Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 02/98) - The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has weighed in with support for a city councillor's call to bring the party system to territorial politics.

Yellowknife Coun. Dave Ramsay said last month in an interview he felt it was time the North looked to bringing a southern style partisan political system to the post-division NWT.

On Friday, Ramsay received a letter from the Edmonton office of the CFIB. In it, federation representatives enclosed the results of a 1993 survey of their NWT members which revealed a large majority in support of bringing party politics to the North.

In Edmonton, CFIB director for Alberta and the NWT, Brad Wright, said more than 100 Northern members responded to the survey at the time. Of those, 69 per cent were in favour, 21 per cent opposed, seven per cent undecided and three per cent said they had no interest in the issue.

At the time, the CFIB study showed supporters of party politics believed the consensus system places too much power with a few MLAs rather than the cabinet. And, the study said, the merits of issues are not debated vigorously or objectively, resulting in popular initiatives that are not fiscally or operationally successful.

Opponents of the party system told the CFIB party system focuses on satisfying party needs rather than those of the electorate. And, the adversarial nature of the system wastes energy and only addresses the needs of a limited group of people.

"It (discussion of the party system) should be relevant as we approach division," Wright said Monday. "Given the difficulties there are achieving consensus...it's probably the time to look at another system (for the North) drafted in another place and time..."

Wright said his federation believes consensus government has in fact sometimes slowed down economic development in the NWT.

"Especially for business looking North for opportunity, that (difficulties achieving consensus) translate into what is considered a friendly business environment," he said. "We would encourage any drive (now) to look at the party system."

Wright said there are about 300 CFIB members across the North with about two-thirds of them in the Yellowknife area.

As for Ramsay, he said he was excited to receive the news.

"It's good people are taking notice," he said. "It's out there in people's minds as division gets closer."

Ramsay said he's been approached by more than 10 people who are supportive of his drive to introduce party politics here.