On March 23, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for a federal election. Following the approval of the governor general, that election is now official for April 28.
With campaigns now underway, leaders across the NWT will be watching closely, with a range of hope and expectations.
Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, for example, is hoping that whoever is elected the country's next prime minister will be more proactive when it comes to negotiations with First Nations.
"The big one is the negotiations of land and resources," Norwegian said. "For a few years, we just sat idling and now we need to put more emphasis on trying to get this thing moving forward at a faster pace. A big problem that we've had with this last administration is just negotiations.
"The discussions were something like every few months and sometimes it dragged on and sometimes the negotiators weren't available, that kind of thing. We need to escalate that. We need to have more negotiations... We have a full team... and we're ready to get things wrapped up, but it's just the pace of negotiations SA国际影视传媒� once every few months. If we can at least try to get them twice a month or something like that, it would be great.
"It would be great if we could get somebody that's in there that can actually take a very serious look at this and try to get it moving at a faster pace," Norwegian added.
Steve Vital, chief of the Nahanni Butte Dene Band, will be looking for more practical support from whoever wins the election. He's hoping the country's leadership will back new infrastructure projects in the North, specifically the construction of an all-season bridge for Nahanni Butte.
"The main requirement for Nahanni Butte is getting an all-season access SA国际影视传媒� building a bridge at Nahanni Butte river crossing," he said. "We depend on [the] winter road for getting all of our heavy supplies. We remain isolated for 2.5 months in a year and our transportation capacity in summer is limited as there is a big sandbar in the middle of the Liard river at our river crossing.
"Considering the effects of global warming, the availability of winter road will be shortened, meaning getting things shipped to the community will be more challenging," Vital continued. "Not having an all-season road option is a big barrier in our path to achieve sustainable development. From emergency evacuation to better cost of living to improved mental health for residents to improve tourism appeal to economic development, the bridge [and] all-season access will be a game-changer for Nahanni Butte and the region. We have completed a study on the [project], and we are hoping for continued support from the elected member of parliament from NWT on this very important project for us."
Not long before the election was called, the Department of National Defence (DND) announced plans to construct new military hubs in Yellowknife and Inuvik, as well as the Nunavut capital of Iqaluit.
Inuvik Mayor Peter Clarkson is hoping that the country's next government will prioritize communication about that project, and help tackle other important issues facing the North, such as housing.
"The main things the Town of Inuvik will be looking for is commitment for municipal infrastructure and housing funding," he said. "We would also like to see better communications on DND's plans regarding military hub plans and spending."
John McKee, the senior administrative officer in Fort Liard, said he's also hoping for greater investments in housing, as well as support for communities dealing with high costs of living.
