Julie Green

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.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a document entitled "An Open Letter to the Minister of Justice NWT dated October 7, 2017, from the Inmates at the North Slave Correctional Centre." Thank you.

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.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, along with my colleague, Mr. Nadli, I am drawing attention today to the fact that this is Family Violence Awareness Week, and I am going to take this opportunity to raise awareness of a recent report on this issue.

Two Aurora College researchers interviewed 56 frontline service providers across the NWT to document the needs and service gaps of women experiencing violence from their intimate partners. What they discovered is that there are three social processes that contribute to our shocking rate of violence against women. First, women put up with violence...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Thursday, October 19, 2017, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on October 20, 2017, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, February 7, 2018; and further, that at any time prior to February 7, 2018, 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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the report does is plot uses of EPO with incidents of intimate partner violence on a map. The research is not what I would call a thorough review. Obviously, in my view, there needs to be a thorough review. Can the Minister commit to doing a review of the emergency protection orders in order to improve their use and efficiency? Thank you.

That's good news, that the Minister is open to looking again at this program. I will be tabling this report at the appropriate time. He will have a copy ready to hand. The researchers indicate that men may be using the EPO process to get back at women who want to keep them away by filing for their own EPOs. What kind of oversight is in place to ensure that this retaliatory type of action doesn't happen?