Be prepared to vote. Find out who the candidates are in your riding. Contact them and ask them questions. Attend all candidates' forums in your community. Choose the candidate who provides you with a pledge to act on your concerns, and then vote for that candidate.

The Northern Territories Federation of Labour, as a member of the NWT's anti-poverty coalition, encourages you to think about the following when questioning your candidates. The facts are gathered from Alternatives North's Anti-Poverty Tool Kit:

* The GNWT has no official definition of poverty

* In smaller NWT communities, up to 50 per cent of households have a total income below $30,000

* Forty per cent of NWT households with a senior have incomes below $30,000

* The NWT has the highest percentage of households in Canada with houses in need of major repairs, double the national average

* To rent or buy and operate a home in Sachs Harbour, a family needs a total income of $103,000. In Gameti, it's $84,000. Private housing is unavailable in most communities

* An NWT minimum-wage worker makes about $1,200 a month after taxes. A one-bedroom apartment in Yellowknife costs about $1,365 a month

* NWT rates of ill health, criminal activity, substance abuse, family violence and illiteracy are among the highest in the country

* Approximately 1,000 women in the NWT are homeless - that's more than 5 per cent of NWT women

While the rate for violent crimes is going down nationally, it is increasing in the NWT. The incarceration rate in the NWT is the highest in the country, with 85 to 90 per cent of those inmates being aboriginal.

In a March edition of News/North, Justice John Vertes said," governments need to ask themselves what is being done to address the problems that lead to crime, such as poverty, unemployment, lack of opportunities and housing, and mental health issues in the territory, particularly among the aboriginal community."

Candidates in this election will be listening to voters. Ask them to promise that, if elected, they will make ending poverty one of the top priorities in their term of office.

Ask them to promise to work with other elected MLAs to create an anti-poverty strategy that is integrated across departments and involves community, business, and labour groups.

"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings."

It is time to take this statement by Nelson Mandela to heart. It is time for us to ensure that our elected politicians take the necessary actions to eliminate poverty in the NWT. There are many other jurisdictions in the country that have implemented very successful anti-poverty strategies. It is time for us to do the same.

Check out the Elections NWT website to find your candidates and view the many opportunities to vote on or before Oct. 3.

• Mary Lou Cherwaty is president of the Northern Territories Federation of Labour