Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today in the House we are bringing attention to the issue of family violence. First off, I would like to begin by reading the definition of "family violence" as per Canada's Department of Justice website. It reads that "family violence is when someone uses abusive behaviour to control or harm a member of their family or someone with whom they have an intimate relationship [...] It may include a single act of violence or a number of acts that form a pattern of abuse [...] There are many forms of violence, which include physical, emotional, financial, sexual abuse, as well as neglect."

Mr. Speaker, Dene men have a lot of respect for women, whether she is a mother, sister, aunt, or spouse. Over the years, there has been ongoing change within the communities that I represent regarding the perception of violence. Today, men and women are equal, and the people who use violence, whether perpetrated by men or women, are frowned upon by the communities.

Mr. Speaker, when I was a child growing up in my hometown, I had seen many cases of family violence throughout the committee, but, today, I am noticing far fewer cases of family violence than has been seen in the past. This is anecdotal evidence, and it is also backed up in the various crime statistics in relation to the communities I represent. For example, in Fort Resolution between 2007 and 2016, violent crime dropped by 38 percent; in Lutselk'e, 43 percent; and the numbers for Detah and Ndilo are included in the Yellowknife stats, which dropped by 5 percent overall over the same period. At this rate, we can see an end to violence within our lifetime.

Mr. Speaker, it is evident that, over time, people have begun to understand family violence is not acceptable under any circumstance or form. I believe that a part of this shift is largely due to the work done by organizations such as the Coalition against Family Violence, the Status of Women Council, the Native Women's Association, crisis phone lines, the RCMP, and awareness campaigns on family violence, among others.

Mr. Speaker, education and awareness drives have become an integral part of reducing rates of family violence in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, we must continue to work on ourselves, and strive to improve our society and eliminate family violence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.