Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sadly, rates of spousal abuse in the Northwest Territories are 5 percent higher than the national average. In 2007, 88 percent of Northerners said that they are concerned about family violence in their community.
Since 2008, the V-Day North Campaign has worked to combat this trend. V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. In 2010, volunteers produced 5,400 V-Day events in over 140 countries and educated millions of people about violence against women. V-Day North is a group of Yellowknife men and women who put together creative events to create awareness and raise money for anti-violence organizations.
I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage the public to attend any or all of the upcoming events in Yellowknife. These include a live comedy event on February 19th at the Top Knight; a documentary film screening on February 28 at the Capitol Theatre; a play, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, by Eve Ensler, that runs from March 10th through 12th at the Top Knight.
Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales are divided between the Alison McAteer House and the Centre for Northern Families in Yellowknife. The remaining portion goes to the 2011 Women and Girls of Haiti Spotlight Campaign that helps address the high levels of sexual violence against women following the earthquake and devastation back in January 2010.
Violence is a destructive force in our community and ignoring it will not make it go away. V-Day brings the issue to the front and centre and I encourage all Northerners to get out and support the people who are working to change that. Mr. Speaker, this is not a legacy we wish to leave our young people. Accordingly, it’s time to distinguish ourselves as leaders in the struggle against violence against women.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve certainly not given up hope on this particular issue and, in turn, let’s not remove the hope of our future generations that we can work to stop violence against all women. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.
