Yellowknife city councillor Stacie Arden Smith says she will attempt the leap to territorial politics in the city’s Great Slave district this fall.
Her entry to the race turns Great Slave into at least a three-way contest, with incumbent Katrina Nokleby and Kate Reid also declaring they will run.
In a Friday news release, Arden Smith described herself as a “proud Tłı̨chǫ citizen” who had proven herself to be “hardworking and honest.”
“I have the courage, the smarts and the compassion to get the Legislative Assembly back to work on what really matters to northerners,” she stated.
Arden Smith has been a city councillor since 2018 and is currently Yellowknife’s deputy mayor. She said strengthening the economy, supporting the most vulnerable people and Indigenous reconciliation would be her priorities if elected.
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“I’ve been grateful to advance the cause of reconciliation and offer true representation to the many Indigenous peoples who live in our city. I will continue this work and champion the need for Indigenous leaders to have a full seat at the table as the MLA for Great Slave,” she was quoted as saying.
“When it comes down to it, not enough has really changed in four years. Yellowknife hasn’t had a strong advocate in the Legislative Assembly and I know that my experience as a city councillor will serve me well as an MLA.”
The election period begins on October 16. Polling day is November 14.
