Mixed reaction to proposed N.W.T. electoral boundaries

After four hours of debate on Tuesday, MLAs in the Northwest Territories voted 10 to sevenin favour of keeping the current number of seats in the legislative assembly. However, in the next election, someridings will be redrawn so the population is more evenly distributed.

In a newly redrawn, 19-seat legislature, the Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission recommends changing the boundariesin Hay River and Inuvik, to even out the population. It also recommends splitting the eastern Yellowknife riding of Weledeh, and adding N'Dilo and Dettah to Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e, which formthe current riding of Tu Nedhe.

Tu Nedhe MLA Tom Beaulieu was one of the MLAs whoargued againstthe proposal. He said it did not respect culture or language. He predicted future assemblies would not include members who spoke Chipewyan.

To watch the legislative assembly say 'actually you don't really need your individual representation to represent theChipewyanpeople, you can just combine with another riding and that'sOK,' is actually very hurtful to me, he told the legislature."

"They have the right to have their language spoken in this house, it's one of the officiallanguages," he said, addingpeople in small communities have unique challenges that require a representative who speaks their language.

"When I visit 30 households in a one-week trip. I come home with at least 30 issues for the government. People in those communities rely heavily on theirMLA."

Members concerned changes don't respect language, culture

Jackson Lafferty, who represents all four Tlicho communities in the Monfwi riding, also argued for the 21-seat scenario. It would have added seats in Yellowknife and Behchoko.

Tlicho chiefs were in the gallery watching the debate.Laffertysaid theTlichocommunities have as large a population as Hay River and Inuvik, which both have two MLAs, andwill continue to be underrepresented by sticking to the statusquo.

He also took issue with combining Weledeh and Tu Nedhe. Different claimant groups, different language, different way of life, he said. I believe we will be dividing those two nations."

But many MLAs argued their constituents dont want to expand government.

Great Slave MLAGlen Abernethy said he has never heard a resident ask for more MLAs. He said the territorial government would have to pay approximately $2.4 million per term for two additional members.

"For that money we could fund community justice co-ordinators through the Northwest Territories and provide them with a living wage. We could hire two more physicians a year. We could hire four or five teachers a year. We could put additional money into mental health and addictions."

Robert C. McLeod, who represents Inuvik Twin Lakes, saidpopulation alone doesn't reflect how well people are represented in the legislature.

I think the fact that they have access to everything in the capital, access to seven members, to this building, to all the departments, all the headquarters, I think they're more represented than the small communities that are out there, McLeod said.

MLAs passed a motion to revise the boundaries of Yellowknife ridings before the next election.

KevinMenicoche, Sonny Blake, Alfred Moses, MichaelMiltenberger, Bob McLeod, Dave Ramsay, RobertC. McLeod, RobertBouchard, Robert Hawkins and Abernethy voted in favour.

Beaulieu, Lafferty, Daryl Dolynny, WendyBisaro, NormanYakeleya, MichaelNadli, and BobBromley were opposed. Jane Groenewegen was chairing the committee and did not vote.

MLAs split on how future changes should be made

MLAs are also split as to whether future governments should have the power to make similar changes to electoral boundaries.

I find this to be an extremely political exercise, said Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro. Any decision by MLAs about themselves is highly politically motivated. Anyone who denies that is dreaming. I think maybe they're on crack like mayor Ford."

But Jane Groenewegen of Hay River South said she didn't believeMLAswere voting out of self interest.

This was a good and fulsome debate. And we will debate it again when it comes before this house as legislation, she told the legislature. We're going to start mounting the campaign to have that debate again. To hand this off to a commission and say they should decide, I totally disagree with that, she said.

MLAs deferred a motion to make future commissions' recommendations legally binding.That means they can discuss it further and come back to vote on it in the future.