EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
For that reason, Mr. Chairman, while we are on the review of the main estimates for the Department of Health and Social Services, I wish to move that this committee recommend that the Department of Health and Social Services undertake a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of its patient/client complaints procedure, with a view to ensuring consistent standards of service and care at all territorial health facilities; and that the minister report on the findings of the review no later than the first day of the fall 2012 sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Chairman, I move the motion to initiate the comprehensive review that will report on the issues and to provide recommendations to improve the system. I believe that this is the only way we can move forward and that was my reasoning for making this motion.
There’s a motion on the floor. The motion is in order.
Before we start debating on the motion, I have a few comments as to the procedures.
Every member has a right to speak to the motion for a total of 20 minutes.
The mover of the motion speaks first and has the right to the last reply, which closes the debate.
This motion does not require a seconder, according to the understanding I have.
The Members of Legislative Assembly have questioned aspects of the health care system in Nunavut without any progress or improvement in the system.
Although we seem to continually complain about the issues with the departmental policies as well as the fact that when patients feel their health complaints are not being resolved, this causes many difficulties, especially for those people who are unilingual. This process is very complex, especially if you have no English language comprehension.
For that reason, I urge the minister and the department to conduct a comprehensive review to study whether improvements can be wrought and to look at standardizing the service and care in Nunavut.
In order to fill some of our expectations of improvements through this review based on the numerous complaints lodged without any improvements, if this motion was to pass, then our expectations about the improvement of the system will become more concrete as it relates to problems experienced by patients requiring care in the communities.
I would like to see this motion passed and I urge the Members of the Legislative Assembly to support this motion in order to represent their constituents on the review of patient/client complaint procedure.
He just spoke to his motion.
Good day. I would like to take a short five-minute break so I can review the motion that was just given to us.
I also had that question when conferring with the staff as the Chair.
If the Executive Council members raised this matter, I was notified that in this case, the motion will remain on the floor and members of the cabinet can hold a caucus.
We can take a short break based on my powers as the Chair.
If I have to identify a timeframe, five minutes should be appropriate while they hold their caucus.
When I ring the bells, please come back.
>>Committee recessed at 17:42 and resumed at 17:49
I thought I was going to be alone sitting in the House.
There’s a motion on the floor. The cabinet had an opportunity to hold their caucus for five minutes. We will return to Mr. Tapardjuk’s motion.
When I took on the health department, nobody told me that I would have this much fun and excitement in 100 days.
It’s like being on a rollercoaster. I think, right now, I’m at the top, so I’m hoping that I don’t go down to the bottom again.
Mr. Chairman, if members recall, when I did my opening comments, I said that the department has set out an ambitious business plan in the upcoming year, one that would depend upon adequate fiscal and human resources. As all members know, I don’t utter words like that unless I mean them.
As set out in the business plan and in my comments, in the upcoming fiscal year, we have a lot of work to do on the Child and Family Services Act and a lot of work to do on the review of the Public Health Act, the Mental Health Act, and the Vital Statistics Act.
I have talked at great length about strengthening health committees in the communities.
We want to develop the guiding principles to get health committees more vocal and more active in the communities, working with our department.
We have talked about the Nunavut suicide action plan. We have a lot of work to get that underway.
I appreciate the hard work that all the partners are doing in that regard. We’re one of the partners. We have staff and resources tied up in that.
We just talked today about reviewing the Client Travel Policy and trying to get that underway and complete.
The five-year review of the Nursing Recruitment and Retention Strategy is coming due, so we will have people tied up in that.
We have to continue to implement the electronic health records. That’s a key initiative. It’s a very ambitious initiative.
We have to that in all communities in Nunavut and we have committed to having that done by 2014.
We’re working on the mobile addictions treatment initiative. That’s going to be very important to our territory.
We’re coming into the capital estimates cycle for the upcoming year. We’re working on a whole lot of these THSSI and THAF initiatives that are very important to us, and public health initiatives.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate Mr. Tapardjuk’s concerns about the patient/client complaints procedure. I hear complaints all the time, but I’m a new minister.
I would like to have the opportunity to work with the department and direct them in how to improve relationships with communities and with the people of Nunavut.
There just isn’t enough time.
The first day of the fall sitting of 2012… . Three months of summer are coming up, and I just listed off all the stuff we’re working on. They’re vitally important to Nunavummiut that we have to roll out.
As I said a few days ago, the Department of Health is a unique department because it does touch on everybody’s lives in Nunavut and we all know a lot of people who depend on us daily in providing a good, high level of public health care to Nunavummiut.
I just don’t know if I can continue to tie up resources when we’ve got so many very important initiatives to initiate, undertake, and complete so that we can make this an independent department in Nunavut.
As you will recall, Mr. Chairman, the Government of Canada gave us some news in December about our Canada health transfer money that’s going to crimp us a little bit.
We’re working with the Government of Canada on our territorial formula financing to review our gross expenditure base. So hopefully at some point, we will make adjustments where we can get some additional funding so that we can do some more things for our health care in Nunavut.
I’ll be very busy with health ministers of Canada meetings to look at how we can improve health care in Canada and in our territory so that we can provide a better level of service.
So, Mr. Chairman, we have such an ambitious business plan. I see this as something that would tie us up.
I do commit that I will continue to stress throughout our department that we will work with our clients and provide a strong level of service and make our community health centres more welcoming.
If we get those health committees up and operational, I think that will go a long way in alleviating some of the concerns.
With the Client Travel Policy, as I mentioned, we are asking the clients themselves about what they think should be included and we’re asking people who work with the policy about what can be included and should be included.
We have heard comments, questions, and concerns from all MLAs. I’m sure that those will be considered under the review.
So I’m very positive about the future of the health department in Nunavut. I think we can make some great strides going forward to reduce the patient/client complaints. For that reason, Mr. Chairman, I can’t support this motion.
I would like to ask the members to talk to the motion, the intent of the motion. I have no more names, actually.
Mr. Curley: Thank you. (interpretation) Mr. Chairman, it is quite understandable listening to the comments.
Our constituents tend to have a lot of concerns and issues, especially elders.
I know for a fact that you really feel for them when there is really no other alternative and they feel apprehensive about their health.
This is very real.
I know that ministers can undertake anything if they want to correct the operations of their department.
We’re not trying to restrict or abrogate from this power. We’re just trying to protect our constituents as well as yours.
Our constituents should feel comfortable when they go to a health centre and when we write up their concerns and issues.
This has been ongoing for so long.
“How can I be properly understood?” That is their main thought when they are worried about their health.
Apparently, they are understood, but I’m not sure that is the case.
For that reason, if you want to try to resolve the concerns of Nunavutmiut, there is no way other than supporting this.
I would ask that this be a recorded motion so that everyone would see who supports what, especially when it comes to trying to resolve the issues we face and bear in the health care field.
I totally understand the distractions when we try to conduct our duties, and the minister apparently understands that when you’re distracted, you sometimes cannot complete your duties.
However, we’re not just being distracted by this.
This motion will resolve a lot of issues and it will alleviate the deep concerns our constituents have, especially when it comes to health or of feeling unwelcome about their concerns, which just seem to be written down without ever being resolved.
This will definitely improve our health care system in my opinion.
I hope you very carefully consider this motion because it’s not trying to break down the health system, but rather, it’s trying to resolve the current barriers and issues that we face in health.
I’m trying to say that we should all support this.
So I give it back to you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Curley. The clock is approaching six o’clock as I speak and colleagues, as you are well aware, we usually adjourn at six o’clock in the evening. I would like to ask the committee if they wish to proceed with the business at hand and to go past six o’clock to deal with the motion.
That is my question. Would you like to proceed?
Let us conduct a show of hands so that it will become clear. All those in favour of going ahead to deal with the motion.
I’m trying to record a motion, Mr. Enook. Can you please be patient. All those who would like to adjourn for the day.
The majority are in favour of proceeding with the business at hand.
There’s a motion on the floor. We will proceed past six o’clock, as per the committee’s wishes, to deal with the matter. Thank you for clarifying that matter for us.
Mr. Curley, I believe you were done. Mr. Ningark.
Mr. Ningark: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The motion that is being circulated to me is not a money bill. It is a motion that is inconsistent with the Executive Branch of the government, in this case, the cabinet mission.
I would like to read the mission statement under Health and Social Services on H-2, and I quote, “Our mission is to promote, protect and enhance,” I underline the term enhance, “the health and well-being of all Nunavummiut,” and this motion talks about all Nunavummiut, “incorporating Inuit societal values,” and we talked about that the last two or three days as we reviewed the budget, “at all levels of service delivery and design.”
This is what the motion is all about.
When I mention the Executive Branch of the government, the cabinet, I’m talking about the public service is included. That’s what the motion is all about and I will support the motion. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Education, in my opinion, is the only way to advance as a society. It’s the very essence and foundation in all aspects of life. In saying that, Mr. Chairman, the health department is very sensitive and life-altering every day to Nunavummiut.
Health and social services by way of our nurses in health centres and other professionals, even those extended down in the south, all public servants and professionals, and even professionals need to continue to be educated. With Nunavut’s distinctness, we have our own distinct barriers and also along the way come education and being informed.
I think this is a very good tool that would be able to inform everybody to be able to address all the main issues where people have to leave home to deal with very legitimate life-altering issues. So with this sense, I will support the motion. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Aupaluktuq. (interpretation ends) I have no more names on my list. (interpretation) The mover has the last reply. Mr. Tapardjuk.
The government makes grandiose statements on matters they consider important.
For the regular members, this matter is very important to address these concerns, not just stemming from this year but last year, the year before, and the year prior, with the same problems cropping up time and again based on the complaints sent to the MLAs.
Yet we haven’t brought up any solutions as a government, spending our time sparring politically over these complaints with no resolution in sight. We never presented any solutions and just kept opposing the actions of the government and we also never heard of any initiatives to improve the situation.
Mr. Chairman, this motion is meant to provide this government with assistance since MLAs continually receive calls from their constituents who are experiencing problems. Although we’re not doctors or health professionals, we’re quite aware of the fact that if some individuals had received early and appropriate medical treatment, they would still be here with us today. This seems quite obvious to many of us.
With that in mind, Mr. Chairman, this recommendation for a comprehensive review is to look at the operational issues and how complaints can be lodged and through which channel.
Here in Nunavut, most communities have only one health centre and if we’re not satisfied with the care provided, we have no alternatives in trying to get a second opinion.
Due to this reality, Mr. Chairman, when we’re cognizant of the problems that exist within our health system, we will be better able to provide concrete solutions to improve it.
Without this knowledge, we don’t know how to make improvements.
The minister stated that he cannot support this motion due to the already overflowing amount of work the department has to undertake.
I can make this opposite statement: I want this motion supported because too many of our constituents have received secondary health care provisions for far too long and we have to represent their interests first and foremost to be given the best health care in the health centres.
The usual precept of most Canadians is their belief that when they go for medical treatment, they will be given the assistance they require, but it hasn’t turned out that way.
They become disillusioned by the health system. Although they’re experiencing medical problems, they’re worried that when they turn to the health centre for health care provision, they will receive no medical treatment.
No one should have that thought amongst our constituents, principally our elders.
With that, I’m going to support this motion.
I also requested to have a recorded vote on behalf of our constituents so that it can be visible through this vote which members are truly representing their constituents.
That was the last reply to the motion.
At this time, I would like the members to stand if they support Mr. Tapardjuk’s motion.
Please stand and sit down when I call your name.
Those in favour of the motion, please rise.
I would now ask the members who oppose the motion to please rise.
The other matter I overlooked that has to be included is: are there any abstentions?
At this time, based on the recorded votes, I can announce that there are eight for the motion and eight opposed.
As part of my mandated powers as Chair of the Committee of the Whole, it is now my discretion to vote on the motion, which happens to come in handy on occasion, such as with this moment.
As an individual from a small community, I can understand exactly where the motion is coming from.
Mr. Tapardjuk stated that as residents of small communities, the only recourse we have in the health sector are the local nurses and health centres.
If we aren’t satisfied with the service, there are no other options, especially for our elders.
With that reason and at the Chair’s discretion, I support the motion.
Thank you for the opportunity. Now we can smile and work together again, as is the usual practice.
At this time, I would like to ask the committee if they would like to complete the Department of Health as we are currently past our allotted time and that is my next request.
Do you want to conclude this department?
Chairman (interpretation): We’re on page H-7, which the motion was specific to. (interpretation ends) Branch Summary. Health and Social Services.
Chairman (interpretation): Go to page H-8. (interpretation ends) Health and Social Services.
Health Insurance Programs. Total Operations and Maintenance.
I have a question regarding the NIHB program, which I believe is on this page, that we receive funding from the federal government.
How many years is this current agreement for and how much is provided through this agreement annually?
Can we get this information at this time?
As Mr. Curley would know as the former Minister of Health, it’s renewed annually.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): The second part of my question related to the annual amount that is provided to Nunavut for this program. This was part of my previous question.
The amount in the current fiscal year is $27,750,000.
Based on the figures, it is quite understandable that the Non-Insured Health Benefits total of $27 million is specific to aboriginal people and doesn’t form part of the land claims agreement.
This program is specific to aboriginal people in Canada. Even if we didn’t have a land claims agreement, this fund would still be available to Inuit.
I wonder: are the funds allocated to the escort policy coming out of the Non-Insured Health Benefits?
I thank Mr. Curley for the question. Yes.
With the various concerns expressed and with this fund earmarked for aboriginal groups, I believe that it has to be carefully monitored as to who can benefit from these funds.
I also want to ask this question. NTI and the other organizations conduct a review of this fund annually to analyze the utilization of the funds. Just recently, I believe it was this summer when a meeting occurred between the federal government and our Nunavut health departmental representatives.
My question is: did this meeting produce any improvements and what exactly was implemented if recommendations were provided? Perhaps the minister can elaborate.
Some of the concerns relate to the fund.
To cite an example, patients need to hire a taxi because ambulances also break down on occasion, but there are no funds.
Were some of these matters considered during the meeting with the federal government officials?
If Mr. Curley can clarify what meeting he is referring to, it would really help us.
Mr. Curley (interpretation): As I said, I believe it was either this spring or summer when there was a meeting between the federal government and our government officials on NIHB. The official sitting beside him was there and he is quite aware of that meeting.
They conducted a review of the problems with the program delivery to resolve some of the issues they face. My question is: did this meeting produce any results? If so, what kinds of improvements were produced as a result of this meeting?
I’ll have the deputy minister answer that question.
I believe Member Curley is referring to the Non-Insured Health Benefits audit of the medical travel component. I think that’s what he’s making reference to and he’s nodding his head, so I’m assuming that is correct.
We did, in fact… . Actually, let me give you the chronology.
It’s best to describe it that way.
As part of the undertaking between the respective organizations, Health Canada and ourselves, in 2011-12, we agreed that there would be a review of the medical travel component of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.
The draft report was issued, I believe, this summer. It was reviewed between the respective parties. From that, we have a management action plan that has been put into place and both sides have agreed in principle to that management action plan.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Ma. Mr. Curley.
This is very useful because we have to continually make improvements, especially based on the concerns expressed earlier.
Could the minister agree to table the management action plan to the committee?
Mr. Chairman, I haven’t even read the complete document yet. We would have to get agreement from Health Canada to do such a thing, so I can’t commit to anything right now.
I have no more names on my list. (interpretation ends) H-8.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $54,497,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
We will go back to page H-3. (interpretation ends) Department Summary.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $316,677,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Do we agree that the Department of Health and Social Services is concluded?
Do you have any closing remarks? Minister Peterson.
I would like to thank the Committee of the Whole for an interesting three days.
As I said before, it’s like being on a roller coaster.
So I thank you. We got a lot of good comments and questions. We take everything you say and all of your questions very seriously.
We do know that health is near and dear to our hearts across Nunavut.
As public servants, we are in the public service because we want to serve the public.
When I started in the Department of Health, I didn’t realize how unique the department is. It has been a privilege in the first few months here.
I have met a lot of very dedicated and hard-working health officials across Nunavut and in all the facilities. They have told me a lot of good stories. There is a lot of really caring people out there.
I want to say to them today, don’t feel dejected by anything I said in the House.
I think all MLAs and all politicians on both sides of the House care about what we do. It’s your job to ask questions and it’s our job to answer questions and strengthen our departments. I think that’s what we will continue to do.
We now have a lot of important initiatives that we’re going to continue to work on. So that’s very positive.
I would just like to thank all the officials I have met who have explained to me what they do, all the people who have worked very hard on briefing notes and taking the time to send clarifications for me.
I would like to thank Debora Voth for her time here as well and to Peter Ma also for his time.
I wish you all the best in future deliberations on your next departments.
Thank you to your officials.
We do realize that the Department of Health and Social Services is not an easy task, but we mean well each time to become better instruments as we move along.
So we appreciate your hard work in that regard.
Thank you. (interpretation) Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out.
One opposed. The motion is carried. I will now rise to report progress.
Moving right along with our orders of the day.
Your committee has been considering Bill 24 and would like to report progress, and also, there was one committee motion adopted.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I move that the Report of the Committee of the Whole be agreed to.
This House stands adjourned until Friday, March 2, at 9:00 a.m. in the morning. I’ll see everybody bright and early tomorrow morning.
>>House adjourned at 18:28
Friday, March 2, 2012
Pages 2002 – 2040
Opening Prayer 2002
Members’ Statements 2002
Oral Questions 2009
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 2017
Report of the Committee of the Whole 2039
Orders of the Day 2039
Friday, March 2, 2012 2002
194 – 3(3): Appreciation to New Members of our Community (Tapardjuk) 2002