The Northwest Territories held its general election on November 23, 2015, choosing 19 members of the 18th Legislative Assembly. The vote was originally scheduled for October 5 under fixed-date legislation but was postponed to avoid overlap with the federal election on October 19 and municipal elections earlier that month. The NWT operates under consensus government — all candidates run as independents, and the Premier and cabinet are selected by MLAs through secret ballot after the election.

Premier Bob McLeod, first elected to Yellowknife South in 2007 and chosen as Premier in 2011, sought re-election and a second term as government leader. The election was the first fought under new electoral boundaries since the creation of Nunavut in 1999 — the former districts of Weledeh and Tu Nedhe were dissolved, with Yellowknife's portion becoming Yellowknife North and the rural communities merging into Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Only one riding — Monfwi — was uncontested. Turnout was 44.3%, a historically low figure.

Results

Voters delivered a sweeping demand for change. Eight of sixteen incumbents who sought re-election were defeated — a 50% casualty rate that was extraordinary even by the territory's standards of frequent turnover. Eleven of the nineteen members in the new Assembly had never previously served. Three open seats created by retirements were all won by newcomers.

The most dramatic results came in the closest races. In Nunakput, Herb Nakimayak defeated incumbent Jackie Jacobson by just four votes, triggering an automatic recount that confirmed the result. In Range Lake, Caroline Cochrane unseated pharmacist Daryl Dolynny by approximately 10 votes after a recount. Two of the territory's most powerful figures fell: Finance and Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger lost Thebacha to lawyer Louis Sebert by 38 votes while seeking a sixth term, and Justice Minister Dave Ramsay lost Kam Lake to 30-year-old Kieron Testart by 78 votes after twelve years in office. In Hay River South, Wally Schumann ended Jane Groenewegen's bid for a sixth consecutive term by 98 votes.

Among returning members, Bob McLeod dominated Yellowknife South with 485 votes and Glen Abernethy won Great Slave with 511 votes, the largest margin in Yellowknife. Alfred Moses took nearly 89% of the vote in Inuvik Boot Lake.

Key Figures

Bob McLeod — Born in 1952 and raised in Fort Providence, McLeod spent 28 years in the territorial civil service before entering politics, serving as deputy minister in three departments and secretary to cabinet. He holds a commerce degree from the University of Alberta and completed studies at the Royal Military College in Kingston. First elected to Yellowknife South in 2007, he was chosen as Premier in 2011. Re-elected comfortably in 2015 with 485 votes, McLeod was selected by his peers for a second term as Premier on December 16, 2015, defeating challenger Glen Abernethy in a secret ballot — becoming the first NWT Premier to win two consecutive terms since 1902.

Jackson Lafferty — The only acclaimed member in the election, Lafferty was returned unopposed in Monfwi. Born October 9, 1969, the Tlicho leader was first elected in a 2005 by-election and served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Education during the 17th Assembly. A graduate of Athabasca University with executive training from the Banff School of Management, Lafferty was a fluent Tlicho speaker and champion of Indigenous language revitalization. His peers elected him Speaker of the 18th Assembly.

Caroline Cochrane — A newcomer who won Range Lake by approximately 10 votes over incumbent Daryl Dolynny after a recount. Born December 5, 1960, in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Cochrane experienced homelessness as a teenager before earning a social work degree and spending two decades in social work, including serving as CEO of the Centre for Northern Families in Yellowknife. She campaigned on homelessness and social services, and despite her razor-thin margin of victory, was selected as one of six cabinet ministers. She would go on to become the territory's Premier in 2019.

R.J. Simpson — Won Hay River North with 384 votes, defeating incumbent Robert Bouchard. A lifelong Hay River resident, Simpson earned a law degree from the University of Alberta and had worked for the Government of Canada and Metis Nation Local 51. He would later be acclaimed in the same riding in 2019 and ultimately selected as Premier in 2023.

Julie Green — A former CBC North broadcaster who defeated three-term incumbent Robert Hawkins in Yellowknife Centre by approximately 113 votes. Green came to Yellowknife in 2000, left journalism in 2009 to work with the YWCA, and held graduate degrees in history and journalism. She later served as Minister of Health and Social Services in the 19th Assembly.

Campaign Issues

The election took place against a backdrop of economic uncertainty. Premier McLeod's government had built its development strategy around resource extraction, conducting trade missions to Asia and courting international oil and gas investment. But with global commodity prices at multi-year lows, exploration activity across the territory had stalled and the economic outlook was described as gloomy. The cost of living — always acute in the North — dominated candidate forums, particularly in Yellowknife.

Governance of newly transferred powers was a central theme. NWT devolution had taken effect on April 1, 2014, transferring land and resource management from Ottawa to the territorial government for the first time. The 18th Assembly would be the first to serve a full term under devolution, and candidates debated how to manage royalties, regulate development, and balance economic growth with environmental protection.

Housing and homelessness emerged as defining issues in several ridings. Infrastructure priorities varied by region — all-weather road connections were paramount in remote ridings like Sahtu and Nahendeh, while Yellowknife candidates focused on the housing crisis and social services. Relations with Indigenous governments and the resolution of outstanding land claims were persistent concerns across the territory.

Notable Outcomes

The post-election leadership selection on December 16-17, 2015 saw Bob McLeod and Glen Abernethy contest the premiership by secret ballot. McLeod won, though vote totals were not disclosed under the Assembly's confidential voting rules — a practice that drew criticism from some incoming MLAs who called it a "super-secret" system. Six cabinet ministers were then selected through three rounds of secret balloting: Abernethy, Cochrane, Moses, Robert C. McLeod, Sebert, and Schumann. Portfolio assignments were announced on December 21, with Robert C. McLeod named Deputy Premier and Finance Minister, Abernethy taking Health, and Sebert receiving Justice.

The scale of incumbent defeats — half of all those who ran — signaled deep public dissatisfaction with the outgoing Assembly's performance. The election also planted seeds for the territory's future leadership: both Caroline Cochrane and R.J. Simpson, elected as backbenchers in 2015, would each go on to serve as Premier within eight years.