John Boivin | CBC Online News | Nov. 12
From an outright colony of Ottawa that stretched from the pole to the U.S. border, to a self-determining territory ruled by its own people, the N.W.T. has seen significant change in its last 130 years. Here are some of the highlights of the territory's political development.
| 1870: The Northwest Territories which included what is now the N.W.T., Nunavut, Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, northern Ontario and northern Quebec joins Canada. The Northwest Territories has a fully elected government. |
| 1898: Yukon territory created as separate entity to deal with Gold Rush and influx of American prospectors. |
| 1905: The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan are created and the remaining Northwest Territories reverts back to the status of a colony run from Ottawa. The Northwest Territories Act provides for a four-member Territorial Council to help the federally appointed Commissioner run the territory. |
| 1921: First members are appointed to the Territorial Council. All are federal civil servants living in Ottawa. |
| 1947: J. G. McNiven of Yellowknife becomes the first northerner appointed to the Territorial Council. |
| 1951: The Northwest Territories Act is amended to permit three elected members to join the five appointed members on the Territorial Council. The Council begins to alternate sittings between Ottawa and northern communities. |
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1966: Elected members form a majority on the Council, with seven elected members and five appointed members. The first Inuit member is elected to the Council. The Carrothers Inquiry recommends the N.W.T. move towards responsible government. |
| 1967: The capital of the N.W.T. is moved from Ottawa to Yellowknife. The government starts to develop a resident civil service. |
| 1970: Only four federal appointees remain on the 14-member Territorial Council. |
| 1975: The first fully elected Territorial Council since 1905 takes office with an aboriginal majority. The government continues to be run by a federally appointed Executive Committee, chaired by the Commissioner. |
| 1976: The Territorial Council is called the Legislative Assembly. It is given the authority to elect its own Speaker and appoint two elected members to the Executive Committee. The Commissioner no longer chairs the Legislative Assembly sessions. |
| 1979: The Legislative Assembly is expanded from 14 to 22 members. The 9th Assembly appoints seven of its elected members to sit on the Executive Committee which is now called the Executive Council. Only three portfolios are still held by the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner. |
| 1981: George Braden is appointed as the first Government Leader who has been elected as an MLA. The Commissioner, however, continues to chair the Executive Council. |
| 1983: A 24-member 10th Assembly is elected. The deputy commissioner's position on the Executive Council is replaced by an eighth elected member. |
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1984: The Commissioner stops sitting with elected members and stops participating in debates. The first aboriginal Government Leader is appointed. |
| 1986: The Commissioner turns over the chairmanship of the Executive Council to the Government Leader. |
| 1987: The 11th Assembly is elected and MLAs elect an Executive Council which is now also starting to be called "cabinet", with a majority of aboriginal members. |
| 1991: The 12th Assembly elects the Speaker, Government Leader and Cabinet in public for the first time. |
| 1994: The title of the Government Leader is officially changed to Premier. |
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1999: The N.W.T. is divided to create the new territory of Nunavut on April 1 and the size of the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly is reduced to 14 members. MLAs increase the size of the Assembly to 19 members by passing legislation that has a sunset clause, stating it will only be in effect until the next election in 2003. |
| 2003: The sunset clause is revoked and the Assembly remains at 19 seats. |
