Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Special Committee to Increase the Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly worked hard to deliver the interim report that was tabled today and read into the record yesterday. We travelled extensively between the new year and the beginning of this session. We started in Fort Smith and then went on to Hay River, Fort Providence, and Detah. We also met with the public here in Yellowknife and at the Association of Communities earlier this month. We received a few written submissions. We are grateful for the dozens of people who took part in informal conversations about the barriers that prevent women from running for office and solutions to those barriers. As well, we are looking at policy and legislative changes that will enable women to take their places here in this House.
Our interim report includes seven recommendations that address policy changes, and we will be going through each of them, I understand, today. Our work will continue after the House rises tomorrow. We will be travelling to Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk the first week of April to discuss ways to improve women's representation, and to Norman Wells and Behchoko in May for the same purpose. All of that information will be combined with any additional written responses to create a final report. Our goal is simple: to increase the number of women sitting in this House so that the other half of society is better represented here. I would also like to thank the MLAs on the committee, including the honourable Members for Range Lake, Thebacha, Deh Cho, and Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. These Members may also have comments of their own. Thank you, Mr. Chair.