Seeking Unanimous Consent Consensus Government in the Northwest Territories By Stephen J. Dunbar, B.A.H. A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Political Science Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario Canada © Stephen J. 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A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Political Science Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario Canada © Stephen J. Dunbar, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i INTRODUCTION.. 1 LITERATURE RE VIEW 4 METHODOLOGY 8 HISTORY 11 The Ridings Dispute of 1998 18 PROCEDURE 23 The Executive Council 23 The Regular Members 26 Opposition 26 Caucus 29 Committees 31 ACCOUNTABILITY 36 Parties and Seats 38 Parties and Accountability 40 Parties and Platforms 42 Parties and the Electoral System 44 Members' Perceptions 46 Direct Election of the Premier.. 52 TRANSPARENCY 56 RESPONSIVENESS 67 ADAPTABILITY 78 FUTURE CHALLENGES , 88 Ridings - The fight continues 88 Land Claims and Self Government - What does this mean? 92 Accommodation - A Northern Senate? 94 PLUS CA CHANGE 96 CONCLUSION 101 BIBLIOGRAPHY 103 Acknowledgements Over the course of my research, I have had the fortune of being assisted by many people. First, my thanks to all the Members of the Legislative Assembly and their staff for accommodating and finding time to meet with me. Those same regards are also due to Commissioner Tony Whitford and his staff. I would especially like to thank the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Tim Mercer, and his staff for all their help, especially Tanis Stirling, Haylee Brothers, Verna Currimbhoy and Vera Raschke. For providing the results from his original research, Professor Graham White. For opening their home to me once again, Tony and Terry Chang. For the laughs, encouragement and help, David Hamilton and John Parker. And finally, for their love, support, encouragement, and exceptional foresight, my parents, Linda and Blair, who first gave me the idea to write on consensus government. Seeking Unanimous Consent Consensus Government in the Northwest Territories Introduction The evolution of responsible government in the Northwest Territories has followed a course unlike that of any other jurisdiction in Canada. A combination of geography, demographics, culture, history, pragmatism and rapid development has created a political system styled consensus government. This system, while maintaining fundamental aspects of a Westminster parliamentary government, has made substantial adaptations to suit the peculiar needs of the territory. Of these, the most prominent is the absence of political parties within the Legislature, and the method in which the executive is thereby selected. The adaptations and inherent differences from more traditional government systems have led some to question the validity, accountability and effectiveness of consensus government. In the late 1980s, Professor Graham White of the University of Toronto1 observed both the Legislative Assembly and its committees at work, conducted detailed interviews with the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and had every MLA complete a questionnaire. His results have formed the basis of the only comprehensive study ever done on consensus government. The Northwest Territories has undergone significant and dramatic changes since that research was published. From the division of the territory to create Nunavut and the As consensus government is the term used by its practitioners, it is the term that will be employed here to mean non-partisan Westminster cabinet-parliamentary government. References to East or West mean Nunavut and the current NWT respectively. Northern or Northerners is employed here to mean people of the NWT. Certain nouns are capitalized, notably Aboriginal, Cabinet, Regular Member and Minister as per the practice in the NWT. 1 Graham White a, "Westminster in the Arctic: The Adaptation of British Parliamentarism in the Northwest Territories", Canadian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 24, no. 3 (Sept. 1991), pp.499-523 1 western territory, the advancement of Aboriginal land claims and self government agreements,2 and rapid economic development of the natural resources, the political realities faced by the Legislative Assembly and its Members have resulted in consensus government undergoing many adaptations, some by choice, and others forced. While the consensus system remains, it is substantially altered from the system originally studied by Professor White. Despite the changes, consensus government has retained strong support among those who work within it, and the general attitude of the people of whom it serves, there appears to be little appetite for change. In the research conducted for this paper, many MLAs could point to limitations or areas of concern within the system, however every MLA agreed that consensus government will continue to meet their needs in the future. Throughout the short history of responsible government in the Northwest Territories, the consensus system has provided effective and desirable governance, and that is likely to continue. This paper is divided into chapters, each examining a different aspect of consensus government, and examining in particular if consensus government can provide effective, accountable governance. The history chapter will provide a brief overview of the evolution of responsible government in the Northwest Territories, as well as examining the factors that led to the adoption of the consensus system and the challenges it has withstood. Next will be Procedure, detailing how consensus government functions, including explanations of the roles of Caucus and Committees. The next four chapters deal with the results of questionnaire and interviews conducted with the Members. 2 One such agreement, for the Tli Cho, has already been signed into law. 3 Judging by election returns in the past three elections, where party candidates have faired very poorly. 2 Accountability will deal with the mechanisms consensus government employs to remain accountable to the people of the Northwest Territories. In Transparency, the relationship between the Regular Members and the Executive Council will be examined, including the communication between the two groups and the influence of the Regular Members in the Legislative Assembly. Responsiveness will focus on the manner in which the Legislative Assembly develops policy and how it responds to the needs of Northerners. Finally in Adaptability, it will be argued that consensus is a derivation of the Westminster parliamentary system. Prior to the conclusion, there will be a brief discussion of the future challenges facing consensus government. 3 Literature Review Academic interest in the governance of the Northwest Territories has focused on the writings of three men in particular. Professor Gurston Dacks wrote several pieces on the future of consensus government in the territory in the 1980s. Professor Graham White followed, with his in-depth study of consensus government. Professor Mark Dickerson, in his book Whose North?, examined in detail the evolution of the government in the North and its potential future. Unfortunately, there has been little published since the early 1990s. Professor Dacks described consensus government in a 1985 paper as "an artifact of historical evolution and particular political circumstances."