The race to become the new premier of the NWT will have four candidates.
Thursday morning saw the start of the territorial leadership committee — comprising all 19 members of the legislative assembly — and the first order of business saw those who want to run for premier put their names forward. The quartet looking to become the top politician include Hay River North MLA R.J. Simpson, Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson, Yellowknife South MLA Caroline Wawzonek and Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart.
Candidates had up to 20 minutes to persuade colleagues to vote for them and it was done in alphabetical order, beginning with Simpson, who is still legally the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment as well as Minister of Justice.
He said he wants to continue the work done in the previous assembly with the Council of Leaders, working with Indigenous governments on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and by moving forward on land claims negotiations.
Simpson also said housing, health care, cost of living and natural disasters are big tasks that need attention.
“We won’t solve each and every one of those problems in the next four years, but I’m confident that this assembly can start us down the right path,” he said.
Throwing more money at each of those problems isn’t the answer either, he added, and the GNWT shouldn’t depend on the federal government to bail it out every time.
“Every year, we’ve been spending more and more and the GNWT is bigger than it’s ever been,” he said. “We’re not seeing the results we want. We can continue to lobby (the Government of Canada), but we must ensure our fiscal house is in order if we expect them to consider our requests.”
Associate ministers and new portfolios
In his speech, Testart said ministers need to lead, not follow and he would make sure cabinet would take the reins, while also making sure all 19 members of the assembly are united as one.
One way Testart intends to do that is make chairs of standing committees in the assembly associate ministers within cabinet to allow them to get information on decisions made by cabinet.
“(They’ll be) allowed to access their ministers’ counterparts pre-sessional briefings, granted observer status in committees of cabinet, meetings of intergovernmental council and Council of Leaders,” he said.
They won’t be a part of cabinet decision-making, he added, and they would not have to vote in solidarity with members of cabinet.
Testart also said he wants to introduce new portfolios that would address the priorities of the assembly, such as treaties, addictions, net-zero energy, official languages and red tape reduction.
Those portfolios would be integrated into current departments as part of a retooling to give everyone clarity on what the new assembly stands for.
“(It would be) setting ministries based on the will of the members and, therefore, the people they serve rather than the comfort of the public service,” he said.
Small community experience
Thompson said he decided to run for premier based on conversations he had with Indigenous leaders, who told him that he needed to put his name forward due to his experience of living in small and isolated communities.
“They explained that I was not afraid of hard work and, more importantly, I was approachable and willing to listen and try to resolve residents’ concerns,” he said.
He said he would ensure that departments are prepared to work with standing committees and members.
“That includes more extensive committee input on proposed legislative initiatives at the earliest possible opportunity,” he said. “I also propose that cabinet meet twice a year to see how we’re doing and how we can improve.”
Thompson also committed to travelling to communities to listen to residents and get guidance on policies and legislative initiatives.
‘Sense of vision’
Wawzonek said one of the main reasons she’s running is to try to articulate a vision for the GNWT, something which isn’t always understood by the public.
“The premier, in my view, is responsible to put forward a sense of vision about who we are to the rest of Canada and on the world stage,” she said. “We should be known as a place of opportunity, a place of history, of culture, of somewhere that is ready to innovate, and that we have healthy and educated people who are ready to maximize on all these opportunities.”
Wawzonek also said she spoke with Indigenous leaders around the territory to see if having another Yellowknife premier — the last three assemblies have seen a Yellowknife MLA in the top job — would cause a rift, noting that she knows there is already a perceived split between the capital and the communities.
“I certainly don’t want it to get worse,” she said. “I hope we can find a way to move forward and make it better.”
The secret-ballot vote for premier will occur at the legislative assembly on Dec. 7, following the vote for Speaker, which will be the first order of business. The election of cabinet members will also happen that day with the initial day of the 20th Legislative Assembly’s first session taking place the following day.
