Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I must paint a dark picture for you and for my colleagues. We are often told that Canada's northern territories have the highest rates of domestic and family violence; the second-highest in the country. We also know that in violent relationships, women are most likely to experience the most severe forms of spousal assault and three times more likely than men to report being sexually assaulted, beaten, choked, or threatened with a gun or knife. Women are also more likely to experience chronic domestic violence over multiple incidents and to be physically injured when this violence occurs. But are we becoming numb to these statistics?
Let's consider what these rates really mean in practical terms. If 100,000 Canadians gathered together, 594 women would have reported intimate partner violence to the police at least once. But, when you compare that rate to the Northwest Territories, that number jumps to 3,536 women. Northern researchers have also shown that Indigenous women are often more likely to be subject to intimate partner violence.
Western society shows an inherent disregard for women and girls and, further, NWT's specific problems drive these terrible statistics, including the intergenerational and ongoing impacts of colonization, and residential school, and inadequate and overcrowded housing. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted