Jane Weyallon Armstrong has been elected as the new MLA for Monfwi, the legislative assembly said in a news release July 28.
Armstrong will be sworn in on Aug. 5 at 3 p.m. in the chamber of the legislative assembly.
SA国际影视传媒淚 feel very grateful and humble, I keep getting phone calls from people congratulating me,SA国际影视传媒� she said over the phone from her home in Behchoko台虁. SA国际影视传媒淚 want to say thank you to everybody, to the people who supported me and to those who didnSA国际影视传媒檛 support me. ISA国际影视传媒檓 here to work for them.SA国际影视传媒�
Her election as MLA makes her the 10th woman member of the 19-member legislative assembly, a government that had already made history in the 2019 election for having five women in cabinet, including Premier Caroline Cochrane.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 wonderful,SA国际影视传媒� said Armstrong. SA国际影视传媒淚 know a lot of people (in the T艂谋台cho台 region) have said before that we need a woman elected. But when I submitted my name I wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 thinking about the gender. I put my name forward to do good for my region.SA国际影视传媒�
Armstrong has served as president of the Native WomenSA国际影视传媒檚 Association of the NWT for the last six years, and on June 14 she was re-elected to her third four-year term as councillor in the Behchoko台虁 community government.
She was also an assembly member of the T艂谋台cho台 Government for one term SA国际影视传媒� from 2009 to 2013 SA国际影视传媒� and has spent almost 30 years working for the GNWT in various roles, including as a guidance counsellor for students in T艂谋台cho台 communities.
While official results from the by-election have yet to tallied, unofficial results on the Elections NWT portal show Armstrong received 503 votes, coming ahead of Kelvin Kotchilea who garnered 252 votes and John Gon who received 98 votes. James Wah-Shee, who served as an MLA from 1979 to 1987 received 71 votes.
Armstrong said she plans to continue living in Behchoko台虁 even after the fall session of the legislative assembly starts on Oct. 14 and wonSA国际影视传媒檛 move to Yellowknife.
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檒l go back and forth daily. This is my home. This is where my family and friends are and the people ISA国际影视传媒檒l be serving,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
One of her first tasks as MLA will be to visit the other T艂谋台cho台 communities of Game虁ti, Wekwee虁ti and Whati to meet with local governments and people.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Frederick Blake Jr. said he is pleased to welcome the MLA-elect to the assembly and looks forward to working with her.
SA国际影视传媒淢ahs矛 to all candidates for putting their names forward and participating in the democratic process,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
The Monfwi by-election was called to fill the seat vacated by Jackson Lafferty on June 4.
The Monfwi constituency is made up of the four T艂谋台cho台 communities of Behchoko台虁, Game虁ti, Wekwee虁ti and Whati.
