NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The devolution of lands and resources will not go to a public vote, members of the legislative assembly decided March 14.
Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley presented the motion to hold a plebiscite on May 13 that would ask the public if the government should sign the Northwest Territories Lands and Resources Devolution Final Agreement.
When introducing his motion, Bromley argued the public vote would not be legally binding, unlike a referendum, but would be in the spirit of democracy and would give the government direction on "how (the public) are feeling on an important issue."
In the end, most other members disagreed; voting 14 to two against the motion.
The public consultation for this devolution will be unprecedented in comparison with previous devolution deals, which were largely negotiated and signed behind closed doors with very little public engagement, said Premier Bob McLeod.
"A plebiscite would delay a potential agreement and could delay the transfer date," he said while outlining why he was directing cabinet to vote against the motion.
For 17 assemblies, the Government of the Northwest Territories has been fighting for self-government for the territory, said Environment and Natural Resources Minister and Government House Leader Michael Miltenberger.
"We are on the verge of the removal of the last political shackles from Ottawa," he said.
The importance of this deal is all the more reason to put it to a public vote, argued Bromley in his closing comments after it became clear his motion would fail.
"Do we want to move forward on a dictatorial basis or do we want to move forward on a representative, democratic basis where we're actually listening to the people," he asked.
One of the major criticisms of the motion heard during the debate was the cost of a plebiscite, which ranged from $400,000 to $2 million.
"What is the cost of democracy?" countered Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro, who seconded the motion.
"From a democratic point of view, I have a really hard time believing that members can have this vote but the people can't."
Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya was the original seconder of the motion, but changed his mind after meeting with Ethel Blondin-Andrew, chair of the Sahtu Secretariat Inc.
Yakeleya voiced concerns to News/North March 15 over whether the Yellowknife population would dominate the results of a plebiscite. He and the Sahtu Secretariat will be organizing their own public consultation in the region, which will be similar to the door-to-door consultation that took place during the Sahtu's land claim process in 1993.
Ultimately, Yakeleya pledged to listen to the voice of his people when it comes time to vote on devolution in the house in June.
"It came down to: I trust my leaders in the Sahtu and I trust my people in the Sahtu," he said on why he
decided to vote against the motion.
"We live up there. We have a huge potential to gain from this deal and we've always said we want to negotiate our own destiny."
According to a recent poll by Alternatives North, 68 per cent of those surveyed want a public vote, while 20 per cent were opposed and 12 per cent were uncertain.
The poll used a sample of 400 adults with a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
