Premier hopefuls promise shake-ups, fresh starts

With the territorial election over, four premier candidates turned to a smaller court of opinion Oct. 18 – the MLAs in the legislative assembly who vote a leader among them in secret.

Out of the four hopefuls – Range Lake MLA Caroline Cochrane, Monfwi MLA Jackson Lafferty, Hay River North MLA RJ Simpson and Thebacha MLA Frieda Martselos – one will emerge as premier next week.

In their speeches to MLAs, the candidates acknowledged frustration with the past government: stalled land claims, slow action on the economy and the political dysfunction of the previous assembly. After the new speaker is chosen Oct. 24, MLAs can ask one last round of questions of premier candidates before a secret ballot vote is held in the legislative assembly.

'Prosperity for all'

Fresh off her cabinet post as education minister, Caroline Cochrane stepped up as one of the more experienced members in the running.

She pitched herself as a balanced, accountable voice that would pay special attention to the territory's most vulnerable residents. Vowing progress on climate change, land claims, a polytechnic university, and social supports, Cochrane said she'd be more collaborative – a serious source of contention for regular MLAs who felt crowded out during the last assembly.

She similarly promised to tackle the uncertain economy facing the Northwest Territories with two of the territories' three diamond mines expected to wind down over the next decade.

“Our economy's in trouble,” she said, noting small businesses are also struggling. She promised a 10-year economic plan, including collaboration with Indigenous governments to keep the territory in the black.

For her, that means “prosperity for all” through planning and investment in communities big and small while considering ways to increase future resource development in the territory. Similarly, she suggested expanding the tourism industry to smaller communities. Most winter aurora tourism is currently focused around Yellowknife.

'True spirit of the drum'

Jackson Lafferty – with two cabinet posts and a speakership behind him – brings the most experience into the race.

He made a full-throated defence of consensus government after four years of clashing personalities, and political acrimony. In response to that recent history, Lafferty cast himself as open minded, a good listener with whom regular MLAs could hash out policy differences.

Lafferty said the drum-shape of the assembly hall was no coincidence and called for a new collaborative approach that honoured the “true spirit of the drum.”

He also sounded off on the need to support the small communities “where most of us live” – “places without all-season roads, banks, daycare services, full-time policing, hospitals, or even decent foods,” Lafferty said.

To meet those needs, he promised “a spirit of fairness and transparency” while noting the historic amount of women entering the assembly this year, who he said would have “a lasting impact” on the government.

Similar to Cochrane, he pledged progress on the polytechnic university, climate change and supporting infrastructure with the Taltson Dam expansion.

'Buck has to stop somewhere'

RJ Simpson oriented himself to an insider's audience, decrying the “pettiness” of the last assembly.

“People have lost faith in our system,” he said, adding his vote often didn't matter under the “cabinet and three friends” voting model that bypassed the majority of regular MLAs. He referenced Thursday's meeting with Indigenous leaders, who expressed discontent with past relations.

It's not enough to put “new faces” in an “old system” and expect change, he said as he made a process-heavy pitch, which put a premium on updating consensus government with a target audience potentially limited to the MLAs assembled before him.

The government accountability track extended to bureaucracy. While claiming a good relationship with most high level officials, he said “the buck had to stop somewhere.” He said these bureaucrats should be accountable, but also have room for creative problem-solving.

Simpson said the decades-old NWT consensus government was a work in progress in need of an update to address challenges, such as the emergence of the three friends model.

On land claims, he said the government should look at proposals that may cause discomfort.

“Nothing should be off the table,” Simpson said.

'At a crossroads'

Freida Martselos, chief of the Salt River First Nation before becoming an MLA, kicked off her speech by calling out the uncertainty hanging over the territory.

For her, government's role is to be a salve, providing “certainty” and “hope.”

Part of this effort would be settling stalled land claims as “quickly as possible,” said Martselos. She noted increasing the certainty around land claims would assure businesses looking for stability. On top of that, she wanted the territory's two reserves recognized as federal reserves.

While saying the territory's health-care is competitive, she said it needed more support, especially for long-term care.

On another social file, she called universal subsidized childcare “a must.” That investment would pay off in increased wellness and graduation rates, she said. She also aimed to resolve housing issues, transitioning residents out of social housing and encouraging upgrades and maintenance of homes.

Meanwhile, Martselos said government should work to create the polytechnic university with key investments going to Inuvik and Fort Smith campuses. Recognizing the concentration of wealth in Yellowknife, she said other communities should also benefit.