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Politics of the Northwest Territories

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The politics of the Northwest Territories involves not only the governance of the Northwest Territories but also the social, economic and political issues specific to the territory. This includes matters relating to local governance and governance by the federal government of Canada, the inclusion of the aboriginal population in territorial affairs, and the matter of official languages for the territory.

Key to the politics and governance of the Northwest Territories are the limits on the jurisdiction of the territorial government. Territories of Canada have no inherent jurisdiction and only have those powers devolved to them by the federal government.[1][2][3] The devolution and delegation of power to the territory has always been a factor in the territory's politics.

A hallmark of politics in the Northwest Territories is that it operates as under a “consensus government” system.[4] Candidates for election to the territorial legislature do not stand as members of a political party.[4] While some candidates may express an affiliation or membership with a party, party membership is not recognized in the legislature.[5] As a result, the Members of the Legislative Assembly select a Premier by way of a secret ballot, rather than on the basis of party affiliation (see Responsible government).[6][7]

Local governance has been a long-standing issue in the territory. This includes not only the loss of local government authority from the period from 1905 to 1951, when Ottawa asserted direct control over the governance of the territory, but also related matters of aboriginal self-governance and land claims.[8] This latter issue lead, in part, to the division of the territory into the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.[9][10][11]

Language has also been a long-standing issue in Northwest Territory politics. French became an official language, along with English, in 1877.[12] This resulted in heated debates in the territorial assembly and the establishment of English as the only official language until pressure from the federal government in the 1980s lead to not only the inclusion of French as an official language, but also nine aboriginal languages.[13][12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Department of Justice Canada (1985). "Northwest Territories Act". Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  2. ^ Department of Justice Canada (2002). "Yukon Act". Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  3. ^ Department of Justice Canada (1993). "Nunavut Act". Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Williams, Ollie (2025-02-12). "Testart, other MLAs to propose 'elements of party politics'". Cabin Radio. Archived from the original on 2025-02-14. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  5. ^ Danylchuk, Jack (2015-01-27). "Consensus government not working in the N.W.T." CBC News. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  6. ^ Williams, Ollie (2023-11-30). "How can the NWT get a better government off the ground?". Cabin Radio. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  7. ^ Carroll, Luke (2023-10-20). "Should the public know who their MLA voted for as N.W.T. premier?". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-12-08. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  8. ^ Bartlett, Richard (1978-10-01). "The Indian Act of Canada". Buffalo Law Review. 27 (4): 581. ISSN 0023-9356.
  9. ^ Dacks, Gurston (1986). "The Case against Dividing the Northwest Territories". Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques. 12 (1): 202–213. doi:10.2307/3550729. ISSN 0317-0861. JSTOR 3550729.
  10. ^ Abele, Frances; Dickerson, Mark O. (1985). "The 1982 Plebiscite on Division of the Northwest Territories: Regional Government and Federal Policy". Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques. 11 (1): 1–15. doi:10.2307/3550376. ISSN 0317-0861. JSTOR 3550376.
  11. ^ Légaré, André (2008-09-01). "Inuit identity and regionalization in the Canadian Central and Eastern Arctic: a survey of writings about Nunavut". Polar Geography. 31 (3–4): 99–118. doi:10.1080/10889370701742845. ISSN 1088-937X.
  12. ^ a b Aunger, Edmund A. (1998). "The Mystery of the French Language Ordinances: An Investigation into Official Bilingualism and the Canadian North-West—1870 to 1895". Canadian Journal of Law and Society. 13 (1): 89–124. doi:10.1017/S0829320100005597. ISSN 0829-3201.
  13. ^ Tessier-Burns, Francis (2024-05-02). "The N.W.T. has 11 official languages, yet service in Indigenous languages continues to be a struggle". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
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