Volume 4, 1951 - The Arctic Circle - Home

The elected members, who hold office for three years,
represent the Nackenzie District, which ia divided into three
consti tuencies, roughly as follows. ''1IackenzieNorth" lies
to the north and east of a line drawn westward from the
eastern border of the Mackenzie District along the 63rd
parallel until it reaches the 113th meridian, thence south
across the East Arm of Great Slave Lake to the south shore
of the lake and westward along the south shore of the lake
and the south bank of the Mackenzie River to the 120th meridiane
The remainder of the Mackenzie District is divided
into ":Mackenzie South" and "Mackenzie West" by'the 120th
meridian. AlI CanEidian citizens, vJhether white, Indian, or
Eskimo, who are 21 years of age or over and who have been
resident in the Territories for one year are entitled to
vote.
The Council elections were held on 17 September 1951:
M.A. Hardie, a clerk from Yellowknife, was elected in Mackenzie
North; James Brodie, a merchant from Fort Smith, in Mackenzie
South; and Frank Carmichael, a trapper from Aklavik, in
Mackenzie Viest. The appointod members are F.J.G. Cunningham
Deputy Commissioner (Department of Resources and Development~;
L.C. Audette (Canadian Maritime Commission); D.M. Mackay
(Director of Indian Af:l'alrsBranch, Department of Citizenship
and Immigration); Air COIT@odore H.B. Godwin, now replaced by
Air Commodore H.I. Clements, (Department of National Defence);
and Commissioner L.H. Nicholson (R.C.M.P.). The Commissioner
of the Northwest Territories is Major-General H.A. Young
(Deputy Minister of Rosou1'ces and Development). The first
meeting of the new Council was held in Yellowknife on
10 Deeember 1951.
The advent of partially representative government in
1951 was the logical sequence of a number of changes in the
government of the Territories which have taken place as the
population and economic importance of the 11ackenzie District
has increased. This was described in the Commissioner's
opening address at the Yellowknife Session. ln 1905 provision
was made for the appointment of a Council of not more than four
members. For sixteen years i
however, no members were appointed
to the Couneil, no Ordinances were passed, and the Commissioner
of the R.N.Vv.M.P. acted as Commissioner of the Territories.
The sparse northern population, it was considered, did not
require any exercise of the powers given to the Commissioner
in Council by the Northwest Territories Act of 1905; aIl that
was needed was polieing.