Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to the matter of family violence legislation in the Northwest Territories.
This has been and is an issue of importance to each and every Member of this Legislature as evidenced most recently by our unanimous endorsement of the protocol agreement to support the development of an action plan on family violence in the NWT presented by the Status of Women. It is important to all of us in the House, and after hearing the Members' statements, I believe it is important to many, many people of the Northwest Territories.
As a government, we must act and we, as Members, must act together to develop and pass effective family violence legislation within the term of this Legislative Assembly. We must also strive to ensure that, within the limited time available to achieve this, the legislation is relevant to our jurisdiction, works for our people and communities and represents the input from important stakeholders dealing with and affected by this issue.
Mr. Speaker, Members of this House have referred to the legislation developed and relied upon in other Canadian jurisdictions and indicated their approval of that legislation on behalf of the people of the NWT. The legislation of and the experience in other jurisdictions can be very useful as a tool and will be relied upon in development of NWT legislation.
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of issues which must be addressed through timely consultations and policy development, and those include the definition of family violence, the remedies we include in such legislation, determining who can apply for relief under the legislation and the best delivery model for the NWT. The department plans to conduct its consultations and start its policy work immediately with a view to determining these questions. Our goal, Mr. Speaker, is to ensure that we develop legislation that works for all NWT residents, whether they live in large centres or small isolated communities, whether they have RCMP or not.
Mr. Speaker, this work will require the cooperation of all Members of this House to assist in ensuring that we produce an act and a process that most appropriately meets the needs of victims of family violence. We are committed to moving ahead with this legislation as soon as possible.
There will be costs associated with the development and the implementation of this legislation, the extent of which have not been fully determined. The proper delivery of this legislation will involve the RCMP, shelter workers, social workers, court staff, judges and justices of the peace. Additional staff may be required to properly implement and deliver the legislation.
The process is not a simple one, given the complexity of family violence and the diversity of our people and our jurisdictions. However, we can do it and we can do it well, Mr. Speaker, if we have the cooperation and assistance of all Members of this House. The overwhelming sense I have gathered over the past weeks in this House is that the government has your approval and can expect your assistance. What I have heard in this House, Mr. Speaker, is an overwhelming commitment to family violence legislation and on that basis I will commit to introducing a bill at the June sitting of the 14th Legislative Assembly.
---Applause