MLA asks when Nunavut will start acting on family violence

Nunavut MLAs start their spring sitting May 7, the second-to-last sitting before the Oct. 28 territorial election, when voters will head to the polls to choose 22 MLAs. (FILE PHOTO)

The Government of Nunavut’s Iliagiitsiarniq draft family violence strategy is a step in the right direction.

But the GN shouldn’t ignore the issue of family violence, Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk said during a member’s statement in the legislative assembly May 7.

Keith Peterson, then minister of health and social services, tabled the draft version of the strategy this past March during the winter sitting of the assembly.

“We can no longer put this problem on the backburner and let it simmer,” Ugyuk said.

Monica Ell, as minister of the new family services department, now handles the file.

The strategy has been in the works for years. Meanwhile, “there is trauma in our daily lives, we are losing our loved ones,” Ugyuk said in her statement to the legislature.

Ugyuk also acknowledged the work of frontline workers such as nurses or RCMP members, hamlets and other people in communities.

And she said shelters are necessary, along with treatment centres, which, “go hand in hand” when addressing family violence in Nunavut.

During question period, Ugyuk asked Ell what budget has been allocated for family violence.

“We are currently working on a budget,” Ell said, adding that she is new to the file — having acquired it April 1.

The strategy is in the works and is one of the first priorities for the new department, she said.

“We had just recently established a position of director. We look forward to talking about this issue,” Ell said.

Once there are enough staff members in place, the family services department will discuss the action framework for the family violence strategy.

Ell urged people to be vocal about family violence issues and Iliagiitsiarniq.

“We have to consult a lot of entities. We know that family violence is out there… we are in the planning stages at the moment,” she said.