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In The Legislative
Assembly
December
2, 2005
No layoffs or program
cuts - yet
Cambridge
Bay MLA Keith Peterson. (FILE PHOTO)
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David Simailak, the finance
minister, isn't saying yes or no to the idea of future program cuts or layoffs
to help the Government of Nunavut balance its budget.
Keith Peterson, the MLA
for Cambridge Bay, pointed out in a question that Ottawa's transfers to Nunavut
are increasing at a rate of 3.5 per cent a year, while Nunavut's spending is
growing at a rate of about 7 per cent a year.
That imbalance, combined
with higher fuel costs, is already helping to give the Nunavut government a
projected deficit of $8.7 million for the 2005-06 fiscal year.
Simailak responded by saying
that Nunavut officials are working within a special task force on territorial
formula financing and equalization to find a federal funding formula that better
meets Nunavut's needs.
But Peterson said he's
worried about what will happen if that process fails to secure a better deal
for Nunavut.
"Whether the people
in Ottawa are listening, it is hard to tell. We could be in serious financial
shape if they aren't listening in Ottawa and the minister's meetings are unsuccessful,"
Peterson said.
Simailak responded by saying
that cuts aren't on the government's agenda yet, but he didn't rule them out
either.
"The question he is
posing I haven't really thought about, but looking at the funding that we have,
we are doing what we can to make sure that we have enough money. At this time
I cannot say what it will be," Simailak said.
December
2, 2005
Human
Resources Minister Louis Tapardjuk. (FILE PHOTO)
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GN Inuit hires hit
47 per cent
Louis Tapardjuk, the minister
of human resources, told MLAs this past Monday that the proportion of Inuit
working for the Government of Nunavut stood at 47 per cent as of June, 2005.
He also said the GN's target
for 2010 is to achieve a work force that is 56 per cent Inuit.
To do that, Tarparduk said
the GN has changed its "priority hiring policy" so that it applies
to all Crown agencies, with the exception of the Workers Compensation Board.
That policy states that:
"Based on the government's objectives to achieve a representative workforce
in the Nunavut Public Service, beneficiaries who meet the qualifications will
be given priority over all other applicants in all competitions."
Tapardjuk said the number
of beneficiaries hired by the GN increased by 1,013 between June of 1999 and
June of 2005.
About 80 per cent of all
GN jobs are now filled, compared with only 42 per cent in 1999.
December
2, 2005
MLAs play outside
the house
Regular MLAs met by themselves
this past Friday behind closed doors, after deliberately causing the scheduled
assembly sitting to be cancelled that day by denying a quorum.
After waiting about 15
minutes for the 10 regular members to show up, Jobie Nutarak, under the rules
of the assembly, ordered a recess until Nov. 28., when normal proceedings resumed.
MLAs didn't say much about
why they forced the assembly to shut down.
But after arriving shortly
after the sitting was cancelled, they met in a behind-closed-doors session,
where they talked about holding the assembly's mid-term review of cabinet at
an earlier date than scheduled now.
Right now, the mid-term
review is set for the fall of 2006. That session, held in public, gives MLAs
the ability to question cabinet ministers and assess their performance.
On Monday, Hunter Tootoo,
the MLA for Iqaluit Centre, tried to introduce a notice of motion that would
have had Leona Aglukkaq, the MLA for Nattilik, removed from cabinet.
But no one seconded the
idea, and his motion was ruled out of order.
December
2, 2005
Curley makes war on
Iqaluit schools
Rankin
Inlet North MLA Tagak Curley. (FILE PHOTO)
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Tagak Curley, the MLA for
Rankin Inlet-North, accused Ed Picco, the minister of education, of "abdicating
his responsibilities" to treat Nunavut communities equally, because of
an apparently large amount of school construction in Iqaluit.
Curley said about 50 per
cent of the Department of Education's capital budget for the 2006-07 fiscal
year is devoted to projects in Iqaluit, and that Iqaluit is turning into "another
Yellowknife."
Picco responded by saying
that the department's building plans and schedules for Nunavut communities are
based on objective criteria: occupancy, usage, age, and the quality of the building.
He also said that only
one new school has been built in Iqaluit since 2000 with GN money: the replacement
Joamie School, built to replace an older building that was devastated by a fire.
He also pointed out that
spending on other projects, such as an extension to the Aqsarniit middle school
and an upcoming renovation of Inuksuk High School, are contained in plans that
MLAs have already approved in previous committee of the whole meetings.
Curley and other MLAs,
for example, voted for the Aqsarniit project in 2004.
Midway through Curley's
series of questions, Hunter Tootoo, the member of Iqaluit Centre, rose on a
point of order to complain that Curley was impugning Picco's motives, and making
unsubstantiated allegations. But after a break, Tootoo's complaint was ruled
out of order.
December
2, 2005
Join BIPAR, MLA urges
GN
Keith Peterson, MLA for
Cambridge Bay, says the Bathurst Inlet port-road project, also known by the
acronym "BIPAR," is too big for the Kitikmeot Corp. to push through
on its own and that the GN must join in as a "lead proponent."
Peterson said Charlie Lyall,
the president of the Kitikmeot Corp., took that message to the recent Northern
Transportation Conference in Yellowknife.
"He told participants
that he is taking the project to the Government of Nunavut because it is too
big of a project for the Kitikmeot Corporation to do it alone. Mr. Speaker,
there are many partners in this project, including the federal government, who
are looking to the Government of Nunavut to make a serious commitment..."
Peterson said.
The Bathurst project, first
proposed by the Kitikmeot Corp. and the Inuit-owed Nuna Logistics firm in 1998,
would see the construction of an all-weather road from Contwoyto Lake to a proposed
deep-sea port at Bathurst Inlet.
The road would help open
up the massive Izok Lake lead-zinc deposit, and provide a cheaper method of
fuel re-supply for Kitikmeot communities.
Peter Kilabuk, the economic
development minister, said the GN fully supports the Bathurst road-port idea,
and "needs to be a leader" in pushing for it.
December
2, 2005
Akullilq
MLA Steve Mapsalak. (FILE PHOTO)
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Res-school leaders
praised
Steve Mapsalak, the MLA
for Akulliq, rose in the house this week to offer praise to Nunavut residential
school survivors whose work helped bring about last week's $2.2 billion compensation
agreement for Canada's aboriginal residential school survivors.
"I want to acknowledge
the longstanding efforts of people like Jack Anawak, Marius Tungilik and Peter
Irniq for their work in achieving justice. Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that this
agreement will allow the healing to begin," Mapsalak said.
Anawak, Tungilik and Irniq
began talking about abuses at Joseph Bernier School and Turquetil Hall in 1987.
December
2, 2005
Power surges burn
Repulse
Steve Mapsalak, the MLA
for Akulliq, says Repulse Bay residents are furious over a series of power outages,
followed by power surges, that have wreaked havoc with electrical equipment
in the community.
"Many of residents
told me that they have had household appliances like televisions, stereos, and
home computers destroyed by surges in the power. These surges often occur following
a power outage when people think it is safe to carry on with their activities,"
Mapsalak said.
Mapsalak also complained
about a recent power outage that has seen electrical power switched back and
forth between two sections of the community.
Ed Picco, the minister
responsible for the power corporation responded by saying that the power corporation
is not liable for damage caused by power surges.
He also said that a team
flown into the community will take a close look at the community's generator
to find out what's causing the problems.
December
2, 2005
More court circuits
next year
Paul Okalik, the justice
minister, told MLAs last week that his department will increase the number of
court party trips next year from 40 to 55.
Okalik provided this information
in response to questions from James Arreak, MLA for Uqqummiut, who complained
about lengthy delays in court proceedings that are confusing to the community
and to accused persons, who often don't know why cases are deferred.
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