2003 Northwest Territories general election
The 2003 Northwest Territories general election was the 20th general election in the Canadian territory's history, conducted on November 24, 2003, to elect the 19 members of the Legislative Assembly.
The election was called on October 27. Premier Stephen Kakfwi had previously chosen not to run.
The territory operates on a consensus government system with no political parties; the premier is subsequently chosen by and from the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). There were 21,474 registered voters at the time of the election.
Issues
Issues at the election included:
- devolution of federal powers,
- the method of choosing the premier,
- the alcohol abuse and suicide problems,
- shortage of medical professionals and affordable housing;
- school crowding,
- the $85-million deficit;
- sharing of profits from mining and oil and gas development.
Results
Elections were held in 14 of the 19 electoral districts. The following five districts acclaimed their MLA:
- Hay River North: Paul Delorey
- Inuvik Boot Lake: Floyd Roland
- Mackenzie Delta: David Krutko
- Weledeh: Joe Handley
- Yellowknife South: Brendan Bell
The following is a list of the districts with their winning candidates.
| District | Elected | Percentage | Other candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deh Cho | Michael McLeod | 51.04% | Michael Nadli |
| Frame Lake | Charles Dent | 62.96% | David W. Wind |
| Great Slave | Bill Braden | 64.52% | Karen Hamre |
| Hay River South | Jane Groenewegen | 44.56% | Ann M. Lobb, Duncan McNeill, Harvey Werner |
| Inuvik Twin Lakes | Roger Allen | 54.53% | Ken Smith, Bobby Van Bridger, Clarence G. Wood |
| Kam Lake | Dave Ramsay | 49.53% | Bill Aho, Steve Petersen |
| Nahendeh | Kevin A. Menicoche | 34.48% | Walter Blondin, Rita Cli, Yanny Leo Cordero, John Hazenberg, Arnold Hope, Shane A. Thompson, Kathy Tsetso |
| North Slave | Henry Zoe | 42.27% | Nora P. Doig, Leon Lafferty |
| Nunakput | Calvin P. Pokiak | 52.5% | Vince Steen |
| Range Lake | Sandy Lee | 80.56% | Francis H. Chang |
| Sahtu | Norman Yakeleya | 45.59% | Lucy Jackson, Frank T'Seleie, Larry M. Tourangeau, Judi M. Tutcho |
| Thebacha | Michael Miltenberger | 65.36% | Don Tourangeau |
| Tu Nedhe | Bobby J. Villeneuve | 23.71% | Maurice E. Boucher, Felix Lockhart, James Marlowe, Steven Nitah, Robert Sayine, Wilfred M. Simon |
| Yellowknife Centre | Robert Hawkins | 26.61% | Bob Haywood, Don Kindt, Annemieke Mulders, Lena Pedersen (Pederson), Daniel A. Wong, Liz Wyman |
Joe Handley was acclaimed premier by the legislature on December 10, 2003. His two prospective opponents, Roger Allen and Floyd Roland, had announced that they would not run against him.
Miscellaneous
In an unusual occurrence, the riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes experienced 150% voter turnout. 356 people were registered to vote in that riding, but an additional 187 showed up at the ballot box. A resident of a riding eligible but not registered to vote may register on the spot by presenting a proof of residency.
