Why Shane Thompson dropped his premier bid to become speaker

Shane Thompson was one of four candidates vying to be the next NWT premier before emotionally dropping out on Thursday to become speaker-elect.

Thompson, re-elected to a third term representing Nahendeh in November’s election, announced early on his intention to seek the premiership – but on Thursday, he told Cabin Radio he also began thinking about the role of speaker two weeks ago.

“I did my homework. I talked to people,” he said.

“It was back and forth, back and forth.”

Thompson said he ultimately only made the decision to run for speaker, not premier, at 8:30am on Thursday – half an hour before the process of choosing a speaker and premier began.

Had another candidate put their name forward for speaker, Thompson said he would have likely continued his run for premier instead, or sought another role on cabinet.

“It’s very hard, because I felt I had support for being on cabinet. Maybe not for the premier,” he said.

“It was a number of things. I couldn’t specifically say one made the final decision, but it was about the support, I guess, from in the House.”

Thompson was the environment and communities minister during the 19th Legislative Assembly. He had been a regular MLA before that.

He faced five other Nahendeh candidates in last month’s election and won with 34 percent of votes in the district.

Thompson’s announcement of his run for speaker came in an emotional speech on Thursday morning. He said many people had encouraged him to consider the role.

“They have noted the need for a more respectful tone of debate in this chamber. They have said we need to act in a manner that is respectful of each other and respectful to the trust our residents have placed in us,” he said.

Thompson said while conflict between members in consensus government could be productive, confrontation is not.

“It drains energy and backs people into a corner. Our constituents deserve better,” he said.

“This assembly needs somebody who is more than a referee – we need somebody who will be a coach, someone to help members understand their roles and procedures, and how they can best work on behalf of their constituents.”

There was a fair deal of conflict in the 19th Legislative Assembly. Later on Thursday, as candidates for premier answered a question about that conflict, RJ Simpson noted not much of it had been constructive.

Thompson told Cabin Radio the role of the speaker is to make sure the House runs smoothly.

“It’s alright to have conflict,” he reiterated. “But confrontation, and when you’re attacking, that’s not healthy. People in the Northwest Territories want to see us act professionally, defend what we believe in.”

Constituents can still expect Thompson to make statements in the House honouring the lives of people in Nahendeh who have passed away, he said, something he was known for as both a regular MLA and cabinet member.

“It’s the respect of people that passed away in your riding, because those are the people that set our foundation or have done something special,” he said.

“Regardless of what job or role they had in our society, they’re important people and it’s my way of honouring them.”

Thompson added that while, as speaker, he won’t be able to speak about constituent issues on the floor of the House, he still plans to address them and advocate for his district with ministers.

“At the end of the day, you’re still representing the people,” he said.

Ollie Williams contributed reporting.