Nearly $650K announced to advance gender equality in NWT

On Thursday, federal and provincial leaders announced more than $1 million in funding to support women and girls in leadership roles across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is contributing $121,500 in addition to the federal government’s injection of $525,000 to encourage women and girls in politics.

The money will fund an online portal for the territory’s campaign school for women, an update to the school’s curriculum, and a public information campaign.

Nunavut’s government will receive $600,000 from the federal government to support Inuit women in leadership roles.

Incumbent Liberal MP Michael McLeod announced the funding on behalf of Maryam Monsef, the federal minister responsible for women and gender equality.

“When we invest in women and girls, we create stronger communities,” he said.

“To achieve common goals like advancing gender equality, we must all work together.”

Last fall, women successfully ran for mayor in four of the NWT’s six regional centres: Lynn Napier-Buckley in Fort Smith, Kandis Jameson in Hay River, Natasha Kulikowski in Inuvik, and Rebecca Alty in Yellowknife.

Minister Caroline Cochrane, who is responsible for the status of women at the territorial level, said the funding will help enhance and improve the existing campaign school, and will make it available online for the first time.

Meanwhile, the school’s curriculum will expand to focus on women in politics at all levels of government – not just at the territorial level.

“There is still much work to be done to make women a permanent feature in politics in the Northwest Territories,” she said.

Along with MLA Julie Green, Cochrane is one of just two female MLAs in the 18th Legislative Assembly – alongside 17 men.

“It’s exciting to watch the wave that is coming forward,” she said, noting the women who have already indicated they will be running in the territorial election this fall.

“We need their talents at all levels. We will make this happen. Women will make this happen. We will be at the table.”