Mr. Speaker, today I am speaking about family and gender violence. This is a painful subject for so many people. I will now pause for a moment, Mr. Speaker, to give survivors the opportunity to choose whether they would like to listen.
We are in the midst of Family Violence Prevention Month. I would like to recognize that November 25th was the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The 16 Days are an opportunity to come together as Canadians and with partners around the world to call out and speak up about gender-based violence, and to renew our commitment to ending violence against women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+, and gender diverse individuals.
In Canada, we also observe the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, remembering the women who were murdered during the tragic mass shooting at Polytechnique Montreal on December 6, 1989.
These months and days of recognition, action, and activism tell us that we are not alone in this problem. We see it elsewhere in Canada and across the world. But family and gender-based violence is pervasive in the Northwest Territories. We have the second highest rate of family violence in Canada. It is clear that colonization continues to have cascading impacts on Indigenous lives in the Northwest Territories. Because of intergenerational trauma, the legacy of residential schools and the systemic racism that continues today, we must work even harder to educate ourselves and learn from each other to broaden our understanding of this history and the work that must be done.
The impacts of colonization are illustrated not only by high rates of family and gender-based violence but by high suicide rates, overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the child welfare and the criminal justice systems and the pervasiveness of addiction and poverty in Indigenous communities to name a few. These issues are interrelated and compounded by one another.
To interrupt the cycle of family and gender-based violence, we must not only take an integrative whole-of-government approach but also a territory-wide approach that includes Indigenous government partners. Our strategy must meet the unique needs and be reflective of the voices of Northerners. I am proud to say that the Government of the Northwest Territories is working to reconcile Indigenous experiences by taking steps to acknowledge and address the profound impact colonization has had on the Indigenous population. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Action Plan will highlight several innovative ways that departments are delving into the work required to begin and promote healing in the communities in the Northwest Territories.
The transformation of our Women's Advisory Office into a better resourced gender equity division is supporting improved cross-departmental coordination on gender issues, including family violence. To inform this approach, the GNWT plans to engage Indigenous governments, community stakeholders and service providers over the next few months. The goal of this work is to identify best practices, align existing GNWT work and, based on community input, identify priority areas for investment over the coming decade.
Mr. Speaker, within the Government of the Northwest Territories we are reaching across departments to bring programs, resources, and support together. We are listening to experts, partners, and allies like the Native Women's Association of the NWT, the Status of Women Council of the NWT, the Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife, the YWCA, shelters and victim service providers to inform our approach and continue to engage and listen.
Mr. Speaker, this is critically important work. Survivors have identified a need for overlapping, person-centered supports and services that make them feel comfortable when reaching out for help. We need to ensure our frontline service providers are trauma and violence informed and have a thorough understanding of the history of Northerners. We also need to shift perspectives when determining what those who use and perpetuate violence in their relationships need.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has many programs and services to support survivors of family and gender-based violence and those who have used violence in their relationships. There is a need to coordinate the many programs we fund and offer. The Territorial Family Violence Strategy that will be developed will take this into consideration and recommend ways in which to improve our current approach.
Mr. Speaker, we are making progress, but we have much more work to do. I commit to keeping the Members of this House advised on the progress of this initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.