Independent (NWT)

Indépendant (T.N.-O.)

The Northwest Territories operates a consensus-government system without political parties at the territorial level. Members of the Legislative Assembly (19 seats, one per riding) run as independents in single-member-plurality elections, then meet in caucus after each election to elect a Premier and Cabinet from among their own number. Cabinet decisions are made by collective consensus, and the Premier serves at the pleasure of the entire Legislative Assembly rather than a partisan caucus. R.J. Simpson has been Premier since December 7, 2023, succeeding Caroline Cochrane. Consensus government is also used in Nunavut and is rooted in the traditional Indigenous-governance practices of the territories' First Nations and Inuit peoples.