It’s less than a month until the NWT election on October 1. And just over six weeks till the federal election on October 21. It’s important to start now to find out who the candidates are, what each candidate stands for, and to decide who to vote for.
Friday is the last day for candidates in each of the 19 NWT electoral districts to file their nomination papers. After Friday, we will know who the candidates are. It’s already shaping up to be an exciting NWT election, particularly with the record number of women putting their names forward.
Elections are a time to decide what issues we care about. Do we value the environment? Do we want all NWT residents to have decent, affordable housing? Do we want a better education system? Do we need an improved Student Financial Assistance program to support continued learning? Are we worried about the economy? It’s a lot to think about.
There are other factors to think about too. We need to decide which candidate will best represent our views and which candidate is likely to do what they promise.
And then there is the practical side of voting. Anyone who wants to vote must be registered to vote. Doing this ahead of time will speed things up on election day. Elections NWT has an online guide for voters. It talks about who is eligible to vote, how to register to vote, the different opportunities to vote, and the identification that voters need to show.
Elections Canada provides similar voter information for the federal election online.
When communities have increased literacy and essential skills, we know that there will be an increase in civic engagement, a stronger economy and a healthier population.
When citizens have increased education and skills, they feel that they can engage in, understand and influence political affairs.
The upcoming territorial and federal elections are opportunities for us to exercise our civic rights and responsibilities. Let’s make sure we all take advantage of these opportunities.
— Kathryn Barry Paddock, Executive Director
