Glen Abernethy

As I indicated earlier, there has been a review of this legislation done. It has made some recommendations with respect to EPOs. The department is currently reviewing those recommendations and will be following up on those recommendations.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not able to speak to specific cases or matters that are before the courts, but I can say that the Protection Against Family Violence Act and emergency protection orders are an effective and necessary response to the high rate of family violence in the Northwest Territories. NGOs working with the victims of family violence tell us that one of the most helpful tools are the emergency protection orders.

To the Member’s questions, an evaluation of the legislation and associated program was conducted in 2011. It indicates that the legislation is meeting its goals of...

I move, seconded by the Member for Thebacha:

WHEREAS Rule 85 requires that Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Social Programs;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Social Programs:

Mr. Alfred Moses, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake;

Ms. Wendy Bisaro, the Member for Frame Lake;

Mr. Daryl Dolynny, the Member for Range Lake;

Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, the Member for Hay River South; and

Mr. Norman Yakeleya, the Member for Sahtu;

AND FURTHER, that the following Members be appointed to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, December 9, 2011, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Social Programs:

Mr. Alfred Moses, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake;

Ms. Wendy Bisaro, the Member for Frame Lake;

Mr. Daryl Dolynny, the Member for Range Lake;

Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, the Member for Hay River South; and

Mr. Norman Yakeleya, the Member for Sahtu;

And further, that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Social...

A review of the legislation has been completed and some recommendations have gone forth to the Department of Justice which are being considered right now.

There are penalties under the act and under the Criminal Code for knowingly making a false statement in an application or a hearing. Under Section 18(b) of the act, any person who “knowingly makes a false statement in an application or hearing under this act…is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction…not exceeding $5,000,” or some time in jail. So there are punishments already in the act for those individuals who choose to bear false witness against another.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to congratulate you on your new role in the Assembly. I know you’ll do it justice.

I have a lot of thank yous I’d like to do today and I’d like to start off by thanking my constituents. I had a really good time in September, getting out to re-engage with a number of you and meet the new constituents in the Great Slave riding. I’m honoured to serve on their behalf for the next four years. I appreciate all of their support.

I’d also like to thank my campaign team. In my mind, I had the best campaign team there was. I also had a lot of fantastic volunteers who came...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a few constituents of the Great Slave riding: Bill Aho; Todd Parsons, who is the president of the UNW; Bren Kolson; Ilene Roth; David Brock; Kathy Paul-Drover; Bronwyn Watters; Penny Ballantyne; Paul Guy; Gary Bohnet; Mike Aumond; and my beautiful wife, Carolyn Smith; and, of course, my mom and dad, although they’re not from the Great Slave riding they’re up there too, Dick and Loretta Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Sport North Federation is a recognized leader in sport development in the Northwest Territories. It is dedicated to the development of sport at every level of participation throughout this territory. Today Sport North consists of 27 sports organizations, or TSOs, and regularly partners with a number of NWT sports organizations in the NWT for the benefit of youth and sports at a territorial level.

Sport North is accessible to all residents of the Northwest Territories and provides valuable support in most communities in the Northwest Territories through TSO...