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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Less than one week after she put her midwifery expansion and education petition on the legislative assembly's website, Jennifer Young saw 44 people had found the petition and signed their name to it.

Jennifer Young, lead petitioner for the midwifery expansion and education ePetition, checks how many people have signed her petition on the legislative assembly website Monday. - Katherine Hudson/NNSL photo

It's a new age of expression and getting the word out, said Young, and she's pleased with how word has spread so far online.

Last week, the legislative assembly made its ePetition site available to the public, following the success of its pilot project which ran from Oct 1, 2010 until June 30, 2011.

The purpose of the ePetition is two-fold, said Young. It is to expand the midwifery program beyond Fort Smith and to spread awareness of midwifery.

Midwifery services had been cut back from three midwives across the territory to just two located in Fort Smith in 2011due to the end of federal funding. A midwifery options report completed this summer looked at the benefits of expanding midwifery services in the territory.

"I believe that all women in the NWT deserve to access midwifery care if they choose. The expansion of midwifery services in the NWT has been a part of the GNWT Department of Health Social Services' strategic plan for the past four years. Now is the time to make good on this promise," Young states in the ePetition.

Gail Bennett, principal clerk of operations for the NWT legislative assembly, said the NWT assembly dealt with petitions in the form of traditional, handwritten documents up until 2010.

"Petitions are one of the oldest parliamentary forms for the general public to bring something to the government's attention. That's been going on for hundreds of years," said Bennett.

"Someone would get the petition, put it at their local co-op store or convenience store, talk to friends and neighbours and hope that they supported their request. And they would sign the petition."

Now the new avenue for petitions allows for members of the territory to get their cause out to the public online, allowing for equitable access and not having to physically sign a document.

"No matter where you live, you can take part in this process. You can make your wishes known, your voice heard. You have a way to both create and sign," said Bennett.

The development of an ePetition site began in June 2009, with a motion in the legislative assembly asking the standing committee to do some research on the idea. During 2010 and 2011 when the pilot project was active, people could set up an online petition in addition to or instead of a traditional paper petition.

Bennett said the year before the pilot project, there were about nine traditional petitions.

"In the 2010-11 year, we tracked it and we had a total of 10 submitted. Half of those were electronic," she said, adding two of the five ePetitions were also in the paper format as well.

"During that time period, there was a total of 2,800 signatures. Just over about one third, 1,000, of those were electronic."

The pilot project took place at the end of the 16th legislative assembly. The office of the clerk did an evaluation of the project and brought it forward for the 17th assembly, Bennett said. On June 14 of this year, the 17th assembly approved the implementation of an ongoing electronic petition site, a permanent fixture that would be set up this fall in conjunction with traditional petitions.

People signing ePetitions must sign up on the website with their name and address, although only their name will be published as a security measure.

"It helps us to ensure that they're an NWT resident, and shows the community the same as they do in a traditional petition," said Bennett.

A legislative assembly employee monitors the ePetitions, looks over the document to ensure it is valid and is a territorial issue as opposed to something that is more municipal or federal in scope.

Individuals leading ePetitions choose the deadline for their petition. In Young's case, her ePetition will be active until right before the fourth session of the 17th assembly in February. Young, a midwifery advocate in the territory, said there was not enough time for the ePetition to gather signatures in a week's time since the third sitting of the assembly begins today.

"Now we can get all the right paperwork, as many signatures as possible in advance of the next sitting," said Young.

Once the petition is closed, the lead petitioner must present the petition in the legislative assembly, although they don't necessarily have to agree with it. The department responsible for the area the petition covers has 60 days to table a response.

"We'll be linking the response of the petition on the website as well. People will see how the process works," said Bennett.

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