Status of Women committee  There are two things that I think would be really helpful. One is to follow a family support model rather than a service delivery model. That is how we recover together. We were able to recover so that we could contribute back to the community. That model is a really critical thi

Status of Women committee  I could, yes. The other important factor when you're talking about nations that have been colonized within Canada would be a trauma-informed approach. In the Northwest Territories the approach that is taken is medical, addictions, and kind of psychiatric blaming. Women staying

Status of Women committee  Well, in the Northwest Territories there are no party politics. We have a majority aboriginal MLA representation. Those MLAs still have to work within a public government system. There are no reserve boundaries, at least that I can identify or more importantly that people in the

Status of Women committee  I wanted to point to a real difference between the north and the south around a really critical issue. My sister is a band council member on a reserve in northern Ontario, and they have boundaries around that reserve. So whether it's child welfare or police, it doesn't matter who

Status of Women committee  I want to talk just briefly about an experience we had where we developed, or are in a partnership around, a trauma recovery program for northern women who have experienced violence. The women who came to that program really struggled with a European approach to therapy. I find

Status of Women committee  Yes, I didn't have time.

Status of Women committee  I'll make it short. One is that I think there needs to be funding for family support services, because addressing violence is not all about shelters and not all about the court. The other one is that down south the bands have band reps to represent children in court, because th

Status of Women committee  I have solutions. Do I have two minutes for solutions?

Status of Women committee  Thank you. The stew with bannock is on. We're happy that you're all coming and everyone is invited. I wanted to thank you for opening the table so that I could present, even though I wasn't scheduled. It's really critical for our services, because according to how the Governm