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Should we be electing our premier? MLAs critical of current secret ballot system; former premier calls it 'as good as it gets'NATHALIE HEIBERG-HARRISON Northern News Services Published Friday, September 9th, 2011
"I think it's very ridiculous that somebody can be premier of the Northwest Territories with 10 votes, or with none, as it happened last (election)," said David Ramsay, MLA for Kam Lake.
Under the current system, the premier and cabinet are selected by the territory's 19 MLAs by way of secret ballot after the election.
A minimum of 10 votes are needed to become premier and, as was the case in 2007 with Floyd Roland, MLAs who win their riding by acclamation can still win the top spot in territorial politics.
"Surely there's got to be a process out there that can be developed where cabinet could be selected by the premier who's selected by the people," Ramsay said.
Jane Groenewegen, MLA for Hay River South, called the Territorial Leadership Committee, which is made up all the MLAs and chaired by the speaker, a "campaign within a campaign."
"There are all kinds of deals that go on with the cabinet and premier. It's a secret ballot but people have a pretty good idea of who is supporting them," she said.
Ramsay said that in the two weeks leading up to the vote there are too many meetings behind closed doors and called it "backroom shenanigans."
"I don't know what they offer people. There are conditions, there's favours down the road, there's all kinds of different things that can be offered up by people seeking to be premier or seeking to be in cabinet," Ramsay said.
"The public never knows what the nature of these discussions are. They're in the best interest of the member, not in the best interest of the public and that's the problem."
Ramsay said a system should be put in place where any MLA who wants to become premier could put their name forward, before their election, and then be placed on two ballots one for their local riding and one for a territory-wide ballot with all other premier hopefuls.
In order to be elected premier, the person would have to garner the most votes across the NWT and also be elected in their riding as MLA.
Ramsay said this would make the premier more accountable and let voters decide after four years if they want to keep them around. To date, there has never been a two-term premier in the NWT.
Joe Handley, who served as premier from 2003 to 2007, said he is against changing the current system.
"It sounds like a novel idea but it really wouldn't work," he said. "The present system is about as good as it gets."
He said allowing voters to elect a premier would in turn take away the accountability premiers have to MLAs.
In the current system, members have the authority to oust a premier when they see fit, but if voters elected the premier then another election would have to be held to replace them.
Handley acknowledged the perception of possible backroom deals caused by the secret ballot system, but said when he was elected premier he never really knew who supported him and who didn't.
Premier Floyd Roland was unavailable for comment, according to a GNWT media liaison.
"I can tell you that from when I was there, the numbers never added up. If I went around to ask people if they supported me they would all say they did," he said.
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