Northwest Territories general election, 1967
Encyclopedia
The Northwest Territories general election of 1967 took place on July 4, 1967. This was the 11th general election in the history of the Northwest Territories
.
Tragedy would ensue after this election as member elect Bill Berg
died in a plane crash while flying into Yellowknife on October 1, only a few days before the new council was to open.
This would be the first time since 1905 where more elected members would sit then appointed members.
This is also the first election in the history of the territories, that electoral districts covered the entire territories. The redistribution of districts was a result of the Carruthers Commission. It would also be the last general election that had members appointed to the Northwest Territories council.
The final phase of the general election was the appointments of four council seats after the writs from the general election had returned. A fifth appointed seat also existed automatically going to the incumbent Deputy Commissioner who was reserved a seat on council.
Only one incumbent was appointed from the previous council that was retired Air Marshal Hugh Campbell. Abraham Okpik
the first Inuit member of the council was dropped due to the election of Simonie Michael. The federal government felt that Okpik who had been appointed to represent Inuit in the eastern arctic was better served by Michael, the first elected Inuit. He was replaced on council by Chief John Tetlichi from Fort McPherson who was the first status Indian ever appointed to council.
The other two appointments went to James Gordon Gibson and Lloyd Barber. Gibson was living in Vancouver
at the time having moved from the Yukon where he grew up. He had served in the logging industry on the west coast at the time of this appointment. The final appointee was Lloyd Barber a Dean of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan
. He had served on the Royal Commission on Government Administration in 1965.
The appointments were announced on November 9, 1967 by Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Arthur Laing
. He also announced that this would likely be the last appointments to the council as the government was considering plans to reform the council into a fully elected body. The federal government kept the appointments for another term until 1975.
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...
.
Tragedy would ensue after this election as member elect Bill Berg
Bill Berg (politician)
William "Bill" Berg was a Royal Canadian Mounted police man, game outfitter and a territorial level politician from Northwest Territories, Canada...
died in a plane crash while flying into Yellowknife on October 1, only a few days before the new council was to open.
This would be the first time since 1905 where more elected members would sit then appointed members.
This is also the first election in the history of the territories, that electoral districts covered the entire territories. The redistribution of districts was a result of the Carruthers Commission. It would also be the last general election that had members appointed to the Northwest Territories council.
Election summary
| Election summary | # of candidates | Popular vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incumbent | New | # | % | |
| Elected candidates | 1 | 5 | ? | ? |
| Acclaimed candidates | 0 | 1 | ||
| Appointed Members | 2 | 3 | ||
| Defeated candidates | ||||
| Total | 6,463 | 100% | ||
| Turnout 64.6% | ||||
Members elected
For complete electoral history, see individual districts| 6th Northwest Territories Legislative Council 6th Northwest Territories Legislative Council The 6th Northwest Territories Legislative Council was the 13th assembly of the territorial government. It took place from 1967 and was dissolved in 1970. This was the first council that took place specifically in the capital city of Yellowknife.... |
|
| District | Member |
|---|---|
| Central Arctic Central Arctic The Central Arctic was an electoral district of the Northwest Territories, Canada created in 1966 and abolished in 1983. The district consisted of Pelly Bay, Spence Bay, Gjoa Haven, Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet, Bay Chimo, Coppermine and Holman. For the 1983 election Holman was moved to the... |
Robert Williamson |
| Eastern Arctic | Simonie Michael |
| Mackenzie Delta Mackenzie Delta (electoral district) Mackenzie Delta is a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The district consists of Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic.-History:... |
Lyle Trimble |
| Mackenzie North Mackenzie North Mackenzie North is a former territorial electoral district, that elected Members to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.Mackenzie North covered the communities of Yellowknife, Bathurst Inlet, Fort Providence, Fort Rae, Snare River, Outpost Island, Hottah Lake, Port Radium, Coppermine,... |
David Searle David Searle David Harry Searle is a retired politician and lawyer from Northwest Territories, Canada.-Legal career:Born in Edmonton, Searle moved to Yellowknife with his family in 1946. He was educated at the University of Alberta. Searle established his law practice in 1963 partnering with Justice Mark de... |
| Mackenzie River Mackenzie River (N.W.T. electoral district) Mackenzie River is a former territorial electoral district, that elected Members to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.-1954 election:... |
Bill Berg Bill Berg (politician) William "Bill" Berg was a Royal Canadian Mounted police man, game outfitter and a territorial level politician from Northwest Territories, Canada... |
| Mackenzie South Mackenzie South Mackenzie South is a former territorial electoral district, that elected Members to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in Canada.The electoral district covered the communities of Fort Smith, Hay River, Pine Point, Fort Resolution, Talston River, Snowdrift, Fort Reliance and Wynn's... |
Donald Morton Stewart Donald Morton Stewart Donald Morton Stewart is a former politician and civil servant from Northwest Territories, Canada.-Early life:Stewart worked for numerous northern airlines, and later joined the civil service as a Department of Fisheries employee.... |
| Western Arctic | Duncan Pryde Duncan Pryde Duncan Pryde was a hunter, trapper, lexicographer and politician from Northwest Territories, Canada. He served as a member of the Northwest Territories Council from 1966 to 1975.-Early life:... |
Appointed members
| Council members appointed on November 9, 1967 | |
|---|---|
| Member | New / Re-appointed |
| Lloyd Barber Lloyd Barber Lloyd Ingram Barber, was the first President and former vice-chancellor of the University of Regina.-Early life:... |
New |
| Hugh Campbell Hugh Campbell (politician) Air Marshal Hugh Lester Campbell, CBE, CD was a politician for Northwest Territories, Canada and a senior commander in the Royal Canadian Air Force.... |
Re-appointed |
| John Tetlichi | New |
| James Gordon Gibson | New |
| John Havelock Parker John Havelock Parker John Havelock Parker, OC was Commissioner of the Canadian Northwest Territories from April 15, 1979 to July 31, 1989. He had previously been Deputy Commissioner of Northwest Territories from 1967 to 1979.... |
Incumbent Deputy Commissioner |
The final phase of the general election was the appointments of four council seats after the writs from the general election had returned. A fifth appointed seat also existed automatically going to the incumbent Deputy Commissioner who was reserved a seat on council.
Only one incumbent was appointed from the previous council that was retired Air Marshal Hugh Campbell. Abraham Okpik
Abe Okpik
Abe "Abraham" Okpik, CM was an Inuit community leader in Canada. He instrumental in helping Inuit obtain surnames rather than disc numbers...
the first Inuit member of the council was dropped due to the election of Simonie Michael. The federal government felt that Okpik who had been appointed to represent Inuit in the eastern arctic was better served by Michael, the first elected Inuit. He was replaced on council by Chief John Tetlichi from Fort McPherson who was the first status Indian ever appointed to council.
The other two appointments went to James Gordon Gibson and Lloyd Barber. Gibson was living in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
at the time having moved from the Yukon where he grew up. He had served in the logging industry on the west coast at the time of this appointment. The final appointee was Lloyd Barber a Dean of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
. He had served on the Royal Commission on Government Administration in 1965.
The appointments were announced on November 9, 1967 by Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Arthur Laing
Arthur Laing
Arthur Laing, PC was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal Member of the Canadian House of Commons from Vancouver, British Columbia....
. He also announced that this would likely be the last appointments to the council as the government was considering plans to reform the council into a fully elected body. The federal government kept the appointments for another term until 1975.