Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have been quite involved in all other aspects of the planning for division, the major conferences that have occurred on Social Development, Justice and the Abilities Conference that have just happened. We have made our staff and expertise available. In some cases, we have provided some funding to help to defray the costs. Here again, with the arrangements for the celebrations, we do have our staff and some of our experts involved, and yes, indeed, we are and will remain involved. Thank you.
Debates of May 29th, 1998
Topics
Further Return To Question 582-13(5): Planning For Nunavut Celebrations
Question 582-13(5): Planning For Nunavut Celebrations
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
Goo Arlooktoo Baffin South
Further Return To Question 582-13(5): Planning For Nunavut Celebrations
Question 582-13(5): Planning For Nunavut Celebrations
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Oral questions. Mr. Picco.
Question 583-13(5): Baffin Fisheries Quotas
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
Edward Picco Iqaluit
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of RWED. About three weeks ago, I presented a position paper to the federal Standing Committee on Fisheries in Iqaluit concerning fishery quotas for Nunavut and in particular the Baffin region. There has been quite a concern that, indeed, the federal government is still involved in a court case with NTI concerning the allocation for Fisheries and the quotas of such belonging to the straddling stocks and the adjacency of fisheries quotas in Nunavut. Could the Minister for RWED update us as to this government's position with his correspondence with Mr. Anderson concerning this issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 583-13(5): Baffin Fisheries Quotas
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The Minister of Renewable Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. I realize the Member for Iqaluit made reference to a court challenge on this, and I advise the Minister to be careful in the way he responds to this question. Mr. Kakfwi.
Return To Question 583-13(5): Baffin Fisheries Quotas
Question 583-13(5): Baffin Fisheries Quotas
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are, of course, as a government interested in doing what we can in the area of fisheries to have recognized protection given to the rights of Inuit under their claim and the right of the Baffin people to share in the fishing quotas that are allocated by the federal government every year. We will continue to be diligent in carrying out those duties. I can provide to the Member on Monday an updated report on what the Fisheries Minister is contemplating to do in respect to those points.
Return To Question 583-13(5): Baffin Fisheries Quotas
Question 583-13(5): Baffin Fisheries Quotas
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you. Oral questions. Mr. Krutko.
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Ng. It is in regard to an issue which I brought up earlier in the week in relation to funding for the Tl'oondih Healing Society. I had a meeting with the Minister and I have also received correspondence from the Tl'oondih Healing Society. One of the concerns I have is with the way the programs have been funded and the support for funds to communities, especially communities dealing with community wellness issues, as in the case of Fort McPherson, where they do have a lot of problems especially with youth, the alcohol and drugs problems and suicides. I would like to ask the Minister, what does it take for a community, the Tl'oondih Healing Society which has received support letters from organizations such as the hamlet office, the band council, the Status of Women, and yet, they are still being denied access to funds to deliver programs in Fort McPherson, especially in the area of community wellness? I would like to ask the Minister, why is the department setting such higher restrictive criteria for communities to access funds to deliver programs on behalf of the residents of these communities?
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1485
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The Minister of Health and Social Services
, Mr. Ng.
Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is the board that deals with the disposition of funds for alcohol and drug programs within their service area and in this case, the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Board. As I had indicated to the Member in our telephone conference with the officials from the Tl'oondih Healing Society, I would try to endeavour to find out where the funds were going in the Inuvik service area and see what kind of proposal have been coming forward from the Tl'oondih Healing Society to the board, as well, to see if there was some kind of process to try and assist them to obtain funding, if they could provide a service for the board to their community. Thank you.
Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Oral questions. Supplementary. Mr. Krutko.
Supplementary To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to know exactly what funds are being allocated to the Inuvik Regional Health Board and where it is being spent. From my knowledge to date, the Tl'oondih Healing Society has not received any monies from the Inuvik Regional Health Board. The direction I decided to take along with the government, is that they will be allowed to access funds through the Inuvik Regional Health Board through proposals being put forth and so on, but yet to date, they have not received any funding from the Inuvik Regional Health Board, yet that is the agency in Fort McPherson which delivers the Mental Health Program. If they are capable of developing and delivering the Mental Health Program, why are they inadequate to deliver programs to allow them to assist the residents in Fort McPherson in dealing with the alcohol, drug and related incidences that they feel are critical to work on at this time? I would like to get that cleared up. We fund these institutions, yet we do not see the funds flowing into the communities where we are saying the problems are. It seems like they are locked up at the Inuvik Regional Office. I would like to know exactly why is there such a restrictive process and why is that money not being accessed by the communities?
Supplementary To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you. Mr. Ng.
Further Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in those same discussions with the honourable Member present, in Fort McPherson there certainly seems to be a competing interest in another society that is providing some of the community wellness initiatives and services for their constituents. As I had indicated, I have tried to find out the details of what organizations were getting what source of funding from the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Board and try to work out a solution that could benefit the community as a whole. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you. Oral questions. I would like to, again, remind the Members about asking questions concerning their preamble and repeating their preamble, in their supplementaries. Mr. Krutko.
Supplementary To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell me if there are alternative sources of funds that can be accessed since there does not seem to be any cooperation between the Inuvik Regional Health Board? Are the funds available at the head office or within the department in which they might have a better chance of receiving funds from this government?
Supplementary To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Mr. Ng.
Further Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not from the Department of Health and Social Services. We have tried intentionally to put all of the funding for delivery of programs, Community Wellness Programs, Alcohol and Drug Programs, Mental Health Programs, Social Services Programs out to the regional boards for distribution in an effort to try to bring some more accountability and responsiveness at the regional level to those program providers. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Supplementary To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister commit to possibly getting back to me on this matter within the next week or so, so I do not have to wait until session is over in case I do have to raise other issues on this matter? Can I put this issue to rest, once and for all, knowing that something will be done on this matter as soon as possible?
Supplementary To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Mr. Ng.
Further Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will commit to getting back to the Member as soon as possible, but in our discussions of two days ago, I believe we outlined a process where the Tl'oondih Healing Society was writing a letter requesting certain information from the board. They were going to send a carbon copy ourselves, and we are going to wait for a response from the board before we pursued the next step, Mr. Speaker. I will commit to doing it as soon as possible, but given that we have reached an agreement on the steps, I will have to wait for those steps to take place. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Question 584-13(5): Funding Criteria For Health Programs
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1486
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Oral questions. Mr. Barnabas.
Question 585-13(5): Report On Nanisivik Fatality
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1487
Levi Barnabas High Arctic
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been almost over a month since the accident occurred in Nanisivik. I have written a letter to the Minister of Transportation as to what the status report is. My question to the Minister of Transportation is, why has the status report on the accident not been given to me, even though I wrote them a letter? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 585-13(5): Report On Nanisivik Fatality
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1487
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Antoine.
Return To Question 585-13(5): Report On Nanisivik Fatality
Question 585-13(5): Report On Nanisivik Fatality
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1487
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to apologize to the honourable Member if he has not received a response. We have taken this accident very seriously. Safety at the workplace is a very important factor for us in the Department of Transportation. Once again, I would like to apologize to the honourable Member. We will see where this response is within the Department of Transportation and we will get back to him as soon as we can. Thank you.