Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to report to you that the Women's Leadership Conference over the weekend was a resounding success, but the topic I would like to speak today about is one overwhelming theme that emerged from the conference which, in one way or another, really underlined and overshadowed the entire event. That has to do with how much the people of the North -- women, children and men -- are suffering from and affected by family violence in all of our communities, big and small.

Mr. Speaker, we know in the North that we have taken a number of measures to address these and prevent them from happening, but whatever we are doing appears simply not enough, Mr. Speaker. We had women endlessly talking, and often crying, about what they are dealing with. Even the entertainment during the Saturday night banquet resulted in an impromptu but powerful singing by Ann Kushuk from Inuvik that speaks about the pain of family abuse. Everyone needed her to sing this song because it is so healing.

Mr. Speaker, we were especially struck by two young women from one of our smallest communities who tearfully told us how they're doing all they can to help a mother of four get away from a very physically and mentally abusive situation she is in as we speak. They have so little resources to help her with. There is no police, there is no shelter, there is no nursing station, and they're helplessly watching. They're discouraged and they're heartbroken watching this woman giving up, so distraught that she has given up asking or taking any help from authorities and social agencies. Her mental and physical health has deteriorated to such a degree that she has no strength or resolve to do anything that would help her in the long run.

Mr. Speaker, I was asked by these women to tell the House that there is still deafening silence in many of our communities and deafening silence from those who are in a much better position to help these women and much more so than any government agencies or law enforcement authorities.

Mr. Speaker, we know there's a lot of people, women and men, who are working on this issue tirelessly in our communities, but we have to ask all our people -- women, men, elders, youth and the community leadership...Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement?