Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The pervasive plague that is family violence is an enormous yet sadly under-recognized crisis in our society. In fiscal year 2001, 621 women and children were forced to use safe shelters in the NWT. Collectively, they spent more than 8,300 nights away from their homes. That's the equivalent to more than 13 years in hiding. They were fleeing the 424 spousal assaults reported to the RCMP that year. These are horrific numbers. Indeed our rate of demand for safe shelters is eight times, Mr. Speaker, the national average. These are only the cases reported to authorities. When one understands that far more assaults, beatings and other forms of abuse go unreported, we begin to grasp just how broad and far reaching this is. We have an epidemic raging. It's been described as a tragic and destructive problem of grave proportions. What are we doing about it?

In 1994, the Legislative Assembly of the NWT made a declaration on family violence and this Assembly renewed it in November of 2000. In 1998, the Status of Women Council of the NWT held an interdisciplinary conference and from this was formed the Coalition on Family Violence. Sixteen agencies plus three departments of this government have pooled their collective strength to seek answers. Under the leadership of the Status of Women Council, they produced late last year a research project and survey called Family Violence in the NWT. Its 42 recommendations are based on extensive research and 104 interview surveys across the NWT. A protocol agreement is being circulated across the territory to gain support for this document and the development of an action plan on family violence that will flow from it. We will need to bring many skills together of many levels to really make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, if there is anything encouraging on the face of this devastating issue, it is that so many leaders in government, community and aboriginal circles are focusing on family violence. I want to sharpen this focus and, along with my colleagues, I want to see this Assembly take a stand on one part of the problem and that is to introduce and pass new legislation which, in simple terms, will reverse the process that we use today, which will cause the abusers, not the victims, to deal with the consequences of violent behaviour. I urge the Minister of Justice to proceed without delay in bringing this new bill before the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause