Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, it's Family Violence Awareness Week in the Northwest Territories. That's a time to call attention to the tragedy of family violence and try to take steps to discourage and eventually end it.

Family Violence Awareness week is focused on creating awareness of the problem and promoting a change in attitudes and behaviours. The goal is to address, reduce, and bring an end to family violence.

Mr. Speaker, families can be our greatest source of love, confidence, and trust. When that trust is violated, the consequences for the vulnerable people can be severe. Family violence can manifest in many forms: emotional abuse, neglect, financial abuse, or physical or sexual abuse. Family violence can happen to anyone.

Mr. Speaker, in coming to grips with family violence, it is important to understand the cyclical nature of the problem. A simplified view is that hurt people will hurt people. That's a simple phrase, but it contains a lot of layers. It tells us that someone who inflicts family violence was probably the victim of violence at another point in his or her life. It tells us that the best way to resolve current family violence will require trying to fix unhealed wounds of the past. Sometimes, those wounds may not even be known by the person who suffered them and who has transformed into the abuser. It is a complex scenario. No wonder solutions are difficult to find.

Precisely because of its cyclical nature, Mr. Speaker, we must be relentless in confronting family violence. We know that today's victim of family violence may become tomorrow's perpetrator. We know that today's victim may become tomorrow's statistic. There are a lot of hurt people in the world, Mr. Speaker. They may be hurt from any number of factors: colonialism, residential schools, substance abuse, societal violence, or other causes. Many people need help to heal.

At the same time, while we have compassion for past victims, we must be relentless in confronting family violence happening now. We must support front-line workers and provide resources to those taking on this difficult challenge.

Mr. Speaker, family violence is not a part of anyone's culture. It is not justified or defensible in any way. Violence should have no place in any family, community, or society. At the appropriate time, I will have questions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.