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Provincial and Territorial Premiers & Wacky Provincial Government Sites 

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• Nunavut

Note: In the middle of the school year I can get bogged down with work. Sometimes I miss provincial elections. So I decided to put the provincial link beside each leader so you can double check. Please e-mail me any corrections.

**Forming the Government of the NWT.

Here is some interesting information on how the NWT government is formed from their web site. It sounds kinda neat - but I don't think that it would work well for Ontario or Quebec... but that is just my opinion.

The Northwest Territories is one of only two federal, provincial or territorial jurisdictions in Canada that operates under the consensus system of government rather than the more familiar system of party politics.

Within this system all 14 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are elected as independents in their constituencies.

Once elected, the MLAs travel to the Legislative Assembly where a territorial leadership meeting is held. The first order of business is the election of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

After the election of the Speaker, Members turn their focus to the election of the Premier. In the 12th and 13th Legislative Assemblies, Members voted to move the selection of the Premier into a public forum.

In the last selection process candidates were nominated, they were given 20 minutes to present their platforms, and then the floor was open for questions from MLAs. Each MLA was restricted in the number of questions he/she could ask of the candidates vying for Premier. Once all questions were asked a secret ballot vote was held. The candidate who garners 50 per cent plus one of the votes is selected Premier.

The election of five Cabinet Ministers is next on the agenda. Again candidates are nominated and given an opportunity to outline their platforms before a secret ballot vote is held.

The consensus system of governing is more in keeping with the way that aboriginal peoples have traditionally made decisions. Unanimous agreement is not necessary for decisions to be made, motions passed, and legislation enacted. A simple majority carries the vote.

Ordinary Members, those who are not on Cabinet, become the "unofficial opposition" in the House. They are responsible, through questioning and through Standing Committees, for making the Government accountable and responsive to the people of the Northwest Territories.

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