Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m honoured to second the motion today. As you’ve heard from the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake and his passion, many of us are very thankful that he spends a considerable amount of time doing a lot of research for a motion such of this.

The mover, Mr. Moses, has been a staunch advocate for issues surrounding coroner’s reports. I know he spends many hours reviewing these reports for recommendations, trends and insights and how to make NWT a better and safer place. So when the Member brought forward this motion for committee review, I was taken aback on the incredible amount of information that was available online on numerous jurisdictions already enjoying the benefits of such a domestic violence death review committee.

Unfortunately, learning from tragedies helps us break the vicious cycle of domestic abuse plaguing our society. These domestic violence death review committees undertake many meaningful approaches on recommended changes, and with the proper establishment of such measurement instruments, such as domestic violence risk management screening tools, many jurisdictions in Canada are benefitting and working towards awareness and the elimination of violence.

Although most of these domestic violence death review committees in Canada were established based on horrific findings, and as a result of extensive evidence pointing to systemic abuse and sexual violence and oppression, we have the opportunity to do something positive now, knowing full well our long-standing patterns of abuse in the Northwest Territories. In other words, Mr. Speaker, let’s not wait for a specific tragedy or tragedies

before we can act in this area. Let’s put the power of networking, partnerships and resource building in the hands of a coordinated community approach to domestic violence awareness.

I know funds are tight and I know time is limited in the House. As the motion points out, we are merely asking the Minister of Justice to undertake the investigation and feasibility of such a committee that gives back the basic human right of safety, dignity and social economic justice to society.

Again, I want to thank the hard work of Mr. Moses for raising awareness today on such an important opportunity for the people of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, if you’re not aware by now, I will be voting in favour of this motion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. To the motion. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to say that this domestic violence death review committee motion, I certainly will be supporting it. As the motion states, and the mover of the motion as well, it’s just reviewing these situations. We’ll learn from them. It has benefitted many jurisdictions and I think it’s time for us to start doing that. Even though when you review it, it’s for a large, general population, but I believe it can work in the smaller communities as well. It’s about establishing and learning from the risk patterns that are out there and protecting our people as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Menicoche. To the motion. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the mover and the seconder for bringing this motion forward. I am in support of this motion, and I just have a few brief comments.

We have a very high incidence of domestic violence in our territory, unfortunately, and that’s been pointed out already. The thing that I struggle with, that I have difficulty with is that we can’t seem to find a solution. It’s a very complicated issue, but we continue to work to try to make things better, to try to reduce the incidents of domestic violence in our territory.

One of the organizations that are doing good work and that is attempting to bring down the incidence of domestic violence is the Coalition on Family Violence, and we have funded them for quite some time. I think that this motion will enhance the work that the coalition has done and is doing. It simply asks for an investigation of a domestic violence review committee, a committee which can look at an incident of domestic violence death, can determine why it occurred and can look at ways to prevent that from happening. We’re never going to stop domestic violence unless we put more… I don’t want to say more money. We need to put a greater emphasis on prevention. I think we have

some, but I think it needs to be a mindset that’s a little closer to the front of mind as opposed to the back of mind. Anything we can do to prevent domestic violence is simply going to make life better for our residents, Mr. Speaker.

I am in support of the motion. I thank the mover and the seconder for bringing it forward. I encourage my colleagues to support the motion as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise in support of this motion. A domestic violence death review committee is something that I know our coroner has been interested in for some time. Our chief coroner has done a lot of work to bring forward recommendations and try to learn lessons that we should have been learning when these events have occurred and brought those forward through recommendations.

I know a number of Members have been a little bit uncomfortable, perhaps, in that we haven’t necessarily followed up as much as we should have to actually address a lot of those recommendations and concerns. I know having something like this, a domestic violence death review committee, would help enhance the issue, increase the insights and opportunities for learning and going forward with real action towards reducing the occurrence of these and the severity of these.

Again, I appreciate this being brought forward by the Members for Boot Lake and Range Lake. I think it lays it out pretty clearly here. It’s something we have talked about for a long time, the need to follow up on the sorts of things we have been hearing from our chief coroners over the years. This is action that will capitalize on that intent.

Again, I appreciate that. I will be supporting the motion. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. To the motion. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Anything that helps solve domestic violence is a good thing. By all means I will be voting in favour of it. I also will vote in favour of it, thinking that we could probably do more by making our coroner’s recommendations binding. I don’t necessarily think that this is the only solution. I think it’s a step in the right direction and I wouldn’t deny by any means. But I think if we wanted to do more, we would be standing here finding a way to get those coroner’s directions and recommendations and making the government act upon them. We have seen many good ones come forward over the years and they just sit on the bookshelves of government and get ignored. We seem to revisit the same types of issues over and over again.

I will vote in favour, but I’m not sure what results will drive the end of it, but it certainly wouldn’t solve its potential by any means. I think it could be an idea that delivers results, so why would a person get in the way of that?

That’s why I’m happy to vote in favour. But, like I said at the start, if we wanted to have real change, we would make sure those coroner recommendations are binding and get behind them with the right resources. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that the Northwest Territories has a significant incidence of domestic and/or family violence. Domestic violence in the Northwest Territories is a complex issue with no single solution. One of the main goals of the 17th Legislative Assembly is to support development of sustainable, vibrant and safe communities. In order to achieve this goal, we need to reduce the levels of family violence across our territory.

The Department of Health and Social Services focuses on prevention and intervention of family violence including providing recovery as well as support programs. Recently the department launched the What Will it Take? campaign to change attitudes towards family violence.

The department also funds a network of family violence shelters providing safe environments for women and children fleeing violence. On February 27th the Premier chaired the National Round Table

on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Addressing the issues of missing and murdered indigenous women is complex, and while it goes beyond family violence, we have to recognize that violence against women, children and elders is a charged topic that cannot be ignored.

The proposed review committee is one more tool we consider in dealing with the issues of domestic violence. A very brief review of these death review committees in other jurisdictions shows that studying trends and risk factors to prevent future tragedies is their purpose. We will need to investigate how such a committee would work before we can actually take steps to establish a committee in the Northwest Territories.

We understand that in Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia and New Brunswick these committees have been established under the authority of the chief coroner. As these committees usually report to the chief coroner, we are happy to partner with the Department of Justice to work on a feasibly study for the domestic violence death review committee here in the Northwest Territories, and we will report back within 120 days. However, as this is

a recommendation to government, Cabinet will be abstaining from the vote.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. I now call upon the mover of the motion, Mr. Moses, to close debate on the motion. Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank all my colleagues who spoke in support of the motion. It is a very important issue that we have in the Northwest Territories and right across the North and Canada, and I think the direction we’re giving to government is the right step to address this issue. I did mention earlier about all the different organizations working on, when a death occurs, the work that they do. This feasibility study will bring all these organizations together to understand that, yes, we’ve got to work together, we’ve got to make the recommendations so that it stops now and that we can make the prevention happen before it occurs.

I’d also like to just once again say that in the last five years we’ve had nine deaths related to domestic family violence, and one just in this year, 2015. I just want to send a message out there to those families and let those families know that their losses didn’t go unnoticed and that this government is actually working on addressing the necessary steps so that no other families have to go through what these families have went through.

Once again, I’d like to thank all my colleagues who spoke in favour of this and will be supporting it and voting.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues, for allowing me to speak to the motion.

I spoke on this issue last week, and I felt it was deserving of a motion to speak about a wellness centre to be included in the Stanton Renewal Project.

I think at that time, too, Mr. Francois Paulette, the chair of the Stanton Elders’ Council, had been calling upon the Department of Health and Social Services to include a wellness centre at the Stanton Territorial Hospital for about eight years, and now the Stanton Elders’ Council is in full support of designing a facility like that.

I’m pleased to hear that the Department of Health and Social Services is supportive of the concept and has identified and set aside land at the Stanton Territorial Hospital, but, regretfully, there are no resources there right now, and that’s what this motion is calling upon the department to do, is to work with Aboriginal governments.

I would also like to say to work with other wellness groups that should be invited. In fact, while I’m speaking, I’d like to call upon the other groups to assist the Elders’ Council with their plans for a wellness centre.

It has been said times are tight and GNWT resources are limited, but we’re not talking about a full facility right now, just the resources to do a planning study, even assistance to cost out the cost of a planning study. I think that’s what they’re looking for, how much this facility is going to cost, what it’s going to look like. They really need assistance in that. That’s why I am bringing forward this motion. Let’s get assistance to cost out a planning study.

I too, about 10 years ago, was at the Alaska Native Medical Center and I saw how that facility works, how homey it is. They have Aboriginal culture, paintings, and it really looks homey and gives people a sense of a northern facility and of belonging in the North. It gets away from a facility that’s so square and institutional. I really believe we have to get away from that because we’ve been living that way too long.

Further, I believe it is an idea whose time has come. We have to support it and get the political ball rolling, as it were, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department and Stanton recognize the importance of culture in health care and works to incorporate Aboriginal wellness programs into the delivery of health care services.

The department and Stanton have planned for the continued delivery of Aboriginal wellness programs within the hospital as part of the technical and program renewal of Stanton. However, we also recognize that a stand-alone wellness centre could accommodate traditional activities and act as a gathering place for patients, family and friends. Some aspects of Aboriginal wellness cannot be accommodated within the walls of an acute care hospital due to Building Code and safety requirements.

Concurrent with the Stanton Hospital Redevelopment Project, we are looking at best practices that are occurring in other jurisdictions in this area. Over the next few months, we will be reaching out to stakeholders, including Aboriginal governments, the Stanton Hospital and Elders’ Advisory Council, to seek their input on what kind of programming would be important to provide at the territorial hospital.

This is an essential first step in developing a proposal for the Aboriginal wellness centre. We are all well aware that in the current fiscal environment, funding available for capital projects is limited and that there are many competing priorities and we are going to have to think outside the box.

We will obviously be reporting back to the House in 120 days, Mr. Speaker. As this is a recommendation to government, we will be abstaining from the vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. To the motion. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the movers for bringing this forward and the remarks from the Minister and the support for the general concept. The issue of resources certainly comes up on both sides of the House whenever we are talking about these things. That is

why I think the Minister will note in the “therefore” that we said “work with Aboriginal governments” that we know now are being resourced through our net fiscal benefit and other means, that they now have the opportunity to participate in the issue the Minister raised.

I just wanted to mention that that wasn’t omitted in our thinking. Again, thanks to the movers. I will be supporting the motion. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Menicoche.