Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and colleagues. I just want to finish my statement by saying that, Mr. Speaker, I believe the time is now to act on this very important issue. I call on the Minister of Health and the government to come up with a plan to deal with the deficit problem of the Stanton Board that does not penalize the Stanton Regional Hospital from functioning as a territorial hospital. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Mahsi, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The sympathies of the House are extended to the families who lost their loved ones at Fort Good Hope. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on this first day of our Session to acknowledge the first Family Violence Awareness Week, October 30 to November 5, 2000, and speak in support of the activities and efforts of a number of organizations, including the Native Women's Association of the Northwest Territories, the Status of Women Council, family support centre Safe Home Network, the YWCA, the Alison McAteer House, and various government departments in raising awareness in dealing with this very significant issue in our society.

I compliment the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services for the resource package that she provided to communities in support of Family Violence Awareness Week.

The Assembly's vision document, Mr. Speaker, Towards a Better Tomorrow, states as one of our priorities safety, security and respect for all citizens with a focus on women, children, elders and persons with disabilities. In 1994, this Assembly passed a declaration on family violence, which made a commitment to zero tolerance and violence against women and children, and elimination of family violence by the year 2000. Mr. Speaker, clearly, we are failing.

Among some of the statistics that have been presented, I would add that in the years April of 1999 through March of 2000, some 296 women and 334 children used family violence shelters in the Northwest Territories. We need more positive results, Mr. Speaker.

Last month, the Caucus of this Assembly received presentations from Ms. Vi Beck, the president of the Status of Women Council, and Suzette Montreuil of Alternatives North, which focused on poverty, violence against women, and human rights. Ms. Beck noted that the Northwest Territories Family Violence program -- which funds five shelters and violence programs -- is extremely important but also extremely under-resourced.

The government must make a commitment, Mr. Speaker, to eliminate family violence and undertake to develop the strategies and provide resources for this. This government and we as MLAs need to demonstrate our leadership and commit to leadership in-action, so the public will know that there are those who support victims of violence and that there is help available. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last night in the town of Inuvik, a swearing-in ceremony was held for the new mayor and council, as well as for the new district education authority board members.

Mr. Speaker, these are changing times in the community of Inuvik and the region. After years of economic decline in our communities in the region, we are starting to see a turn-around with all of the interest in natural gas. At this time, I look forward to working with the new mayor and council in trying to make sure Inuvik and the region benefit from this work that is ongoing, and to try to make our community a better place to live for all families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Bell on June 29, 2000, regarding the success rates of mature students who return to the traditional school system to upgrade their education.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment currently does not specifically track the progress of adult students in the regular school system. Adults enrolled in territorial high schools are included in the overall high school student population numbers.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment continues to develop assessment and tracking tools that will allow the collection of this type of information in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Mr. Sam Gargan, former MLA for Deh Cho for many years, and the former Speaker of this House. Also, his sister Sarah, who is now a resident of Yellowknife and works for CBC.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Welcome home, Mr. Gargan. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the new president of the NWTTA, the Northwest Territories Teachers Association, Mr. David Murphy. Welcome to the Assembly.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am at a bit of a disadvantage. I cannot see everyone, but I do know that two very highly regarded senior citizens of Yellowknife are with us today, Mr. Ed Jeske and my mother, Mrs. Esther Braden.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Welcome. It is good to see you back. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the president of the Union of Northern Workers, Ms. Georgina Rault-Kaiser. I must say, she looks pretty good after 15 hard days of negotiations.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Delorey. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize Mr. Stuart Hogg, a constituent from Weledeh and a good friend. Thank you.

-- Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Mrs. Speaker, my wife, Elaine. Also, I would like to recognize the family of the new Sergeant-at-Arms, Derek, Wyatt, and Brin Theede, to my left.

-- Applause

Probably not the proper pronunciation of the names, but the recognition is there. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

I would like to welcome everyone who is here today, and thank you for taking the time to come and see the Legislative Assembly in action. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.