EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
I would be prepared to table the letter I sent that details all of that information. I would be happy to table that in the Legislative Assembly in case there are any members here who didn’t receive it.
Also, it is available on the Government of Nunavut’s website. In the response as well, if I remember correctly, there was talk about the government liaison officers being able to help and assist with that service. Is that correct?
I think all members recall that we approved the government liaison officers initially to put in most communities in Nunavut where they will be able to assist Nunavummiut to access government information or direct them to the appropriate departments for assistance.
I would anticipate that the GLOs would be able to assist Nunavummiut with applying for their birth certificates or direct them to the appropriate websites or offices in other jurisdictions where they can apply for their birth certificates.
On H-7, for Treatment, one of the contribution agreements that are given out on an annual basis was the Rick Hanson Institute in the amount of $20,000 which doesn’t seem to appear in the budget this year.
Could the minister explain what has happened with that in terms of whether they are still receiving that funding or whether it has been allocated to a different department?
The deputy minister will respond to this question.
This initiative goes back to the Second Assembly. At the time, the Second Assembly had made a five-year commitment to the Rick Hanson Institute, I believe it was called, and I believe it was $20,000 each year. In fact, the arrangement actually expired in 2011-12, but we were gracious enough to allow them to carry money into the current year, 2012-13.
We have communicated to them that 2011-12 was the last year and we haven’t had any indication that that was a problem for them.
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Ma. I have Mr. Enook. (interpretation) I think you wanted to ask a question.
Mr. Ningark had his hand up. If he hasn’t asked a question yet, he can ask first.
If you want me to go ahead, Mr. Chairman, I would like to return to what my colleague just asked about in regard to mental health.
We know that in most of the communities in Nunavut, some people have problems with mental health, whether it be a member of our family or other people in the community.
I want all Nunavummiut to know that if I had asked these questions before, I’m not sorry about it.
I have to ask the questions.
The first question that I have is under H-6.
If somebody has a mental illness and the family wants to get some assistance for their family member, who is the person that can deal with that?
The mental health worker or is it one of the members of the family who is consulted or the person who consults the mental health worker? Who is the first contact?
Mr. Chairman, if there’s a mental health worker in the community, that person would be the first contact.
If there’s no mental health worker in the community, then who do we approach?
If there isn’t a mental health worker in the community, it’s likely that the next person would be the social worker that would be the point of contact.
Is the social worker able to deal with mental health problems? Are they able to deal with those kinds of mental health problems?
Mr. Chairman, if we’re going to get into a real detailed line of questioning here, I’m going to bring in another witness to help answer those questions.
Committee members, (interpretation) do you agree to bring in another witness?
Chairman: You may invite the witness. (interpretation) Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort one witness out and the other witness in.
(interpretation ends) Thank you, Iqsuktii.
Minister Peterson, for the record one more time, please introduce your new witness.
My new witness is Assistant Deputy Minister Monita O’Connor.
Chairman: Thank you, Minister Peterson. (interpretation) Mr. Enook, if you remember the question that you asked, perhaps you can clarify it.
Please correct me if this is not the appropriate place to ask a question.
Mr. Chairman, the other contact person that they talked about if there’s no mental health worker in a community could be a social worker.
Mr. Chairman, my question was: are the social workers trained to work as mental health workers?
These are very important questions that have just been raised around how to access services when people need support with mental health conditions.
We have been working pretty diligently over the last while. We’re not perfect and we have a lot of opportunities to improve. We would like to work in an integrated approach so that the mental health worker, the social worker, and the community health nurse are working together to support people in the community.
So when you look at the availability of a mental health worker, whether it’s a mental health outreach worker or a psychiatric nurse, whether you’re looking at a social workers who may be really experienced in child protection and maybe not so much in mental health, and you have the same with the community health nurse and the physicians in those health centres, we would really expect that someone would be responding to that question.
If there isn’t a mental health worker or a social worker available, then we would expect that the nurse or physician in the community health centre would be prepared to support the family or the client.
Just to get some clarification, what does it mean to support the family?
That’s a big question, what does it mean to support the family. The family may be coming with questions about how to help their family member or the client themselves may be looking for help and support.
It’s a matter of having a discussion with the family about what those supports may be, and then it would be exploring with them as to how those supports might be achieved.
As you know, we have limited resources within the communities within Nunavut and access to specialized services that we would want to make available, either by people coming to Nunavut or by reaching out to the services out of territory.
In other areas, support can be provided through telehealth and conferencing so that support from outside can be provided within the community.
All of those are variations of support that may be readily available or need to be built into the system.
I thank Ms. O’Connor for her response.
I’ve had some concerns and a lot of people have had concerns that were voiced to me.
For me, Mr. Chairman, the concern that I have is if there is an extended family and they know that there is mental illness within that family, the family is very concerned about that individual. I feel sorry for that family.
If they don’t get any help from anyone, they can get mental illness themselves because they’re under a lot of anxiety and they don’t have any help.
Trying to help others is a very hard job. For instance, I have known a lot of people who have needed some help. Even though they’re trying to voice their concern, they just give up because they don’t receive any help from anyone.
They tried to get that individual with mental illness taken care of and they refused, of course.
What kind of voice does the extended family have and who do they approach?
Right now, they don’t have anywhere to go, Mr. Chairman.
I recognize the stress that families are under in trying to provide the support themselves and to get the help that they feel their loved ones need. I think they feel it is a big challenge for us to be responsive in a timely way to support families.
From that question, we will take back the high need that the people are experiencing in the communities. Part of the work that we’re trying to do is to build the capacity to be more supportive in the communities.
Maybe if I ask this question.
When families who are affected by mental health issues request help, how do you attend to their request?
Is it just a waste of time due to the fact that they are not doctors or mental health workers or social workers?
How much belief is placed on their request for help?
Ms. O’Connor: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the question.
I think that the request by the families is valid and important. The health care workers should be listening to what the needs are and what the concerns are expressed by the family members as well as by the clients.
On page H-7 of the summary information provided for treatment contribution, alcohol and drug treatment programs, budgeted $1,099,000, I have one question here.
My question is: where is this money spent, a portion of it in Iqaluit and the rest across Nunavut, or do we spend this money south?
The department provides that funding in grants and contributions directly thorough hamlets in the Kitikmeot and the Kivalliq regions for their alcohol and drug counselling services, as well as one community organization, Ilisarsivik Society, here in the Baffin.
Health. Branch Summary.
Mr. Elliott: Sorry, Mr. Chairman.
Along the lines of the questions I was asking about the birth certificates, I wanted to get this in before.
In recent years, other jurisdictions such as the Yukon have designated new state-of-the-art birth certificates.
I know that recently, in the life of this Assembly, we did the new driver’s licence.
Is there anything like that being planned in Nunavut to update the current birth certificate format?
Mr. Chairman, I did a Minister’s Statement last year and we had an event out in the foyer announcing Nunavut’s new birth certificate designed with all the latest security features and it’s a polymer-type birth certificate. So that has been done.
So when, how, and how much in terms of getting them? When will the rollout be? Will they be mailed to us?
Do we have to apply for them?
Mr. Chairman, the new birth certificate initiative has been rolled out. When an individual was born in Nunavut on April 1, 1999 to date, they can apply for it.
There is an application process. They should submit their application to Vital Statistics in Rankin Inlet.
That is how you get your new birth certificate.  If you were born somewhere else, of course, you will have to apply somewhere else to get a birth certificate.
For receiving the new Nunavut birth certificate, will the $10 fee apply or if it is a first-time issue, will you be waiving that fee?
I don’t have that information and I don’t recall it.
Rather than giving him a wrong answer, we will follow up and provide information to the MLAs.
Chairman: Thank you, Minister Peterson. Thank you.
Let’s try and proceed again.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $237,685,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Go back to page H-3.
On the overall budget, I wanted to ask a question as it relates to the health budget compared to last year’s budget.
I want to be able to understand maybe some of the thinking behind how the determination was, as in the way he explained it, to “carve out the social services department.”
What was the thinking behind the department in terms of the separation and the allocation of funding from health and then carve out the social services part? If he could explain that.
Although I have little trouble understanding where you are coming from because we just approved that, anyway, Minister Peterson.
Sometimes, if you go back in time, you almost wish you didn’t do something. It seems like it caused so much consternation and concern.
I believe this is an important step in the evolution of our government to provide better services to the people in our territory, so we will continue to forge ahead.
I will try to answer this question for Mr. Elliott.
The Department of Health and Social Services is a huge department. There are over a thousand employees.
Based on the numbers of concerns and issues, the officials of this department are stretched in all directions. Everything is a priority to us and to our folks. We felt that we would take the social services component of the health department.
It’s not a very large component. There are 66 PYs in there and then there’s a human resource person and an IT person, for a total of 68 positions. I don’t remember the number off the top of my head.
I think there were 1,018 positions after last year’s appropriations.
We take those 68 PYs and transfer them into creating the new Department of Family Services. The total budget that will go with that is $47,000,681, so not very large, but it’s a significant step because you’re creating a new department.
Of course, as I have mentioned, I think, in the last couple of days, we will have the social services, we’re going to have income support, we’re going to have career development from the Department of Education, the Poverty Secretariat from Economic Development and Transportation, homelessness from the Nunavut Housing Corporation, I think the Qulliit Status of Women Council will come under there, and the Social Advocacy Office.
So we’re going to let the family services focus on supporting our children, youth, and families and focus on family issues. Health will focus specifically on health.
Education can focus on education, K to grade 12. Economic Development and Transportation can focus on their areas.
Housing can focus on housing.
I have to say that it’s going well. There have been a few hiccups. It’s a new process for us.
Everybody is working well together. I’m not saying that there’s not going to be any issues once it’s complete and done April 1.
It’s going to take time for everything to mesh and work out, but that’s the thinking behind it, Mr. Chairman. I hope this helps Mr. Elliott understand why we’re doing what we’re doing and where we’re going with this initiative.
Again I don’t mean to confuse the committee as to why I’m asking it.
I’m not saying that I don’t agree with what we approved going through all of the different branches.
What I’m trying to get at is that we’re taking two departments, we’re separating them, and it would be nice to know, hopefully, that on the end of the government in deciding whether there are enough and adequate funds for both of the departments.
So with that, the next question I had for the minister was: does the minister believe that this is adequate to operate his department?
If he asked me if I believe there are enough funds through this appropriation process with the Department of Health, I take the overall government view.
I know that the funds available to operate the Government of Nunavut are finite through our territorial formula financing. I know the limitations of our own source of funding.
I know the demands across all of the government. I know the huge demands for housing, education, health, and social services. It’s conceivable that if I had another $100 million for the Department of Health, it might not be enough, but we have to work with what’s available.
We have to allocate funding to many priorities in the government, across all departments and all communities.
So I don’t think we will ever have enough.
When you’re going through this process of creating another department and moving PYs out, we’re hoping that we can streamline some processes and become more efficient and effective with our delivery of programs.
The deputy explained yesterday some of the initiatives that we have underway within the Department of Health to look at ways that we can identify trends and utilize our resources better.
Again, I mentioned yesterday that a lot of our services are demand-driven. People get sick. People need to be quickly medevaced to a hospital.
There are very expensive costs for out-of-territorial physicians, out-of-territorial hospital costs, medevac costs, and medical travel costs. Those are costs that we can’t control if we don’t have our own hospitals and our own specialists/physicians in Nunavut.
So if he’s asking me if I could use some money, yes, but I’m realistic. I know there’s no more money.
We have to share and I appreciate the standing committee recognizing that and the questions on the amounts we’re requesting through this appropriation.
I’ll try again.
Total Operations and Maintenance. $280,427,000. (interpretation) Do you agree?
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you. (interpretation ends) Are you agreed that the Department of Health is concluded?
I would like to ask the minister if he has relatively short closing comments.
You know me too well from our days together as mayors and NAM together, being MLAs and ministers.
I would like to thank all of my officials across Nunavut for everything they do, health practitioners, mental health workers, and social workers. I thank my officials here in Iqaluit for the leadership they provide and thank my witnesses today, yesterday, and the day before, the deputy, assistant deputy, and of course, Bill Neish, our corporate services guy. This is a new experience for them and I’m sure they appreciate their opportunity to appear before you.
I would like to thank the standing committee for your good questions. We will do our very best to deliver health care programs and services in Nunavut and provide the information that we committed to provide to you through the questioning over the last three days.
Thank you to your officials. (interpretation) Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out.
Thank you. (interpretation ends) As per Rule 6(1), I now recognize the clock and will report progress to the Speaker.
Just a reminder that there’s a meeting of the Regular Caucus tomorrow at eleven o’clock in the Tuktu Room.
Bill 56
This House stands adjourned until Wednesday, March 6, at 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Pages 3705 – 3759
Opening Prayer 3705
Ministers’ Statements 3705
Members’ Statements 3707
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery 3711
Oral Questions 3712
First Reading of Bills 3728
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters 3729
Report of the Committee of the Whole 3758
Orders of the Day 3758
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 3705
248 – 3(3): Canada’s Outstanding Principals 2013 (Aariak) 3705
249 – 3(3): Crime Prevention Initiative: Radio Programming Aimed at Youth (Shewchuk) 3706
250 – 3(3): New Sivuliqtiksat Graduate Naya Maurice, Employee Relations Consultant (Ell) 3706
413 – 3(3): Tribute to Johnny Tookalook (Rumbolt) 3707
414 – 3(3): Constituents Receiving the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (Ningark) 3707
415 – 3(3): Social Promotion in Nunavut’s Education System (Schell) 3708
416 – 3(3): Successful Canadian Ranger Exercise (Oshutapik) 3709
417 – 3(3): Federal Sovereignty Initiatives in the High Arctic (Elliott) 3710
418 – 3(3): Appreciation to the Department of Community and Government Services (Ningeongan) 3711
531 – 3(3): Update on Repulse Bay High School (Ningark) 3712
532 – 3(3): Social Promotion in Education (Schell) 3713
533 – 3(3): Arctic Council Task Force on Arctic Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response (Enook) 3716
534 – 3(3): Recreational Infrastructure in Nunavut (Oshutapik) 3718
535 – 3(3): Social Services in Igloolik (Tapardjuk) 3719
536 – 3(3): Status of Sanikiluaq Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (Rumbolt) 3721
537 – 3(3): Status of Resolute Bay Fuel Spill Investigation (Elliott) 3722
538 – 3(3): Dust Control in Nunavut (Oshutapik) 3724
539 – 3(3): Social Promotion Issues in Education (Tapardjuk) 3726
Bill 54 – An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act – First Reading 3728
Bill 56 – Write-off of Assets Act, 2011-2012 – First Reading 3729
Bill 49 – Appropriation (Operations & Maintenance) Act, 2013-2014 – Education – Consideration in Committee 3729
Before we proceed with today’s sitting, I would like to ask Mr. Ningark to lead us off in a prayer, please.
Minister’s Statement 248 – 3(3): Canada’s Outstanding Principals 2013 (Aariak)
Hon. Eva Aariak (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I say “good afternoon” to Iqalummiut. We keep the people who have lost a loved one in our thoughts and prayers.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate someone who has made a significant contribution to our education system.
I am proud to announce that Jesse Payne, Principal of Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet, has been named one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals for 2013.
Hon. Eva Aariak: The Canada’s Outstanding Principals program was developed by The Learning Partnership and is now in its ninth year.
Mr. Speaker, Jesse Payne has been principal at Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik for the past eight years and he has always worked closely with his staff, students, their families, and the community.
Jesse is a dedicated leader who is always available to his staff, students and their parents.
His staff knows that they are an important part of his team and they support all his efforts to make Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik an engaging and welcoming environment.
Mr. Speaker, Jesse’s work with the community and his belief in supporting all of his students individually has made it possible for staff and students to set high expectations for themselves, knowing that planning and encouragement will be there
Please join me in congratulating Maani Ulujuk Principal Jesse Payne.
Congratulations, Mr. Payne.
Minister’s Statement 249 – 3(3): Crime Prevention Initiative: Radio Programming Aimed at Youth (Shewchuk)
As Minister of Justice, I am pleased to announce that the Community Justice Division of the Department of Justice has partnered with the Ilisaqsivik Society in Clyde River to develop radio programming aimed at youth.
From March 26 to 28, youth from all three regions of Nunavut will participate in the first workshop in Clyde River to develop content and ideas for the program.
Youth who participate in the development of this program will focus on the issues of crime prevention, healthy lifestyle choices, healthy relationships, addictions, domestic violence, and bullying.
These youth will gain valuable experience and be able to reach their peers across Nunavut to start a conversation on these important issues.
As well, radio phone-in shows hosted by community justice outreach workers will also take place following the youth radio shows.
These call-in shows will include information about locally available resources, reports on local activities, public service announcements, and other interactive components.
My department is happy to be able to contribute to enhancing youth involvement in crime prevention and to building a dialogue with the youth in our communities.
Minister’s Statement 250 – 3(3): New Sivuliqtiksat Graduate Naya Maurice, Employee Relations Consultant (Ell)
As Minister of the Department of Human Resources, it is a great pleasure for me to rise today to recognize the accomplishments of one of our employees.
Naya Maurice has graduated from our Sivuliqtiksat Internship Program to take her place with her peers as an employee relations consultant. We are very proud of her.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, the Sivuliqtiksat Internship Program is invaluable for beneficiary employees in providing opportunities to grow and advance in their careers and take on exciting challenges as public servants in our government.
Naya is one of those success stories and role models.
(interpretation) Naya started her journey with the Government of Nunavut in the Department of Human Resources as a casual administrative support officer in the Employee Relations and Job Evaluation Division.
In April 2010, she applied and was successful in obtaining a Sivuliqtiksat internship as an employee relations consultant intern.
As part of her learning plan, Naya received her nationally recognized Certified Human Resources Professional designation in December 2012 and was one of the first in Canada to complete the Advanced Certificate in Labour Relations from Queen’s University.
(interpretation ends) Mr. Speaker, Naya has earned the admiration of her fellow workers through her hard work, respect to others, and natural skills in her profession.
In the workplace, her contributions have included close work with the unions ranging from learning bargaining team responsibilities to participating on a joint GN and NEU committee that worked on guiding documents on a harassment-free workplace and workplace conflict management that were approved by cabinet and recently rolled out to the public service.
It is for those such as Naya that set their career sights high to the benefit of our public service that we created the Sivuliqtiksat Internship Program.