To address family violence is going to take a community. It's going to take multiple departments. The Department of Justice is doing a number of things, as is the Department of Health and Social Services. Education is doing things as far as educating youth. The Department of Health and Social Services alone is spending $2.9 million dollars to fund shelters. We recognize, through work that we've done with them, that this isn't enough, so we will be proposing some increases in that area. On top of that, the Department of Health and Social Services alone spends another $477,000 to support...

We have a positive working relationship with the Y, with the Shelter Network, with the Status of Women, who are all working with us closely to create awareness and work to help reduce and hopefully eliminate family violence here, in the Northwest Territories. We take their input. We have reviewed reports. Recently, a report came out in 2017 from shelter executive directors. We aren't in an echo chamber. I appreciate the Member's pessimism, but we believe this is important. We are working on this. We are working closely with our partners, and we continue to do so.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also want to take the opportunity to recognize a number of individuals in the gallery today from Aurora College, in particular some residents of the Great Slave riding, first off, Jenifer Makyanzi, Hosai Ayoubi, and Jessica Landry. Welcome to the gallery, Thank you.

There are societal issues around this, and that we need to do more, and we need to continue to work together to destroy the stigma that exists around family violence. We have heard positive statements about the work we're doing with What Will it Take?, but we acknowledge that we need to continue to evolve and develop more programs and more awareness around family violence, which is why we are moving forward with these new videos that talk about consent. One is being done for adults; one is being done for youth. We're also talking about elder abuse, as it falls under family violence, and we are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a zero-based budget exercise conducted during the 2017-2018 fiscal year was done to help inform a funding model for shelters here, in the Northwest Territories. That work has had significant progress. From there, we will be proposing some increases in the funds available to the shelters throughout the Northwest Territories for the next budget cycle. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I just want to make one quick correction. The research that I was referring to was actually conducted by the Aurora Research Institute, and it examined the responses to intimate-partner violence in the Northwest Territories.

With respect to funding, the Member knows how this Assembly works. They know that we have to go through a business planning process, and we have to make a business case for increasing funds. I am proposing that we increase some funding here to the shelters here, in the Northwest Territories, through the next budgeting cycle.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was 14 when that report came out. We recognize that family violence is a crisis and is of incredible importance here, in the Northwest Territories. In Cabinet, we have established different committees of Cabinet to focus in on some of the challenges that we face here, in the Northwest Territories. We do have a social envelope committee of Cabinet that does look at this issue and look at how we can work better as departments to address those issues. I'm not convinced that right now we need to stand up a new committee, but I do hear the Member, and I will certainly ask...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the key priority areas of our government's mandate was to address the needs of individuals affected by mental health and addictions. That is why we released Mind and Spirit: Promoting Mental Health and Addictions Recovery in the Northwest Territories. This is our strategic framework that helps guide our work in this area. I would like to provide an update on some important initiatives that we are taking to enhance and improve services in the mental health and addictions area.

One important achievement for our government when it comes to addressing the...

Once again, I acknowledge that it is a valid conversation. I haven't had the conversation. I hear the Member. I am going to talk to the department, and I would like to reach out to the seniors' society. They are an important partner. I also point out that we are an important partner in combatting elder abuse. I have not done any analysis on this. I would like to know a little bit more about what's happening out there with respect to this particular topic before I make a commitment.

Contrary to what some Members have indicated, this is something we have been working on for quite some time. We have been working on this since 2016, trying to develop messaging and making sure that we are ready to get the information out there on the impacts of cannabis on the developing brain as well as other health risks.

Our community healthy living fairs are an important tool that we utilize to get into every community to get that information out to our residents. Those community living fairs are going to continue, as will this information continue to be included in those fairs.

We also...