SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
With rates of family violence higher in the NWT than almost every other jurisdiction in Canada, one group is hoping the next territorial government will implement a new tool that could prevent deaths linked to violence in the home.

Lorraine Phaneuf, executive director of NWT Status of Women Council, which is part of the Coalition Against Family Violence, wants to ensure the next territorial government makes tackling family violence in the territory one of its top priorities. - James Goldie/NNSL photo

In 2011, the Coalition Against Family Violence NWT recommended the GNWT create a domestic violence death review committee, which would assess such deaths and develop recommendations to prevent similar fatalities in the future. The family violence coalition plans to make a similar recommendation to the incoming government following this month's election.

"Family violence can end in death," said Lorraine Phaneuf, executive director of the NWT Status of Women Council, which is part of the coalition. "I think (a death review committee) gives us an opportunity to look at suspicious deaths and link them back to family violence."

Committees like the one proposed by the coalition can follow a number of models but typically involve a panel of experts including social workers, academics, doctors, law enforcement officers and legal counsel that studies homicide cases linked to domestic violence and makes recommendations to government with the goal of preventing such deaths in the future.

Currently, six provinces have established such committees and according to Phaneuf, the NWT should follow suit because of the high prevalence of family violence here. In 2013, Statistics Canada reported the NWT's rates of police-reported family violence were almost eight times the national average.

"We certainly hear about different incidents that are happening in communities and the concern of community members around violence in the homes," she said.

In September, the GNWT announced that the departments of justice and health and social services have done preliminary research into the feasibility of creating a death review committee and will carry on their work into the 18th assembly.

Mark Aitken, assistant deputy minister to the attorney general, with the territorial Department of Justice has been doing a "jurisdictional scan" of what committees look like in other

parts of Canada.

"When you establish a body like that with expertise like that, there are some honoraria costs ... There are travel costs associated when you come together for meetings, and some of the jurisdictions also have research staff and administrative staff associated with the committees," he said. "And all this comes with a price tag."

Aitken said that his department has been working in co-operation with the Department of Health and Social Services and both departments have been sharing information.

"Definitely (the Department of) Justice doesn't have a stance either in favour of establishing the death review committees or against," he said.

"We will continue our research and have to continue to advise the cabinet and the members of the 18th Legislative Assembly of what we find."

Damien Healy, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services agreed.

"The departments of justice and health and social services will work on the establishment of a domestic violence death review committee if the 18th assembly chooses to set this as a priority," he stated in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.