IN CONVERSATION Premier Bob McLeod Northwest Territories Premier Bob McLeod spoke with our editor, Jerald Sabin, in May about the upcoming legislative session, his decision to run for Premier, and the 35th anniversary of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. s r i a f f A c i l b u P n r e h t r o N : t i d e r c o t o h P Thank your for taking the time to speak with us, Premier. of the Northwest Territories. I felt that the job needed a consensus builder, which I consider myself Why did you first run for MLA? to be. I think that taking that approach—by getting That's a good question. I ran because I’m a people to work together—we can accomplish a lot. I Northerner—an Aboriginal Northerner who was always say, wouldn't it be great if we can all work to- born and raised here. I feel that I live in the best place gether to go hand-in-hand to Ottawa and resolve in the world, and I want to make sure that the North some of these issues. continues to be a good place to live, work, and invest. I also felt that it is very important to keep our end Also, I want people in our communities to be able to of the bargain. We ask our kids to stay in school, and have a choice in whatever lifestyle they want to so we need to make sure that the jobs and opportu- lead—whether that is pursuing a traditional way of nities for them are there when they graduate. life or joining the wage economy. I want to make sure that we have balanced development and I want to What was that competition for Premier like for you? make sure that we provide as many opportunities as Well, we don't have a party system, and as you may we can for our youth. know, and it’s a consensus government. We run as nineteen MLAs and after the election—once it's been What motivated you to stand for Premier? confirmed that we have all been elected—we get to- My approach has always been that if you want gether as a caucus of nineteen members and we to get something done, you go for the top job. I feel choose a Premier and Cabinet of six. So, it's a very that there is a number of very significant initiatives intense two-day period where you interact with your that we are working on that are integral to the future colleagues to try and get enough support to either be- Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, 2009. come Premier or to become a cabinet minister. that there can be ups and downs based on commodity prices or whether one mine decides to cease production? How do you seen Did you run on a particular platform or position that set you balancing out those ups and downs? apart from other candidates? It’s a fact of life up here. We have a boom and Well, I think there were a number of people that bust [economy]. We see it in certain regions for a long had their name in for Premier. My approach was to time and we’re trying to address it by developing a support balanced development, to stress better work- more diversified economy. By having a more sustain- ing relationships with Aboriginal governments, to be able way of operating. We also do it by trying to inclusive, and to work well with others. That was maintain our traditional economy, because that al- [the] approach that I took. lows us to get money and resources directly to the communities. Right now the largest part of our econ- What are the most significant challenges facing the Northwest omy is mining and it appears that Mining will con- Territories today? tinue to be the largest part of our economy for the There are significant challenges. I think the foreseeable future. We're trying to develop our oil and biggest one for us right now is the governance is- gas sector, which is starting to look very promising sues—trying to deal with having the people of the and exciting in the central part of the Mackenzie. By North making the decisions on issues that affect them extension, we still are very supportive of the Macken- the most. We have an infrastructure deficit. We have zie pipeline project. We’re just waiting for the price a very high cost-of-living. We are a small population of natural gas to go up, which to me is evitable. spread over a large geographic area with harsh con- ditions. We have 33 small communities and we are What are you hearing from the people of the NWT about the making sure that we support all of the communities traditional economy? Are they worried? and provide people with opportunities. And deliver Well they are worried because there have been drastic changes in our wildlife populations. Our vision is to provide economic development opportunities for We're waiting to see if every community in the Northwest Territories. Some of that some populations like the caribou, for exam- may involve large-scale projects, others may just be local eco- ple, recover. There are nomic projects. We are trying to take control of the decision- some effects on differ- ent species. Con- making, so we can have development at a pace that that doesn't versely, we're starting negatively impact on the environment. to get the highest prices for furs that we haven’t seen in programs and services so that we are not penalized decades. So, we’re starting to get more and more by the fact that we live in the Northwest Territories. trappers out there. With the high cost of living in our communi- Under your premiership, what is the Government of the North- ties—and our remote communities—the best way to west Territories’s (GNWT) vision for economic development offset [the cost] is to have people have country food. in the NWT? I would say that the majority of the people in the Our vision is to provide economic development smaller communities still practice traditional activi- opportunities for every community in the Northwest ties of hunting and trapping. Territories. Some of that may involve large-scale projects, others may just be local economic projects. I have a couple of questions about the devolution process. First, We are trying to take control of the decision-making, where is the GNWT in that process? so we can have development at a pace that that does- We signed an Agreement in Principle (AIP) n't negatively impact on the environment. We want about two and a half years ago. We are continuing balanced development and we want to maximize the to negotiate. We are reaching out to Aboriginal gov- benefits and opportunities for the people of the ernments to find common ground on issues that im- Northwest Territories. pact on us, including devolution. The Northwest Territories is a resource rich jurisdiction and its Ok, because I have heard that the Dene have expressed concern economy is driven by resource development. Does it worry you about the way that devolution is unfolding in the NWT. What 20 Northern Public Affairs, Spring 2012 would you say to our readers about the GNWT’s position in of that report, what it has meant to you, and to the people of response to that criticism? the Northwest Territories? Well, I think we are trying to promote a better I guess there are different points of view on Judge understanding about what devolution entails. Part of Berger’s report. Some people feel—and obviously, at our discussion with Aboriginal governments is that the time of that development the Aboriginal govern- devolution will not im- pact on their Aborigi- Well, I think we are trying to promote a better understanding nal rights or their land claims or self-govern- about what devolution entails. Part of our discussion with Abo- ment. And that each riginal governments is that devolution will not impact on their of the governments will have their own re- Aboriginal rights or their land claims or self-government. And sponsibilities, rights, that each of the governments will have their own responsibilities, resources, and land. We think the best way rights, resources, and land. We think the best way to operate is to operate is for all of for all of us to work together. us to work together and to coordinate our approach to all the different levels of governments to ments didn't have land claims—they didn't have re- work together. sources, they didn't have business companies or economic development corporations. So, 35 years What are your goals for the upcoming session of the legislature later most of the Aboriginal governments are very before the summer recess? strong—strong governments, strong leadership. There are a number of areas that we are working [Also, these Aboriginal] businesses...are a very signif- on. My goal is to introduce a new approach to how icant factor in all the business that happens in the we do business. We're looking at a new way of pre- North. [Aboriginal buisness] own[s] significant parts senting the Throne Speech, so that we can invite of our industries, be it airlines, construction, trucking, Aboriginal leaders and other honoured and distin- engineering, and so on. guished guests to come and sit in our chambers.