Julie Green

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week I received a package of 69 letters written by inmates at the North Slave Correctional Complex. The letters were sent to me for distribution to other Members and the Minister of Justice. The letters were accompanied by an eight-page open letter to the Justice Minister, and I want to reflect on that letter today. The letter writer states a fact that's indisputable: the courts and jails see the same individuals over and over again, yet "most inmates yearn for a better life and desperately want to be clean and sober." The writer goes on to say, "We have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by acknowledging that this is a distressful conversation for the Minister, and it is for me, as well. I want to reiterate what some of my colleagues have said: it did not have to be this way. Had the Cabinet taken the direction of the non-confidence motion, as is normally the case in Westminster systems of governance, then the Minister would have resigned. We have all made a commitment to do things differently in this Assembly -- that was the result of having 11 new Members -- with a special focus on accountability and transparency...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's willingness to look at how these complaints are dealt with and how they might be dealt with more effectively. My final question has to do with programming. We understand the recreation position has been cut, that the arts and crafts room has been closed, and outdoor access is limited by the issues related to fencing. What kind of recreational programming is in place for inmates? Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister for that response. It seems that the complaint mechanisms involve having the inmates talk to the very people who they may, in fact, have complaints about. Is there any third-party complaint process where inmates can go to someone who is not directly involved and make their concerns known?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce my constituents Kyla Kakfwi-Scott and Amos Scott and congratulate them on their award. Thank you.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. Further to my statement today, I am going to table a report called "Hearing About the Realities of Intimate Partner Violence in the Northwest Territories from Frontline Service Providers: Final Report." Masi, Mr. Speaker.

As disappointing as that may be, it is something that I believe is worth investigating. To that end, since the EPOs were introduced in 2005, what kind of review or evaluation has been done of them and made public?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a second set of questions on my statement I made today about intimate partner violence. This set of questions is for the Minister of Justice. As I mentioned, I am referencing the same report about how to improve service to women who experience intimate partner violence. One recourse that women have is to apply for an emergency protection order. Research has shown that there is no correlation between the number of EPOs issued and either the prevalence of intimate partner violence or the community population. Does the Minister have any ideas about why this...

Thanks to the Minister for that answer. As the Minister is aware, there are no family violence shelters in the Deh Cho and Sahtu regions. What plans does the Minister have to address this gap in service for women who are fleeing violence in those areas?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I said in my statement, it is time to provide secure funding tied to standards of service for the five family violence shelters that now exist in the NWT. Work has been under way for years on these standards, so my question is: when will the draft standards be finalized, and what is the delay? Thank you.