Educational Resources

How a Bill Becomes a Law

This educational video was created entirely within the Northwest Territories. It is available in English or French, with or without subtitles.

The video is made in the context of consensus government, giving Northwest Territories residents the opportunity to learn how laws are made with the Territory’s unique system of governance.

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The Three Branches of Government

This educational video was created entirely within the Northwest Territories. It is available in English or French, with or without subtitles.

The video is made in the context of the Northwest Territories in particular, illustrating for residents how the Territory is governed and administrated with examples that come straight from the environment we are familiar with here in the Territory.

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Parliamentary Words and Terms

This glossary contains descriptions of the words, terms and phrases you might see hear when watching Session at the Legislative Assembly.

Parliamentary Words and Terms

All About Consensus Government and the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly

This comprehensive document explains everything you might want to learn about consensus government. It contains the following sections: Home of the Legislative Assembly; History of the Legislative Assembly; Commissioner of the Northwest Territories; Operations of the Legislative Assembly; Consensus Government; Election of the Speaker, Premier and Ministers; The Creation of a New Northwest Territories; Differences between Provincial Governments and our Territorial Government; How a Bill Becomes a Law; The Mace; The Executive Council (Cabinet); Committees of the Legislative Assembly; Hansard; Broadcasting; Roles of an MLA; Pages of the Legislative Assembly; The Speaker; The Sergeant-at-Arms; and Legislative Assembly Trivia.

All About Consensus Government and the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly building, consensus government, and the Mace

The audio tour is available on the “Smartify” App for mobile phones. To take the tour, users download the Smartify app and can find the English and French versions of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly audio tour in Smartify’s tour inventory.

The duration of the tour is 30 minutes. The English tour is narrated by former Commissioner, Speaker and Minister Tony Whitford and Elder and legislative interpreter Maro Sundberg. The French tour is narrated by Batiste Foisy, a Yellowknife journalist and broadcaster.

The tour touches on Northwest Territories history, the Mace, the architecture of the building, the basics of consensus government and even includes a story or two. The audio tour aims to inform the public about the Legislative Assembly while also giving them a warm northerner’s welcome to “The Place of the People”.

Members of the public can take the self-guided audio tour from home or in the building anytime the building is open. 

Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly Audio Tour

Is there an educational resource you’d like to see? Contact Public Affairs and Communications with your ideas at @email.