EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Mr. Speaker I have a question for the Minister responsible for Decentralization.
In June, Cabinet had a meeting in Apex.
One of the topics was decentralization.
After the Apex meeting, I was informed that 30 decentralized positions were taken away from Baker Lake and along with that were a lot of hopes for people in my community about employment opportunities.
Could the minister responsible explain to me why this happened.
Ma'na.
Speaker: Mr. McLean, just before you respond, I'd like to remind the members again you have to have a preamble and four questions after that.
As I stated during my consultations with the members effected, and the following day I also wrote a letter to the Mayor and copied the Honourable Member, we did not take away jobs from Baker Lake, I wish to make that clear at the outset that we could not, we did not have control over some of the positions as I had stated, mainly the Worker's Compensation Board.
It is beyond our control as I stated before.
There are some health positions that we could not locate in Baker Lake.
Accordingly, I undertook along with my Cabinet colleagues, to review any upcoming institutions and provide Baker Lake with an opportunity to take on those opportunities.
Mr. McLean: Ma'na Uqaqti.
I'm happy to hear that but could the Minister assure me that these positions will be replaced, and when and by who?
There are three questions.
Hon. Paul Okalik: Okay.
As my colleague for NTPC mentioned in his statement, he's currently doing a review of our priority needs and that's one of the institutions that we'll be looking at if we have an opportunity but that is also being reviewed and it will take time.
I cannot say at this point how long it might take but as I said, we made a commitment to the Mayor of Baker Lake, we will do whatever we can to replace those positions.
Question 05 - 1(3): Kimmirut Social Worker Shortage
Mr. Akesuk: Nakurmiik Uqaqtii.
When we were in our second session I asked a question to the Minister of Health and Social Services.
I haven't had a response to date in regards to the shortage of social workers in Kimmirut.
It's been nine months now since we've had our shortage.
Can you give me an update on what's happening with the issue of a social worker in Kimmirut.
Speaker: Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Picco.
Mr. Speaker, the member has been very proactive in his lobbying efforts on behalf of the community of Kimmirut.
Indeed, I met with the member last week to discuss the situation with the social worker position in Kimmirut and I've had an opportunity to talk to the Mayor of Kimmirut on both these situations.
The problem that we have with staffing in the community is the lack of housing.
I think this is going to be addressed over the coming weeks and then moved forward in putting a person in that position.
Question 06 - 1(3): Mental Health Worker for Arviat
Mr. Speaker, this weekend past in my community, unfortunately there was a young lady that tragically lost her life, a 21 year old lady that committed suicide.
Mr. Speaker, for the last three or four years, I've hammered away and hammered away at the need for a mental specialist in social services and the lack of such in our communities and especially in mine.
Mr. Speaker, my question to the minister is; at this point in time what is the status of having a full time mental health care worker in the community of Arviat.
Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, first of all I should say I send my condolences along with this House to the people of Arviat on your loss.
I guess we should also point out I guess this is the first time that the member has come forward to this minister about the need for a psychiatric care or mental health worker in the community of Arviat.
What the Department of Health has done Mr. Speaker, and I think it's been very proactive, is we have brought on a Suicide Specialist within the department who has been working on training manuals in the last several months to help us deliver proactive courses in communities on suicide prevention. And that's the key here Mr. Speaker, it has to happen at the community level and it has to happen at the family level.
That's what the Nunavut Government is trying to do.
Mr. O'Brien: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, I beg to differ with the minister.
I believe I did, I stand to be corrected, I did bring up this issue some time ago before we were placed in our new home here.
Can the minister tell me whether or not there is a Mental Health Specialist located in Arviat as of this date.
Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Picco.
Hon. Ed Picco: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I don't have an org. chart with me or a staffing list to tell me if there's a Mental Health Specialist per se in the community of Arviat.
We have 26 communities in Nunavut.
What I can say to the member is if there is a specific need brought forward by the member, in writing, if there's a specific need, brought forward by the community of Arviat, or there's a specific need brought forward by the Keewatin Regional Health Board, the Social Services Board, then we'll be proactive and try to help fill that need.
Like we have done in other communities in Nunavut.
In some cases for example, when we have a shortage of nurses, what we try to do is identify what nursing positions are needed in the community.
In some cases it may be a psychiatric nurse as opposed to a general practitioner, per se.
Those types of proactive solutions can be found at the community level.
So, if a specific request comes forward, then we can look at it.
Third supplementary.
Mr. Speaker, I remember many many times, my colleagues speaking of the need for suicide prevention and professionals in the field to help guide individuals that are troubled.
So this isn't new, this is an old story.
I find it difficult to believe that the minister is not aware that each community should have a Mental Health Specialist.
This is not a new topic, it's been around for a long time.
I think that the minister should make it his business to find out whether each community has a mental health worker.
Mr. Speaker, my question again to the minister is if he does not know whether there is a Mental Health Specialist, or somebody with those skills in the community, if he would endeavour to find out and if not, to make sure that in the time to come down the road, that there is somebody put into place to deal with these problems.
Mr. Speaker, I should be very clear here that the role as a Minister of Health and Social Services is to look at all aspects of health at the community and at the territorial level.
And I take the role very responsibly and seriously and I don't like the indication that I'm not taking it seriously.
As I just said, if the member would bring forward a request and he has now in the House, and we will address that request, but before we place someone in a community, let's make sure that we're placing the right person in the community.
I gave the example where in another community there was a request for a nurse.
It wasn't just a request for a nurse, we put in a psychiatric nurse.
But we've got to find those professionals.
We've got to compete against other jurisdictions to find those professionals. So the commitment that I can make right now to the member is that the Government of Nunavut, the Department of Health and Social Services of Nunavut will look into the request just now made by the member in this House and follow up with it with the member and with the staff that we have actually at the local level in Arviat and again at the regional level out of our Rankin office.
Question 07 - 1(3): Task Force on Housing Issues
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Housing.
In her Minister’s Statement she indicated that she's formed a task force, which I think is good.
We need to develop a task force and she indicated that the mandate of the task force was to find solutions to the housing problems in Nunavut.
One concern I have that she made in her statement however, was the fact that she was expecting the task force to provide her with information on where and what kind of public housing would be built.
My question to the minister is, does the department not have that information available at this time.
Hon. Manitok Thompson: Qujannamiik Uqaqti. (interpretation) I would also like to thank the member for Iqaluit centre, as he's one of the members who will be sitting on the Task Force on Housing.
I'm pleased to make that announcement.
I believe we all know this and I also made statements on radio and TV.
The numbers that were given to us are not quite accurate in regards to the number of people that are on the waiting list.
There are a lot of people out there who took their names out and therefore we don't have a true representation of the people who are on the waiting list for housing.
There's an overcrowding situation, there are three or four nuclear families living under one roof and there are some young people who are still living with their parents.
So they should qualify to live in their own housing.
We have to create a task force and I would like to have a close working relationship with them and also members and housing staff to find some solutions.
They're compiling new numbers that are more reflective of the real housing shortage out there.
There are 26 communities in the Nunavut area and I believe that we have to treat every one equal.
We can't know exactly where these houses are going to be built with numbers that aren't accurate.
Mr. Speaker, the minister indicated that new numbers are being compiled and I'm just wondering if she has any indication of when that information will be ready to be reviewed.
Hon. Manitok Thompson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, the new numbers are going to be ready pretty soon.
I can't tell you the exact date of when they'll be ready but they will be available very soon.
Mr. Speaker, the old numbers that were used that weren't accurate, I believe were from the 1996 needs survey.
I'd like to ask the minister why it's taken this long in order for new information to be sought.
I think, like she indicated in her statement, that these aren't new issues. I'd just like to ask the minister why some of these things weren't addressed earlier on instead of waiting until now to be looked at.
Of course there's a lot of challenging things that we have to deal with as a new government.
We're presently working on government staffing, government offices and a lot of other issues that we have to deal with and there are people who want it right away. Because of all this back log, I'm sorry that we cannot come up with the numbers right away, but they will be coming up.
Question 08 - 1(3): Location of Power Corporation Headquarters
Mr. McLean: My question is to the Minister responsible for the power corporation.
Where does the Minister of the power corporation plan to set up the new headquarters and office in Nunavut?
Minister responsible for the power corporation, Mr. Picco.
The minister for the power corporation doesn't plan to set up the office of the new Nunavut Power Corporation anywhere because the Government of Nunavut hasn't decided yet as to what role the power corporation, the present NTPC will have or indeed if we'll be having our own stand alone power corporation in the future.
That's part of the work of the Ikuma Working Group that's happening right now and we haven't made a decision one way or another as a cabinet and indeed haven't discussed it with the regular members, with the caucus, on what direction this government should go in.
I can say, as has just been echoed by the Premier, that one of the options under the requests for expressions of interest that we put out to seven southern based utility companies, and that I mentioned earlier today in my statement, was to look at Baker Lake as a possible headquarters.
Second supplementary, Mr. McLean.
Can the minister advise the House when he's going to have his final recommendation and final plan.
Speaker: Thank Mr. McLean.
Mr. Speaker, as I said in my statement earlier today, we're hoping to have the analysis done and presented to me, to give me an idea as the minister responsible for the Nunavut Power Corporation, by the end of this month.
Question 09 - 1(3): Decentralization of Arctic College Positions to Arviat Schedule
My question is to the minister responsible for education.
I wonder if the minister can give me an update as to what the timing is, or the timeframe, for the transfer of decentralized jobs to my home community of Arviat as they relate to Arctic College.
Minister responsible for education.
July 1, 2000.
Mr. Speaker, this may be a detailed question but maybe the minister can answer it.
Can the minister tell me the actual number of positions that will be transferred or will be located in my community?
Speaker: Oral questions, Mr. O'Brien, third supplementary.
Mr. Speaker, thank you minister.
>>Laughter.
Question 10 - 1(3): Decentralization of Housing Positions to Cape Dorset
I would like to ask the minister responsible for housing, in regards to decentralization, the portfolio was held by Mr. Anawak previously but it's now being held by Ms. Thompson.
In regards to the jobs that were going to Cape Dorset, have these been changed.
I'll direct that to the Premier.
We will just go ahead with our decentralization planning.
If we make changes it will have to go through the cabinet.
At this point in time, I can advise you that there were no changes with jobs going to Cape Dorset but we took away a couple of jobs.
Question 11 - 1(3): Status of Governments Budget
Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the minister responsible for finance, the Hon. Kelvin Ng. We're probably past the half way mark of the year and I would like to ask the minister if he could tell the House when we could expect to find out what type of a surplus we may or may not have.
When those numbers will be available.
Minister of Finance Mr. Kelvin Ng.
Mr. Speaker, as it stands now the Department of Finance is awaiting three departments’ fiscal updates to consolidate all the numbers that we have.
From a government perspective, we are anticipating all those figures some time in the middle of next week.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng, Minister of Finance.
Second supplementary, Mr. O'Brien.
Mr. O'Brien: Thank you again Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we've talked about the needs and the critical situation we have with housing.
Would the minister be able to commit that if there is a surplus, I know this may come across as hypothetical, but we're assuming that there is.
Will some of these funds be put towards the housing crisis?
Mr. Speaker, it isn't hypothetical, we know there are some unexpended funds within the departments and government as a whole.
I can't commit to anything right now.
It has to go out to the Financial Management Board, any recommendations on wherever excess funds would be expended.
I think one has to recognize that we have some issues to deal with.
Specifically the health board situation and their financial status as that stands now.
There are some over expenditures in the information technology work that's being undertaken by this government.
We have the collective agreement process under way right now with Federation of Nunavut Teachers that may have some financial implications.
We also have the Supreme Court ruling on the pay equity dispute with the Federal Government that will have some impact on our government as a result of some of our employees being affected by the GNWT pay equity dispute with the unions.
Speaker: Thank you Minister of Finance, Mr. Ng. Oral questions.
Mr. Speaker, I'll take my question a step further.
I realize that there may be some unexpected expenditures that we're aware of now and the minister alluded to.
Having said that, once these commitments are made, are looked after, would it be fair to say that if housing is the number 1 priority that, what is left over would go toward the housing problem.
Mr. Speaker, I think we all recognize the seriousness and the needs in respect to housing all across Nunavut and again, I wouldn't try to pre-judge or predetermine what the Financial Management Board or my colleagues would say, but I certainly would think it would be one of the top priorities for any potential reinvestment, if we were to have that flexibility.
Question 12 - 1(3): Day-care Funding
Mr. Speaker, over the last several months, quite a few day cares in our region have been experiencing financial difficulty.
The Government of Nunavut has earmarked 1.4 million for day care for all of Nunavut.
There's millions of dollars in third party funding out there that sometimes is very hard for these organizations to access.
We all know that day care is a very important issue in Nunavut and we have a large number of young kids that attend these day cares.
My question to the minister, is he going to try and seek an increase in day care funding for Nunavut and has he taken any steps to talk to his federal counterparts about it.
Two questions, minister responsible for day cares.
Mr. Arvaluk. Oh, sorry, there are two questions in there and I think there's two departments that are involved here.
Minister of Health and Minister of Education.
Mr. Arvaluk, would you like to respond to the question?
Hon. James Arvaluk: Mr. Speaker is the question are we talking with our federal counterparts in respect to increasing day-care funding.
Is that what the question is?
I will allow you to ask the question again Mr. McLean.
I'll try to rephrase the question, I'm sorry I confused the minister.
Yes Mr. Minister, are you negotiating any increase from your federal counterparts to increase day care funding for Nunavut.
Minister of Education, Mr. Arvaluk
Hon. James Arvaluk: Mr. Speaker, I think if I add some preamble to this it will be clearer.
We have expended the funding for most of the communities. In fact 19 centres across Nunavut with approximately over 500 children occupying these centres, that was beyond our expectations, it was spent really fast and is coming to the point where the funding is inadequate to fund all of the centres, short of increasing the premium that the parents pay.
Yes, we are already concerned about this and we will be relaying this message to our federal counterparts because it allows the parents to be able to work rather than being on income support.
That in turn is a good investment so we will continue to relay that message.
But I'd like to add to the question that is how and when, how fast we'll be able to get that, I don't know yet.
Question 13 - 1(3): Status of New Hospital for Iqaluit
Mr. Speaker I believe that my question is going to be directed to the Minister of Finance who is responsible for P3 projects.
I'd like to ask the minister if he could provide me with the status of the new hospital project here in Iqaluit.
The four P3 projects, that came over from the GNWT, as I believe I have indicated in the past, there is a review of the functional programs being undertaken by a consultant on behalf of the Department of Health and the Department of Education with the four facilities.
As it stands now we’re waiting for the final report from the consultant, and I believe it is due in the middle of next week.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng. More questions Mr. Tootoo.
Mr. Speaker I would like to ask the minister if that is indeed the same report that last spring, when I asked for the status of the same project, it was indicated to me that the functional review report was supposed to be done by the Department of Health.
It was at that time supposed to be provided within 30 days.
Minister of Finance.
Hon. Kelvin Ng: There were some difficulties getting the request for proposals out and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of who actually would undertake hiring the consultant to carry out the work, and that was part of the reason for the delay.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng. Your third supplementary Mr. Tootoo.
The minister indicated that there was some confusion over whose responsibility it was to undertake the task to do the functional review of the department.
At the time, last spring in the last session, it was indicated that it was going to be the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Services.
And now I guess I’m finding out that it’s the Department of Finance that’s doing that functional review.
I just wanted to ask for some clarification as to what caused that confusion and what finally resulted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Finance minister Mr. Ng.
Yes, that was the problem, because of the fact that Health had a majority of three of the four projects and they indicated that they would have difficulty, based on their capacity, in carrying out and having the expertise available to carry out a functional review.
So they asked the Department of Finance to undertake that on their behalf.
Speaker: Thank you Mr. Ng. More questions?
Question 14 - 1(3): Construction Behind Schedule in Gjoa Haven
My question will be directed to the Public Works minister.
In my community the contractors under the Department of Public Works are way behind.
Mr. Speaker I have written the appropriate minister for that and I would like to know what your position is in regards to my constituency.
Public Works Minister Thompson.
Ms. Thompson (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Which letter are you referring to?
Are we talking about the money?
I’ll let that question go ahead.
The Uqsuqtuq Development Corporation, I believe the money comes in from the Department of Public Works and it takes a long time to reach our community.
Could you give us an update on what’s happening?
The reason why I’m asking this question is it takes a long time for the money to come into the Development Corporation.
Ms. Thompson (interpretation): Thank you for the clarification.
This is in reference to a letter that was written by the member to myself.
This is also being dealt with by different departments.
We gave this request to the Department of Finance and asked them why it takes a long time for the money to come in to the communities.
I’m still waiting for a response from the Department of Finance and I’ll inform the member once I receive that response.
Supplementary question Mr. Puqiqnak.
A lot of the communities get contracts from the government and it takes a long time for the money to come in and because of that some of the community companies go through financial stress.
I would like to ask the Nunavut Government to be expedient in sending money to the communities so that the businesses will be more viable.
I also know, because of the long wait for their money, some of their employees are moving onto other jobs, because they haven’t been paid for a long time.
I would like to urge the government departments to be more expedient in sending out money to the communities.
I don’t hear a question but if you would like to make a response Ms. Thompson.
That was a very clear outline of the concerns in the communities and we hope to see a better, smoother operation.
I’ll work on his responses as soon as I can and I’ll inform the member.
More questions Mr. O'Brien.
Question 15 - 1(3): Status of the Three Hospitals
Mr. Speaker, my question is to follow up on some questions asked earlier by my colleague in reference to the hospitals, the three hospitals that are being planned for Nunavut.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to throw cold water on this but I need some clarification here.
Am I to understand that these three hospitals are approved to be constructed?
And the question would be to Mr. Ng.
Mr. Speaker, as you know the Government of Nunavut has accepted in principle the concept of P3 and supported that concept in trying to finance some of our facility needs.
As I indicated in my response to the honourable member Mr. Tootoo, the Government of Nunavut Financial Management Board recommended that there be a functional review of the programs that were approved by the GNWT to make sure that those three health facilities fit the needs of the Government of Nunavut Department of Health.
Once the report on the results of that analysis comes back, the functional programs are one aspect, the business case for the three facilities is the other aspect, there’ll be recommendations made at that time that would go back to the Financial Management Board for a decision on what steps to take next.