NWT election called

I suppose there is nothing all that surprising about the absence of parties. The same is true in many civic elections although it is often known what party someone running supports.

N.W.T. election race gets underway
Last Updated: Monday, September 3, 2007 | 11:38 AM CT
CBC News
The chief electoral officer for the Northwest Territories dropped the writ on Monday, officially kicking off the campaign for the Oct. 1 vote.

After Chief Electoral Officer Saundra Arberry dropped the writ, returning offices were scheduled to open at 10 a.m. MT to allow prospective candidates to pick up nomination papers.

The Northwest Territories is holdings its first fixed-date election on Oct. 1.
(CBC) Candidates have until Friday at 2 p.m. MT to complete and file their papers. Elections NWT will release the final list of who is running at 5 p.m. MT that same day.

This campaign marks the first election to be held on a fixed date. Last year, the territory replaced its existing elections legislation with a new Elections and Plebiscites Act, which requires an election to be held every four years on the first Monday in October.

Unlike the provinces and the Yukon, the N.W.T. runs on a consensus-style of government with no political parties. That means all candidates in the territorial election run as Independents.

As well, the premier is chosen from the elected MLAs nearly two weeks after the election, along with the Speaker and cabinet.

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Joe Handley, who cruised to power in 2003 by being acclaimed in both his riding and in the post-election contest for premier, announced in August that he would not seek re-election.

Education Minister and longtime MLA Charles Dent and Justice Minister Brendan Bell also announced within the past month that they would not run again, opening up competition in the Yellowknife ridings of Frame Lake and Yellowknife South, respectively.

While having a consensus government generally cuts out the party politicking in an election, it can make it difficult to determine the issues that will decide who wins and who loses.

With no party platforms to choose from, candidates and election observers often find that the issues of concern to voters often vary from riding to riding, even from community to community.

But Handley said there are some common and uniquely northern concerns shared by the approximately 41,400 residents of the N.W.T. — from finding ways to keep more resource development money to addressing the high cost of living.

Universally shared concerns such as housing and sustainable development should also be on voters' and candidates' minds, he said.

"It wouldn't matter if we had party politics," Handley said in an interview.

"I think those issues still remain the top issues that the candidates are going to be dealing with and facing questions on."

Nunavut, which was part of the N.W.T. until 1999, is the only other jurisdiction in Canada with a consensus-style government.