Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this has been a very difficult motion to bring forward. As we all know, the Premier is well liked across the Northwest Territories and even on this side of the floor. But the support that I've been receiving personally and the e-mails that I've received have made this not easier, but it's something that I feel needs to be done.

Mr. Speaker, the subject of sexual abuse in the Northwest Territories is a sensitive subject. You mention sexual abuse and you touch a lot of nerves. I debated and I was concerned about bringing this motion forward. You think, well, does this bode well for your political future. Is it going to keep you on this side of the House? I look down this side, there's nothing wrong with that. Mr. Speaker, something that you see that you perceive to be wrong, something that you don't agree with, regardless of what happens to you, you have to speak up to it, otherwise I wouldn't be able to wake up in the morning and look in the mirror knowing I thought something was wrong and I did nothing. I think, Mr. Speaker, that's the worst way to be. So we have to show some courage here, because the courage that a lot of these people displayed in coming forth with their allegations and with their stories is something that we should take some comfort in and use that as a guide, and show half the courage that a lot of the survivors showed; and they are survivors, Mr. Speaker.

I had known very little about this. You hear rumours, you hear stories start coming out in the news and in the papers, and a lot of the survivors start coming forth. I feel that I owe a lot of kids that I went to school with a personal apology, because I went to school with them, I was side by side with them, I played on sports teams with them, and little did I know of the abuse that they were going through. I'm really glad that I've had the opportunity to listen to stories and hear of the abuse that was committed to a lot of these kids, because it's opened my eyes, Mr. Speaker, and I don't feel like I'm ignorant to the facts anymore. I like to think that I've educated myself.

That's why, Mr. Speaker, that I really felt that it was important to bring this motion forward. Mr. Handley has apologized for the remarks that he made, and I believe his apology to be sincere. I've said before it's not me he has to apologize to, because the apology should be towards the survivors. I know that this whole episode has bothered Mr. Handley. I know that for a fact. You take all that, you multiply it tenfold and that doesn't even come close to a what a lot of these survivors had to go through. So, Mr. Speaker, I do stand up here with a strong conviction that I feel like I have to do what I perceive to be the right thing. Accountability is not just a word that we can throw around in this Assembly like a cheap word, it's not. People expect us to be accountable for our actions and for our words, and I believe by bringing this motion forward we are holding the Premier accountable for his remarks, and we're holding ourselves accountable for what we believe to be doing the right thing, and I think we are doing the right thing.

This, Mr. Speaker, is not about us; it's not about me. It's about showing support to the survivors of residential school, and that should be our main focus here, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the support, I really do, that I've received.

It's amazing that the number of letters or e-mails that you get, and some want us to take a stronger stand, some accept the apology. Pretty well 100 percent of them want us to stand up here and show some accountability and hold the Premier accountable for those remarks. So, Mr. Speaker, hopefully with some courage here, I brought this motion forward and I would be quite interested and looking forward to my colleagues' remarks on this. I do appreciate the support that I've received. It's made what I've had to do a little easier to deal with, and it's made me feel like we are doing the right thing here.

Mr. Speaker, I say again this is not about us, this is about the survivors. I think if we have to stand here and show our support, and it's something many of us should have done years ago. We do it now. We'll do it and we'll do it holding our head up, because we want to be able to look in the mirror in the morning and not mind the reflection that's coming back to us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. To the motion. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes for the motion, and I speak as the seconder of this motion in support of this motion. Mr. Speaker, I support this motion for two reasons. One is, by the motion of censure it publicly states that we do not approve of what the Premier said in the media about the issue of sexual abuse. The second part of the motion, Mr. Speaker, sends a strong statement by the Members of this House that we would like the Premier and the government to help us move beyond this unfortunate incident and make sure something positive comes out of it. This motion does this by making recommendations to the government on what it can do in terms of policies and programs to address the very real and urgent needs of the survivors of sexual abuse.

Mr. Speaker, we know, without a doubt, so much of our substance issues, abuse, violence, FASD and parental issues, so much pain and suffering in our communities stem from sexual abuse by persons, institutions and, in many cases, victims becoming abusers. We, as a society, are constantly dealing with the aftermath from the fallout of this dark legacy.

Mr. Speaker, it's important to note that this motion does not go anywhere near asking for the Premier's removal. I have never sought this option inside this House or outside. What I hope to do, and what I believe this motion is doing, is to do right by the survivors of sexual abuse in our midst everywhere in the North.

Mr. Speaker, this House, in the past, has removed a Member for offending Newfoundlanders and a conduct unbecoming of a Member in public places. Just last week, we removed a Member from Cabinet for offending a Member and his family, for what he said off the record, even though a genuine and sincere apology was offered. Mr. Speaker, the important question before us is who among us are willing to step up to the plate and speak for the survivors of sexual abuse. Are we not supposed to place the Premier in a higher standard than any other Member or Cabinet Minister? Mr. Speaker, is it not the least we can do, as a self-policing body, on behalf of, if no one else, the survivors of sexual abuse? Mr. Speaker, if we do not, are we worthy of being the only Legislature in the land who declared so proudly last summer that May 26th be the official Day of Reconciliation for the Sexual Abuse Victims of Residential School?

Mr. Speaker, as a Member of this House with the privilege to vote and speak to this motion, I am voting for and speaking on behalf of sexual abuse survivors and victims I know. I'm speaking for two sisters I went to junior and high school with in Yellowknife. They're my age. They were abused by a family friend of their parents. Five years ago they came out and they told the court what happened to them. They were not believed and the man got off. After that, another woman came out and the same man got a house arrest. Then another victim came out after that, and finally the man is going to see some jail time. Mr. Speaker, I have to ask you, why is it so hard for us to believe sexual abuse victims who were once children?

I'm voting today, Mr. Speaker, for an aboriginal man who came and told me that when the settlement of residential school victims were announced by the federal government, he felt finally like he was believed, and then when he heard what the Premier said, he said he was kicked in the stomach once again.

Mr. Speaker, I'm also voting for two Annies from Nunavut that I know who live here. The senior Annie is an abused victim and who works tirelessly on behalf of others who are victims. I am speaking up for a junior Annie who told me, in tears, who told in one of the gatherings for victims of violence about how she suffered family violence all her life, and so much pain and suffering which ended with blood and brain matter of one of her family members dripping on the street, and she was touching it and she was crying, and this was as a result of another drunken rage that I believe could only come from the kind of abuse that our people have gone through.

Mr. Speaker, our task in preventing further abuse and at the same time standing up and speaking out for the silent victims and survivors out there continues, and we must be relentless in this regard. The victims and survivors are watching us and I ask this House to do the right thing by supporting this motion, to say we don't agree, we know it's wrong what the Premier said, and that we will call the Premier and the government to task by making a very strong recommendation to follow up on his apology with concrete actions stated in this motion on behalf of all of the victims and survivors of sexual abuse in the North. Mr. Speaker, I ask for support of this motion from all the Members and I ask for a recorded vote. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. To the motion. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand in support of the motion as a signal to the Premier, and to everyone in positions of authority, that when it comes to speaking out on issues of this nature that are not only before the courts but that speak to long and chronic and hurtful aspects of what goes on in our society, that it has to be undertaken with much more sensitivity, and a much greater sense of purpose, and recognition for the job that we have as leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I see a message, an underlying message. We, as leaders, always need to be looking at, if you will, our moral compass. I really want to compliment our colleague Mr. McLeod from Inuvik Twin Lakes for the address that he gave to us upon sponsoring this motion. I think he has said, in many ways, what we should and I believe can all aspire to, not only in this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, but in our communities, in our workplaces, as well, of course, as in our own homes.

Abusive behaviour is not acceptable, but it has been for so many years and so many decades in so many ways in our society. I think we have to face the weaknesses and the flaws that we all have as human beings, and understand that we're not going to get any better if we simply deny, or try to avoid, or speak around or over or through these issues. We do need to face them. As Mr. McLeod said, we need to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror every day to see if we can get through another day, and do it while we hold our head up high.

Mr. Speaker, we have so many addictions that lead to violence or contribute to it; addictions to alcohol, to drugs, to gambling. Not all of these lead to physical abuse or violence. A lot of what we are experiencing, and that I am learning more about, is emotional, it's financial, especially elders.

Mr. Speaker, our Assembly has tried to do a lot of work with front-line agencies in addressing this huge problem, but it's still something that is silent. People tolerate it, but we should do everything we can every day to confront this and change this pattern, Mr. Speaker, of tolerance, of ignoring it, of trying to absorb it and say it's been here for a long time and we can't do anything about it. We can and that's the message in this motion and I am pleased to stand here in support of it, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. To the motion. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to speak in support of this motion not for the fact that I didn't believe our honourable Premier was sincere in his apology when he did make it. I accepted his apology, but I am in support of this motion simply for the fact that I want to let NWT residents know that MLAs here in this House strongly like to defend victims of sexual abuse. It can't be overstated the amount of pain and suffering that sexual abuse and sexual assault has caused here in the NWT over the last 100 years. It will probably be felt for the next 50 years or more. Even today, we still have six times the national average of sexually related assaults and abuse here in the NWT. I think it's of utmost importance that we stand united together here in the House and put forward a

motion that calls for immediate action against the support toward victims of sexual abuse and action against perpetrators of sexual abuse and sexual assault.

We believe here that actions speak louder than words. We can apologize until we are blue in the face, but what are we going to do in the long run and what are we going to do with government policy and how are we going to change people's attitudes towards dealing with sexual abuse? I am sure there are many instances of sexual abuse out there that are still unreported today, Mr. Speaker. I think if this government starts building on support systems and programs to bring those victims out of the closet, I guess, that they have been stuck in for many years, which causes dysfunctional families and dysfunctional lifestyles because they are carrying this burden for years and years. Even if it's not something as harsh as other people might have experienced, but still the longer you carry the small burden in the back of your mind, the bigger it gets as time goes on. People have to live with that and our social fabric suffers because of that and it starts breaking down. We get higher health costs, higher justice costs and the thing just creates a big snowball effect in communities, especially in the smaller communities where it's prevalent.

This is why I like to support this motion, because I support the victims and I have many victims in my constituency that have suffered through sexual assault, sexual abuse and continue to do so today because we just don't have the programs, the services available, the assistance that we could have to bring these people forward and give them the confidence to say that we are here to support them and we want to help them. Come and see us and we will do what we can to help you with the programs and services that we are able to provide. I think it's a start that we move forward with this motion because it calls for action and we need action. We can't just talk about it until we are all sick and tired of hearing it, because it will never cease. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. To the motion. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise today to approve of the motion that is before us here. I am in support of the motion. As a former student, I attended residential school in Inuvik and I understand how these people feel. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones where it never got to the point where it happened in terms of what has been happening lately.

I appreciate the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes for putting forth this motion. It's hard to talk about it, but I have been to school with some of these people as far east as Cambridge Bay, Taloyoak and all these places I went to school before. I understand this. I went to school with students from Fort Good Hope in the Sahtu. I have been there.

Some of the former students committed suicide even before this whole thing came out. It's a problem when you look at the situation where this is coming out. I appreciate those people who are still coming out and saying something is wrong here and we have to fix it.

We have to be very careful in what we say to the motion. Mr. Speaker, I think we are bringing a message to the government that we will not tolerate it. We have to fight on behalf of people who can't speak for themselves. They are the ones who are coming out right now and I really support their endeavours, Mr. Speaker.

My colleagues are in support of this motion but, like I say, Mr. Speaker, it's something we have to do. Some of my colleagues said that the Premier already apologized for this. The apology might be taken by some Members of this House, but the apology should be to the people who are out there who are still struggling to do something for themselves. As Members right now, we have that opportunity and we are putting forth this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. To the motion. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, am going to support the motion that is before us today. I wanted to go back a little ways. I think what is important here, and my colleague from Inuvik Twin Lakes mentioned it; it's not about us, it's about the victims of sexual abuse in our territory.

All of us have stories and most of us know victims of sexual abuse and the impact it has on their lives. From where I stand, Mr. Speaker, the Premier has apologized to the Regular Members in this Assembly. He has done that. I personally accepted his apology when he made that to us. But, Mr. Speaker, the Premier sent out a press release as an effort to apologize publicly for the statements that he made and the comments he made in the press with regard to...We all know what we are talking to here and I will be very careful about that. What the Premier hasn't done yet, to date, and I thought, Mr. Speaker, when we gathered here together in this Assembly on October 17th, the first thing the Premier should have done is stand up and publicly apologize to the residents and the victims of sexual abuse across this territory.

That didn't happen, Mr. Speaker. Again, I don't know exactly why it didn't happen but it didn't happen. In my mind, the residents are owed an apology by the Premier. Hopefully, even today, he can stand up and make that apology. I think we have to clear the air on this. We are going to move forward and this also shows some action on behalf of this government in the area of victims of sexual abuse and some support networks that should be readily available for them. So, Mr. Speaker, with that, I fully support the motion and I, too, would like to thank the Regular Members here for bringing the motion forward and us airing this out. I think it's a necessary thing and something that needs to happen. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. To the motion. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say a few words about this motion. As I stated in my Tlicho language, what we went through since the remarks came out about Premier Handley about the residential school survivors, as you can see there are some Members in here that went through

the system and there are some out there in the audience who are witnessing this motion that was brought forward. I, too, fully support the motion.

Whatever happened in the past, we thought they were hurt and it's going through the proceedings and whatnot. When remarks come out like that, it opens up fresh wounds. The Premier's remarks we have discussed for the last three weeks now, Mr. Speaker. Almost on a daily basis, we have been discussing how we can approach this. As Members around the table, numerous discussions have taken place. We must hold the government accountable, because those individuals cannot stand here and defend themselves.

Accountability is a big word, like Mr. McLeod said. It's not just a word. We have to act on it. We have done it in the past since the beginning of session, there has been some drastic changes. I think we really need to apologize, not necessarily us here, but the Premier as the government leader, as the Premier of the Northwest Territories, and the voice to speak to those individuals out there. He has already apologized to us. I fully accept that myself, but it's not us, as my colleagues have stated, it's those individuals out there.

We must move on. I am hoping we don't face this kind of situation again. We represent the Northwest Territories, 40,000 plus. We stand here every day defending those people. We have to do that until our term is up. There is a lot of respect in that area when we are talking about these particular issues. This is close to our hearts. Our family members have been through this and it's hurting a lot of people and it's hurting me, too. That's all I need to say. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. To the motion. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to, first of all, thank my colleague from Inuvik Twin Lakes for having the courage to bring this motion forward and for standing by and having the courage of his convictions through this entire discussion. I would also like to thank my colleague Sandy Lee, from Range Lake, for seconding this motion and getting this topic onto the floor of the House today.

I would also like to thank people like Ms. Arlene Hache who has been in the visitors' gallery and has been a tireless advocate on behalf of victims and the fallout from the ravages of sexual abuse here in the Northwest Territories, and who works with victims and with families to try to bring about healing. I would like to recognize her today and thank her as well.

Mr. Speaker, to the motion, I think it is good we are having their airing of this issue here today. With respect to the Premier's comments, the Premier has apologized and many Members have said here today that they accept that. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, there is a power to our words. There was a little theme lesson or illustration that was given to some children recently at Sunday School who went out on a particularly windy day a couple of weeks ago in Yellowknife and took a handful of seeds into the wind and let those seeds go. The teacher said if those were your words, can you go back and find those seeds and can you pick them up, gather them up and bring them all back to us? Unfortunately, the power of our words are very strong and sometimes the hurt and the damage that they cause, it's not possible to go out and necessarily gather those words back and retract them the way we would like to.

So this incident and these words have shaken my confidence in the Premier. I have stated publicly in this House before, and to him personally, that I have supported him as the Premier of our government and I would not be truthful today if I did not tell you that what has happened here has shaken my confidence. It's difficult to say that, because we work in a very small, collegial kind of setting around here and it's a very sensitive issue.

I guess also the words that were uttered were really an offence in the public domain. It's not mine to forgive. What is mine, though, is the responsibility to uphold the highest standard of the word and the thoughts and the ideals and the positions taken by this government and by the leaders who are in this government.

So, Mr. Speaker, today I don't pretend to fully comprehend what the victims of abuse have suffered. I made a Member's statement earlier today on some of the ramifications of sexual abuse that had such a tremendous impact on the people of the Northwest Territories. I mentioned that in my Member's statement today and I am not going to go over that again.

Mr. Speaker, by this motion here in the House today, I think that I would like to see this motion be a public declaration that for those who have suffered abuse at the hands of perpetrators and sexual predators, that there is hope. Evil will always thrive when good men say nothing, but what we are saying today in this House is there is hope, there is justice, there is healing and there is vindication. To those people who have suffered, we, through this motion today, are standing with you. We support you. We encourage you and we want this government to demonstrate, through tangible means, support for those who have been the victims of sexual assault.

Mr. Speaker, for myself, I am sorry. I am sorry for what has happened to people. I am sorry that good intentions of people to educate and intervene in the lives of other people turned so wrong. I am sorry for the children who were taken away from that natural protection and natural authority of their parents and put into the hands and care of people who abused that trust. As a mother, I can tell you there is something that when you think about a child being harmed, there is an emotion that rises up, and I am sure for fathers too, that brings out a protectiveness. I am sorry that no one was there for those children who were taken advantage of and whose lives were so devastated by what happened to them.

Mr. Speaker, I think there is a special place and punishment for people who would hurt a small child. I saw a reference to a bible verse today in Matthew that says that for someone who would hurt a child, it would be better that a millstone was tied around their neck and they were tossed into the sea. These kinds of crimes that were committed against children are of the worst kind.

I just hope, as I said earlier, that people will find peace and healing. I will be supporting the motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. To the motion. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to speak briefly to this motion. The motion itself deals with two related but separate issues. The first issue is the censure of me for unfortunate and inappropriate comments that I made to the media last month. The second purpose of the motion is an issue that I believe is fully supported, in fact I know it's fully supported by all Members of this House, and that is to support victims of sexual abuse.

It's unusual to have two such issues put together in the same motion, so I am going to speak to the two parts of the motion separately. First I want to speak to the motion censure and my comments to the media that resulted in that part of the motion. I have addressed this issue previously to Caucus and in a public statement and response to questions in the House at the beginning of the session. Mr. Speaker, I will say again, I am genuinely sorry for the remarks I made. They don't represent my views. It was clear that I should not have spoken about this issue nor should I have said what I said. It was a fundamental error of judgment and, as an experienced politician, I should have known better.

Mostly, Mr. Speaker, I deeply regret the pain that my comments have caused others. It was not my intention to denigrate or dismiss the suffering of people who have been abused sexually or otherwise. I assure you that I will be much more thoughtful in the future before I speak on matters such as this.

Mr. Speaker, my Cabinet colleagues accepted my apology and I am prepared to move. Mr. Speaker, I hope the victims of sexual abuse and all people of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut accept my apology. Mr. Speaker, I also hope that the honourable Members on the other side of the House accept my apology. I would also like to believe that my record of public service to the people of the Northwest Territories over the past 20-plus years, including seven years in this House and the rest of the time in the public service, are taken into account.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to speak to the second part of the motion which is intended to support victims of sexual abuse and make recommendations to strengthen the policies and programs we have in place to support these victims. I, along with Members of Cabinet, strongly support this part of the motion, but Cabinet will not be voting on this motion because part of the motion constitutes recommendations to us as Cabinet.

However, Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with other Members to reduce violence in the Northwest Territories and to increase support for victims. This week, we saw the release of a study that showed residents of the Territories are more than three times as likely as their provincial counterparts to fall victim to violent crimes such as robberies and sexual assault. Clearly, we have much to do.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate my apologies to all people who have felt pain as a result of this. Mr. Speaker, I am truly sorry for it and thank you very much.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. I will allow the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the mover of the motion, to close the debate on this motion. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a proverb says: "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed." I feel today like I am walking amongst the wise. As I said before, this was not an easy motion to bring forward and I do accept and appreciate the Premier's comments and his apology. I do accept it. It was not our intent, Mr. Speaker, in bringing this motion forward to open old wounds. It was not our intent.

People for years have been going through healing processes. We have to feel for them. They are trying to heal and when you have comments that come out like this, it does open old wounds. I hope that they accept the Premier's apology and they will continue to carry on with their healing. The ones I have met, Mr. Speaker, are very, very strong people to live with what they live with every day. It's a healing process and I don't think it's something that just heals overnight. They go through the healing process.

That was one of the things I struggled with deeply, Mr. Speaker, was the fact that people are trying to go through a healing process and then they hear comments and it just opens old wounds again and the stress that it must cause them.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support to the motion. I appreciate their words. This is a sensitive subject in the Northwest Territories. I think you have all spoken well to the motion. I appreciate that.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I do want to send a message to all the survivors out there. As some of my colleagues have said, this was not about us. We felt that we had to stand and show support and I pray that your journey into healing is a good one and I just want you to know that we have taken steps that we believe, amongst each other, to hold the Premier accountable for his remarks and hopefully that puts some closure to this discussion in this Chamber and hopefully it will put closure to what a lot of survivors have gone through. Hopefully, this is part of the healing process and it helps them. Our prayers are with you and we wish you nothing but the best of luck. Thank you again, colleagues.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Recorded vote has been requested. All those in favour, please stand.

All those opposed to the motion, please stand. All those abstaining from the motion, please stand.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. The results of the motion are nine for, zero against, seven abstaining. The motion is carried.

---Carried

---Applause

Before we go onto the orders of the day, Members, the Chair is going to call a short break.

---SHORT RECESS