Liberal Rebecca Alty 'really looking forward' to representing N.W.T. in Ottawa

Rebecca Alty, the newly elected Liberal MP in the Northwest Territories, says she's looking forward to representing the territory in Ottawa and getting to work. 

"It's definitely a whirlwind," she said of the election on CBC's The Trailbreaker Tuesday morning. "It's so much work leading up to it and then it's this big moment, so yeah, really looking forward to it, it's a really big job." 

Alty said the territory is facing big challenges — and that top of mind for residents on the campaign trail had been drugs, housing and the economy. Now that the results are in, she said it'll be nice to get to work.  

Alty, who is in her second term as Yellowknife mayor, said one of the first things she'll do after cleaning up her election signs is signing her official resignation from her role at the city's helm. 

Once in Ottawa, she said she'll be pushing for a funding approval related to the Our Land for the Future conservation deal. That deal, signed last year by almost all Indigenous governments in the N.W.T. as well as the federal government and private donors, unlocked $375 million for long-term conservation. 

Alty said because Parliament was prorogued in January, funding didn't get approved on time. 

N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson congratulated Alty on her election in a statement.

"As a proud Northerner, she brings a deep understanding of the territory's people, challenges and opportunities," he wrote. "I look forward to working with her to deliver results for Northerners in Ottawa."

He said he looked forward to working with Carney as well, and noted the Prime Minister was born in Fort Smith, meaning he has a connection to the territory.

"I look forward to building a strong and productive partnership focused on unlocking the full potential of the North for the benefit of all Canadians," said Simpson. 

At the time of the interview, it was still too close to say whether the Liberals would have a minority or majority government. Asked how she would make sure the N.W.T would get the attention it deserves in Ottawa, Alty said she'd build coalitions with other MPs across the country to amplify similar messages together. 

"There are differences in the North and I'll continue to highlight those, but really making sure we can amplify and build those coalitions to make a strong N.W.T. and a strong country," she said. 

Alty had 8,580 votes with 108 of 109 polls reporting as of Tuesday morning. Kimberly Fairman with the Conservatives was behind her with 5,284 votes. Kelvin Kotchilea, the NDP candidate, had 1,926 votes while the Green Party's Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, had 163.