Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to see the introduction of this bill and support the principle. I have pushed for this kind of bill for a long time. It's one that I am glad that we will now likely bring into effect before we end our life as an assembly.

Mr. Speaker, the laws as they stand do not do enough to end family violence. Victims of family violence need immediate protection and must feel safe in their own homes. Police need to obtain immediate protection orders over the phone, like they can in other provinces. Too often, victims are re-victimized by having to follow an often overwhelming and time consuming legal process right now to obtain the protection they really need right away. This bill will address that.

A Family Violence Act is critical to the health and wellbeing to people in communities, even without the infrastructure in place in all communities. Seniors, women and children are at the highest risk. This type of legislation makes it easier for them to be protected more quickly. Right now, if they are brave enough to report abuse, they could wait days or weeks before the long bureaucratic process comes through. That's too long to wait. Victims are often re-victimized by waiting for the long legal process.

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased when earlier this year, Minister Allen made a commitment to introduce family violence legislation by this session. We are now going to have second reading. I say finally, Mr. Speaker. It's about time. Some people have expressed concern about how this role will be implemented in the smaller communities and this is a legitimate concern. It's something we are going to have to try to deal with. I have noted though, that Saskatchewan has implemented family violence legislation without having all of the infrastructure in place. They are finding that it works for them. I am confident that we will find a way to make sure that this legislation can work for us too.

Mr. Speaker, family violence is more common than most of us realize, especially in the North. While nearly three in 10 Canadian women who have been married or lived common-law have been physically or sexually abused, surveys show as many as nine out of 10 aboriginal women have been abused. 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.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation will give people at risk another tool they can use to protect themselves and their families. One of the most disturbing forms of family violence is elder abuse. This has been a key concern of the NWT Seniors' Society who pointed out that there is not enough protection for elders in the Northwest Territories. Elders have contributed so much to our communities and continue to be important teachers, caregivers and role models. It is our responsibility to make sure that they are protected by laws such as this one. Mr. Speaker, I note that in Alberta, seniors use this type of law to gain protection quite successfully.

Mr. Speaker, I know that this type of family violence protection law is not the only thing that's going to help resolve the issues for victims, but it is a key part of the arsenal that is needed to fight family violence. I think it's important, too, to recognize the dedication of workers, shelter workers, counselors, police officers, social workers and people offering victim services. Their commitment is admirable. I understand the Coalition against Family Violence was involved as this act was drafted, so I am hopeful that it does, in fact, reflect the expectations of the frontline workers. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working on the committee as we do the public review and report this bill back to the House for final passage this fall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause