The 1979 Northwest Territories general election was held on October 1, 1979.
Twenty-two members were elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly. In 1980, George Braden was named "Government Leader", the first democratic leader of the Northwest Territories since Frederick Haultain in 1905 and the first of its modern boundaries. In 1994, he was retroactively given the title Premier of the Northwest Territories.
Election summary [1] | # of candidates | Popular vote | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Incumbent | New | # | % | |
Elected candidates | 4 | 17 | ? | ? |
Acclaimed candidates | ? | 1 | ||
Defeated candidates | ||||
Total | 12,586 | 100% | ||
Turnout 62.1% |
For complete electoral history, see individual districts
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,127,711.92 km2 (435,412.01 sq mi) and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of the second quarter of 2024 is 44,920. Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and the only city in the territory; its population was 20,340 as of the 2021 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.
Yukon is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It is the most densely populated territory in Canada, with an estimated population of 46,704 as of 2024, though it has a smaller population than all provinces. Whitehorse, the territorial capital, is the largest settlement in any of the three territories.
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North America—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada —united to form a federation, becoming a fully independent country over the next century. Over its history, Canada's international borders have changed several times as it has added territories and provinces, making it the world's second-largest country by area.
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories have the power to make legislation relevant to the area, thus granting them a higher level of autonomy.
The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation through the Northwest Ordinance, it was the nation's first post-colonial organized incorporated territory.
The 1979 Canadian federal election was held on May 22, 1979, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the Liberal Party of Canada after 16 years in power, 11 of them under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive Conservative Party to power but with only a minority of seats in the House of Commons. The Liberals, however, beat the Progressive Conservatives in the overall popular vote by more than 400,000 votes. Taking office on the eve of his 40th birthday, Clark became the youngest prime minister in Canadian history.
The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, or Legislative Council of the Northwest Territories, is the legislature and the seat of government of Northwest Territories in Canada. It is a unicameral elected body that creates and amends law in the Northwest Territories. Permanently located in Yellowknife since 1993, the assembly was founded in 1870 and became active in 1872 with the first appointments from the Government of Canada.
Nick G. Sibbeston is a retired Canadian politician, serving from 1985 to 1987 as the fourth premier of the Northwest Territories.
The North-West Territories Liberal Party was a short-lived branch of the Liberal Party of Canada in the North-West Territories.
The North-West Territories Liberal-Conservative Party also known formally as the Liberal-Conservative Association prior to 1903 and the Territorial Conservative Association after 1903, was a short lived political party in the Northwest Territories, Canada. The party was active between 1897 and 1905. It was a branch of the federal Conservative Party of Canada.
The history of Northwest Territories capital cities begins with the purchase of the Territories by Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869, and includes a varied and often difficult evolution. Northwest Territories is unique amongst the other provinces and territories of Canada in that it has had seven capital cities in its history. The territory has changed the seat of government for numerous reasons, including civil conflict, development of infrastructure, and a history of significant revisions to its territorial boundaries.
The 2nd Council of the Northwest Territories, known formally as the Council of the Northwest Territories, was the governing body of Canada's Northwest Territories from 1905 to 1951. In 1905 when Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved out the Northwest Territories, there were too few enfranchised voters in the remaining area of the Territories to justify responsible government. The Northwest Territories reverted to 1870 constitutional status. Political parties and the position of Lieutenant Governor was abolished. The government came under the direct control of Ottawa.
Representation by women has been a significant issue in Canadian politics since 1900.
Tagak Curley is an Inuit leader, politician and businessman from Nunavut. As a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut, Tagak is considered a living father of confederation in Canada. He was born in a hunting camp at Coral Harbour, Northwest Territories.
George Braden was a Canadian politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada. Elected as "Government Leader", Braden would retroactively become the second premier of the Northwest Territories, after a motion was passed in 1994 to change the official title.
This is a list of leaders and office-holders of Canada. See also Canadian incumbents by year.
James L. Antoine is a former politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1991 to 2003. During his time in office he led the Northwest Territories government as the eighth premier of the Northwest Territories from 1998 to 2000. He has also served as Chief of the Liidlii Kue First Nation on four occasions from the 1970s to present.
The New Democratic Party is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic, the party sits at the centre-left to left-wing of the Canadian political spectrum, with the party generally sitting to the left of the Liberal Party. The party was founded in 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).