northwest Territories we did not have any money budgeted for this particular program in the Nunavut Government either.
Mr. Iqaqrialu (interpretation): I would like to ask, can you consider this funding possibly in the future.
The wildlife boards, regional wildlife boards, use the funding and it is allotted through the Nunavut Wildlife Board.