A looming October territorial election is currently missing a key player SA国际影视传媒� its Premier.

Premier Bob McLeod SA国际影视传媒� whoSA国际影视传媒檚 spent the summer knocking against federal environmental legislation, meeting with fellow premiers, and calling for increased investment in resource development SA国际影视传媒� remains undecided about his plans to run, he told News/North. 

He does, however, have advice for voters: Keep an eye on SA国际影视传媒渨here the jobs are going to come from.

SA国际影视传媒淛obs donSA国际影视传媒檛 fall out of the sky,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a consistent theme for McLeod, who was first elected to the NWT legislative assembly in 2007,  on the eve of the 2008 economic downturn SA国际影视传媒� a recession from which he said the territory has yet to fully recover.

SA国际影视传媒�(NWT is) the only jurisdiction in Canada that hasnSA国际影视传媒檛 recovered,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 gross domestic product hasnSA国际影视传媒檛 bounced back to the all-time high of roughly $5.6 billion in 2007, but , according to the NWT Bureau of Statistics. That includes a significant drop in natural resource development, which McLeod said lost 800 jobs.

To compound the economic sluggishness, add low commodity prices, dropping investment in mineral exploration, and oil and gas exploration dollars draining to zero.

Concerns around natural resource development SA国际影视传媒� including a federal 2016 moratorium on off-shore NWT oil and gas activity SA国际影视传媒� led him to join five other conservative premiers to slam Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a pair environmental bills earlier this year that recently passed Senate.

A key point of that contention, C SA国际影视传媒� 69, overhauls federal assessment of major development projects

SA国际影视传媒淵ou look at what happened in the NWT, where the moratorium pretty much shut down our oil and gas industry. If the same thing happens in Alberta and Saskatchewan as a result of Bill C-69, then nothingSA国际影视传媒檚 going to happen in the Northwest Territories,SA国际影视传媒� McLeod said.

He added that C - 69 affects the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the onshore part of which is regulated by the National Energy Board, a federal body.

The similarly affected mining sector is the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 highest producer of emissions, contributed to NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 33.7 tonnes of emissions per person per year for 2013 SA国际影视传媒� and

However, McLeod said the TerritorySA国际影视传媒檚 total greenhouse gas emissions are SA国际影视传媒渕inimal.SA国际影视传媒� Compared to southern Canada and other countries, SA国际影视传媒渨e donSA国际影视传媒檛 see ourselves as being the problem for climate change,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

On that front, McLeod sees the North as among the first affected. Melting ice has opened northern waterways for longer periods, and encircling international powers are making moves to stake a claim.

SA国际影视传媒淭he large superpowers, like the Russians, the Chinese, are very interested in the Arctic,SA国际影视传媒� McLeod.

McLeod has concerns. Russia has deployed 20 icebreakers, and built seven sea ports and two deep-sea ports. China has also developed an Arctic policy, has built nuclear icebreakers, and has sent ships through the Northwest Passage.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that his country considers the Northwest Passage an international waterway, and not internal waters as recognized by Canada.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e realizing that we always count on the United States to act in our best interests,SA国际影视传媒� he said, noting Pompeo contradicted a 1998 agreement on Arctic cooperation, where the US would seek permission from Canada before using the Northwest Passage.

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 one of the reasons McLeodSA国际影视传媒檚 been a vocal Arctic sovereignty advocate.

SA国际影视传媒淲e think thereSA国际影视传媒檚 an opportunity for the Arctic to become an international marine and air transportation hub," McLeod said. "We think that Northwest Territories should be declared an economic free zone.SA国际影视传媒�

ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 plenty of steps involved: an increased military presence, a SA国际影视传媒淯niversity of the Arctic,SA国际影视传媒� more academic research, northern medical, business and law schools, and immigration plan to grow the population of the Northern Arctic.

All of this will take time, however, and as candidates announce their intentions to run, McLeod has a short answer when asked if he will enter another race:

SA国际影视传媒淚 havenSA国际影视传媒檛 decided yet,SA国际影视传媒� he said.