Yellowknife (Jan 30/06) - With 29 seats the NDP won't hold the balance of power in parliament, but Dennis Bevington vows the NWT will still have the government's ear when he goes to Ottawa.

"I think the North is very much on the radar, and the people of the North are going to put it on the radar," Bevington said after winning the Western Arctic riding in the recent federal election.

Dennis Bevington

The former mayor of Fort Smith is the first NDP candidate to win the seat since Wally Firth took it for a second term in 1974. He received 6,801 votes - 42 per cent of the vote. Blondin-Andrew came second with 5,643 votes. "We have so much going on here, We have so much development. I think I can very much carry the message of the North forward as a strong voice."

Blondin-Andrew said she has no plans to contest the seat in any future election.

"In 1988, you elected the first Dene woman ever to serve on Parliament Hill," Blondin-Andrew told about 200 supporters gathered in Yellowknife.

"I will be forever grateful. But tonight you made a different choice. The decision is the voice of the people and I respect and honour your decision."

But party supporter Bill Enge was bitter.

"Once again, Yellowknifers have rejected Ethel," he said, cautioning New Democratic Party voters that they may have got less than they think out of the election.

"The NDP are not in the position to be a king-maker in the sense that legislation gets passed by them," Enge said.

Bevington's rivals -- Conservative Richard Edjericon, Alex Beaudin of the Green party and Blondin-Andrew - all came to his campaign party to offer their congratulations.

Western Arctic's new MP should put the interests of the Northwest Territories ahead his party, says Premier Joe Handley.

"I hope to convince him to push a Northern agenda, not an NDP agenda," said Handley, who plans to meet soon with Dennis Bevington.

"He has his work cut out for him," said Handley.

The Conservatives, who won a minority government election night, outlined an ambitious plan for the North, including ice breakers, port development and increased military presence; and in his acceptance speech Monday night, Prime Minister-designate Stephen Harper made specific reference to the North.

Having an MP who is not a member of Harper's minority government "in the short term is a plus for us; the long term it is anybody's guess," said Handley.

Handley was accustomed to reasonable access to the Conservatives in opposition and expects to "be hampered a bit in that way" by having an NDP member of parliament.

"On the other hand, the Conservatives have to keep the NDP on-side," he said.

Based on answers to questions Handley sent to federal party leaders at the start of the election campaign, he expects help from Stephen Harper's minority Conservative government on devolution and resource revenue sharing.

"That has some good opportunities for us," Handley said.

"The Conservatives and Harper are much more amenable to resource-revenue sharing than the Liberals," he said.

"I'm optimistic when they say they are unequivocal in their support for the North being the primary beneficiary of resource revenue. They are more supportive of less central government and more devolution."