(Yellowknife) Wednesday, August 26, 2020 – Members of the 19th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly have confirmed the process to be used to elect a new member of the Executive Council during the Territorial Leadership Committee (TLC) meeting being held on Thursday, August 27th, 2020 in the Legislative Assembly Chamber in Yellowknife.
The Territorial Leadership Committee, comprised of all 19 Members, has agreed to meet on Thursday, August 27th at 9:00 AM to elect a Member to fill the vacancy on the Executive Council. Candidates for this position will deliver speeches of up to 10 minutes to Members of the Assembly regarding their suitability for the role of Minister. Each Member will have the opportunity to ask the candidates one question. After the speeches have concluded, a secret ballot vote will be held, and the results will be released publicly.
The vacancy on the Executive Council comes after Members voted in favour of a motion to revoke the appointment of Great Slave MLA to the Executive Council on Wednesday, August 26th, 2020.
The regional balance of two Ministers from the northern constituencies, two from southern constituencies, and two from Yellowknife will be maintained. This means that only Yellowknife Members are eligible for nomination.
Formal motions to ratify the TLC’s selection will be brought forward on Thursday, August 27th, 2020.
Due to public health orders regarding concerns about COVID-19, the Public Gallery will not be open to the public during the TLC meeting. However, the Public Gallery will be open to the media; this space will allow the media to physically distance themselves. Hand sanitizer and facial masks will be available to the media.
The proceedings will be broadcast on television as well as streamed live on the Legislature’s website, and its Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter pages.