Petitions

Petitions

A petition is a collection of signatures from people who are requesting the government to take some form of action to address a certain issue.

Petitions should contain a paragraph explaining why the people are petitioning the Assembly. Each page of signatures must indicate the reason for the petition, which can be written at the top of the page or on the back. This is to ensure that people are aware of what they are signing.

A petition to the Assembly may be presented by a Member during a sitting of the Assembly. For rules regarding petitions in the Legislative Assembly, please read more here.

Petitions of the 19th Legislative Assembly:

Petition 1-19(2)   Returning Fort Smith Regional Airport Runway to Former Specifications (Filed February 25, 2021 by MLA Thebacha)

 

E-Petitions

The Legislative Assembly is currently experiencing technical difficulties with ePetitions on the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories’ website. While the problem is being resolved, the public can use alternative ePetition websites or submit paper petitions.

ePetitions were introduced as an effort to increase opportunities for democratic participation for all citizens of the NWT. The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories was one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to accept ePetitions into its legislature, now it is common practice across the country and is even accepted at the House of Commons. The program was not intended to remove the practice of physical petitions, but to provide an alternative for the public, particularly those in isolated communities. Petitioners also have the option of presenting signatures from both an online format and a paper petition to the Assembly. 

The Legislative Assembly recommends the use of third-party websites, such as change.org, to create ePetitions until a long-term solution has been made with the current website. When using third party sites, the public is reminded that individuals who sign any petition that is being presented to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories must be a current resident of the NWT. The public will be notified when the issue is resolved.

The Legislative Assembly apologizes for this inconvenience.