EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
The departments are required to follow up. We’re not going to just pay a bill based on “Pay me $20,000.” It’s got to have some proper documentation so we know that the services were ordered or provided.
There has to be confirmation that the services were received. The Department of Finance can’t initiate payment on an invoice unless the department sends us the paperwork.
It is incumbent on the departments to ensure that when they get an invoice from a vendor, they make sure it’s complete and then they send it to us, and then our internal systems will track and confirm that it’s on schedule to be paid.
It’s not always the vendor who is at fault; sometimes the government is.
For the benefit of our constituents following today’s proceedings, can the minister clarify what steps a business should take if it is not being paid on time by the government?
Vendors can follow up with their MLAs or follow up with the deputy ministers in our department.
I think they are all listed publicly.
I have received emails and phone calls myself from vendors.
I have to caution, if people think they aren’t being paid on time and then we follow up and it turns out that they didn’t submit the paperwork, the documentation, we are going to ask them to do that.
Go back to the vendor. Go back to the person who contracted them or sent them the purchase order and start the process that way and tell them that you haven’t been paid. Within the department I’m sure there are mechanisms to allow the vendor or the supplier to follow up with “Where is my payment?”
Question 780 – 4(3): Inuit Employment Plans (Joanasie)
Last week the Premier announced that the government is close to finalizing a “master Inuit Employment Plan.” Can our Premier confirm today when this new plan will be publicly released?
Mr. Speaker, when we started out our mandate here in 2013-14, we had indicated that we wanted to increase the numbers for Inuit employment.
I know in the past it was very difficult, going back to 1999, when the funding that we got from the federal government was very small, approximately $10,000 a year.
Through hard work we managed to increase our funding from the federal government and through the Nunavut Settlement Agreement.
This is the first time ever that we are coming up with an overall GN plan and it is something that is very near completion. I can say that I’m hoping that I could either sign it today or tomorrow.
It’s something that we have to continue to carry on and this is more or less a first generation Inuit employment plan that includes every department, every corporation, in fact 15 altogether, 15 departments and corporations.
This master plan is going to be something that’s going to be adhered to by the departments.
Again, in the past, when there was more or less a shotgun approach to the Inuit Employment Plan, it wasn’t based on actual data. Since 2015 we have data. We have historical data that we can actually use and base our decisions on that in our strategy.
This is something I’m very proud of because again I’ve got to say that you don’t increase Inuit employment in the government by having hotdog parties. This is something that we’re going to take very seriously.
With this plan, it’s the first of its kind and I’m hoping I could do it within this week.
Mr. Joanasie (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I have spoken before in this House about the importance of clearly identifying the number of positions in the government that need to be filled by Inuit in order to achieve a representative workforce.
For example, the government’s most recently tabled quarterly employment report indicates that only 348 out of 1,738 professional level positions in the public service are currently filled by Inuit.
In order to achieve an 85 percent employment level, approximately 1,130 Inuit employees will need to be hired over time in order to fill the present gap.
That number is almost the size of Clyde River.
Can the Premier confirm that the government’s new Master Inuit Employment Plan will include these kinds of detailed analyses?
Since 1993, through the ratification of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, Article 23 has been a process since 1999, where we’re trying to increase the number of Inuit employment within the territorial government. There are obligations too for the federal government to increase those numbers.
I’ve got to say that there have never been so many training programs and assistance for the ones that are employed now to increase the level of supervisor, managerial and professional positions within the government.
We have many training programs and the programs are certainly increasing.
With that we certainly hope to get to a representative number, but keep in mind that as things evolve in Nunavut, there are other things that are evolving economically. There are other jobs out there that didn’t exist previously.
Again, there’s a fairly high number of training programs that we administer through Arctic College and through EIA, again, with the help of NTI and an advisory committee. Also, Mr. Speaker, as you know with the 2015 Nunavut Settlement Agreement with Canada, we have opportunities there too for long-term training, for professional Inuit to be trained so that they can gain employment, not just in the territory but everywhere. First and foremost we want those Inuit to work within our territory and close to home.
Mr. Speaker, the opportunities are there. Minister Quassa and I both sit on the Makigiaqta Training Corporation, which is run by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. There are opportunities there for every level of organization to access funding from there to train Inuit.
It’s specific to Inuit only. Again, the Inuit employment training plans, yes, there are those obligations and strategies to include those.
The Premier’s statement about the government’s Master Inuit Employment Plan did not make any reference to the work of the Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation. As he stated, both the Premier and the Minister of Education sit on this entity’s board of directors.
Can the Premier clarify the role of the Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation in developing and supporting the government’s Master Inuit Employment Plan?
Mr. Speaker, in 2015, when the settlement agreement was signed with Canada, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, and the Government of Nunavut, there were obligations and stipulations within the agreement to set up such training entities as the Makigiaqta Training Corporation and to have government representatives on the board.
Mr. Speaker, we work with in conjunction with NTI to maximize the training opportunities. We want to make sure that we don’t duplicate the training programs, whether the government is doing that or Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated through the Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation, and we’re aware of that.
I am not the head of the Inuit Makigiaqta Training Corporation, but we work very closely with NTI through that board to ensure that funds expended maximize the benefit of training Inuit for employment going into the future.
Question 781 – 4(3): Qulliq Energy Corporation Activities in Taloyoak (Qirngnuq)
Mr. Qirngnuq: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation) I say “good day” to my fellow residents of Kugaaruk, the people of Taloyoak, and my colleagues.
(interpretation ends) My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Qulliq Energy Corporation.
In November of last year Taloyoak’s new power plant was completed.
As the minister will be aware, the mayor of Taloyoak wrote a letter to the minister in April of this year.
In his letter the mayor requested an update on the status of decommissioning the community’s old power plant.
Can the minister update me today on the status of decommissioning the old power plant in Taloyoak?
I’ll have to look into the present status as I am not aware of it.
We will proceed onto the next item. (interpretation) Oral Questions.
Question 782 – 4(3): Issues with Medical Travel (Sammurtok, A)
Good day to my fellow residents of Rankin Inlet and Nunavummiut.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct my questions to the Minister of Health.
Mr. Speaker, in the winter sitting my colleague from Baker Lake raised the issue of elders being stranded at the Rankin Inlet Airport.
The minister indicated that his department was looking into the flexibility and the options that are available in Rankin Inlet to address this type of situation.
Can the minister provide an update on what kinds of options are provided for rest and respite to medical clients in Rankin Inlet that have been considered to date?
When we’re talking about boarding homes in Rankin Inlet and in addition to that Cambridge Bay, it is something that has been looked at and analyzed. There are discussions with Health Canada, who assists us with setting up these types of facilities.
That being said, there are recourses available and I would never want to see anyone, especially an elder, having to hang out in the airport for hours on time or not have a place or a safe place to go to.
We do have availability of dayrooms that can be arranged at hotels.
We also have like a patient relations office or medical travel people can get a hotel room for people if their stay gets extended or if there’s a delay in their flight.
Right now there are procedures in place to find some type of an accommodation for all medical travel travellers if there’s any type of flight delay.
As far as negotiations or discussions with Health Canada, those are ongoing, so I wouldn’t be able to say anything firm today.
The minister in part answered the question that I was going to ask, but I’m going to go ahead with my question.
Mr. Speaker, in his previous response on this issue the Minister of Health indicated that in case of extended delays for medical travel clients, his department negotiated dayrooms in Rankin Inlet hotels so that individuals who are going to be in the community for a period of time can have a safe and clean place to rest.
Can the minister clearly describe how his department determines when a dayroom of this type is needed and what steps are necessary to make the necessary arrangements?
I appreciate the member raising this. It gives me an opportunity again. If somebody is delayed for longer than two hours, they can contact their medical travel contact and arrange to have a dayroom set up.
That being said, not everyone wants or needs that type of service, so it is initiated by the patient travelling.
If they know that their flight is going to be delayed for more than two hours, they can contact Medical Travel and they will arrange accommodations for people to go to.
A number of people have family in the area or friends where they may wish to hang out, if you want to call it that, with family and friends if there’s a delay. It is a patient-initiated request and those requests are dealt with immediately.
Mr. Sammurtok (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I am sure the minister would agree that having a permanent, full-time boarding home would make it much easier to provide a safe and comfortable place for medical travel clients to go to, whether they are stranded in the community for an extended period of time or whether they are in the community for other medical reasons.
A local company, Pituk Supplies and Services, has already submitted a proposal to establish such a facility in Rankin Inlet.
Can the minister confirm whether this proposal is one of the options being considered by his department to address the need for the boarding home services in Rankin Inlet? If not, why not?
As I responded earlier, discussions with Health Canada are needed. As they help fund boarding homes and help establish rates, any type of discussions have to include Health Canada.
With regard to the specific proposal that the member has raised, I’m not aware of it. Maybe it has been sent to my officials and it’s under analysis. It’s something I’ll look into and I’ll get back to the member.
Question 783 – 4(3): Status of Decentralization (Enook)
Last week the minister tabled his response to my recent written question concerning the status of decentralization.
His response indicated, and I’ll say this slowly as I don’t want to make mistakes in the number, that 14 of the government’s decentralized positions in Pond Inlet were vacant as of March 31, 2017.
Six of those positions had been vacant for more than six months or more, and five of those vacancies were all in the Department of Community and Government Services.
Mr. Speaker, recognizing the leadership role that the Premier has with respect to ensuring the success of decentralization, I would like to ask him: can you indicate what direction you have given to the Minister of Community and Government Services to prioritize and accelerate the recruitment process for these vacant positions?
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) The Hon. Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, Hon. Peter Taptuna.
Mr. Speaker, there are many vacant positions throughout the government and throughout our communities.
Specifically to his question, we have always instructed our Department of Finance to ensure that these positions are filled as quickly as practical. There are a lot of positions that aren’t filled and some are filled with casuals and some with term. Those don’t necessarily reflect the numbers of the positions being filled, but I certainly sympathize with the member.
It’s not just within his community; there are many communities that are affected.
Mr. Speaker, as I look at the data here, the numbers of unfilled positions are going down throughout the territory, so that’s a good step forward.
We want to ensure that these numbers continually go down.
As indicated previously, there are many unfilled positions, but as you can see on the chart there, these numbers are continually dropping. It’s a trend that hopefully continues on.
Mr. Speaker, specific to the CGS positions, I’ll have to speak with the minister responsible and get detailed information on the specifics of that and possibly get back to the member specific to that question.
One of the excuses that I am often given for why vacant positions in Pond Inlet cannot be filled in a timely manner is that there are problems with the availability of staff housing.
The minister’s response to my recent written question indicated that the government’s current review of the Staff Housing Policy will re-examine the “category rating system used to prioritize staff housing by position.”
His response also indicated that the review is “expected to be complete by July 2017.”
Mr. Speaker, we all know that it’s now June.
Will the minister commit to tabling the conclusions from this review during our September sitting of the Legislative Assembly?
Premier and Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Taptuna.
Again I thank the member for that question. Mr. Speaker, again, that’s one of the things that we had indicated that we’re going to be doing, doing the reviews on programs and such things as policies and other matters.
That included a lot of different things within our departments and our corporations.
Once I have the detailed information in front of me, I’ll be certain to make sure that the member from Mittimatalik knows exactly when I can table that document.
Again, as we indicated in the past, we are hoping to complete all of the review and have all the information available for the members before the end of this term. I’ll certainly look into that and make sure that information gets passed on down to the member.
We will also expect that information. I know the review will be completed before July 2017 and I expect it to be completed and ready for the fall session.
Mr. Speaker, the minister’s response to my recent written question concerning the status of decentralization indicated that the federal government will, and I quote, “complete a Nunavut Inuit Labour Force Analysis report in the last quarter of 2017-18 in consultation with the GN and NTI.”
Can the minister clarify what role the Government of Nunavut is playing in this process?
I sure hope that we have the same documents of returns or responses to the written question, but I’ll certainly look into that.
It’s something that we want to ensure the right things are done, especially when it comes to employment in our smaller communities. Again, decentralization is a plan that we want to adhere to.
As you know, we want to maintain the 60 percent of the number of employees outside of Iqaluit. That’s one of the things we want to maintain.
Again, in the past I have indicated that we’re working hard with our HR people and our HR negotiators when it comes to devolution.
Those numbers are going to change drastically. Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that we’re prepared for that type of situation.
Again, we want to ensure that these positions within the smaller communities are looked at seriously and filled.
Question 784 – 4(3): Removing Social Promotion in Nunavut Schools (Okalik)
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) We all agreed that education would be a priority during this term through Sivumut Abluqta.
In our earlier session I quoted the Premier about his prior commitment to removing social promotion in the classroom in the territory.
Yesterday I tabled a document that had been signed by the previous Premier, which opened the doors for social promotion formally.
The Premier mentioned that this issue would be addressed in the amendments to the Education Act that were being put forward when he responded to me last.
In looking at the proposed amendments that were put forward, there is no mention of social promotion being removed.
I ask again: when will the Premier honour his promise and remove social promotion from the classroom in the territory?
Again, I did answer that question previously, but as you know, there are difficulties within the amendments to the Education Act. Mr. Speaker, since this is going to be operational, I’ll defer the question to the Minister of Education to explain the operational side of that.
Since he spoke in English, I’ll be speaking in English.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that the directive is dated 2013 and at no point does it endorse or support the concept of the term “social promotion.”
My department does not support in any way the term “social promotion” and never has. The directive seeks to explain the cooperative roles of various school staff, DEAs, and parents when seeking to determining student achievement and communicating to parents.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Nunavut is committed to providing Nunavut students with the best learning opportunities available.
As a minister, my role is to ensure that all students receive the highest quality of education possible and that student outcomes are the main focus of our school, our work, and partnerships. (interpretation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) You can choose to call it any other way you want, but it’s social promotion.
It’s passing students on to the next grade when they haven’t met the competencies outlined in this actual directive.
You can call it whatever name you want, but it still continues today.
I ask the Premier once again: when will he honour his promise and remove this artificial education system?
Again, I’ll simply say that I’ll pass on operational discussions to the minister responsible for that.
I want members to understand that the issue under discussion is not one we believe in nor does it exist. There is no policy to that effect.
There are no policies directing this idea the member is suggesting and the term he is using. I don’t understand nor do I have any idea where the term emerged from.
The practice today, to ensure all of us understand, is our students are taught the grade level they are at, whether they pass or fail the grade. This is what is used.
Within our schools, partnerships emerge between the affected parties as to what future each student has. The parties are the school principal or vice-principle, including other staff such as counsellors or advisors and the parents.
They work together to determine the future of the student and whether they will pass to the next grade or remain in the grade.
These are the practices we use. The way a student is kept in a grade isn’t done without planning.
I am unsure if my colleague has actual examples where he has seen that, as I have never seen that practice myself.
As I stated earlier, once all students have completed their grade competencies, they are graduated to the higher grade.
If any doubt exists, then what I stated would apply with respect to the operational procedures.
I just want to repeat here with respect to this word used today in English, which I don’t think has an equivalency in Inuktitut.
With respect to this word my colleague used in his first comment, there is nothing written about whether we support or disagree with that concept in the document he tabled to the House.
Mr. Okalik (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (interpretation ends) I turn to page 4 of 15 of the document that I tabled, it’s titled “Social Promotion,” is “allowing a student to proceed from one grade to the next without achieving the required competencies and without a learning plan that supports remediation or growth.”
This is the actual directive that I tabled yesterday.
I ask the Premier once again: when will he reverse this directive that was issued on the last days of the previous government, and can the Premier commit to honouring his commitment to removing this directive?
This was given out as a directive in 2013.
As the Minister of Education, I have maintained my position while in this role that this directive is not in effect nor will it be referred to or even the conceptual connotations will not be used.
We have already announced and the Premier had previously stated that this is what we are following now.
However, what I want to clarify here related to the member’s question is the connection to Bill 37. It still hasn’t entered the legislature. If he did have a concern, we can discuss it with him openly if he wishes to change the wording.
Further, I want to repeat here that there is no such policy in the government related to that matter which the member referenced.
It was a previous government that enacted that policy.
Nonetheless, we as a government have maintained that we don’t believe in that concept nor do we want to see such a practice.
I explained the process where students are promoted to a higher grade and how this promotion is approved. How the parties work together is clearly highlighted, including the parents who must be involved.
The parent has to know exactly what will happen to their child and whether or not they will move on to the next grade.
We have no interim policy in place anywhere.
Motion 051 – 4(3): Extension of Question Period (Enook)
Pursuant to Rule 39(7), I move, seconded by the Member for Hudson Bay, to extend question period.
Speaker (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) There is a motion on the floor to extend question period. The motion is in order and is not subject to debate.
All those in favour. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) Opposed. (interpretation) Thank you. (interpretation ends) The motion is carried and question period is extended for an additional 30 minutes.
Question 785 – 4(3): Fur Pricing Program (Keyootak)
Mr. Speaker, during our winter session I asked the minister about furs sent out for auction, specifically polar bear hides. I believe these polar bear hides have sat at the auction house for quite a long time.
Mr. Speaker, I keep asking this question due to some of my constituents’ wishes to clearly understand the current situation as they have patiently waited for results. Many hunters have had their furs sit without being bought.
Mr. Speaker, during the winter session the minister’s response was an auction would occur in the springtime.
Does the minister know if any furs that were previously sent down get sold during that auction?
I can inform my colleague that some of these polar bear hides have been sold, but roughly 300 hides have yet to be sold.