Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, last week on the inspiration of Mr. Kakfwi, we had a debate on family violence. It was described in his opening address, "...as a very significant problem that deserves our serious attention." We were reminded that reported violence in the Northwest Territories in the family area is six times the national average. Mr. Kakfwi stated, "This is more than a disgrace, it is a tragedy." And he proposed a demonstration of leadership and commitment in the form of a declaration of zero tolerance. He acknowledged that this would be a significant step, but cautioned that it would also only be a symbolic step. Madam Speaker, I commend Mr. Kakfwi for clearly leading the way in bringing this critical issue to the fore in this Legislature and in Cabinet and tabling the very thoughtful, Building a Strategy for Dealing with Violence in the Northwest Territories, last fall.

However, Madam Speaker, many people who are anxious for action in this area, are wondering if Mr. Kakfwi is a lone voice in Cabinet. Is he so far ahead of his Cabinet colleagues that he has left the Premier, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Social Services behind? The Standing Committee on Finance has observed that despite the attention paid by this government to family violence, there is no increase whatsoever in grants and contributions, in family violence prevention services, child sexual abuse programs and family counselling. These are areas where we would have expected to see funding increased in order to make meaningful progress towards zero tolerance.

Madam Speaker, I hope we will soon see that our government's commitment to zero tolerance is more than just words. And I can do no better than quote the presentation from the Status of Women in this House a few days ago. "If this Assembly would commit to healthy citizens as its priority, what then? The dollars, limited as they are, would go to healing first. Everything else waits in line. Do you have the courage to do that?" Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause