This is page numbers 4399 - 4434 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was family.

Topics

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member opposite for his questions. At this time, we're not aware of any plans for another attitudinal survey. The survey of 2007, some 11 years ago, was helpful in confirming the prevalence of this problem in the Northwest Territories, and we know that the problem has continued through the use of shelters, the rates of emergency protection orders, EPOs, crime statistics, and other measures. Now, I can advise that the GNWT is developing a comprehensive approach to addressing family violence. The goal of this work is to identify best practices, align existing GNWT work, and identify priority areas for investment over the coming decade.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Mr. Speaker, did the results of the 2007 family-violence survey have an impact on policies of the Department of Justice? If so, what specific measures or policies to date are a direct result of this survey?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

I can appreciate the question, and I know that the Member appreciates that I wasn't here in 2007. However, I can point to certain improvements that have been made since that time. As Members will know, the DVTO Court is very active, and we have such programs as A New Day, so there have been improvements in the system which are being utilized. DVTO, I'm not sure when it started, but it has been in existence for some time, and the A New Day program is newer, I believe, but also has been a success. We believe that these types of programs will reduce the amount of family violence. I mentioned that these programs are successful. Clearly, we need greater success to reduce the terrible level of family violence in the Northwest Territories, but we have taken steps.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Mr. Speaker, since the completion of that previously mentioned 2007 family violence survey, has the perception of the Department of Justice changed regarding the way it handles cases relating to family violence?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the department fully realized the seriousness of this item, and it is of course a shared priority amongst several departments. I mentioned that we are developing a comprehensive approach to addressing family violence, and maybe I can talk a little bit about the first steps that we are taking. The first phase will be focused on research and analysis and will result in a comprehensive strategy recommendation based on evidence and interjurisdictional analysis of best practices, consultation with northern researchers is in progress, and we hope to have preliminary results in early 2019.

In the second phase, we will be dealing directly with stakeholders and consulting with them on the results of the research so that we can receive meaningful guidance as to where we should proceed in the future. As I mentioned, we have certain programs in place. Clearly, those can be improved, and we're always looking for new ideas.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Justice has some role in the agreement between the RCMP and the Department of Justice. I would like to ask the Minister if that department, or him specifically, meets regularly with RCMP to talk about ways to address the combatting of family violence?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

I thank the Member opposite for his question. I meet regularly with the RCMP and will certainly bring up this specific issue. There are many issues that we do discuss, but, clearly, crime reduction is very important amongst them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. The report I mentioned in my statement today reported to a Ministerial committee on spousal assault in the Assembly of the day in 1985. This committee brought together a wide range of service providers, officials from government departments, the Status of Women, and others whose work included family violence. What would it take for this Minister to treat this crisis as a crisis and re-establish this coordinated approach to the issue? Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was 14 when that report came out. We recognize that family violence is a crisis and is of incredible importance here, in the Northwest Territories. In Cabinet, we have established different committees of Cabinet to focus in on some of the challenges that we face here, in the Northwest Territories. We do have a social envelope committee of Cabinet that does look at this issue and look at how we can work better as departments to address those issues. I'm not convinced that right now we need to stand up a new committee, but I do hear the Member, and I will certainly ask the departments to go back and look at what was done in the past, and whether or not there is value in re-establishing a committee like that, or whether or not we can do those things through our existing social envelope committee of Cabinet.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

The Minister can find the report in the library, or I can lend him my copy, and he can have a read of it. What I hear him saying is that he's going to create an echo chamber of government departments speaking to one another rather than consulting with people who are front-line service providers or who have a stake in this system as victims, as batterers, and so on. Why can't this work include a broader array of people than simply having people within government talk to one another?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

We have a positive working relationship with the Y, with the Shelter Network, with the Status of Women, who are all working with us closely to create awareness and work to help reduce and hopefully eliminate family violence here, in the Northwest Territories. We take their input. We have reviewed reports. Recently, a report came out in 2017 from shelter executive directors. We aren't in an echo chamber. I appreciate the Member's pessimism, but we believe this is important. We are working on this. We are working closely with our partners, and we continue to do so.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

This work is so important that, in the last three years, the budget has increased by 5 percent or $172,000. On what basis is the Minister treating this crisis as a crisis?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I just want to make one quick correction. The research that I was referring to was actually conducted by the Aurora Research Institute, and it examined the responses to intimate-partner violence in the Northwest Territories.

With respect to funding, the Member knows how this Assembly works. They know that we have to go through a business planning process, and we have to make a business case for increasing funds. I am proposing that we increase some funding here to the shelters here, in the Northwest Territories, through the next budgeting cycle.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the barges are in crisis, there is money to be found immediately, and the problem is on its way to resolution. Now that we are in the fourth year of this Assembly, the Minister is making a business case for more resources for family violence. I can't say it's too little, too late. Everything is appreciated, but the fact is that this area needs serious attention. It needs new initiatives, and I'm looking for a commitment for the Minister of action, not just talking. Is he able to make that commitment? Mahsi.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

To address family violence is going to take a community. It's going to take multiple departments. The Department of Justice is doing a number of things, as is the Department of Health and Social Services. Education is doing things as far as educating youth. The Department of Health and Social Services alone is spending $2.9 million dollars to fund shelters. We recognize, through work that we've done with them, that this isn't enough, so we will be proposing some increases in that area. On top of that, the Department of Health and Social Services alone spends another $477,000 to support different campaigns like What Will it Take?; different programs like the non-shelter regional protocols teams have been set up, that's $210,000; programs for children who witness violence, $75,000; Territorial Family Violence Shelter Network on top of what we give them, there's another $100,000; and the Family Violence Awareness week is $10,000. I'd hardly say we're doing nothing. I agree we need to do more, and we're committed to doing that, and we will be discussing that through the next budget cycle. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Justice, who is responsible for victim services for this government. Can the Minister explain if there is a plan to expand the current community-based victim services offered through 10 coordinators to all of our communities, and, if not, why not? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member opposite for his questions. There was a review in 2014 of victim service coordinators, and I can advise that this program started out in the late 1990s, with funding initially in two communities in the NWT, Yellowknife and Fort Smith. The Government of the Northwest Territories now provides funding for 11 community-based victim services workers in eight communities, including Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Inuvik, Fort Simpson, Behchoko, Fort Good Hope, Tulita, and Hay River. Workers in those communities also provide victim services to surrounding communities through telephone outreach or in person if necessary.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I would like to thank the Minister for that information, but I don't think he really answered my question, which was whether we are going to complete this network of community-based victim services in all of the communities we have? It's my understanding, the victim services coordinators, they don't necessarily have access to funding to assist victims or to travel to victims to provide support for basic functions such as getting ready for court appearances. Expenditures seem to require approval of justice staff here, in Yellowknife, who don't seem to be available on a 24-7 basis. Can the Minister explain how victim services coordinators access the Victims of Crime Emergency Fund and whether support is available 24-7?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

In addition to community-based funding, the NWT Victim Services program administers the Victims of Crime Emergency Fund. This fund is intended to assist victims of serious violent crime. It can fund emergency expenses resulting from experiencing serious crime, as well as up to six sessions of emergency counselling with private counsellors to help victims. Secondary victims also deal with the consequences of victimization.

Victim services are provided on a 24-7 basis, but it is not always possible to provide emergency funding at all hours of the day. However, the practice is to provide emergency funding as soon as possible. As I mentioned in my prior answer, we do provide funding for 11 community-based victim services workers in eight communities. I don't know whether we could expand to all communities, but as I mentioned earlier, they do travel to communities outside of the eight.