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

Thank you, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to have recently received the Family Violence Legislation Interim Status Report from the Minister of Justice. There is some information that was presented in that report that I would like to share with the House.

Presently, there are seven provinces and territories in Canada that have family violence legislation, and I am sorry that the Northwest Territories is not one of them. Of these seven provinces and territories, Saskatchewan and PEI have the most experience with the legislation, as these were enacted in 1995 and 1996 respectively. Both provinces have conducted reviews and evaluations of their legislation and both provinces have come to the same conclusion, that family violence legislation is an effective way of helping the victims of family violence.

Another benefit of having the legislation cited by both provinces is that it provides victims and police with an option where they feel a criminal response is not warranted. In 1998, the Saskatchewan report had this to say about family violence legislation:

In addition to providing immediate protection to victims, orders remove the onus from the victims in dealing with domestic violence by allowing them and their families to remain in their home communities where they have access to family, school, employment and community support.

Mr. Speaker, I think these studies and evaluations by other provinces have shown that family violence legislation does help the victims and that, Mr. Speaker, is what we should be striving towards. Mr. Speaker, later today I plan to ask the Minister of Justice how we can more quickly move this legislation along and what other interim measures we might take to assist the victims of family violence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to speak about a justice issue that has been concerning me and it has to do with the lack of resources in policing and lack of resources for legal aid.

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the recent reporting in the media about the inadequate funding for the RCMP that may result in reduced services. I guess a reduction of policing services where it is necessary is always a concern, but I am more concerned about the fact that the RCMP has chosen to speak about the fact that they are not going to be able to enforce some of the responsibilities they have. I cannot think of any other notice to those who might want to engage in deviant behaviour or break the law, to get some comfort in knowing that they may have a better chance of not getting caught if the RCMP does not have enough resources to enforce the laws.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to give notice to the Minister of Justice that I will be interested in listening to what he has to say about what he has been doing to address this.

The second issue I would like to speak about is the lack of funding for legal aid. Mr. Speaker, I am aware that forever and ever, there never was enough money in legal aid. From what I understand and from the information that I have, it is getting worse and worse. The ones who suffer the most are usually the parents or single mothers who need legal assistance to get child support payments or custody applications put through the courts, Mr. Speaker.

I know that working on legal aid files is the lowest priority for most lawyers in town, and there is already a lack of family lawyers in town anyway. I think a lot of people who need help are not able to get the help to get the support payments and custody situations settled. It is really an unfair situation for those who are in need of legal aid and cannot get it because there is not enough money in the fund and there is not enough legal assistance available. I will also be pursing that with the Minister of Justice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when Premier Kakfwi returned from the Team Canada trade mission, he acknowledged the presence of many people and groups that took part in promoting the NWT in other parts of the world. Some people promoted the economic opportunities in place here, while others displayed the cultural aspects of our unique society.

Mr. Speaker, it is the latter group I wish to acknowledge today. Mr. Speaker, there were six residents of Holman who made up the group known as the Holman Drummers and Dancers. Jimmy Memogana was accompanied by members of his immediate and extended families, namely Roberta and Kevin Memogana, Fred and Linda Kataoyak and Buddy Alikamik. Mr. Speaker, this group not only showcased part of the Inuvialuit culture through their actions and performance, but through their age differences, it clearly indicates a desire of the Inuvialuit to pass on these skills to the younger generations.

Mr. Speaker, Jimmy Memogana is 83 years old, and a father, grandfather and great grandfather many times over. Roberta is his daughter and Kevin is Roberta's son. Fred and Linda Kataoyak and Buddy Alikamik are also the grandchildren of Jimmy.

Mr. Speaker, Jimmy Memogana is a very popular Inuvialuit drummer and dancer and a great performer. When he dances, he does so with real emotion in his movements, and the same can be said of his family members.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Holman drummers and dancers for showcasing the Inuvialuit culture while performing in Munich, Germany, and for sacrificing their time away from home to do so.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I wish Memogana many more years of good, healthy drumming and dancing. I look forward to seeing him again on my next visit to Holman. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Minister responsible for MACA, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Steen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not get many occasions to rise on this item, but today I would like to recognize my wife and partner for 34 years, Betty, and our youngest daughter, Meika.

-- Applause

Welcome to the Legislative Assembly. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome Bruce Suzan, Ms. Harry and Carol Owen to the gallery. Thank you.

-- Applause

Thank you, Mr. Allen. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would like to welcome everyone who has come to watch your Assembly. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, the Honourable Jim Antoine. As I mentioned yesterday, since I have been elected, I have been trying to keep a close eye on the number of committees and the different bodies that are formed and look at the membership and the mandate.

I noticed that the Intergovernmental Forum has set up a new group called the Northwest Territories Economic Development Advisory Forum. However, I am not sure what their mandate is. I would like to ask the Minister if he could tell us today.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Gathering from the Minister's response, it is my understanding that this group will be working on setting priorities and direction, mainly for aboriginal communities in the North. I wanted to ask him if he could tell me how many people are on this committee? How many members are aboriginal? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been told that the majority of the membership of this committee is non-aboriginal and that concerns me as this group will be dealing a lot with aboriginal issues and aboriginal governments.

I would like to ask the Minister another question relating to membership. How many people from this committee are from the south, who live in the south? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.