It was a landslide victory for Rebecca Alty, who hauled in the majority of votes last night in the race to become the next Member of Parliament for the territories.
“I’m truly honoured to stand here tonight, as the elected member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories,” a visibly emotional Alty told a gathering of supporters and press last night in the city of Yellowknife.
Once results were in, Alty had nabbed a total of 8,295 votes or 53.8 per cent of the ballots cast. Kimberly Fairman, Conservative MP Candidate, received 5,178 or 33.6 per cent of votes, Kelvin Kotchilea, NDP Candidate, received 1,804 or 11.7 per cent of votes cast and Rainbow Eyes, Green Party Candidate and Deputy Leader, received 155 votes or 1 per cent of the votes cast (as of about 1 a.m.).
Alty’s victory comes alongside a win by Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney, who will serve as Prime Minister.
Earlier that morning, Alty told True North FM that she felt “excited,” but also relieved that the campaigning was almost complete. “It’s been a good experience,” she said. “What will be will be. No matter what, tomorrow we will keep going,” she said.
At Alty’s election party, the mood was upbeat and celebratory even before the votes came in. The small crowd that gathered was abuzz with anticipation. The votes tallied up every few minutes, which set off a ripple of cheers.
As MP Alty entered unexpectedly through a garage door at a ‘secret’ location on the outskirts of Yellowknife, the room roared with cheers.
After the many hugs and congratulations, Alty maintained her humble composure and ever-upbeat spirit.
“Thank you to the people across the Northwest Territories, who’ve placed their trust in me. I promised to work hard to represent you and to be your strong voice in Ottawa. This win is not just mine. It belongs to all of us who believe in a better future for the Northwest Territories, together with the liberal team, the big government,” she said.
Alty told True North FM that she was surprised by the win.
“I was working all day and then getting ready at home, showering and and then getting the news that I got the poll results and it looks like you won. And so, excited for this new chapter,” she said.
It’s been an intense campaign trail, Alty admitted.
“Our territory is the size of France, Spain, and Portugal put together. So, every day I was somewhere, new and I know everybody wanted more time to chat, but it was almost like it was just such a tight schedule,” she said.
Alty said in the last few weeks she did not have as much time as she would have liked to speak with people across the territories.
“The biggest challenge was not being able to have those deeper conversations with people,” she explained.
With a federal election called on March 23, candidates have had to cover a lot of ground in a record-short period of 5 weeks or less along the campaign trail. And that’s no small feat as NWT is approximately 1.1 million square km with about half of the population living in communities outside of the city of Yellowknife.
N.W.T. has 0.3 per cent of the total number of House of Commons seats.
The territories are represented by one seat for Canada’s 45th election, which uses a 343 seat electorial map.
Alty admitted it will be a challenge to get the government and the South to hear the voices of the people of the North. She said it will start with communication and working with people across the territories to understand the ways that critical issues are interconnected. “So, really making sure that we’re amplifying and finding those coalitions.”
She explained that as the N.W.T. MP, one of the first things she plans to do is get back on track with the project Our Land for the Future, an Indigenous-led conservation land initiative happening in the territories.
Alty has been outspoken in advancing Indigenous issues and forwarding the path towards Reconciliation.
While serving in leadership positions, including as a city councillor and as mayor, she has built close relationships with many Indigenous communities and organizations across the North as a former councillor and mayor for the city of Yellowknife.
Throughout her campaign, she emphasized the importance of settling outstanding land claims between Indigenous communities and the government. In N.W.T., these include land claims for the Dehcho, Akaitcho and the North Slave Metis Alliance.
Alty’s plan for housing targets specific goals, including Reconcilation and measures to reduce the risks associated with climate change.
“Definitely really important and some of the things that we want to focus on is creating an Indigenous Climate Readiness and Adaptation Fund, as well for homeowners looking to provide funds to support home retrofits. Making homes more energy efficient as well as funding to homeowners on wildfire and flood mitigation measures, initiatives that residents can take to reduce those risks,” Alty urged during her campaign.
Alty has been vocal about transitional housing supports for people in recovery and has voiced strong support for addiction and recovery programs along with diverse healthcare services.
Alty explained that one of the biggest challenges she will have is balancing her time across territories and Ottawa.
“Being able to be in Ottawa and all 33 communities is always challenging but I really want to try to make as much time in both locations as I can, in Ottawa, pounding on those doors and here in the communities to be able to hear directly from residents.”
