EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Many of us, it seems like they’re just playing around with the Inuktitut language, the Inuit language, the way it’s set up. The way the bilingual bonus is set up.
If somebody can say goodbye in Inuktitut they can get a bilingual bonus it seems.
First of all, let me say that I’d like to express my gratitude to what started this morning the Inuit Language Authority had an opening.
The Members of the Legislative Assembly were invited to that this morning.
That is a very important thing.
Mr. Chairman, my first question is every department has a director.
I believe they bring out the jobs that are available and then they fill out the job descriptions.
I believe if the job requires a bilingual person in the job description. Let me start by asking if it is true that the director has to decide whether that position requires a bilingual person in it?
The assumption that bilingual bonuses are paid to a person who knows how to say goodbye is not true. It’s based on proficiency.
We don’t just play around with the Inuit language.
We take that very seriously that’s why we have legislation to protect Inuit language.
When it comes to Inuit using the language within the workplace we were quite pleased that the numbers are going up.
During the job description planning, the Inuit language requirement, the bilingual requirement is put in there then.
You have the freedom to express your opinion and so do I. Let me ask a question, a director in a department, is the director the person who decides whether that position that will be created will require a bilingual person in it?
Once a position has been identified and a job description written up, that decides whether the position is necessary for a bilingual person to be in.
Who decides that?
Through our policies in Human Resources and our Inuit Employment Plan that is a requirement that if a position requires a bilingual person that bilingual requirement would be put in the job description.
Who decides whether that job requires two languages, a bilingual person?
There could be a number of people from Human Resources and Inuit Employment Plan coordinators.
We do have positions in there that evaluate the job descriptions that are going out or positions that are going out and their requirement is to evaluate the job description, whether it needs a bilingual person in there or not.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): If there’s a prospective job, does one person or a group of people decide whether that position requires a bilingual person? Is it a person or a group of people?
Since we’re getting into details, I’ll have Mr. Akeeagok respond to that.
If we’re going to create a position and they put the job description together, then the person who would be supervising that job... . It gets worked on, the deputy minister signs it before it gets to the Department of Finance, and whether that job needs a bilingual person or a unilingual person, then the directors do the planning beforehand.
Let me ask this: does the final say goes to the Minister of Finance whether or not that job requires a bilingual bonus, yes or no?
Who decides whether a person will be making more money because they get a bilingual bonus? Who decides that?
There’s a committee that looks at these things. Once the job description is put out there and if the department requires a bilingual person to be in that position, that’s when it is put in.
Through the HR department, that is looked at and will try and fulfill the requirements of the department that wants a bilingual person in that position.
Let me ask for more clarification.
As the Premier stated previously, he didn’t believe what I said that the Inuit language is being played around with.
Previously in some of the planning, it was stated and approved by the government executive that there should be planning on bilingual bonuses to promote the fact that they can get bilingual bonuses. It’s called the Language Incentive Program.
That’s because there has been abuse in the past.
The fact is that you totally disagreed with me when I said that the Inuktitut language is being played with.
In the 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-2010, 2010-13, and 2011-14 business plans, this has never been thought of, although we say that it’s very important.
Let me ask. It is written that you are going to work with the Inuit Language Authority.
What are your terms of reference for the bilingual bonus?
It’s not one single person that makes that determination of whether a position required a bilingual person in there.
Since we are getting into the details, I will have Mr. Akeeagok respond to that question.
Under our business plan, in the Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs business plan under page 7,it states, in 2013-14….
We work with Nunavut Arctic College. It states that in partnership with Arctic College, the Pirurvik Centre was contracted to develop resources and assessment tools to support the language incentive program.
The language of the job description is included in the job description. They are also in our priorities for 2014-15, work with Government of Nunavut Public Service Human Resources Strategy and begin implementation for bonus and for employees it states in the business plan.
I’ve read the business plan, too.
My question is to date, what have you used for your foundation for your terms of reference?
There is a program we are developing and once the program is developed I’m sure there will be terms of reference. Regarding the folks that are thinking that we are playing around with the Inuit language. I’d like Mr. Enook to have those folks come to my office so I can clarify the issues that they are having.
I’m not going to reply to that comment because I need more time.
Mr. Chairman, Inuit who can speak two languages. Do they qualify for a bilingual bonus for the government employees?
I’ll have Mr. Akeeagok respond to that question.
The bilingual bonus for people who can speak Inuktitut and English language.
I believe the member is asking that question and to briefly respond, no, not all bilingual staff receive a bonus because it states that if they qualify for the bilingual bonus in their job description, they get their bilingual bonus through their salary.
Some positions provide direct service to the people, so they’re given the bilingual bonus, but it depends on the job description and the service that they provide. They review the service that they should provide and their application for a bilingual bonus is approved or denied.
To date, what do you use to assess the Inuktitut proficiency of government employees?
What are your terms of reference on that?
Mr. Akeeagok can respond to that.
Currently, I don’t have any detailed information in front of me and we will be able to provide correspondence on the criteria or eligibility criteria.
The Nunavut government provides two full employees’ bonus.
One comes from the Nunavut Employees Union and their policy is a bit different from the Nunavut Teachers Association and they both receive a bilingual bonus.
We can make those documents available to the members.
To date, how many Nunavut government positions have been designated as a bilingual position?
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Can they provide us a copy of that information?
Somebody has to approve a position.
I know that the Nunavut government has HR and someone has to decide that the government position has been designated as requiring employees to be proficient in both English and Inuktitut.
Is it concerning if they didn’t believe this to be that way or would you not be concerned about that?
If I understand the member’s question correctly, we’re always concerned.
We try do our best in getting qualified people the correct way through a job description that may be written up for a certain position.
Mr. Chairman, I’ll have Mr. Akeeagok respond in more detail about that.
To supplement the Premier’s statement that when they are drafting the job descriptions, the Inuktitut language is included and they look at whether they need a bilingual or trilingual position, and we have to respond to each description that way.
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Just the same question and my time is running out. I still did not receive the answer I’m looking for.
Maybe my question is not understandable so I will try and read it in English.
(interpretation ends) Currently with the bilingual bonus you can have a director who sees no value in providing services in Inuktitut or French and therefore, does not include it in the job description.
How are we sure that this kind of stuff does not happen?
The committee member is asking if a director sees no value in having a bilingual person there…once the job description is written there is several other people that go through that and it’s not necessarily one single person that makes that determination.
If the position requires a bilingual or trilingual person, of course, that’s going to be written within the job description for applicants to look at.
Mr. Chairman, when a new position is requested by a department or agency, it does go through the HR process and policies to make sure that every opportunity is taken to make sure that it’s a proper job description.
If they are satisfied with the job description, who should be satisfied? Is it the committee that approves the job descriptions?
When a department or agency is looking for a position, they make that application to HR and at the end of the day, after it goes through a number of different processes, the department requesting that position authorizes and approves the position to go out for public application.
Is there a policy or legislation where it states that the job description whether they need Inuktitut or a bilingual position or not.
Chairman: Thank you. Premier Taptuna.
I will have Mr. Akeeagok.
If it is stated that way in the job description, it would automatically be in there and they would during the planning stages, when the job description is being written, they have to make the determination whether it is going to be bilingual or not.
What do you use as your foundation? What kind of criteria do you have whether the position should be bilingual or not?
The Minister of Human Resources, the Minister of Finance that deals with that can probably respond in a better manner.
Could Mr. Enook repeat his question, please?
Mr. Enook (interpretation): Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
If there is a position, during the drafting of the job description what do you use as your criteria or your foundation, whether this job description should be filled with Inuktitut or bilingual person?
I’ll speak English. (interpretation ends) What are the criteria to determine whether a job is required to speak Inuktitut?
Job descriptions come from the departments. They are the subject matter experts.
Typically it would be the department that determines what positions should be bilingual. Then of course the deputy minister of the department would sign off.
Then it would go to Human Resources.
We have a Job Evaluation division and they would review the criteria, duties of the position, education, experience and then they would determine that that indeed it has the position required out of the second language or not.
There would be back and forth discussion with the appropriate department.
Some of the positions in the Government of Nunavut that would desirably have a bilingual component would be public affairs officers, classroom assistants, community health nurses, hospital nurses, health promotion education officers, community health nurses, judicial officers, social service workers; that would be desirable. But it’s not always the case that they would have the second language.
Some positions already had to have bilingual components very definitely would be interpreters, translators, legal translators, linguists, where you absolutely have to have those skills.
I just have a couple questions for the Premier.
Mr. Chairman, I’m looking at the agreement between the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated working together from 2011 and one of the categories is raise the standard of living, specifically housing.
I’ll just quote briefly from the document, it says that “The Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated will work together generally in the area of housing but will specifically revisit the existing 2004 Nunavut ten-year Inuit Housing Action Plan and renew joint efforts to implement the action plan or a revised version of the action plan.”
Mr. Chairman, this is from 2011. That’s three years ago. I was just wondering if I can get an update from the Premier on where that action plan for Inuit housing is right now?
Can the member point out the page?
Mr. Hickes: The document doesn’t have page numbers but it is the second last page of the document will be on your way.
Housing is always an issue in Nunavut.
We need 3,600 more units in Nunavut.
Of course, we welcome any organization that wants to help us out in dealing with the drastic shortage of housing in Nunavut.
There is no real set plan at this time with Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, but we dialogue on that and we do have a housing strategy that we’re updating to make sure that we can present to the federal government for more investment on housing.
Just one last question under this branch, I would like to go back to the ATIPP function. In your priorities for 2014-15 in the very last bullet on page 4 of EIA’s business plan, it has “Conduct an internal review of the ATIPP function to determine effectiveness of administrative practices.”
And then “…identify ways to build on our internal support and capacity.”
Again, I hate using this word, “assume,” but I’m going to use it again. I assume because this review made the shortlist of the department’s priorities for this year. There are some areas of concern with the ATIPP process.
Is there anything the Premier could update the members of this committee on that review?
Hon. Peter Taptuna: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll have Mr. Akeeagok respond to that question.
Mr. Akeeagok (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The internal review is for the ATIPP function. The ATIPP function is relatively new to our government and to start implementing the legislation, we’ve had a few years that we have been conducting ATIPP.
One of the determinations is that we should look at it internally. If it’s working, it will stay that way.
It’s one of the good efforts of reviewing ourselves in terms of how we’re conducting ATIPP functions. That’s the intent of this review.
It’s new to the departments, but not to the GN, and whether the capacity is there or not.
Mr. Hickes: Sorry, Mr. Chairman. I did say I had one more question and I was mistaken.
With the capacity issue, from what I understand, every department has an ATIPP coordinator who communicates with the head of ATIPP or ATIPP manager.
How often does that group meet, and are there any new practices that are shared at those meetings?
Hon. Peter Taptuna: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll have Mr. Akeeagok respond to that.
They meet on a monthly basis and also, there’s various training throughout the year, not just for the coordinators but for everybody, as you mentioned, EIA has a manager who coordinates with the ATIPP coordinators.
I hope that answers the question. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I thank the department for that response.
I do appreciate the value of the ATIPP coordinators in the departmental roles and your manager at EIA.
Going a little step further from the City of Iqaluit’s interest in participating in access to information and privacy, are there any other municipalities that have approached the department to enquire about incorporating those practices at the municipal level?
Mr. Chairman, the City of Iqaluit that supported their interest in being in compliance and we are working through our office, ATIPP office to assist them in that.
There’s been a couple of other communities that are interested, also and there has been some participation in the past, being Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay.
Before we go to the next person, we will be taking a 10-minute break.
>>Committee recessed at 14:55 and resumed at 15:19
We are on page B-4, Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
I say ‘Good day’ to the people of Baker Lake and whoever is watching us on TV in Nunavut.
I know that one of the Members of the Legislative Assembly have asked, but I would like to ask as my first question, in relation to the Business Plan. (interpretation ends) On page 2, Utility Rates Review Council evaluate, “The council responds to the mandate set out in the Utility Rates Review Council Act to evaluate the cost structures of the utility and provide advice on pricing and rate structures”.
Are communities considered as to their cost of living or rate of costs or what is it based on when the evaluations are occurring?
There is legislation. Under the Act it states that the Qulliq Energy Corporation must not go into deficit.
At the same time, on that particular section again, does the Utility Rates Review Council take into consideration the correspondence that they are receiving from the municipalities?
Yes, and from other organizations, including businesses and interested public individuals.
I also thank him for that answer.
After they have conducted their review, how are the communities made aware of their findings?
Once an application is made the Qulliq Energy Corporation, they do put a public ad out for consultations and discussion.
If a community appeals the rate set out for that particular community, is that taken into consideration?
Once the decision is made, whether there is rate increases or a decision made, it affects all the communities.
On that note, I will move on to business plan page 3, regarding the GLOs.
I know my community has no GLO at present and I know one of my colleagues had asked this and it was nice to hear that a GLO will be possibly in place for my community in Baker Lake, this summer.
My question is in reference to the government liaison officer position across the territory. What would be the difference in the current job description of a GLO as opposed to when we were with the NWT?
Hon. Peter Taptuna: Mr. Chairman, I can’t answer that question because I don’t know what happened in the NWT with GLOs.
What the government liaison officers are beneficiaries who is bilingual; would they be considered if they applied for this position?
That is a requirement that the applicant be bilingual speaking.
On the business plan, moving along, page 4, the very first sentence there, “Ensure government services are available to all Nunavummiut in a timely and effective manner through the government liaison officer program.” On that particular sentence, timely and effective manner.
What time frame are we looking at or does it vary by the particular subject matter?
If I understand that question correctly, Mr. Chairman, we try and provide whatever services that are available as soon as possible when they become available through our government liaison officers. If the member can clarify his question on the timing of a timely manner.
Chairman: Mr. Mikkungwak. The Premier is asking for clarification.
I do know if a government liaison officer has to deal with a matter in reference to assisting a community person regarding public trustee. That might take a bit longer as opposed to possibly an issue in reference to filling out a government document.
That was my emphasis on that.
That is a very good example.
Mr. Chairman, we do use our government liaison officers to the fullest extent to try and serve the public out there. When we are speaking public trustee, we encourage all members of Nunavummiut to fill out applications on wills, which cuts down the waiting period for a public trustee to go through the wills of the folks out there.
Once an application is done, there are applications through the federal government website and the government liaison officers can direct and assist community members on dealing with that. That does cut down on public trustee time.
I thank the Premier for his response.
On that very same page, priorities 2015-16, “Ensure mandate letters reflect the Sivumut Abluqta action plan are in place.” Does that apply to all departments of the government?
Premier Taptuna.
What if one department of the government or several departments of the government do not do what they are supposed to do. What would happen?
At full caucus we approved our mandate, the government’s mandate Sivumut Abluqta, and we expect our officials in the departments to carry through what is within the mandate of the government.
We are on page B-4.
Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $7,196,000.
Branch Summary. Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs. Strategic Planning.
I think I only have one question here.
In the priorities under 2014-15 in the second bullet, it has “Develop capacity to provide an oversight role for program evaluations and undertake quality assurance review of external evaluations of government programs.” I notice in the department that there’s only one PY added in the main estimates for this year.
Is the intent of that to develop internal capacity or are they looking at adding PYs to this role?
That’s one of the priorities we do have in our Sivumut Abluqta Mandate and there’s an action item within that to make sure that that takes place within our government.
Mr. Hickes (interpretation): That’s it.
Mr. Mikkungwak (interpretation): Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I have a question on page 6 of (interpretation ends) the business plan, priorities 2014-15, third bullet, “Improve labour market indicators.
The Bureau will develop an occupational demand model for Nunavut to help identify current and future labour market imbalances (shortages and demands).”
What are you targeting there or is there an incentive to entice labour market indicators?
I’ll have Mr. Akeeagok respond to that.
Mr. Akeeagok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (interpretation ends) Thank you.
For this particular one, it’s to develop an occupational demand model for Nunavut. A lot of the data is national, so we need to figure out a way to get a lot of the data into something that’s within Nunavut. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Is there a timeline to deal with this particular subject matter?
Yes, it’s 2014 and 2015, so some time in between those two dates.
Chairman: Thank you. I have no more names.
Just one question I would like to ask the Premier under Strategic Planning. I think this is where it would fall. When we asked the ministers questions, all the programs are going to get reviewed, being reviewed, or might get reviewed.
Is it possible for him to get a list of all the programs that will be reviewed and timelines so that we, as the MLAs, will know whether the program is being reviewed or not?
I certainly can provide that list in the fall and the number of programs that may be looked at, assessed, evaluated, and reviewed.
We are at Branch Summary. Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs. Strategic Planning.
Chairman: Okay. Next page.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs. Branch Summary. Nunavut Cabinet.
B-6. Questions?
Just a clarification here under the Nunavut cabinet.
“The Executive Branch of government is formed by the Premier and seven ministers.”
Does the Premier know something we don’t?
Yes. There are eight ministers.
We’re at Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs. Branch Summary. Nunavut Cabinet.
Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $4,642,000.
Chairman: Next page, B-7. Branch Summary.
Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs. Commissioner of Nunavut. Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $301,000.
Chairman: Okay. B-8. Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Branch Summary. Sivumuaqatigiit. Mr. Rumbolt.
On page 8 of your business plan, it indicates that as a result of the government’s restructuring of departments the decentralization action plan had to be reviewed and revised to reflect necessary changes.
The revisions will completed by the end of 2014-15. Can the Premier explain what specific changes [to] the decentralization action plans are being considered?
There are a number of things that we are looking and assessing at this time within several departments.
I know that there is a report that has been out there.
We are using that as a base and a template to move forward on looking at decentralization issues.