Development of responsible government in the Northwest Territories 1976-1998.

• Author: Lewis, Brian

Brian Lewis and his family have lived in the North since 1963. After more than 20 years as a public servant, Mr. Lewis was elected as the MLA for Yellowknife Centre and served from 1987 to 1995.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Responsible Government in Canada but in the Northwest Territories this status was achieved much later. This article looks at the struggle of Northerners to attain Responsible Government and develop parliamentary institutions that reflect their history and traditions.

The history of the Northwest Territories for more than a hundred years has been dominated by the struggle for responsible government. The huge land mass, the sparse population, the promise of rich resources and its importance for national strategic purposes kept the Territories under direct Federal control, in the national interest, for most of that time. It was not until 1975 that the Territories had its first fully elected Territorial Council of fifteen members. Until that time a mixture of elected people and distinguished Canadians appointed by the Federal Government provided governance over one third of the land mass of Canada.

Until 1975 the federally appointed Commissioner of the NWT was the Speaker, Premier and Lieutenant Governor all rolled into one. The fully elected 8th Assembly began assuming his powers by electing the first elected Speaker. He was David Searle, a Yellowknife lawyer. Executive power still lay with the Commissioner assisted by a Deputy and an Assistant Commissioner. In 1975 two elected members joined the three appointed commissioners on the Executive Committee. They were Arnold McCallum, a former high school principal in Fort Smith and Peter Ernerk, an able interpreter/ translator from Rankin Inlet. It would be wrong to claim this as a bold initiative by the elected members despite their demands for more control. The evolution of responsible government still depended largely on instructions to the Commissioner from the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

Of course, within that department the Commissioner also served in a similar capacity to a deputy minister, advising the minister on what should happen next in the north. It was just as well, too! Ministers of DIAND did not last long in those days and clear direction from the north had seldom been more critical.

The year after then DIAND Minister Judd Buchanan told the Commissioner he could appoint two elected members to the Executive Committee a request was made to his successor Warren Allmand to add one more. This would provide balance of elected and appointed members-three each. The third elected member chosen by the Caucus was a Yellowknife mining engineer, Dave Nickerson. He soon provoked the next constitutional wrangle. The Commissioner allocated portfolios to the elected members in the same way a provincial premier does. He also appointed the heads of departments. Nickerson wanted to establish that ministers could choose their own people. Although constitutional precedent was not on his side on this issue he resigned on principle. At the request of Caucus he was replaced by Tom Butters, a newspaper publisher from Inuvik, who continued to serve that constituency until he retired in 1991.

Although the Territorial Council consisted of fifteen members and elected people were now involved in Executive decisions many northern leaders continued to question the legitimacy of the Territorial government as their government. Despite the fact that nine of the elected members were aboriginal people, many Dene, Metis, and Inuit felt the form and operation of the government had been imposed and in many instances was alien to their traditions.

There was widespread consternation when, by motion, the Council decided to call itself the Legislative Assembly and to name the elected members on the Executive Committee "ministers." The aboriginal organizations strongly opposed the change of name and both CBC and the print media refused to use the new titles. The major constitutional instrument for the North-west Territories is the NWT Act that clearly states the legislative body is called a Council and executive power is in the hands of the Commissioner. As with many constitutional matters the passage of time took much of the heat from the debate and usage gave legitimacy to the new designations. Despite eventual adoption of the new names by the media and acceptance by the general public many northern aboriginal leaders warned the rapid movement towards a provincial form of government was inimical to negotiations of their own aboriginal claims. Their appeals to Warren Allmand quickly prompted a letter to the Commissioner to halt the use of the offensive names since they were not constitutional. Of course, Commissioner Stuart Hodgson and his deputy John Parker complied immediately but there was little they could do. Usage had been established. When it was safe to do so they recommended to the Minister that he accept the changes.

There was some unfortunate fall-out from the aggressive pursuit of responsible government by the fifteen elected members. Two Dene members, George Barnaby...