Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year in the Northwest Territories 4369 calls were made to NWT crisis lines. Almost 700 women and children stayed in shelters. Both of these statistics are indicators of the unacceptable level of family violence that is currently in our communities.

This week is Family Violence Awareness Week, an opportunity to bring the issue of family violence and abuse to the forefront and to renew our commitment as leaders and residents of the Northwest Territories to eliminating this tragic element of our northern society.

There are many different forms of family violence or abuse, Mr. Speaker, and none are acceptable. This year the theme for Family Violence Awareness Week is "Respecting Elders, Respecting Others."

While we often think of abuse as being physical or sexual, there is also psychological abuse -- undermining someone's self-confidence and making him or her afraid. Neglect is another form of abuse. So is taking money or threatening people to get their money. These real examples of family violence are too often targeted at our elders.

People who have experienced family violence often tend to treat others in similar ways. Children may bully other people in the school or the community. A recent bullying conference in Yellowknife was a first step in teaching children how to break this cycle. Schools are no longer assuming that children know appropriate behaviour but rather are teaching it.

We all have a responsibility to promote healthy relationships and we can make a difference if we work together. A good example of this, Mr. Speaker, can be evidenced in the work of the Coalition Against Family Violence. This organization brings together advocates, service providers, agencies, police, lawyers and government, to work together for the common good of ending family violence.

Earlier today, on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, I received from the coalition an action plan on family violence. I look forward to working with the coalition and other government departments in the implementation of this plan.

Mr. Speaker, on September 26, 2003, the Ministers responsible for the Status of Women in Canada met in Edmonton and introduced a new action group to develop strategies specifically to deal with family violence in Inuit and other aboriginal communities.

I am pleased to inform this House that the Northwest Territories and Canada will also lead the work of this federal/provincial/territorial action group.

Mr. Speaker, the elimination of family violence will, unfortunately, be a long and challenging undertaking, but progress is being made. I encourage my colleagues, particularly this week but also throughout the year, to continually seek and find ways to support and encourage those people and events that are working together to make family violence a thing of the past. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause