DCHP-2

consensus government DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Nunavut and Northwest Territories, Politics

  a system of government without political parties where all candidates for the Legislative Assembly are elected as independents.

  Type: 1. Origin — In Canada, the term refers almost exclusively to the governments of two territories, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (see 2008 and 1999 quotations), since these are the only regions in Canada with formal consensus governments (see Chart 2). Consensus government in these territories reflects the traditional decision-making processes of the local Aboriginal peoples, who value "maximum cooperation, effective use of leadership resources and common accountability" (see 2009 quotation, and LA NWT and Gov't of Nunavut references).
  The term is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1). In other domains, consensus government may refer to the potential formation of governments in developing countries, e.g. Madagascar, or occasionally to governmental bodies of functioning democracies, e.g. postwar Austria.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "consensus government", which is marked "Cdn".

  See also: MLA  

  • 1986  How does the proposed style of consensus government work? 
  • 1991  The once closed-door process of selecting a government leader for the non-partisan, consensus government was replaced Tuesday with short speeches by both candidates and more than four hours of questions and answers by MLAs. 
  • 1999  But the report provoked widespread concern about political cronyism in the North, where some say consensus government, remote communities and the absence of political parties promote insider dealings and favour-trading. 
  • 2003  Mr. Kakfwi, who has been in territorial politics for 16 years, was elected Premier by his colleagues in the NWT's 19-member consensus government in January, 2000. 
  • 2008  Mr. Roland became the territory's 10th Premier last October. (There are no political parties in the territory's 19-seat legislature, and members of the consensus government choose the premier from among themselves after a general election.) 
  • 2009  A consensus government still requires majority support for measures it proposes. Ministers and the Premier are required to consistently account and respond to Members concerns as they work through the legislative and budget processes. The system blends the principles of parliamentary democracy with the Aboriginal values of maximum cooperation, effective use of leadership resources and common accountability. Nunavut shares this system with the Northwest Territories, which also has a significant Aboriginal foundation for its public government. 
  • 2016  The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act was passed in 1993 and Nunavut was created on April 1, 1999 with a public government. Leading up to this though, there were key Inuit and non-Inuit leaders who worked tirelessly to make this happen. They dreamt of a consensus government that promotes “Piliriqatigiinniq: Working together for a common cause”. This piece of history must be included in our Leadership Development Program so that all our public servants can appreciate the vision they had for Nunavummiut to have healthy & productive lives and to make Nunavut a reality.