Julie Green

I didn't realize that responses to questions were also a rebuttal time, but that is good to know. What I have asked the Minister for and she said she can't afford is a commitment to redoing the family violence survey. She said that it was a valuable tool, and she said she would advocate for funds to redo it.

How about just taking half the Cabinet to Vancouver? That would free up $100,000, which is what the family violence survey cost last time. How about taking $100,000 out of the infrastructure budget? There are a number of ways that a hundred thousand dollars can be found very readily by this...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise to today to acknowledge my constituent Lydia Bardak. Ms. Bardak is the North Slave region Wise Woman award winner for 2017. Ms. Bardak came north to work with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Work with a blind prisoner led her into the career she is best known for, executive director of the John Howard Society. Ms. Bardak made a strong connection with the street population and remains an effective advocate for them in the justice system. Congratulations to Lydia Bardak for this well-deserved award. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following the discussion that took place in this House yesterday, I am renewing my call for the Minister for the Status of Women to repeat the survey of attitudes toward family violence. It is clear that we 19 Members do not share a common understanding of what family violence is, and I suspect that we are representative of the territory as a whole. The information the survey will produce is fundamental to creating policy and programs that reduce rates of family violence.

The mandate for the 18th Assembly calls on us to take action on the crisis of family...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 10, 2017, it shall be adjourned until Thursday, May 25, 2017;

AND FURTHER that at any time prior to May 25, 2017, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall...

I am advocating $100,000 out of a $1.7 billion budget. I am talking about half the population. I am talking about making people safe. We need to address this problem in more effective ways. What we are doing is not addressing the root causes of family violence. So my question to the Minister is: is she willing to make a commitment to look at a systemic fix to family violence? The information for that would be provided by a new family violence survey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Status of Women. I have spoken a couple of times now about the need to update the family violence survey. It was last done 10 years ago. In the June session, the Minister said that she thought the survey was a valuable tool and she would advocate for funds to do a new one. How is that going? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is time for us to get serious about reducing rates of family violence and to work in smart and consistent ways to ensure every NWT resident hears the message that women are equals, that violence is not inevitable, and it is preventable. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I could make one. I move that recommendation number 2 of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures report entitled "You Are Standing for Your People" be referred back to the Rules and Procedures Committee for further clarification. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I just want to go back to the point at which this motion was passed and sent to the committee on rules and procedures. We had not been here long enough to find the washrooms and most of us had come in as brand new Members following an unprecedented turnover of incumbent MLAs.

What I and others came in on was a wave of hope for change and increased accountability. There was a feeling among people in the electorate that people in this room were taking too much for granted in terms of their privilege and their position and that it was time for us to re-examine that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, we have been joined by several members of the Family Violence Coalition of the NWT, including David Wasylciw, Sami Thomas, Annemieke Mulders and Lyda Fuller. I'd like to welcome them to the House to hear our discussions. Thank you.