Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it's particularly a nice coincidence that we are dealing with this on the same day that the Minister has announced we were just beginning Family Violence Awareness Week. I think that's particularly appropriate.

Mr. Chairman, I have been waiting to see this legislation come forward for a long time. I am not sure, but I may have been the first MLA to call for this type of family violence protection legislation. I first heard about Alberta's legislation at a seminar on seniors' abuse that happened here in Yellowknife several years ago.

So it's been a long time coming and I am happy to see it going forward as I think it is an important piece of legislation to help us deal with the issue of family violence. I would also like to congratulate the Minister and his staff in making sure we did get a chance to see this legislation in the life of this assembly. I am quite convinced that this legislation is something we should be proud of bringing into play.

Mr. Chairman, victims of family violence need immediate protection and they've got to feel safe in their own homes. Police need to be able to obtain immediate protection orders over the phone like they can in several other provinces. Right now, victims are sometimes further traumatized by having to follow an often overwhelming and time consuming legal process to obtain the protection they need. This legislation would make it easier to gain immediate protection. Too often, victims cannot report abuse right now for fear of being forced to leave their homes. This legislation may lead to more victims coming forward so we can help them and their families.

As the Minister pointed out earlier today, we have way overcrowded shelters. Nearly 700 women and children stayed in shelters in the last year and over 4,300 calls in the last year to crisis lines. That indicates that we have a very severe problem and if this legislation helps us to improve the situation for some of those people, then I think it will have been very worth our time to make sure that we got to see it.

I know we have heard from the seniors' society. They say this legislation will make it easier for elders to be protected from abuse. I think it's important to remember this legislation is only a tool to help us deal with family violence. I think we all know that more needs to be done. We need more resources for family programs that will help address the reprisals of family violence. For instance, I think we need to consider how families can best be served by having social workers come to family homes to support them, rather than removing family members or apprehending children.

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We need effective family unification programs that help supports families as a whole. We need to help families and individuals learn about effective parenting and relationship skills and we also need to support existing and new programs to help individuals deal with addictions.

Mr. Chairman, by keeping families together and supporting them as a family, we can bring about many of the changes that are needed to decrease family violence. It's important to understand and properly support families to make positive changes. We also need to understand the broad definition of family in the Northwest Territories and make sure our programs address extended families in all communities. In order for this legislation to help families in crisis, we must ensure the proper implementation of this legislation takes place. The legislation needs to be clearly understood by stakeholders and appropriate training has to be provided to all who will be involved in its implementation. It won't be worth the paper it's written on if frontline workers, the RCMP, justices of the peace and others are not adequately trained and supported to implement the legislation.

We can't afford to further traumatize victims of family violence. We must live up to our commitment by making sure provisions of this legislation are properly brought into force.

Mr. Chairman, as we all know, family violence is more common in the North. Nearly three in 10 Canadian women who have been married or live common-law have been physically or sexually abused. We know that rates are much higher in the North, especially among aboriginal women. The physical, emotional and psychological costs are impossible to determine. Many victims are afraid to leave their homes and many even lose their jobs because of high stress levels. This legislation will give people at risk another tool they can use to protect themselves and their families.

The effect family violence can have on children can be huge. They can be scarred for life and it plays a big role in whom they grow up to be and the values they believe in.

Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned earlier, the seniors told us they supported this legislation and they told us that one of the most disturbing forms of family violence is elder abuse. The seniors' society pointed out that there is not enough being done right now to protect elders in the Northwest Territories. Elders have contributed so much to our communities and continue to be important teachers, caregivers and role models. So it's our responsibility to make sure we bring in laws like this to help protect them.

As I have already said, I know that this sort of legislation is not going to resolve all the issues we have for victims of violence. But I think it really is a key part of the arsenal that we need to fight family violence. I would just like to take a moment to recognize the dedication and work of shelter workers, counsellors, police officers, social workers and the people who today are offering victims' services. Their commitment is admirable and I appreciate their involvement thus far in the development of this act. Mr. Chairman, preventing family violence must be our first priority. We must now turn our attention to how we can reunite families. This legislation is a tool that we can use, but we must never lose sight of our obligation to work on preventing family violence from occurring in the first place. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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