With the NWT’s chief electoral officer recommending that the Oct. 3 territorial election be pushed back until November, legislators are planning to vote on next steps.
Caucus, which comprises all 19 MLAs, is seemingly in favour of postponing the election due to wildfires affecting much of the territory.
“Members of caucus considered the (chief electoral officer’s) recommendation, and there was clear support for his recommendation,” caucus chair Frieda Martselos said.
The legislative assembly will be recalled on the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 28 to formalize a plan, which would also include passing additional funding to deal with wildfire-related costs.
If the assembly is unable to sit in Yellowknife, legislators will sit in Inuvik, with remote participation for MLAs unable to travel.
If legislation is not passed, the 19th Assembly will be dissolved on Sept. 3.
The territorial general election would then proceed on Oct. 3. However, the chief electoral officer has advised that he would need to withdraw the writ of election in any riding subject to an evacuation order. This would delay the election in that riding for a period of up to three months. This could result in MLA being elected on different days between October and December 2023.
Chief electoral officer Stephen Dunbar said, “The logistics and people required to run an election are significant, and in the current circumstances, there are a number of ridings where we would not be in a position to safely proceed (before the writs of election drop) on Sept. 4.”