Mr. Chairman. The wording of this recommendation is what I wanted to address. The government already has taken a policy of saying that it recognizes the problem of the continuing escalating violence against women and children in the north. We have set up programs and certain initiatives to show that as a government, we're addressing this problem and that we are putting some money and some effort into helping communities and organizations address the problems.

Members have raised the point that the more elderly citizens of the Northwest Territories are also victims of violence and that might be, and perhaps should be, referred to in this recommendation. The way I read it, when it says the government here, it should be more explicit that it's talking about the Cabinet and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that we must each individually adopt this policy as elected people. This is what I had spoke to earlier this week. I wanted to raise this because the recommendation is very short and I think it could be reworded with my suggestions in mind.

What zero tolerance means, implies I guess that there is some tolerance now for violence. There are people who suffer as victims of violence in the north and that as leaders, as a government and as people in authority and responsibility, we do allow the systems and the situation where many of these things are tolerated. We haven't taken a focused approach to addressing it and saying we must wipe it out. We must address it at the first instance possible. That's what the words zero tolerance mean. It means, those of us who accept this policy will not condone it, either from ourselves or from members of our family, our relatives, our communities or our leaders, and that we commit to addressing it in every instance and taking what measures are necessary following this commitment to addressing it.

We have to make a commitment to zero tolerance. It follows I guess, that it means for all people and we need to mention women and children and also the senior citizens of the Northwest Territories, then we should say that. It should not just be said to be adopted by government, but perhaps it should be more explicit by stating that it's the Members of this Legislative Assembly and the Members of this Cabinet who will adopt this policy. Thank you.