Politics



Candidate profile: Mary Beckett (NDP)

Mary Beckett is the NDP’s candidate for the upcoming federal election, and the first of CKLB’s candidate profiles. Beckett has lived in Inuvik for 35 years and has spent most of that time helping individuals and small businesses grow. She spoke with Francis Tessier-Burns on bringing a green economy to…



NWT voter turnout highest in a decade

Early figures show the 2019 election’s voter turnout was a full ten per cent higher than in 2015—at 54 per cent. The last time voter turnout was over 50 per cent was in 2007, when 67 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballot. Much of the jump can be…


6 Indigenous women will be part of 19th Assembly

A record-setting 9 women will be part of the 19th Legislative Assembly, according to unofficial results from Elections NWT. Lesa Semmler, who won the Inuvik Twin Lakes constituencies, told reporters last night, “We don’t want to be given our seats, we will earn them, we are not token women.” Joining…


Dene Nahjo election forum: Night Two

Monday evening saw round two of Dene Nahjo’s election forum and featured Frame Lake candidates: Dave Ramsay and Kevin O’Reilly; Yellowknife Centre candidates: Julie Green, Thom Jarvis, Arlene Hache and Niels Konge; and for Range Lake: Caroline Cochrane and Hughie Graham. As in the first forum, the themes of the…


Dene Nahjo election forum: Night One

Land. Language. Culture. Those are the themes at Dene Nahjo’s election forum that kicked off on Sunday evening. The first forum featured all three candidates from Yellowknife North: Rylund Johnson, Jan Vallilee, and incumbent Cory Vanthuyne; both candidates for Great Slave: Patrick Scott and Katrina Nockleby; and only two candidates…


Former NWT cabinet minister says next Legislative Assembly must to better job on Indigenous land claim, self-government files

A former Northwest Territories cabinet minister says the incoming legislative assembly must do a better job settling land claim agreements with Indigenous governments as well as speed up the self-government process. However, Fort Smith businessman Michael Miltenberger says anyone who thinks working on these issues with the federal government would…


Dene National Chief ‘shocked’ at Trudeau photo, but maintains Liberal government ‘most progressive’ so far

Dene National Chief Norman Yakeleya says he was “shocked” and “disappointed” at seeing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in brownface makeup. But he added if you look at the broader institution of the federal government, it wasn’t so surprising. “Ever since the Europeans first stepped on our country, our lands,” said…