Commissioner of the Northwest Territories

The commissioner of the Northwest Territories (French: Commissaire des Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is the Government of Canada's representative in the Northwest Territories. Similar in certain functions to a lieutenant governor, the commissioner swears in the members of the legislative assembly, swears in members of the executive council, assents to bills, opens sessions of the legislative assembly, and signs other government documents such as Orders in Council.

Earlier commissioners were mostly deputy minister in various ministries. Initially, Commissioners had nearly absolute authority. However, over time, their powers were curtailed, and in 1967 the Carrothers report resulted in the creation of an elected Legislative Assembly.

In the 1970s, the Assembly gained more powers, and in 1980 responsible government was granted, with the Executive Council being accountable to the Legislative Assembly, fully adopting the Westminster system. The Northwest Territories is one of two jurisdictions with a nonpartisan consensus government system.

The introduction of responsible government resulted in the Commissioner’s role becoming more akin to the Lieutenant Governor of a province - a politically aloof guarantor of the function of the parliamentary system akin to a head of state. However, commissioners remain appointed by the Government of Canada, and are not a vice-regal representative for the territory — the territories’ government is not an exercise of inherent sovereignty, but rather of devolution under the aegis of the federal Crown.

The commissioner represents the federal government and must follow any instructions of the Cabinet or the relevant federal minister, currently the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. In practice, however, since 1980, the Commissioner has largely bowed to the decisions of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council.