A new online petition demands Caroline Cochrane resign as premier of the Northwest Territories.
"We the people want Caroline Cochrane to RESIGN" was posted by Derek White on Change.org Friday afternoon. He wrote on the petition's webpage that his motivation is that Cochrane "not capable of leading our territory" and "demonstrates on a regular basis that if you do not agree with her back door policies you will be out the door.
"Now in the midst of a global pandemic where the NWT has zero cases she wants to spend nearly 100 million dollars on a Covid task force where the majority of that money is being spent on government wages," it reads, apparently referring to the new Covid-19 Coordinating Secretariat.
The petition goes on to state that the Secretariat would be paid for through a sales tax, an idea that Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek dismissed in a statement on Friday afternoon.
"We are stretched thin as it is in the midst of Covid with business and families barely getting by due to the high cost of living in the north, and huge economic downturn," the petition said.
The petition garnered more than 150 signatures in the several hours after it went online. The goal is 200 signatures.
NNSL Media asked the premier's office for comment Friday afternoon.
This story will be updated.