The Northwest Territories held its general election on October 1, 2019, electing 19 members to the 19th Legislative Assembly. Under the territory's consensus government system, all candidates ran as independents, with the Premier and cabinet chosen by MLAs through secret ballot after the vote. Premier Bob McLeod, who had led the territory since 2011 and represented Yellowknife South, announced on September 6 that he would not seek re-election — making this the first open leadership contest since 2011.

The election used the same 19 electoral districts established by the 2012 Electoral Boundaries Commission. Fifty-eight candidates filed nominations, with three ridings uncontested: Hay River North (R.J. Simpson), Mackenzie Delta (Frederick Blake Jr.), and Monfwi (Jackson Lafferty). The territory made history by becoming the first Canadian province or territory to offer online voting in a general election, though only about 425 ballots were cast electronically. Turnout reached 54%, a significant improvement over the 44.3% recorded in 2015.

Results

The electorate delivered another powerful anti-incumbent verdict. Only four of eleven incumbents who faced contested races survived — Kevin O'Reilly in Frame Lake by just 11 votes, Julie Green in Yellowknife Centre, Shane Thompson in Nahendeh, and Caroline Cochrane in Range Lake by 18 votes. Both margins in Frame Lake and Yellowknife North triggered mandatory judicial recounts, completed on October 9, which confirmed the initial results.

Seven sitting members fell. The evening's biggest shock came in Hay River South, where Infrastructure and Industry Minister Wally Schumann — widely considered a leading Premier candidate — lost to Rocky Simpson by 28 votes. Justice Minister Louis Sebert fell in Thebacha to former Salt River First Nation Chief Frieda Martselos. In Yellowknife North, 29-year-old lawyer Rylund Johnson defeated incumbent Cory Vanthuyne by just six votes — the tightest race in the territory. Incumbent Danny McNeely lost Sahtu to Paulie Chinna by 22 votes. In Kam Lake, Caitlin Cleveland defeated incumbent Kieron Testart, who finished third. Jackie Jacobson won back Nunakput from Herb Nakimayak in the riding with the territory's highest turnout at 72%.

Twelve of the nineteen members elected were new to the Assembly, making this one of the most dramatic turnovers in NWT history.

Key Figures

Caroline Cochrane — Won re-election in Range Lake by 18 votes, and on October 24 was selected as Premier after three rounds of secret-ballot voting, defeating Jackson Lafferty, R.J. Simpson, and Frieda Martselos. Born December 5, 1960, in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Cochrane experienced homelessness as a teenager before earning a social work degree and spending over twenty years as CEO of the Centre for Northern Families in Yellowknife. First elected by five votes in 2015, she served as Minister of Education during the 18th Assembly — and was the only sitting cabinet minister to survive the 2019 election. Her selection as Premier made her the second woman to lead the NWT after Nellie Cournoyea in the 1990s.

Frederick Blake Jr. — Acclaimed in Mackenzie Delta for a third consecutive term and elected Speaker of the 19th Assembly by his peers. First elected in 2011, Blake had previously served as a regular MLA and brought stability to the role of Speaker during a turbulent Assembly.

Rylund Johnson — At 29, the youngest candidate in the election, Johnson won Yellowknife North by the slimmest margin of the night — six votes over incumbent Cory Vanthuyne, confirmed after judicial recount. A lawyer, co-founder of Makerspace YK, and tourism operator, Johnson had served as chair of the Canadian Bar Association's Aboriginal Law Section in the NWT.

Caroline Wawzonek — Won Yellowknife South by approximately 400 votes, the largest margin in any Yellowknife riding. A criminal defence lawyer and former president of the Law Society of the NWT, Wawzonek held a BA from the University of Calgary and a JD from the University of Toronto. She was appointed Minister of Finance and Justice in the new cabinet.

Lesa Semmler — A registered nurse with fifteen years of frontline experience at Inuvik Regional Hospital, Semmler won Inuvik Twin Lakes with 470 votes. She had previously served as health navigator for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and was a vocal advocate for families affected by violence.

Campaign Issues

Voter frustration with the 18th Assembly's pace of progress defined the campaign. The outgoing government had set 230 mandate commitments, of which 212 were reported complete — but critics described the approach as producing progress measured in inches rather than miles, and two cabinet ministers had survived confidence votes during the term.

The cost of living remained the dominant concern across the territory, with candidates warning that affordability pressures were driving a brain drain as workers relocated south. A severe housing crisis — among the worst core housing need rates in Canada — demanded attention in virtually every riding. The territory's three diamond mines were approaching the end of their operational lives, making economic diversification urgent; the incoming Assembly would likely be the last to begin and end a term with all three mines still operating.

Major infrastructure projects competed for priority: the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Slave Geological Province access corridor for mineral exploration, and the Taltson Hydro expansion. Mental health and addictions treatment, particularly the lack of aftercare for people returning from southern facilities, was raised consistently. The transformation of Aurora College into a polytechnic university was underway but incomplete. Unsettled land claims and self-government negotiations — with roughly half the territory's claims still unresolved after decades — were priorities in many ridings.

Notable Outcomes

The most historic result of the election was the transformation of the Assembly's gender composition. The NWT went from having two women MLAs — the lowest proportion of any Canadian legislature — to electing nine women, nearly half the 19-seat house and the highest proportion of any legislature in the country at the time. Both Inuvik ridings and five of seven Yellowknife ridings elected women.

On October 24, MLAs gathered to form the government. Four candidates stood for Premier: Cochrane, Lafferty, Simpson, and Martselos. Cochrane won after three rounds of voting. Six ministers were then elected by secret ballot: R.J. Simpson (Education), Paulie Chinna (Housing), Katrina Nokleby (Infrastructure), Diane Thom (Deputy Premier, Health), Shane Thompson (Environment), and Caroline Wawzonek (Finance, Justice). The new Assembly adopted 22 priorities — dramatically fewer than its predecessor's 230 — including settling land claims, increasing affordable housing, and reducing energy costs.

The 19th Assembly would prove turbulent. Infrastructure Minister Katrina Nokleby was removed from cabinet by a 16-to-1 vote in August 2020, and Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh MLA Steve Norn was expelled from the Assembly entirely in November 2021 after an inquiry found he had violated mandatory COVID self-isolation and misled the public.