Yes, I do. Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to make a few comments to you about the report that you now have before you. This report, as was indicated by the Minister, was written as a result of consultations with individuals throughout all regions of the Northwest Territories. There are a couple of fundamental principles in the report, and they form what I would suggest to you is the foundation of that report.
The first premise is, not only are men and women different, which I think we can all understand, but men and women experience the world differently because of their gender. Men and women are also treated differently by the world around them because of their gender. The report is not about treating men and women the same. The report is about understanding the differences and the experiences of men and women and learning to respect those differences for both men and women.
The reason the report emphasizes that a greater degree of respect is required for the experiences of women, how the world deals with them and how they deal with the world, is because to date, that respect has not been accorded to them.
The other thing that you should be aware of, and I am sure you know, is that the court system and the administration of justice does not have all of the answers about how to treat women with respect and how to correct some of the unfairness and the inequality that women experience.
Those are the fundamental social problems which arise in the courts from time to time but cannot be solved by the courts. They must be solved in a broader societal context and they must be given the attention of bodies like this Legislative Assembly. That is why the recommendations contained in the report are not directed exclusively to the Department of Justice. They are directed to other areas of responsibility that affect our day to day living in the Northwest Territories, including the Department of Education, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Services and other federal agencies. It is only with the coordinated effort of all of these individuals that these problems will even begin to be addressed in a way that is meaningful to women who live in the Northwest Territories and particularly in a way that is meaningful to women who live in communities in this jurisdiction. Until we start recognizing that women in communities require substantial resources to assist them with the day to day burden that they deal with in terms of violence, abuse, and poverty we will make no progress in bringing forward the question of equality of men and women in the Northwest Territories.
Those issues and priorities are for the Members of the Legislative Assembly to establish. I suggest to you that the burden lies with Members of this body to determine whether this is a question that deserves your serious consideration. If it does indeed deserve your serious consideration, you must allocate resources appropriately in order to address them.
The recommendations are long and they deal with many different areas of the administration of justice and related agencies. There are 90 recommendations in total. I would be pleased to answer any questions that you might have on any one of the recommendations, or with respect to how the report was prepared or with respect to any of the philosophical principles that may be contained in it.