List of Northwest Territories plebiscites
Encyclopedia
This is a list of territory wide plebiscites that have occurred in the Northwest Territories
. Four plebiscites have occurred territory wide in the history of the Northwest Territories, although legislation was passed to allow a fifth plebiscite.
In 1974 the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories passed a bill to authorize a plebiscite that would allow Northwest Territories communities the authority to control liquor. The bill received Assent from the Commissioner. The commissioner of the Northwest Territories at the time Stuart Milton Hodgson
actively lobbied the Federal Government not to reject this step in Northwest Territories democracy. However, the plebiscite never took place: Hodgson ended up using his reserve powers to give an executive decree to allow Inuvik to halt liquor sales. This was the first time since 1898 that the Northwest Territories government tried to exert control over liquor in the territory.
In 1982 after considerable pressure from native groups and aboriginal Members, the Northwest Territories would try another plebiscite. This time they had the support of the Federal Government. In 1982 they held a plebiscite on dividing the Territory. The result would lead to three more plebiscites leading to the creation of Nunavut
.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. Four plebiscites have occurred territory wide in the history of the Northwest Territories, although legislation was passed to allow a fifth plebiscite.
In 1974 the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories passed a bill to authorize a plebiscite that would allow Northwest Territories communities the authority to control liquor. The bill received Assent from the Commissioner. The commissioner of the Northwest Territories at the time Stuart Milton Hodgson
Stuart Milton Hodgson
Stuart Milton Hodgson, OC was Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 1967 March 2 until 1979 April 6...
actively lobbied the Federal Government not to reject this step in Northwest Territories democracy. However, the plebiscite never took place: Hodgson ended up using his reserve powers to give an executive decree to allow Inuvik to halt liquor sales. This was the first time since 1898 that the Northwest Territories government tried to exert control over liquor in the territory.
In 1982 after considerable pressure from native groups and aboriginal Members, the Northwest Territories would try another plebiscite. This time they had the support of the Federal Government. In 1982 they held a plebiscite on dividing the Territory. The result would lead to three more plebiscites leading to the creation of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
.
- Northwest Territories division plebiscite, 1982
- Northwest Territories jurisdictional boundaries plebiscite, 1992
- Nunavut capital plebiscite, 1995
- Nunavut equal representation plebiscite, 1997