History of Northwest Territories capital cities

Encyclopedia : H : HI : HIS : History of Northwest Territories capital cities

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Northwest Territories capitals
City	Years
Fort Garry	1870 - 1876
Fort Livingstone	1876 - 1877
Battleford	1877 - 1883
Regina	1883 - 1905
Ottawa	1905 - 1967
Fort Smith	1911 - 1967
Yellowknife	1967 - present

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 Canadian province or territory 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 revised territorial boundaries.

The result of these changes has been a long and complex road to responsible government. Effectively providing services and representation for the population has been a particular challenge for the Territories' government, a task often complicated by the region's vast geographic area. A number of communities in Northwest Territories have unsuccessfully tried to become the capital over the years. Uniquely, the territory has had its seat of government outside of its territorial boundaries twice in its history.

The term "capital" refers to cities that have served as home for the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories, the legislative branch of Northwest Territories government. In Canada, it is customary for provincial and territorial level government to have the civil service administer from the same city as the legislative branch and executive branch. The Northwest Territories, however, had an administrative capital and a legislative capital officially exist between 1911 and 1967. This is the only province or territory in Canadian history to have had such an arrangement.

Past Northwest Territories capital cities

Fort Garry, Manitoba (1870 - 1876)

The Government of Canada purchased the North-Western Territory and Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869. The territory was sizable, adding most of the land area that shapes modern day Canada.

In 1869, under the Rupert's Land Act, William McDougall went to Fort Garry, Manitoba to establish formal governance over the newly purchased land. The take-over was delayed until 1870 because of the Red River Rebellion. Louis Riel, leader of the rebellion, negotiated the partition of a section of land in the new territory to create the Province of Manitoba.^{[#endnote_fortgarry1]} The rebellion had been started by residents in the Red River Valley within present-day Manitoba who opposed the transfer of territory to Canada.

In 1870, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories entered the Canadian confederation. The two jurisdictions remained partially co-joined: under the Temporary Government Act, 1870, a Temporary North-West Council was appointed from members of the new Manitoba Legislative Assembly to govern Northwest Territories through the Manitoba Act.^{[#endnote_manact]} Thus, Fort Garry served as the capital of both Manitoba and Northwest Terrorities. The temporary government was renewed by legislation each year until 1876, at which point the federal government picked a new location to form a new government from within Northwest Territories.

Fort Garry evolved to become modern day Winnipeg, Manitoba.^{[#endnote_fortgarry2]} Winnipeg currently serves as the seat of government for the province of Manitoba. The city also briefly served as a seat of government for the District of Keewatin territory.

See also: Upper Fort Garry and Lower Fort Garry

Fort Livingstone, Northwest Territories (1876 - 1877)

In 1875, a new permanent government for the council was appointed to take effect on October 7, 1876.^{[#endnote_oc7]}

The new seat of government would be called Fort Livingstone, in modern-day Saskatchewan, just outside the Manitoba border. A new permanent government was established to administer the territory directly for the first time under the new Northwest Territories Act 1875 and the Temporary North-West Council was dissolved. Fort Livingstone was more of a small frontier outpost than a capital city, and the site was only chosen as a temporary measure.^{[#endnote_forliv1]}

Fort Livingston also became headquarters for the newly created North-West Mounted Police. For the brief period the outpost was capital, council sessions were held at Swan River North-West Mounted Police Barracks.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_forliv1 ]}

In 1877, Northwest Territories Lieutenant Governor David Laird ordered the outpost to be packed up. The capital was to be moved out to Battleford to meet up with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), which was under construction.

Fort Livingstone was totally destroyed by a prarie fire in 1884. The nearest town to the Fort Livingstone site is Pelly, Saskatchewan, four kilometres to the south. The fort is sometimes referred to as Fort Pelly or Swan River. The Fort Livingstone site is marked with a plaque as a Sakatchewan provincial heritage site and contains no resident population.^{[#endnote_forliv2]}

Battleford, Northwest Territories (1877 - 1883)

The Northwest Territories council moved to Battleford in 1877 on the order of the Lieutenant Governor. Battleford was supposed to be the permanent capital of the Territories, chosen because the town was expected to meet with the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The first elected members joined the Northwest Territories council while the government was in Battleford. Elected government became a reality after the passage of the Northwest Territories election ordiance 1880. The first electoral districts were created and members would be elected in 1881.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_oc7 ]} Battleford hosted the first royal visit in western Canada, when the Marquis of Lorne and Princess Louise Caroline Alberta toured the territories in 1881.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_forliv1 ]}

The first Northwest Territories legislature building, named "NWT Government House", was built in Battleford, and used by the government until 1883. The building stood as a historical site until it was destroyed in a fire in 2003.^{[#endnote_bat1]}

After consultation with Canadian Pacific Railway officials, Lieutenant Governor Edgar Dewdney made the decision to move the capital to Regina, also in present-day Saskatchewan, in June 1882.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_forliv1 ]} The decision to move the capital was highly controversial with the public because Edgar Dewdney owned property in Regina.

Regina, Northwest Territories (1883 - 1905)

Regina was confirmed as the new territorial capital on March 27, 1883, and Edgar Dewdney ordered that the government be moved south to meet the railway in Regina. Construction of a new legislature began. In Regina, the government continued to grow as the size of the settlement increased rapidly. The legislature had the most sitting members in Northwest Territories history after the fifth general election in 1902.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_forliv1 ]}

The government in Regina struggled to deliver services to the vast territory. The influx of settlers and responsibility for the Klondike, as well as constant fighting with the Federal government over limited legislative powers and minimal revenue collection, hampered the effectiveness of government. The government during this period slowly released powers to the elected members. In 1897 after control of the executive council was ceded to elected members from the Lieutenant-Governors, a short-lived period of party politics evolved that challenged the consensus model of government that had been used since 1870.

The territorial government under the leadership of Frederick Haultain struck a new deal with the federal Government of Canada in early 1905 to bring provincial powers to the southernmost and most populous areas of the territory. This led to the creation of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta and reduced the Northwest Territories to its northern, lightly populated hinterland.

The remaining parts of the territory fell back to 1870s constitutional status, with a severely limited population, and fell under control of the federal government. A new council was convened in Ottawa, Ontario to deal with the region.^{[#endnote_pophist]}

The remains of the Territorial Legislature Building were declared a historical site by the Saskatchewan government and parts of the building remain standing to this day. Regina continues to serve as capital for the province of Saskatchewan.

Ottawa, Ontario (1905 - 1967)

In 1905, the seat of government was moved to Ottawa, Ontario, the capital of Canada. This change was made when Northwest Territories defaulted back to the 1870 constitutional status after Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved from the territory. At the time of this change, there were very few towns left in the territory with any significant population. The remaining non-Inuit population was around 1,000. Inuit had no status under Canadian law, and were not yet settled in towns or villages.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_pophist ]}

The council during this period was primarily composed of high-level civil servants who lived in Ottawa. The first session of the new council was called to order in 1921, a full 16 years after the government was dissolved in Regina. This government contained not one person resident in the Territories. During this 16 year lapse in government, no new bills were passed, and the Territories and its population were severely neglected.

In the period without a sitting council, the government of the Territories was still active. The civil service was sent to Fort Smith to set the town up as the new administrative capital in 1911, and a budget was still provided by the federal government. The first person to sit on the council since 1905 from Northwest Territories was John G. McNiven who was appointed in 1947.

The council eventually grew more sensitive to the needs of the territory, and democracy returned to the territories in the sixth general election in 1951. After the election, the council was something of a vagabond body, with alternating sittings in Ottawa, and various communities in Northwest Territories. The council held meetings in school gymnasiums, community halls, board rooms, or any suitable infrastructure. The council brought the speakers chair and mace with them as they travelled.^{[#endnote_speak]}

When the sessions were held in Ottawa, the council sat in an office building on Sparks Street.^{[#endnote_sparks]} The Northwest Territories government continues to hold an office in Ottawa to this day.^{[#endnote_sparksadd]} In 1965, a commission was set up to determine a new home for the government and the future of the territory. Yellowknife became the new capital in 1967 after two years of intense consultation and study.

Fort Smith, Northwest Territories (1911–1967)

Fort Smith became the official administration and transportation hub for the Northwest Territories in 1911 after the government sent a Department of Indian Affairs agent and a medical doctor, and opened a Royal Canadian Mounted Police station. Fort Smith was chosen to house the civil service because of its geographical location and state of development. The community was one of the few that had steamboat service from the railheads in Alberta and access to vast waterways in the territory. The community was the easiest for the government to access.

Fort Smith housed the civil service working in the Territories officially until 1967. Fort Smith continued to host the civil service after Yellowknife was picked as capital because government infrastructure was not yet in place in Yellowknife.^{[#endnote_fortsm1]} During this time, the legislative council was based in Ottawa, and later alternated sessions in the north with various communities.

Fort Smith was considered as a potential capital by the Carrothers Commission. The commission ultimately decided upon Yellowknife as it was closer to the centre of the Northwest Territories, and residents in the Territories preferred Yellowknife as a potential capital.^{[#endnote_chosecap]}

Carrothers Commission

The "Advisory Commission on the Development of Government in the Northwest Territories," more commonly known as the Carrothers Commission, marked a significant turning point in modern Northwest Territories history.

The Commission was struck by the Government of Canada in 1965 to evaluate and recommend changes to the Northwest Territories to deal with an array of outstanding issues regarding self-government in the north. One of the more visible and lasting effects of the commission was to choose a new home for the territorial government. Also, for the first time, the eastern Arctic was to have a voice in territorial government, as the commission recommended allowing eastern residents to vote for members of the Legislative Assembly.^{[#endnote_carro]}

In prior years, the decision to change the seat of government had always been made without consulting Northwest Territories residents. Edgar Dewdney, for example, who made the decision to change the capital from Battleford to Regina, faced controversy because he owned property in Regina.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_forliv1 ]} After the territorial government moved to Ottawa, the government was often resented for being so far away.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_chosecap ]}

Alfred Carrothers and his team spent two years visiting nearly every community in the territory and consulting with residents, community leaders, business people and territorial politicians. The feedback collected from two years' worth of consultation was used to decide on the location of the new capital.

The commission investigated and considered five communities for the capital. Hay River, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Inuvik and Yellowknife. The Commission chose Yellowknife because of its central location, transportation links and industrial base, as well as residents' preferences. Most people in the Territories believed that Fort Smith would win since it already housed the Territories' civil service.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_chosecap ]}

After the selection of Yellowknife as the capital, many residents in the eastern Arctic continued to feel unrepresented by the new government, and many movements and groups were formed to remedy the situation. The result would be the 1982 Northwest Territories Division Plebiscite; the territory voted to divide itself into east and west. Soon after, debate arose on the location of the new capitals.

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, current capital (1967 - present)

Yellowknife became the capital on January 18, 1967^{[#endnote_yellowdate]} after the Carrothers commission completed its study of the future of the north.^{[#endnote_leghist]} However, from 1967 to 1993, the Northwest Territories government carried on the tradition of holding legislative sessions in different Northwest Territories communities.

Territory residents in the eastern half quickly felt unrepresented by the Yellowknife-based government. Pressure for new representation for the east began to divide the territory. In 1980 the legislature passed a motion agreeing to split the territory in half. A non-binding plebiscite based on the motion was put to the people in 1982, and the majority of citizens concurred. The territorial government took the results to the federal government for approval to begin working on a framework to carve the territory once again.

The government has matured in Yellowknife to become the most effective since the creation of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The civil service has been effectively consolidated into the city; and has regained control of territorial elections from the federal government. Education is now under the jurisdiction of the territorial government and the territory has most powers afforded to the provinces. There is even talk of the territories gaining provincial status in the future.^{[#endnote_provstatus]}

The Northwest Territories government moved into a newly-constructed legislature building on November 17, 1993. The new legislature was the first built specifically for the Northwest Territories government since the government sat in Regina. It featured themes derived from the Inuit culture, which was also a first. At the time, the Inuit comprised the majority of the citizens in the territory.^{[#endnote_legbuild]}

NWT voters pick a new capital for Nunavut

The need to pick a capital city for Nunavut came about after residents of the territory voted to divide the Northwest Territories in half in 1982. A significant and divisive debate took place for many years between all levels of government on which community would become the new capital. The idea of a plebiscite to choose the capital came after years of wrangling, indecision, and inaction.

Former Members of Parliament Jack Anawak and Ron Irwin spearheaded the effort to get a plebiscite going as early as January 1994. The plebiscite was met with resistance by the Nunavut Implementation Committee. In September 1995 Irwin and Anawak scheduled a hastily planned closed-door meeting between federal and territorial officials and bureaucrats. After the meeting, Ron Irwin announced the intention to hold a plebiscite, stunning the territory.

The plebiscite was held in the parts of the Northwest Territories that were to become the new territory of Nunavut. The plebiscite on the location of the capital was one in a series of plebiscites that also included question on a gender representation quota of the new legislature, and on dividing the territory. The race for to become capital started with three contenders: Cambridge Bay, Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet. Cambridge Bay dropped out of the race early on and campaigned for decentralized government without a capital instead. Iqaluit was the favourite from day one, since it contained the largest voter base.

On December 11, 1995 polls opened for the plebiscite. Ballots from the 1995 Nunavut Capital Plebiscite were all counted at one location so that individual polling station results could never be released and create animosity between communities vying to become capital. Iqaluit defeated Rankin Inlet in a narrow victory.^{[http://encycl.opentopia.com/#endnote_chosecap ]}

References

1. ↑  [Red River Rebellion negotiations lead to the creation of Manitoba] accessed April 13, 2006
2. ↑  [Manitoba Act 1870] accessed April 13, 2006
3. ↑  [Historical background on the creation of Manitoba and Northwest Territories] accessed April 13, 2006
4. ↑  [Northwest Territories appointments and election results page 7] accessed April 13, 2006
5. ↑  [Seats of Government of the Northwest Territories] accessed April 13, 2006
6. ↑  [Fort Livingstone historical site] accessed April 13, 2006
7. ↑  [NWT Government House Battleford Saskatchewan] accessed April 13, 2006
8. ↑  [History of Northwest Territories in confederation] accessed April 13, 2006
9. ↑ [Old Speakers Chair] accessed April 13, 2006
10. ↑  [March 1998 speech by Bernard Funston on Canada's north] accessed April 13, 2006
11. ↑  [Government of Northwest Territories Ottawa office] accessed April 13, 2006
12. ↑  [Fort Smith History] accessed April 13, 2006
13. ↑  [How they chose the capital] accessed April 13, 2006
14. ↑  [Carrothers Commission Archives Northwest Territories Archives] accessed April 13, 2006
15. ↑  [Canada Stats] accessed April 13, 2006
16. ↑  [History of Northwest Territories legislative assembly] accessed April 13, 2006
17. ↑  [Martin Signals provincial status] accessed April 13, 2006
18. ↑  [Building a legislature] accessed April 13, 2006

See also

• List of Northwest Territories commissioners
• List of Northwest Territories general elections
• List of Northwest Territories premiers
• List of Northwest Territories lieutenant-governors
• List of Northwest Territories Legislative Assemblies
• List of Northwest Territories Plebiscites
• Northwest Territories Legislative Building

External links

• [City of Yellowknife Homepage]
• [Town of Fort Smith]
• [Statistics Canada's 2001 Community Profile for Fort Smith, Northwest Territories]
• [Fort Garry, Manitoba Historical site]
• [Sask 2005 facts Fort Livingstone]
• [Fort Smith Community Profile]
• [CBC Archives Northwest Territories has a new capital, Radio Clip January 18, 1967]

Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada
Edmonton, AB • Victoria, BC • Winnipeg, MB • Fredericton, NB • St. John's, NL • Yellowknife, NT • Halifax, NS • Iqaluit, NU • Toronto, ON • Charlottetown, PE • Quebec City, QC • Regina, SK • Whitehorse, YT

 

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