Love it or loathe it, the media plays an important role in democracy: it keeps citizens informed, holds organizations accountable and shines a little light in the darkness.

And when it comes to elections, journalists are there with their smartphones and prying questions, trying to keep them SA国际影视传媒渇ree and fair.SA国际影视传媒�

Two weeks ago, about 50 Yellowknives Dene First Nation members attended the candidates forum for Ndilo chief to hear the three candidates -- Alex Beaulieu, Ernest Betsina and Shirley Tsetta SA国际影视传媒� speak ahead of the then-upcoming Sept. 6 election. Following an opening prayer and a members' vote, all of the media SA国际影视传媒� CBC, Moose FM, Yellowknifer and Native Press SA国际影视传媒� were shown the door.

The journalists had no choice but to respect the request to leave, but there is a lot wrong with this picture. First and foremost, as candidate Tsetta said at the time: a lot of eligible voters weren't able to make the forum and now wouldn't be able to read or hear about it later.

For those who think that's not a big deal, the last race for Ndilo chief was decided by a single vote. In 2013, now-incumbent Betsina defeated Tsetta by 122 votes to 121. Then-acting chief Roy Erasmus Sr. wasn't far behind either with 108 votes. So every vote really does count.

It's understandable there is distrust of media within Indigenous communities, especially non-indigenous media. To that end, Yellowknifer offers its commitment to providing news and information to all its readers, including readers who voted in the Ndilo election.

Our main goal for showing up to the candidates forum in Ndilo was to report on what was said so Yellowknives Dene First Nation members could make well-informed decisions about who they want leading them.

In that spirit, Yellowknifer wishes to congratulate Chief re-elect Ernest Betsina and thank all the candidates for answering questions in the Sept. 1 edition of the newspaper.

The Q&A article allowed the candidates to identify the issues they felt were most important to the community and their plans to address them if elected chief.

All voters need that information because it helps them decide how to cast their vote. And later, to hold their elected leaders accountable.

X can mark the spot

The federal government caught up with the territorial government this month -- Canadians can now choose to have either male, female or X on both their NWT government ID and their passport.

This is a stride towards a more open and equal Canada. It's also an example of how the NWT can lead the way.

That said, the fight isn't over and the X isn't always a freedom-- it can open people up to all sorts of problems, especially in countries less tolerant than Canada. For now, the federal government is urging discretion while traveling, at both the destination and any transit country where the X might be a red flag.

The next step is to pressure the International Civil Aviation Organization, that mandates gender on documents, to remover it completely.

That's what Lane MacIntosh, who is in the process of switching to the X, says is needed-- because the political is personal.

SA国际影视传媒淣ot having gender on ID doesn't take anything away from you. But having an identifier that is not correct for me, that affects me,SA国际影视传媒� MacIntosh told Yellowknifer.

That is a very good point. The world needs to catch up to Canada. And Canada has the opportunity now to champion the removal of identifiers that do more harm than good.