Yellowknife (Mar 31/06) - When the next session of the territorial legislature begins in May, officials hope to have a new broadcaster in place to televise all the political manoeuvring.

The Aboriginal People’s Television Network stopped its prime-time replay of territorial politics last year, leaving the assembly without a territory-wide carrier. A broadcast was available in Yellowknife on the local community station.

The assembly has approached the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, who are considering a non-prime time re-broadcast of the session, said clerk Tim Mercer.

A second option is to “piggy-back” on another province’s legislative network, like Saskatchewan, Mercer said. The problem is ensuring the satellite provider reaches as many Northwest Territories homes as possible.

During the February session, Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche said too many small centres were left without political fare.

“The smaller communities did not have anything,” he said on Monday during a meeting at the assembly offices in Yellowknife. “It’s something they look forward to.”

While the television coverage is sporadic, political junkies can catch the assembly online. High speed internet users have access to video streaming, while those on dial-up can still listen to audio, Mercer said.