Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Nov 19/99) - Chris Garven is throwing a party, but Floyd Roland and Mary Beckett say they want nothing to do with it.

The three are facing off in the upcoming Dec. 6 territorial election in the new riding of Inuvik Boot Lake.

Last week, Garven officially announced he'll be representing the national New Democratic Party in the election. In doing so, Garven is joining five other candidates from Yellowknife who are also flying the NDP banner and vying for places in the expanded 19-seat legislature.

"By electing NDP candidates, voters across the North will ensure there is an opposition to the government," said Garven. "An opposition not looking to take power but at making sure the government has a watchdog."

The move represents the first time candidates have run openly in association with parties in the territory. A move that Mary Beth Levan, NDP spokesperson and candidate in Yellowknife, described as simply being responsible.

"All the candidates are members of some party," she said, "and it's a lot more honest to lay your cards on the table and give the voters a fair chance to choose."

Garven described the New Democrats as a "grassroots party," striving to represent the average Canadian and average Northerner, tackling social issues while remaining accountable through its efforts to make government more efficient and cost-efficient.

As current Health and Social Services minister, Roland is defending his seat in the legislature and said he wholeheartedly disagreed with the idea of party politics in the North.

"If you compare our style of government to the federal government and with other areas of partisan politics, can you really say that party politics is the better system?" he said. "When I turn on Question Period from the House of Commons I see that when a question is asked it doesn't get anything like an answer -- it's a very adversarial system, whereas in our assembly when a question is asked it gets answered, favourably or not."

Roland also argued that introducing party politics is also inappropriate because the territory is already undergoing a dramatic transformation.

"There are a lot of self-government and land-claim issues coming to a head, so that the idea of partisan politics just doesn't fit," he said.

Roland defended the current system of consensus, in which he said alliances among MLAs are more informal and more flexible and not dictated to by party platforms.

"It's always difficult to get everyone to work together when there are so many interests at the table," he said, "but there are still common interests like employment, health care and governance across the territory. The current system allows MLAs to support one individual on one issue but not support them on another."

Like Roland, Boot Lake candidate Mary Beckett said she holds no party affiliation, even at the federal level.

"I've voted for many but not all the parties over the years," she said, "basing my vote on the individual who was running -- how they think and speak and the style and substance of what they say."

Beckett said it doesn't take a political party to keep the government in check.

"I think we already have a watchdog in that we elect strong MLAs to represent our opinions," she said.

Garven and Levan said that being members of the NDP didn't necessarily give them access to a major source of campaign funds. Levan said the NDP has contributed a total of less than $5,000 to all six candidates' campaigns, when rules say nominees are allowed a maximum of $30,000 each.