'The status quo is unacceptable': N.W.T. politicians debut priorities

Newly-elected territorial politicians began their first day of orientation in Yellowknife Tuesday by sitting down to breakfast with Indigenous leadership — a move the chief of the Dene Nation hopes is indicative of a new working relationship with the territorial government. 

"It was a historical moment with the Dene," Chief Norman Yakeleya said. "It is the first time in history that the Dene Nation executive have sat down with the MLAs of the Northwest Territories." 

The relationship between the Dene Nation, which represents all Dene people up and down the Mackenzie Valley, and the territorial government has not always been a positive one, Yakeleya said. 

"We've got to take the white board and clean it," he said. "Any good relationship needs communication ... We haven't had much communication with the last government." 

MLA-elects are to be officially sworn in this Friday. Which of them will become premier and members of cabinet will be decided at the territorial leadership committee on Oct. 24.

New politicians united on passing land claims

Yakeleya said the most productive thing that could come out of a more respectful relationship would be settling and implementing all outstanding land claims and self-government agreements.

"We're in the driver's seat here," he said of elected leaders. "The bureaucracy sits in the back. We tell them what to do. They provide us with information, but it is us who are going to make that decision."

The need to settle land claims and self-government agreements was a uniting priority among all 19 MLA-elects during a special round-table held in the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. 

Some, including MLA-elect for Great Slave, Katrina Nokleby, mentioned unsettled claims as a blow to the N.W.T.'s slowing economy. 

"We're not seen to be a stable place in which to invest money," she said. 

"We must have an obligation to truly walk the talk and seriously support the settlement of these claims to move forward. We must not be an obstacle," said Frieda Martselos, MLA-elect for Thebacha, on setting the Deh Cho, Akaitcho, and N.W.T. Metis land claims.  

'It's clear that the status quo is unacceptable'

Wednesday's roundtable kicked off the priority-setting process for the 19th Assembly of the Northwest Territories. 

Having the MLA-elects speak publicly from the legislature before their term officially begins is not the norm. It was an opportunity for the politicians to share what they heard from constituents on the campaign trail while it's still fresh.

Improving health care, as well as medical travel, was top of mind for many during the round-table. 

Lesa Semmler, MLA-elect for Inuvik Twin Lakes, said many residents in her community have never left the Beaufort Delta region. 

"When we have residents who have to be sent to Yellowknife or Edmonton [for medical reasons] it's very scary," she said. "And then to have to do it alone is, in my opinion, inhumane." 

Semmler, who has worked as a nurse, also said distrust between residents and the health-care system needs to be addressed. 

Other common priorities included:

• The economy, including creating job opportunities and supporting a diversity of businesses; 
• Education, from improving attendance and the quality of facilities in communities, to the creation of a polytechnic university in the North and what that would look like.; 
• A universal childcare system;
• Addressing mental health and addictions and improving services for residents; and
• Improving transportation, from the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, to the road to resources to connect with Nunavut, to improving and expanding runways, to improving barge services. 

"At the end of the day, we cannot possibly do everything that has been raised here today," said Kevin O'Reilly, who had just survived a vote recount to become the official MLA-elect for Frame Lake. 

"We will have to make choices. We all come to this government with different backgrounds, education and experience. We are not going to agree on everything, but that is also a healthy reality." 

Only four of 11 incumbents who campaigned for re-election were voted back into the legislature. Three more ran unopposed and were acclaimed. 

This mandate for change was not lost on those speaking in the legislature Wednesday. 

"It's clear that the status quo is unacceptable," said RJ Simpson, the acclaimed MLA for Hay River North. "I believe in consensus government and I also believe in learning from our mistakes. We owe it to the public to make changes that attempt to address the deficiencies with accountability."