Yellowknife students ask N.W.T.'s election candidates about things that matter to them

Students at Yellowknife's St. Patrick High School had a chance to meet some of the N.W.T.'s federal election candidates on Thursday and ask questions about things that matter to them, including the cost of living, the drug crisis and community safety.

Organizers said all four of the territory's candidates were invited to participate in the hour-long event. The NDP, Conservative and Liberal candidates were in attendance but Green Party candidate Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, was not.

Char Crowe, a Grade 10 student, was helping keep time as the candidates answered various questions. Crowe hopes her peers, even if they're not quite old enough to vote yet, are interested in what potential leaders' priorities are.

"I think they should understand how politics change our life and how important it is to understand what voting does," said Crowe.

Speaking before the forum began, student Zephyer Pineda wanted to see the candidates discuss safety concerns.

"Going downtown isn't safe for anyone in particular and I tend to go there a lot. It doesn't feel safe... We're supposed to be able to lead the future, so we should know now rather than waiting for tomorrow," said Pineda.

One of the first questions during the forum was about what the candidates would do as the territory's MP to address the drug crisis and violence.

NDP candidate Kelvin Kotchilea answered first, saying his party would let communities take the lead, but he also said that support from the federal government is needed.

"When people feel defeated in life and frustrated and angry, they give up. Addiction is a mechanism to cope with those difficulties because they don't feel supported by leaders," said Kotchilea. 

Liberal candidate Rebecca Alty said she sees two priorities for action.

"One is on the law enforcement side, and the other is on the addictions and treatment," said Alty.

Alty said her party would work to add 1,000 more RCMP officers across the country as well as 1,000 more border officers to stop drugs from coming into Canada and ending up in the N.W.T. 

Alty also said she would offer more support to local healing centres and community justice programs.

Conservative candidate Kimberly Fairman said her party would work to see that repeat offenders aren't released on bail and re-victimizing people in communities. Fairman also noted that the Conservative Party is committing $450 million toward recovery options for people who are struggling with addictions.

"We want to see more resources going towards recovery options for everybody and they have to be recovery options that are proven to work," said Fairman.

Affordability, housing and perseverance

The cost of living was also a focus at the forum. 

Asked what they would do to make housing affordable and available for younger generations, Fairman said a Conservative government would cut GST on some home purchases and also work to streamline some of the permitting required for new builds.

Kotchilea said working with the federal government to develop available land in the territory is crucial. He said there is no shortage of land in the North and he wants to go through the right process to see diverse housing options for everyone.

Alty spoke about settling land claims and said her party would put more resources toward land claim negotiations. Alty also said her party would continue to incentivize development and review land that the federal government owns.

Students also asked the candidates about mental health initiatives, climate change plans, and support for post-secondary students. 

The last question from students was borrowed from many job interviews — candidates were asked about a challenge they faced and how they overcame it.

Fairman talked about taking on running later in life and holding herself accountable to it, ultimately completing her first marathon in her 50s.

Kotchilea said he struggled with an alcohol addiction in his younger years. He said overcoming that, returning to post-secondary education and challenging himself to succeed in school was a pivotal experience.

Alty referred to her role as mayor of Yellowknife, saying she faced a lot of challenges surrounding housing and people's sometimes opposing views about how things should be done. She said she would listen to all sides and ensure she had the right information to back up ideas.