Yes, during one of the dinner events that I went to, I did tell them at that time that I wanted to meet with them, that I wanted to have at least a four-hour meeting that we could actually talk about the direction and how we could work together. I did meet with them, and like I had said earlier, I also met with them during lunch hours, but it was only a matter of going in, saying a cordial "glad to work with you," and then I had to run back. I don't really consider those actually directional meetings, and nor should I, because it is not my authority to give direction to them.

The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre actually brought it up to me the other day and stated that she had heard that the Status of Women Council had decided to stop chairing the Family Violence Coalition.

Mr. Speaker, I would never give direction to stop working with the Family Violence Coalition. I am a child of violence, not a slap on the hand, of fists and boots and knives and guns and hospitals and RCMP detachments. I know family violence, I have lived family violence, and I would never stop anyone from addressing that issue.

I called the president because I had concerns, and the president told me. She said that they are looking at a strategic plan. They need to review things because, she said, 75 per cent of their time was donated to just supporting the Family Violence Coalition. That's half a million dollars in funding that we are giving; 75 per cent was going to that. I never gave direction to stop. The council themselves wanted to look into it to see if that is the best use of their resources.

Mr. Speaker, at no point have I given direction to stop. In fact, when the MLA from Yellowknife Centre asked me that a couple of days ago, I replied via email and, actually, in conversation stated that I never gave direction to stop. I do take a little bit of offence that I have been accused of it, because at no time have I ever, nor at no time would I ever, give any direction to stop combatting family violence. We have huge family violence rates in the Northwest Territories. It is an issue we need to deal with.