Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 29/01) - Stephen Kakfwi last week found himself in the battle of his political life.

Three votes in the legislative assembly this week are aimed at gauging the level of confidence MLAs have in his leadership.

Stephen Kakfwi: "The encouragement to stay on has come from bankers, from healers, from the native women leaders, from chiefs, mayors, the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in, Sahtu, Deh Cho chiefs."

Faced with the prospect of a secret-ballot confidence vote, the premier told the legislative assembly last Thursday he would announce today whether or not he will continue as premier. News/North spoke with Kakfwi on Saturday night.

News/North: Are you going to resign?

Stephen Kakfwi: Because I said it in the legislature, I think the right thing to do, as a courtesy to the MLAs, is to stick to that commitment and announce it to them in the legislature on Monday.

N/N: Why, in your opinion, do some members want the chief of staff out of your office?

SK: The chief of staff position was created by myself, because as a premier I had some very clear ideas how I wanted my staff to be organized around me.

It was not well-received by some MLAs. I think people think it's too powerful, it's got too many elements to it.

N/N: I was talking not so much about the position as the person.

SK: I think it's both. I've said I cannot fire, because I have no basis for firing. I can reorganize, reassign, realign, but I need time to make the transition.

N/N: Do you regard the challenge to your leadership as political opportunism?

SK: I'd like to think some MLAs were a bit shaken by it. I know we have been. The question was where was the public in it? Has the public deserted us, given up on us, diminished their confidence in us? That question was put squarely to me and I needed to know.

I reached out. I needed help.

It's very uncharacteristic of me to do that. I asked for help.

The encouragement to stay on has come from bankers, from healers, from the native women leaders, from chiefs, mayors, the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in, Sahtu, Deh Cho chiefs.

I've had strong support from elderly people in the communities. Catherine Mitchell from Inuvik insisted on sitting with me for four hours last night, because that's where she felt she should be.

Phone calls from elders like John Blake, John Itsi in Fort McPherson, Frank Laviolette in Fort Smith, the mayor of Fort Smith, the mayor of Norman Wells.

The NWT Chamber of commerce was very strong about the need for consistency and stability. We're doing well attracting investment, we don't want to scare it away.

It's been good for me and I'd like to think that, while all the statements of support have been for me specifically as a premier, it's in part because of the work of the ministers that serve with me and the work of this legislature. The MLAs should hear it, that people are generally happy with what we're doing, and they should take credit for it.

All they have to do is Monday stand up and say in spite of our differences and reservations we stand behind the premier and the government.

N/N: How well do you think the people of the Northwest Territories were served by the special committee, which held the view that you should demand the resignations of one of your cabinet ministers, your chief of staff and your principal secretary?

SK: I think they have been served. I have had my criticism of the committee. That's a matter of record. We've dealt with the motions. The last motion related to me, and people like Brendon Bell, the chair, were clear. He said it was up to the premier to decide how to handle the staff.

That's on the public record. I hope people aren't changing their minds on it. I cannot fire because I have no basis for it. But I can make changes, I can reorganize. And I'm doing that. I started working on it the next morning.

We've got jobs to do. I've got a contract with the people of the North and I've got some big ticket items to deliver.

I need the right people around me to do the job, just like a contractor. I know what I need. I know what I can do. I know what I need help in. I think that's a manager's prerogative. People have asked me to reorganize and I'm prepared to do that.

N/N: How well do you think the assembly served the people of the Northwest Territories in its response to the report?

SK: Well I can't be critical of anything right now. That is the political truth of it. It is important that I find every way to get the MLAs to come out with a solid vote of support for myself on Monday and for the cabinet.

I think that's the single most important thing. I don't want to be distracted into the internal issues, things that would cause more division, more differences among the MLAs.

I've already said I expect Mr. Dent, Mr. Bell, Sandy Lee and every MLA on Monday to vote on the motion of confidence in the premier and to stand up solid behind me. That's the public direction, that's what they're asking for.

I just walked out of the movie and there's people in the dark leaning over and saying, 'You've got to stay, Steve, you've got to stay.'

My son has been with me most of the day and he's getting to the point where he's embarrassed about it. He thinks it's starting to be funny because he's never seen anything like that. Every where we go -- grocery shopping, restaurants, Tim Horton's, it's there. People are speaking up.

N/N: What would be the minimum show of support you would be satisfied with in a vote in the legislative assembly?

SK: The letters I've had, the demands I've had from the public are that they all support me.

What I need is for the MLAs to come out. I expect to get a statement of support from places I haven't had clear, solid support from before. I think we can actually be ahead.

We have personal differences, we have differences over how to handle many issues, but there's no doubt -- and the MLAs have told me this -- on issues of development, on pipelines, oil and gas, diamonds, we are solid together.

On issues of revenue sharing and devolution and getting that going, and my ability to make sure the aboriginal groups are there, to stand strong for a public government, the territorial government is there.

Industry knows the work I've done, getting the Northwest Territories on the national agenda. They know I have to be there if we're going to maintain a positive investment climate. In fact, we need it even more now than we did, because the economy is changing.

This motion of support will be an opportunity for every MLA to stand in the house, voice their concerns and then make that statement of support.

N/N: There are some MLAs who think the confidence issue should be handled by secret ballot on Wednesday instead of an open vote on Monday. Why is it important to you to have it dealt with in an open vote?

SK: I need to know. I need to see with my own eyes how my ministers vote.

Maybe I'm a doubting Thomas, but I've been shook up. I want to see. I asked cabinet if they would be prepared to move a motion of confidence in me and stand up and vote.

There was no hesitation. Mr. Handley, as you know, moved a motion with Mr. Antoine. I needed that. I need to know my cabinet is with me. That's where this came from. I asked for it and they're giving it to me.

We're committed to carrying out our agenda and we're going to do it over the next year and a half."