N.W.T. premier talks priorities, relationships and flipping 'top-down' processes

Caroline Cochrane, MLA for Range Lake, was elected as the N.W.T.'s newest premier last week after three rounds of voting.

The MLAs of the 19th Legislative Assembly released their priorities on Friday, after a week-long drafting process.

On Monday, Premier Cochrane spoke with CBC Trailbreaker host Alyssa Mosher about those priorities and expectations for the government.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Your first remarks as premier were: "We will make the next four years the most progressive government in the Northwest Territories." What do you mean by that?

It's about balance. People always see progressive with different meanings. Often people think it's very political on the left, everything's about green. I think it's more about being balanced.

So I use the example all the time of my family. My mother had eight children. And every evening we sat down at the dinner table ... she never gave one child more than the other. So she would give every child the same amount of stew. And if there was extra stew left in the pot after, then my mother would make a decision based on who wanted the stew, who needed the stew, who was bigger, those kinds of decisions.

So I think we just need to step back a bit, and make sure that all areas have enough funding before we put all the stew into one pot.

What's the first step to making sure that happens?

We've identified the priorities that we'd want. They're very aspirational, we all know that. So the next step is to develop the mandate. We're in the process of doing that, it'll take a week or two. And then we present to standing committee, and we're going to do a costing with it.

You'll see me actually engaging more with the Indigenous governments one-on-one, as the premier.- Premier Caroline Cochrane

There's been quite a bit of public talk about some major changes needed in education. What will your government accomplish that the last one couldn't?

The biggest thing I heard within the education field is that they felt they didn't get a voice. So it'll be looking at what staff, students, the parents say what they need, and then it'll be redeveloping the system based on what they say.

Establishing a polytechnic university is on your list of priorities. There's a lot of uncertainty about that, especially in Fort Smith. What can you tell us about what people will see by the end of this assembly?

We've got an advisory committee with people from right across Canada looking at our standards. Next step will be bringing in different committees — Indigenous, local — to look at our staffing.

The big thing people are asking, though, is where is the headquarters. We have committed, in the last government, to three strong campuses, and at least 21 strong community learning centres. [Retaining] that commitment will be my first step, and then once we've done that, it'll be identifying what is needed.

We know there's student housing desperately needed in Fort Smith. We know that Yellowknife doesn't have a campus, it's bulging at the seams. Of course, we can't do that on our own. 

So my hope is that within the next four years, you'll see a campus in Yellowknife with the assistance of the federal government. And student housing. 

How will this government approach land claims differently?

My degree is in social work, and for many years, when I used to train students, they would come in and say: "We need to get the parent to do that, we need to get the parent to do this." And I would always slow them back, and say: "Developing the relationship is critical."

I found within the last government, we were very structured, meetings were filled with agenda topics. Which is appropriate. However, I think we need to step back and actually look at building those relationships again. You'll see me actually engaging more with the Indigenous governments one-on-one, as the premier.

And I think we've always kind of done a top-down process, where we say: "The federal government only has this, we only have this. This is what we can offer." I think we need to turn it around, and say, "What do you need from us?" 

We only have so many resources, but perhaps we can lobby the federal government to put more on the table.

What can you realistically commit to accomplishing in this assembly on this file?

I'm very optimistic as a person. I would like to see at least two of them settled. But I'm also very realistic as a person, and I realize this has taken 30 years. 

So again, I'm going to work as diligently ... but I'm not foolish enough to say everything will be settled.

How will you stay in touch with the needs of the smaller communities?

My commitment is to actually do a lot more travelling to the smaller communities, reaching out to the people. But also listening to the regular MLAs. They are the voices of people in their riding. 

Is that something you feel was missing from the last government?

I would say that the last assembly did try to do that. But again, it's about fostering relationships. If you're very structured in how you operate, it's hard to develop positive relationships. 

For me, the big thing is connecting people.- Premier Caroline Cochrane

Sometimes, it's about having more fireside chats. Sitting down, opening up those conversations, so it's not as adversarial, or as political, as it was in the past.

Have you had a chance to speak with Justin Trudeau yet?

That is supposed to be scheduled in my calendar for today.

What do you think is the importance of the relationship specifically between you and the prime minister?

The big thing with Justin Trudeau is introducing myself, of course, but really focusing on the realities of the North. Not in a pushy way, just helping him realize that by helping the Northwest Territories, we help the nation as a whole.

It's not just about taking. It's about what can you give the Northwest Territories, and what can we give you to support you?

What's an example of that?

The first thing that jumps to my head is infrastructure. An example is the Mackenzie Highway. The highway connects people, which brings mobility. 

It also connects to the potential for more resource exploration. Therefore, if we get more mines on the ground, then we will have more royalties. Those things all benefit [Canada]. 

But for me, the big thing is connecting people. And that is within his mandate, as well as developing more revenues for Canada as a nation.