Before we say anything else, we have to say very clearly that we completely support the goal of more women being elected to the legislative assembly.
However, the question is how that can be accomplished.
According to a new discussion paper released by the Office of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, we should consider 'temporary special measures' to increase the representation of women in the territorial legislature.
In particular, the Samoan model of reserved seats for women – if they are not elected in the regular way – is proposed as a possibility.
No offence to Samoa, but really? Samoa? We're confident that the vast majority of Northerners would not be able to find Samoa on a map.
To say that the legislative assembly had to go to the ends of the Earth to find somewhere with reserved seats for women is no exaggeration. Samoa is in the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.
Of course, the Samoan example shouldn't be dismissed because of its remote location, but it does show the rarity of the idea of reserved seats for women.
There is no denying that women are underrepresented in the legislative assembly with currently just two female MLAs out of 19 elected representatives. At 10.5 per cent, that is the lowest percentage of women in any legislature in Canada.
The Samoan model applied to the NWT would see up to five women added to the legislative assembly if none are elected. If a designated target number or percentage is elected, none would have to be added.
However, the concept of reserve seats for women in the legislative assembly has all kinds of potential problems.
The legislative assembly's discussion paper recognizes that it would be difficult to decide how extra seats would be filled. That's pretty obvious, since it would be outside the traditional method of winning an election to sit in a legislature.
The concept of reserved seats for women also has an uncomfortable tinge of social engineering. Basically, that means politicians seem to believe they know better than voters.
There is also more than a touch of condescension in the legislative assembly's idea. It basically suggests that many women can't make it in politics on their own and they need some help.
Of course, we know there are many societal, cultural and financial reasons for the underrepresentation of women in the legislative assembly, but none of those things are going to be addressed by reserved seats for women. In fact, they may be ignored with an illusory solution to the problem.
And if we reserve seats in the legislative assembly to ensure women receive proper representation, what about the other segments of the population that might be underrepresented – seniors and young people, for example?
The legislative assembly's discussion paper quite rightly notes that one of the main problems is that not enough women actually run for office, and the NWT's consensus form of government lacks political parties which could ensure many more women seek elected office and have the support to do so.
Maybe that's the problem right there.