With budget discussions in full swing, an ongoing concern is how much the territorial government will be able to borrow in the coming years. Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek met with her provincial and federal counterparts in Ottawa shortly before the holidays. During the meeting, the minister pushed for “nation-building investments”…
This morning, Premier Caroline Cochrane announced which cabinet members will lead each department. Below is the full list: Paulie Chinna (Sahtú) – Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Minister of Housing, Minister Responsible for Homelessness Katrina Nokleby (Great Slave) – Minister of Infrastructure, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Minister…
Dene National Chief Norman Yakeleya congratulated the British Columbia government for moving ahead with the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Last week, B.C. became the first jurisdiction in Canada to introduce legislation that would bring its laws and policies in line with…
While much of the political banter has been focused on the federal election, the territorial government has been plodding along its transition to the 19th Legislative Assembly. One of the most important decisions the new MLAs will make is coming this week: selecting a new Premier. On Friday, the four…
Stalled negotiations, lost trust, inconsistency—these are all issues new MLAs are inheriting from the last territorial government. And they’re only some of the concerns more than a dozen Indigenous leaders from across the territory told MLAs at a public meeting at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre in Yellowknife. The…
The Clerk of the Legislative Assembly said it had been years since he had seen so many people in the public gallery. Hundreds of friends and family members were gathered for the swearing in of the new MLAs on Friday, October 11. Following the brief ceremony, the newly-sworn-in MLAs were…
This morning, the new 19th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories kicked off its priority-setting process. The newly-elected MLAs will be discussing their vision for the territory over the “next four years and beyond,” according to Tim Mercer, clerk of the Legislative Assembly. Each MLA will have a change to…
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…
Few people embody the tension and different possibilities for the territory’s future like the two MLA candidates running in the riding of Frame Lake. Incumbent Kevin O’Reilly has spent his time as an MLA skeptical of multi-million dollar infrastructure projects geared towards attracting the extractive industry. His counterpart Dave Ramsay…
You may soon need to be a little older to buy cigarettes in the NWT The Standing Committee on Social Development agreed with proposed legislation that would increase the age of purchase from 18 to 19-years old. The committee agreed with the change despite citing arguments for the age to…