Northwest Territories

C

Legislature

Before 1999 the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories had 24 elected members. With the creation of Nunavut, the territory’s Legislative Assembly was reduced to 14 members. However, legal challenges to the Legislative Assembly’s new electoral boundaries resulted in the addition of 5 new members, raising the number of members to 19. These elected members have the power to make laws that affect the residents of the Northwest Territories. Before 1999 the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly was the only jurisdiction in Canada that did not operate on a party structure; Nunavut has since adopted the same system.

D

Judiciary

The territorial courts consist of a supreme court, a court of appeal, and a territorial court. The more serious criminal and civic matters go before the supreme court, while less serious disputes go to the territorial court. Territorial court rulings may be appealed to the court of appeal. There is also a small claims court. Justices of the peace are present in most communities and try violations of territorial statutes and municipal bylaws. The federal government appoints judges to the supreme court, and the territorial government selects judges and justices of the peace.

E

Finances

In 1998 the budget for the Northwest Territories was C$1.2 billion. With the division of the territory in 1999, the new Northwest Territories’ budget was reduced to C$742 million. The federal government provided about 90 percent of the budget. This level of financial dependence is due to two factors. First, the government of the Northwest Territories has a small tax base. Second, the territory has limited tax powers. For example, royalties from resource development are not collected by the territorial government but by the federal government. One-third of the budget of C$742 million is used for education and health care.

F

Social Services

The territorial government is responsible for social services and health care. The Department of Health and Social Services delivers these services to residents through its hospitals, nursing stations, and social services offices. Yellowknife houses the main headquarters of this government department; regional offices are located in Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Inuvik.

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VIII

History

A

Early Inhabitants

The first people to come to the Northwest Territories were Paleo-Indians. The details of their origins and migration routes are unclear, but it is most likely that they came to Alaska from Asia across the land bridge known as Beringia. From Alaska, some moved southward while others moved eastward into the Northwest Territories about 9,000 years ago. By then the ice sheet that covered the land had melted and the forest vegetation had reestablished itself. These Paleo-Indians belonged to the Athapaskan language family. Some 2,500 years ago the Dene, who most likely evolved their culture from these Paleo-Indians, appeared in the Northwest Territories.

About 5,000 years ago Paleo-Eskimos came from the Bering Strait to the Arctic coast of Alaska and then into the Northwest Territories (see Native Americans of North America: Arctic). A second wave of Paleo-Eskimos, known as the Dorset culture, appeared around 3,000 years ago. These people eventually reached the Labrador coast and occupied the coastal areas of Newfoundland. These marine hunters had the technology to live in an arctic environment. About 1,000 years ago, the Thule people migrated from the Bering Strait eastward along the Arctic coast. Within 500 years the Thule people displaced the Dorset people. The Thule people originated in the coastal area of Alaska, where they developed a sophisticated marine technology, including the kayak (a small, enclosed canoe-shaped vessel designed for hunting seals and other sea mammals), the umiak (a larger boat suitable for hunting bowhead whales), and a harpoon with floats. These developments enabled the Thule to hunt sea mammals on the open water. The Thule were the ancestors of the Inuit.

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