As the 45th federal election draws nearer, SA国际影视传媒 is asking the candidates for NWT MP to answer the same five questions.
These are the responses from the NDPs' Kelvin Kotchilea.
If elected, what are your three main priorities as MP?
My top three priorities are affordability, healthcare and investments in infrastructure.
New Democrats have pledged to scrap the GST off of essentials and implement a working and middle-class tax cut, saving families over $1,400 dollars a year. We would support healthcare, such as expanding pharmacare and dental care to all territories and provinces, such as the NWT SA国际影视传媒� something the Liberals have said they wouldn't expand.
I would push for investments in infrastructure through the NDP's Build Canadian, Buy Canadian plan for large-scale public infrastructure projects that creates good-paying Canadian jobs. New Democrats will rapidly build affordable housing supply in NWT through the public financing of new construction, using publicly-owned land to build rent-controlled homes, and using the financing power of the [Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation], as it was leveraged throughout Canada's history, to build more non-market housing in the territory and across the country.
What is your plan to reduce the cost of living in the NWT?
I'm really excited about the NDP's plan to lower the cost of living by removing the GST off of life's essentials, such as baby formula, diapers, packaged grocery food and cellphone bills. They've also committed to capping the price of essential food and taking on the corporate greed of North West Company (Nutrition North subsidy), ensuring Northerners, not corporations, benefit from the [subsidy] and lowered cost of groceries.
We also will build and invest in affordable housing across the territory for all people.
What is your plan to boost employment opportunities for Indigenous people in the NWT?
We need to create economic opportunities in the NWT and good-paying jobs. We need to invest in sustainable development. We have the rare earth minerals needed to build a green renewable economy. We are a mining territory and that isn't going to change. Our diamond mines are winding down and that is cause for concern. However, new mining opportunities should be taken advantage of when we have the natural resources. We need to ensure that it is done properly and that Northern residents and Indigenous peoples are the maximum beneficiaries.
Between the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the Great Slave Geological Corridor, which infrastructure project is more important and why?
All projects in the North are important. The top infrastructure project currently facing the NWT would be the Mackenzie Valley Highway as this is essential for addressing the cost of living for residents, Arctic sovereignty and climate change barriers (e.g., low water levels). When I talked with people in the NWT, I hear how worried they are about the lack of a highway infrastructure through the Sahtu region in the event of a natural disaster e.g., wildfires, and the high cost of living (heating fuel was priced at $6 per litre in Norman Wells in October 2024).
Would you commit to the federal government pushing the GNWT to eliminate the Business Incentive Policy (BIP) to reduce trade with other jurisdictions in Canada? Why/why not?
We can do both. I support the GNWT's BIP since it boosts local economic growth in the territory. In addition, I support harmonizing regulations across the country to eliminate barriers to trade across territories and provinces.
