EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We also asked for a rental scales review but Mr. Speaker, the recommendations that we provided, although the Minister is no longer the Minister of Housing, the recommendations have not been implemented.
As a housing taskforce the job we did seemed like it was for nothing.
If we’re going to be established as a taskforce, I think the Government should believe in the taskforce that they established and follow through with the recommendations.
Member’s Statement 443 – 1(6): Open an Office for Sealift and Supplies
Mr. Speaker, since I am the Member for Rankin Inlet, I will be in support of their concerns.
It has been stated that there will be new suppliers for sealift called Nunavut Sea Link and Supply for the Kivalliq region.
The residents of Rankin Inlet would like an office opened there due to the fact that nowadays, more people are putting in their orders by sea lift to last them for the whole year.
We’re moving towards that trend.
Since the public is moving towards that trend, they’re requesting that they be informed and consulted with.
It would be appropriate to open an office in that area so that the public can access the office in Rankin Inlet so that office would be for the entire Keewatin region.
We’d like to see this office established and if they could work in both languages, in Inuktitut and English.
Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to make a statement that the Nunavut Sea Link and Supply will now be responsible for the transportation of goods so we are suggesting that they open an office should be closer to the Kivalliq communities.
I will endeavour to work on this issue, as all of the communities are quite concerned about that.
Member’s Statement 444 – 1(6): Recommendations Must be Heard
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make a Member’s Statement similar to yesterdays Member’s Statement.
As residents of Nunavut we usually purchase at the local level our heating fuel and gasoline and quite a number of other things, particularly when it comes to housing needs.
When the housing taskforce made the recommendations to the Government, I don’t know why the department has not considered the recommendations that we made.
As regular Members of the Legislature we seem to talk about something that is very easy and we talk about things that are understandable and good.
Once the department starts working on our decisions they bring out some issues that do not pertain to any of the recommendations that we have made.
As Members of the Legislature, our recommends should be adhered to by the staff.
Perhaps if that is not going to be happening, we need to get the official who can understand the two languages, Inuktitut and English.
Member’s Statement 445 – 1(6): Education in Inuktitut
Schools in Nunavut are failing their students.
The problem is the message students get when they enter school, save your culture by speaking Inuktitut, or take classes in English to deal with the so called modern world.
Many children are brought up speaking Inuktitut, learning Inuit expressions and traditional skills.
As they enter the school system, they learn that English is a necessity in life.
Many of their teachers are Qallunaat.
It may even seem that math is more important than hunting.
The important challenge that educators face is how to maintain culture and language and prepare young people for a world of computers and technology.
Presently, a parent can choose whether to put their children in the English stream, or the Inuktitut stream from Kindergarten to Grade 4.
Each has its own consequences.
By putting a child in the Inuktitut stream, an Inuit family helps preserve their language.
But what happens in Grade 5, when that child must switch over to English?
They fall behind, even if they have taken second language courses.
It may take years for them to catch up, possibly even putting them at a disadvantage when they head south to university.
Educate your child in English and you lose that cultural connection.
Your child might not be able to talk with their grandparents.
Both streams must be available to students in Nunavut, all the way through to Grade 12.
To make that happen, textbooks, reading material, and teachers who speak Inuktitut, must be available.
This is something Nunavut has been working on for a number of years but it is still lacking.
Emphasis on second languages courses is also essential.
English, for those whose first language is Inuktitut, and Inuktitut for those whom it is not.
Currently, there are over nine thousand students enrolled in Nunavut’s schools.
This year, they are the future of the Territory.
Our education system must prepare them to live up to that role.
If necessary, sit down with each parent and make a plan for each child.
The skills that children bring to the school must be acknowledged in the curriculum.
Important too is for lawmakers, educators, and parents to ensure the skills that children need in the future are also taught respectively.
Today I would like to recognize some people from Baker Lake who are visiting the capital.
I would like to introduce Lena Tapatai, my constituency assistant in Baker Lake.
Also her daughter Emily, and her son Nathan, who just, I think, went out.
I would like to welcome them to Iqaluit, and hopefully, they enjoy their week here.
I would also like to recognize and acknowledge Lena, and her two children. Lena was my former constituency assistant in the last Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to welcome Lena to the Gallery.
It is nice to see her again.
I remember when she worked with you in Arviat, and she kept you on the straight and narrow; that was a good thing to see.
It would be a tough task today.
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to welcome to the Gallery a couple of very special people.
First of all, the former Sergeants-of-Arms of the Assembly, Mr. Simon Nattaq; Simon has been involved in the political life of Iqaluit for a long time, as well as serving on different boards.
Therefore, I would like to welcome Simon to the Gallery.
Also sitting next to Simon is Mrs. Anne Hanson, who has had an opportunity to be here at the Assembly before.
Anne continues to do yeoman service on a number of projects.
I think that she was the only member of the National Geographic Council or Canadian Geographic Council of Canada for that magazine in Nunavut and I believe she is one of the few members actually from the north.
So, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Anne for that also.
Speaker: Welcome to the Gallery, Simon, Ms. Hanson.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a former constituent of Cambridge Bay.
He used to work as the Regional Superintendent of that dynamic Department of Finance there.
Mr. Murray Horn.
Mr. Puqiqnak (interpretation): Although I do not have any constituents here, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Mr. Picco because he recognizes people in the Gallery each and every sitting day.
Speaker: Welcome to the chamber, Mr. Picco. Item 5. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery.
Hon. Manitok Thompson: I would like to recognize Murray Parsons, from former Department of Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize Lena Taapatai; she is a very good friend of mine from Baker Lake and her husband, I had a very good visit and I usually sleep over at their house.
So welcome to Iqaluit.
Speaker: Welcome to the Gallery and once again, welcome Murray; next time you can wear your name tag.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: Mr. Speaker, just to clarify my error there, it was Murray Parsons and I was thinking of all of the questions that were coming with education, that is why Mr. Horn’s name was on my memory for some reason.
Anyways, thank you and I apologize to Mr. Parsons for that error.
Question 436 – 1(6): Revision to the Rent Scale
According to my Member’s Statement, I have a question directed to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.
The cost of living in Nunavut is increasing all the time.
Will this Government reduce the rent and mortgage rates especially for those people whose incomes are lower?
Mr. Speaker, yes, in fact, we have already done that in respect of the revisions to the new rent scale that has been put in place and also respected in the new repayment schedules for the access programs of our clients who we have all across Nunavut.
Annually, some units rent scales increase and the rent scale needs to be done properly.
So, when do we expect to see the implementation of the new change to the rent scale?
Mr. Speaker, the new rent scale for those with decreases have gone into effect January 1st of this year and that is also in respect of the repayments schedules for the access program clients.
Since he mentioned January 1st that they were implemented, is that already implemented or when do you plan to implement that or is that already existing implementation?
Mr. Speaker, as I had indicated earlier that it was January 1st of 2003, so that is past January 1st.
Question 437 – 1(6): Explanation on the Question of Assessment Testing of Students
Mr. Speaker, this morning I was listening to the radio; it was reported on the radio this morning that, as everyone knows, the Iqaluit District Education Authority has been trying to implement assessment tests here in Iqaluit and they had made some arrangements through the Alberta Government.
And when the Department of Education became aware of a motion that was passed at the District Education Authority meetings, they sent a letter within 48 hours to the District Education Authorities saying how tests must have Ministerial Approval.
Now, there already had been some things in the works with the Alberta Learning and the District Education Authority indicated that they found out from Alberta Learning that this had been cancelled by the Department of Education here in Nunavut.
I would like to ask the Minister if he could explain why the District Education Authority here in Iqaluit has to hear from Alberta Learning and not from officials in his Department.
I would like to, I have been answering the Member regarding the testing issue.
I would like to make one point clear first, however, that any province that allows another territory or province to use their testing requires an agreement between the two levels of Government.
So, this would have had to be done from Government to Government.
And I have learned in the last few weeks in following up on some of the correspondence that the Alberta Department of Education has not allowed or agreed to giving this to the Iqaluit District of Education Authority.
So, I want to go back to the number of meetings that we have had with Iqaluit District Education Authority’s in trying to look at how we can do some testing relevant to the types of learning of the students.
And also keeping in mind that we have been working with the Iqaluit District Education Authority to ensure that the fair student assessment practises recognized by all jurisdictions in Canada are followed.
Mr. Speaker, stick strictly to the question that I was asking issues around communication between the Department of Education here in Nunavut and the Department of Education in Alberta, and the IDEA.
The IDEA had applied and was in the process of registering for those Assessment Tests Licence to be able to get those tests from Alberta Education.
One of the things that had to happen was once that was done, they would have received information kits on the Assessment Tests, which would have probably answered a lot of concerns that people have been raising over the last little while.
Besides that, the IDEA has initiated that process with Alberta Learning.
It was in the process.
We hear that one of the departmental officials contacted the Alberta officials saying that the DEA did not have the authority to do it and cancelled it without communicating that to the DEA.
That is what I would like to ask the Minister to explain why they could not be bothered to inform the IDEA of them cancelling, or getting a hold of Alberta Education saying that and cancelling that process?
To try and answer the questions more specifically, the number of meetings that my department has had with the Iqaluit DEA, we are looking at doing some pilot testing.
We are taking into account, and considering the types of learning of the students.
However, during these discussions, we learned that the Iqaluit DEA went outside of those meetings directly to the Alberta Government for this testing.
So I am not in a very good position to answer why the response would not be given to them directly from Alberta, because those were not the contents of the meeting that my staff had with the Iqaluit DEA.
My staff was meeting more on doing pilot testing and taking into account the types of learning, and as I mentioned earlier, also Mr. Speaker, to ensure that fair student assessment practices are being followed.
Mr. Speaker, it’s been well documented by the IDEA that this is something that they have been trying to get through to the Department of Education for over two years now.
They have been thoroughly frustrated in seeming like they have just been ignored and not responded to over the last two years.
We are going to keep proceeding.
They were, as far as I am aware, keeping the Department of Education, through QSO, informed of what they were doing and they were going along until they finally got some kind of an answer out of the department, one way or the other, which is apparently what they did by contacting the Alberta Education.
Again, I would like to ask the Minister why the Department of Education here in Nunavut did not have the courtesy to at least contact the IDEA here, and inform them that they had cancelled that process with the Department of Education in Alberta?
I want to assure the Member, and also the House, that we have not, I repeat, that we have not cut off any efforts to doing testing.
Mr. Speaker, however, as I mentioned earlier, the meetings that have been ongoing with my staff and the Iqaluit DEA, to look at pilot testing here in Iqaluit, when the DEA jumped ahead of the proceedings.
Mr. Speaker, when a DEA jumps ahead of the process that has been started, it is very hard for me to say that it would be impossible to say that we have cut off ties. As far as I know, the meetings that we have had with the Iqaluit District Education Authority to look at doing testing here in Iqaluit relevant to the types of learning have not been stopped; they are proceeding.
But, however, because the process for jumps to do a different type of testing that we were meeting with, when the process has been jumped and it gets hard, but I can assure you that the Department has not cut off any ties or communications to do testing.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister indicates two things.
One, on a certain type of testing and you know, I am pretty sure that the IDEA has only had this one type of testing in mind from the very beginning two years ago that they started this process.
So, if you can clarify that for the Minister of the Department that came in with something different than what the IDEA wants to do, testing.
So, I want them to clarify that.
I would like then to confirm if the Minister is indicating that he or none of his officials have contacted the Department of Education of Alberta indicating that the IDEA did not have the authority to proceed with the registration that was in the process and that it was to be stopped.
My ADM, who has been leading the process along with some staff, has communicated to the District Education Authority about the current Act that we are using and how testing can be done.
And the approvals that are required to do the testing, my Department has contacted the Iqaluit District Education Authority on the difficulties for the Iqaluit District Education Authority to go out and do this type of testing.
And it is also very evident with the response that the Alberta Government has come back with that it is not just something that a District Education Authority can approach a Province or Territorial Government and use that same type of testing without the approval of the Minister responsible.
I can assure the Member that we have communicated openly with the Iqaluit District Education Authority.
Question 438 – 1(6): RFP – Medical Travel – Kivalliq Region
Mr. Speaker, current events that have been happening in the Kivalliq in regards to transportation whether it is sealift or air transportation, and I refer to the Government of Nunavut’s request for proposals in Nunatsiaq News, closing date August 30th 2002.
I know that that is a long time ago and for my question today to the Minister is, does he know when he is going to make a decision based on the medical travel in the Kivalliq for scheduled service?
Mr. Speaker, Minister Ng pointed out, I have never been known to be a procrastinator. I have never procrastinated about making a decision.
I try to make the decisions that that is the pragmatic way possible.
I would suggest to the Member that is with the, that is the avenue, that is the route, that is the road, that is the position we will take on making a decision on the contract that the Member has talked about.
I really like it when the Minister of Health takes his time in making a decision if he ever gets around to making one, but when they put requests for proposals out into the public and it deals with the public dollars and companies are involved in these decisions and they base their business plans and strategies around the level of service they provide.
This is seven months later and we still have the Department sitting on it.
I do not want the Department of Health to jump into making a decision that could ruin companies or cause undue financial strain on the Government of Nunavut.
Or if they are not going to make a decision, why do they put RFP’s into the Newspaper and put these companies and corporations through a momentous task of putting the paperwork together and meeting with his departmental officials.
Is this just wasting trees again or is he going to make a decision on this contract?
Mr. Speaker, I know that the Member is pragmatic and here in lies the paradox of his question.
Mr. Speaker, he has asked me to make a decision.
At the same time, he continues to say in this House to be constrictive, to be congruent on the expenditures of monies that are available and that is what I am trying to do, Mr. Speaker.
I will make a decision in cooperation with the House and with the Cabinet when that decision comes forward. Mr. Speaker, the companies have put in the RFP’S; they will be acknowledged, and they have been met with.
We have an opportunity to review it and we will make the decisions, Mr. Speaker, best based on the proper logistic, administrative, and yes, Mr. Speaker, the financial reasons to do and make the contract aware.
I am glad that he gave me that answer.
Now, I know that we are showing, I read in the newspaper that we had an $82 million Operating Deficit for 2002, give or take $40 or 50 million.
So, anyhow it brings me to this conclusion too.
When this Government is making decisions based on strictly financial considerations and I am sure that a company can operate in Montreal into Nunavut or Winnipeg into Nunavut or Edmonton into the Kitikmeot or wherever, but they can do it much cheaper when they have no services currently in the Territory.
It is much cheaper for you to run a business out of Montreal, Winnipeg and Edmonton into Nunavut.
We all know that, but you know, it is a given.
And that is why we hope we have the NNI Policy that gives away some time for certain reasons.
But my point here, my point here, Mr. Speaker, it is your region also, that it affects you and if that is when we are talking about awarding contracts because we do not have roads or we do not have a rail system or anything like that. Does railroad service mean anything in a contract like this, Mr. Speaker?
Mr. Speaker, I want to just clarify that the Member is assured in my earlier response, I think it was administrative, financial as well as logistic details would be included in the contract.
And yes, Mr. Speaker, that includes service and the other point, Mr. Speaker, the Government of Nunavut will not be pushed into making a decision on a contract until we are sure that the contract suits all regions of Nunavut and that is the Government-wide contract proposal and RFP that was put out there.
Mr. Speaker, I would hope to have the information for the Members and for the people of Nunavut by March 31st at the very latest and Mr. Speaker, we are working on that right now and like I said before, meetings have been held with the proponents.
There are some issues to be worked out, but I would suggest to you that at the end of the day, we will see tremendous savings in medical travel costs, on scheduled traffic as well as medivac costs.
And that is something, Mr. Speaker and all the Members, especially the Member from Baker Lake has been asking for.
And Mr. Speaker, we will make that comment available to the Member as he has asked for.
Tonight, I know what I am going to do, I am going to go home and find my dictionary again because there is starting to be another Health Minister that comes up with a new word every six months for me to trip over.
My final question to the Minister is, is that when he’s making these decisions, according to the Bathurst Mandate and the companies that are involved in the Kivalliq that are providing a service for years and years, and have the ground crews, have the ticket agents, bilingual tickets agents and have the infrastructure in place that it took some 20 to 30 years to pay for.
When he makes his decision based on saving money, will he take those things into consideration and also, when he takes these things into consideration, we take the peoples’ feelings of the Kivalliq also into his consideration and not just go swipe and boom and destroy an airline.
Mr. Speaker, I’m being serious.
I said to the Member, and I’ve said now, this will be my fourth time in his question.
We take into consideration logistics, administrative and yes financial.
The cost is not the only factor.
For example, in the RFP, we ask to make sure that if the flight is over one hour, that there would be a bathroom available for example Mr. Speaker.
We want to make sure that the comfort of the passenger at this time, and this place in the RFP concerns medical patients traveling.
We want to make sure Mr. Speaker, we have heard what people have said, and we want to make sure that the medical travel, the scheduled travel is the very best possible.
That means having convenience, being able to stand up for example on the plane and so on.
So all of that, Mr. Speaker, the administrative, the logistical, as well as the financial aspects of the contract are included in the RFP and Mr. Speaker, that’s what we will look at.
And that’s what we have been looking at.
Question 439 – 1(6): Question on Patient Input Regarding Airline Travel
The patients who have to go to the hospital from the Kivalliq Region, we want them to be able to be comfortable when they are medivaced out whether they are from Repulse Bay, Baker Lake, Arviat, Rankin Inlet or Whale Cove.
Having said that, we know that there are some people who have airlines in the Kivalliq region.
Have these companies been asked by the Department of Health or have the patients been asked for their input into the types of airline that they would like to use when they go on medial travel?
Or is it just the Department of Health that meets with the airlines or do the patients get asked for their views as well?
Mr. Speaker, as the Member knows, people working for the Department of Health, some of them are actually patients too.
This is not some group of people doing an RFP from outside of the territory.
The RFP specifically stated a request for proposals for a type of aircraft that would be used.
Mr. Speaker, it also looked at the type of flights, the frequency as well as the price contingency.
All of those factors have been involved in the screening of the RFP and I would suggest to you that comments have been made over the last two or three years concerning for example, no bathrooms on scheduled flights and so on; we’ve addressed those in the RFP.