Yellowknife candidates throw support behind Indigenous gov’ts at Dene Nahjo election forum | CBC News

At the last two candidate forums before the Northwest Territories election on Nov. 14, candidates threw their support behind Indigenous governments.

The forums, which took place on Thursday and Friday, were hosted by non-profit Dene Nahjo at the Tree of Peace friendship centre in Yellowknife. Questions focused on issues of concern to Indigenous people in the territory.

Thursday’s forum was for candidates running in the ridings of Yellowknife North, Great Slave, Yellowknife Centre and TuNehde-Wiilideh. 

Friday’s forum was for candidates from Frame Lake, Range Lake, Yellowknife South and Kam Lake.

The relationship between the N.W.T. government and Indigenous governments was a focus of discussion at both forums.

Candidates in Yellowknife North and Frame Lake got a question about what role they would see the N.W.T. government taking in ongoing land claim negotiations in the Akaitcho and Dehcho regions, and how they envisioned the future of Northern governance in the territory.

Almost everyone said that settling the Akaitcho and Decho land claims was a priority for them.

Bruce Valpy, a candidate in the Yellowknife North riding, said that the territory should do whatever it needs to do to get land claims settled.

Both candidate Shauna Morgan, also in Yellowknife North, and Spencer Tracy in Frame Lake, said on separate nights that the N.W.T. government needs to “get out of the way” of Indigenous governments in modern treaty negotiations and as they deliver programs.

Stuart Wray, a candidate in Frame Lake, echoed the sentiment, saying that the N.W.T. government should “step back” and work in partnership with Indigenous governments, rather than act in a “paternalistic” role. 

Treaty obligations

Toward the end of both forums, all the candidates got another question about  the N.W.T. government’s relationship with Indigenous governments – this time from Dene National Chief Gerald Antoine, who was in the audience.

He wanted to know how candidates would work toward implementing the obligations of Treaty 11 and Treaty 8, and how they would work with the Dene Nation.

Almost all candidates said that they would like to see Indigenous governments in the Northwest Territories given more power.

Range Lake candidate Nicole Sok said she believed the biggest obstacle to this is resistance within the territorial government.

“That means the GNWT gets smaller, both in power and in size and that can be uncomfortable for a lot of people and they don’t want to have that conversation.”

Great Slave candidate Stacie Arden Smith said that the best way to ensure that the N.W.T. government works for Indigenous residents is to hire more Indigenous people.

Kate Reid, also running in Great Slave, said that she would like the territorial government to share more responsibilities and decision-making with Indigenous governments, and that for this to happen, it needs to “grapple with” the fact that it is a colonial government.

Range Lake candidate Keiron Testart said that he would like to see the government in Northwest territories evolve into a “confederation within confederation,” in which Indigenous governments work in tandem with the territorial government.

He said that to make this happen, he would like to see a report on all outstanding treaty obligations of the territorial government, to be completed within 160 days of the start of the 20th assembly.