Northwest Territories.

AuthorBennett, Gail
PositionLegislative Reports

Territorial General Election

The 2015 Polling Day Act passed by the Legislative Assembly in November 2014, provided that if, as of April 1, 2015, the federal and territorial election periods were scheduled to overlap, the territorial election would be postponed from October 5, 2015 to November 23, 2015.

The federal election was scheduled for October 19, 2015, and subsequently the territorial general election was held on November 23, 2015.

Seventeen of the 19 members of the 17th Assembly stood for re-election. A single candidate was acclaimed, with 60 candidates standing for election in the remaining 18 electoral districts.

In the electoral district of Nahendeh seven candidates stood for election, making it the longest ballot paper in the 2015 election. Ten women stood for election in nine districts, representing 17 per cent of the total number of candidates.

The election resulted in 11 new Members and eight returning Members, with two women elected.

In accordance with the Elections and Plebiscites Act, close polling results triggered judicial recounts in the electoral districts of Nunakput, Range Lake and Yellowknife North. The results of the three recounts upheld the unofficial results.

Legislative Assembly Priority Setting

All Members of the 18th Legislative Assembly were sworn in by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, George L. Tuccaro, on December 7, 2015.

Following the swearing in and in accordance with the recently adopted Process Convention on Priority Setting and Reporting, all Members met to begin working collectively on establishing the priorities that will provide the basis for a government mandate. After extensive consultation with all Members, a draft mandate was scheduled be introduced by the Executive Council for debate in the Assembly during its February sitting.

As part of the priority setting process, Members of the 18th Legislative Assembly held a roundtable discussion in the Assembly Chamber. In an important departure from past practice, the discussion was open to the public and the media, with live broadcasting on the Assembly television network and web streaming on the Assembly web site.

Territorial Leadership Committee

Members of the 18th Legislative Assembly agreed on a revised process for the Territorial Leadership Committee. The Committee met on December 9, 2015, allowing any Member who wished to run for the position of Premier to announce their intention and deliver a speech in support of their...

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