These YK councillors want climate change to be an election focus

When Ben Hendriksen ran for Yellowknife council in 2022, he was focused on local issues like municipal accountability.

Then, less than one year into his term, councillors declared a local state of emergency and the NWT government ordered a citywide evacuation during the territory’s worst wildfire season on record.

While evacuating, Hendriksen recalled he had a moment as both a resident and city councillor of feeling: “Well, I may never see this place again.”

To a lot of people, he said, that “might seem hyperbolic, but that’s literally where my head was at that time.”

“That does change you in terms of what you see your role as a leader in a community is,” he said. “It’s not just the day-to-day stuff, it’s making sure your community exists.”

Hendriksen, currently Yellowknife’s deputy mayor, is one of two city councillors who recently signed an open letter to federal party leaders calling for action to combat climate change while responding to US trade attacks.

More than 170 councillors and mayors from across Canada have so far added their names to the non-partisan Elbows Up for Climate Action letter. (After this article was published, the names of councillors Ryan Fequet and Cat McGurk were added as the number of signatories rose to more than 210.)

The letter proposes five ideas signatories want to see the next Prime Minister of Canada support:

• a national East-West-North clean electrical grid;
• a national high-speed rail network;
• at least two million non-market, energy-efficient homes;
• housing and building retrofits and heat pump installations; and
• a national resilience, response and recovery strategy.

The letter argues such projects would create local jobs using Canadian steel, aluminum and lumber, bolster the economy, and make life safer and more affordable for Canadians.

Signatories say the federal government could pay for those investments by strengthening the polluter-pays principle, establishing a public development bank, and repurposing fossil fuel production subsidies.

Climate change shrinks as election issue

Hendriksen made clear that he signed the letter on his own and not on behalf of Yellowknife council or the city. He said he wanted to use his “very, very, very limited voice” to amplify an important election issue.

“For me, it’s important to sign the letter because climate change has been off of the election docket this year,” he said.

“It’s not like things have gotten any better in terms of climate change … I understand why people are focused on other issues, but I think it’s important that it is still a part of the election conversation and is forming policy coming out of this election, regardless of who forms government.”

Climate change was a major issue in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

The CBC and Canadian Press have reported polling data that suggests climate change has taken a back seat in the 2025 election to US-Canada relations and the cost of living among top issues in voters’ minds.

Hendriksen said national ambition is needed to update Canada’s electrical grid among other nation-building projects, while also addressing long-term goals to reduce environmental impacts.

Tom McLennan is another Yellowknife councillor who added his name to the letter. He agrees climate discussion is lacking in this federal election.

“I was very glad that someone is bringing this forward to the federal leaders,” he said.

McLennan said he understands frustration over the carbon tax in the North, a region that is feeling the effects of climate change but has limited alternatives to fossil fuels.

“On the other hand, this sort of discussion of, ‘well, let’s build more pipelines, let’s take these tried and true, easier, short-term fixes to challenges with the US’ or what have you, are only going to cause us bigger problems really in the short term, medium term and especially in the long term,” he said.

“Those effects are going to be felt by the North first and to the greatest degree.”

McLennan said significant federal investment in green energy options could benefit northern communities and make meaningful change.

He said more energy-efficient homes and resilient strategies for climate events would also be good for the North.

Where do the parties stand on climate change?

Much of the campaign discussion related to climate change thus far has focused on the carbon tax.

In one of his first moves as prime minister, Mark Carney scrapped the consumer carbon tax – which had been a key part of the Liberal government’s plan to address climate change – saying it had “become too divisive.”

New Democratic Leader Jagmeet Singh had said he would also get rid of the consumer carbon tax while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has long campaigned on his “axe the tax” slogan, said he would go a step further and get rid of the carbon price for large industrial emitters.

The Liberal Party, Green Party and New Democratic Party have all released plans to address climate change as part of their electoral platforms.

Those three parties have promised to fund green initiatives by “making big polluters pay.”

The New Democrats and Liberals have both pledged to introduce a border carbon adjustment mechanism, a policy that applies fees on imported goods based on the amount of greenhouses gases emitted during their production.

The Greens have pledged to build a modern power grid across Canada and create a national retrofit program.

More: Where the parties stand on northern issues

The Conservative Party has yet to release its plan for climate change.

Poilievre has opposed Liberal government climate policies like the goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, clean fuel regulations, electric vehicle sales targets, clean electricity regulations and the proposed cap on emissions for the oil and gas sector.

The Conservative leader has promised he would expand eligibility for clean technology and manufacturing tax credits and “reward heavy industries who make products with lower emissions than the world average.”

Other Yellowknife election issues

As deputy mayor, Hendriksen said he has met with NWT candidates to discuss council’s view on federal issues councillors agreed were important.

Those issues are:

• continuing the Reaching Home and Housing Accelerator funds and similar programming;
• transportation funding to support economic development in the territory;
• financial support for new and upgraded critical infrastructure;
• greater flexibility with the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund;
• increased support for addiction treatment and long-term supportive housing;
• increased investment in national defence spending in Yellowknife as part of Canada’s commitment to national sovereignty; and
• federal attention to the settlement of outstanding land claims.

Hendriksen said he had spoken with Liberal candidate Rebecca Alty, Conservative candidate Kimberly Fairman and NDP candidate Kelvin Kotchilea. He said he had yet to hear back from Green candidate Rainbow Eyes.

“All of them were great when they met with me,” he said.

“It was a really good opportunity to just make sure that we have platform connections – that regardless of which one of them wins, they understand the issues that are impacting the city and that council is really pushing on from a city level towards that federal government, towards whoever our next MP is.”