The 2023 Northwest Territories general election was held on November 14, 2023. Nineteen members were elected to the

20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly The 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in Canada was established by the results of the 2023 Northwest Territories general election on November 14, 2023. Membership Source: Executive Council of the Northwest Territories No ...

. The Assembly is run on a consensus government system, in which all MLAs sit as independents and are not organized into political parties. Due to the Northwest Territories wildfire evacuations in August, territorial chief election officer, Stephen Dunbar, proposed delaying the election one month to November, due to the possibility that some residents of the territory may still be displaced from their homes during the currently scheduled campaign period.Carrie Tait and Alanna Smith
"Wildfires could push Northwest Territories fall election back a month"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', August 21, 2023. Some cabinet ministers expressed support for his proposal, with the Assembly meeting on August 28 to debate rescheduling the election. The election was officially delayed from the original October 3 date to November 14, six weeks later. On September 28, incumbent Premier

Caroline Cochrane Caroline Cochrane (formerly Caroline Cochrane-Johnson; born December 5, 1960) is a former Canadian politician, who served as the 13th premier of the Northwest Territories, from 2019 to 2023. She is the second female premier of the Northwest Terr ...

announced she would not seek re-election.

Results

The Legislative Assembly is run on a consensus government system, in which all MLAs sit as independents and are not organized into political parties. Note, accordingly, that colours in the following charts are used solely to indicate candidate status, not political party affiliations.

Statistics

Candidates

Analysis

In the election, 12 out of the 19 seats in the legislature elected new MLAs. In addition, the number of women elected to the legislature decreased, from nine in 2019 to eight. Given that the territory operates on a consensus government system, MLAs elected on November 14 chose the new premier in the first session of the 20th Assembly on December 7, with Hay River North MLA R. J. Simpson being elected premier. Candidates included Simpson,

Kieron Testart Kieron Testart is a Canadian politician serving in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, representing the riding of Range Lake. He is currently serving his second non-consecutive term, having first been elected in the 2015 to th ...

, Shane Thompson, and

Caroline Wawzonek Caroline Wawzonek is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, or Legislative Council of the Northwest Territories (with Northwest hyphenated ...

. Thompson was elected speaker the same day.https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/find-out-why-these-n-w-t-mlas-say-they-should-be-premier-1.7044502 The other members elected by MLAs to cabinet were, for the north, Lucy Kuptana and

Lesa Semmler Lesa Semmler (born c. 1976) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in the 2019 election. She represents the electoral district of Inuvik Twin Lakes. Prior to her election to the legis ...

; for Yellowknife,

Caitlin Cleveland Caitlin Cleveland is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in the 2019 electionOllie Williams"Only Nahendeh left to elect MLA, 18 others are elected" Cabin Radio, October 1, 2019. and re ...

and

; and for the south, Vince McKay and Jay MacDonald.

References

{{Northwest Territories elections

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

General election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

Northwest Territories general election Elections in the Northwest Territories