Candidates:
Michael MacLeod
Mike Nadli
Current MLA:
Michael MacLeod
Riding Profile: Deh Cho means "big river," and appropriately, this riding straddles the Mackenzie at its headwaters. The surrounding landscape is flat boreal forest, cut through with several dramatic canyons and waterfalls.
Fort Providence (pop. 805), a predominantly South Slavey community, is the major centre. Situated on Highway 3 near the Mackenzie River ferry crossing, the hamlet's residents profit from transportation, tourism and craftwork. In recent years they have lobbied to replace the ferry with a $55-million bridge. South of the river is the tiny, log-cabin community of Kakisa (pop. 40), and the Hay River Reserve (pop. 265), situated on the outskirts of Hay River. Enterprise (pop. 95), a highway-service centre, is the only non-aboriginal community in the riding.
Political History: In one of the biggest upsets of the last election, Fort Providence mayor Michael McLeod handily defeated the speaker of the assembly, Sam Gargan. Gargan, a fellow Fort Providence resident, was at the time the assembly's longest-serving member, having held the Deh Cho since 1983. In the past three elections, every candidate in this riding has hailed from Fort Providence. Voter turnout has tended to be high.
| 1999 | |
| Michael MacLeod | 382 (62.62%) |
| Samuel Gargan | 228 (37.38%) |
| Voter turnout | 84.3% (3rd highest in the N.W.T.) |
| 1995 | |
| Samuel Gargan | 333 (54.77%) |
| Joachim Bonnetrouge | 189 (31.09%) |
| Richard Lafferty | 86 (14.14%) |
| Voter turnout | 94.4% (highest in the N.W.T.) |
| 1991 | |
| Samuel Gargan | (By Acclamation) |
