The 2nd Northwest Territories Legislative Council was the 9th assembly of the territorial government, lasting from the election of 1954 until dissolution in 1957. A total of four elected members and five appointed members comprised this council.

Radio broadcasts

John Parker made national news, bringing the attention of the council to radio broadcasts from

Radio Moscow Radio Moscow (), also known as Radio Moscow World Service, was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1993, when it was reorganized into Voice of Russia, which was subsequently reorga ...

that were being received with greater clarity in most of the Northwest Territories than broadcasts from the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

. Parker emphasized the danger of northern residents falling victim to the communist propaganda, as most of the Inuit did not yet identify Canada as a nation, and other northern residents being susceptible with the limited media coverage that was available in the north at the time.

Reforms

Commissioner

Robert Gordon Robertson (Robert) Gordon Robertson, (May 19, 1917 – January 15, 2013) was the commissioner of the Northwest Territories from November 15, 1953 to July 12, 1963 who, having been sworn in at the age of 36, remains the youngest person to ever hold the offi ...

, who had been recently appointed in the last session, made two critical reforms to the way council operated in this session that had lasting implications. The first reform was introduced at the first session held in the Elks Hall at

Yellowknife Yellowknife is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of t ...

. The amendment to the Rules in Council permitted members of Council to make a reply to the speech from the throne. The second reform had to do with the Commissioner's lack of Executive Council. Robertson started putting out references for advice to council members to help guide him on critical issues of the day facing the territories. He wanted an Executive Council to advise him as the

Lieutenant Governors A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

had prior to 1897 had, and this method was the closest he could to achieve that.

Legislation

The first Legislative Session took place in the basement of the Elks Hall in Yellowknife in the spring of 1954. A total of nine bills were passed, mostly amendments to existing legislation. The second session held in Ottawa saw a total of seventeen bills passed. The biggest issue dealt with during this session was the question relating to sales of liquor for Indians and Inuit which had been prohibited under a Northwest Territories law dating back to the

Temporary North-West Council The Temporary North-West Council, more formally known as the Council of the North-West Territories and by its short name as the North-West Council, lasted from the creation of North-West Territories, Canada, in 1870 until it was dissolved in 1876 ...

. The prohibition meant that bootlegging was commonplace, as was consumption of alternate forms of alcohol such as shoe polish, antifreeze and vanilla extract, resulting in needless deaths and endemic social issues. After debate the council agreed to change the regulations to allow liquor privileges to be the same for everyone. The federal government, however, disagreed and vetoed the changes.

Membership

References

External links

Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly homepage
{{Northwest Territories Assemblies Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies 1954 establishments in the Northwest Territories