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The Department of Transportation was created on April 1, 1989 when several programs and responsibilities that were delivered by three different departments were consolidated to form the Department of Transportation. From the former Department of Public Works and Highways came the Planning, Engineering, Highway Operations and Marine Operations Divisions. Arctic Airports came from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and Motor Vehicles joined from the Department of Government Services. The decision to create a Department of Transportation recognized the central role of transportation in the economic growth and development of the Northwest Territories.

The Department of Transportation is responsible for the planning, design, construction or reconstruction, acquisition, operation and maintenance of the public transportation infrastructure in the Northwest Territories, including community airports and docks and the highway system, pursuant to devolved authorities and/or Memoranda of Understanding between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Federal Government and to regulate and license individuals and vehicles operating in the Northwest Territories.

The Directorate activity is responsible for the management of the Department of Transportation and to ensure consistent application of departmental policies, standards and procedures, and program delivery throughout the Northwest Territories. The Directorate is assisted in its management of the department by a Finance and Administration section, a Policy and Planning section and a regional office in Inuvik. The Finance and Administration section is responsible for the planning, forecasting, coordination and control of the department's financial requirements to ensure responsible budgetary, revenue and expenditure management. Its primary service is to advise managers in program administration. The Policy and Planning section advises the Directorate on transportation and public policy issues and is responsible for program planning within the department. The Directorate's key objectives are to increase northern and local employment and business development opportunities through the use of special approaches to the implementation of capital projects and maintenance programs. In addition, this activity negotiates with the Federal Government to implement on their behalf more of their transportation capital and maintenance projects to increase local and Northern involvement and to plan and provide administrative and management services with respect to information technology, financial management, personnel coordination, contract management and general administration. Furthermore, the Directorate coordinates the Department's involvement in national and international technical and scientific exchange programs and represents and advocates the interest of the Northwest Territories in national transportation legislation, policy, regulations and program planning. Due to the Government of the Northwest Territories commitment to decentralize the operations of the government, the Department of Transportation steadily extended and developed its regional presence and by 1994, it had established regional offices in all of the regional centers of the Northwest Territories. In 1993, the Marine Services Division was decentralized to Fort Simpson. Between 1996-1997, the Department was reorganized to reflect the changes that were brought about due to decentralization. At this time the Directorate Division was renamed Corporate Services to reflect the addition of a Regional Management section, Strategic Planning section, Environment Section and Engineering Design and Construction Section, which moved from the Transportation Engineering Division. In 2003-2004, a Communications and Public Affairs section was added to the Corporate Services Division.

The Transportation Engineering Division provides the Department with engineering expertise and technical support required for planning, design and construction of transportation facilities. It is responsible for establishing engineering standards, conducting engineering studies, providing advisory services and cost estimates and undertaking design and project management for transportation infrastructure projects for highway, marine and air facilities. This Division also plans and manages related transportation development projects on behalf of other departments, agencies and the Federal Government. In addition, it participates in ongoing applied engineering research and participates in technology exchange involving the National Research Council, Canadian and International Transportation Associations and foreign circumpolar countries including Alaska, Greenland and Russia. This division also develops, implements and manages departmental policies and procedures for tendering, awarding and monitoring of contracts. Between 1996-1997, this division became part of the Corporate Services Division.

The Marine Services Division operated until 1996. It was responsible for the planning, operation and maintenance of vessels and support facilities at ferry crossings on the Northwest Territories highway system and for providing marine expertise in support of Departmental initiatives. This division also developed and implemented plans for the rehabilitation and replacement of ferry crossing infrastructure and vessels, identified and developed opportunities for the devolution of Federal Marine Programs and was involved with supporting the employment of northern and local residents and the use of local business in the operation and maintenance of marine services. Between 1996-1997, programs within this division were separated to form two divisions: the Ferries Division and the Community Marine Division. The Ferries Division assumed the responsibilities for provision of safe and reliable ferry crossing services on the Northwest Territories highway system. The division is also responsible for the maintenance, operation and upgrade of vessels and support facilities at five ferry crossings. The Community Marine Program provides marine facilities and safety programs in support of local harvesting, recreation and tourism in order to support and encourage the provision of regular, reliable and cost-effective marine resupply services. This division shares the responsibility for local community marine facilities and resupply facilities at communities with the Federal Government.

The Highway Operations Division is responsible for ensuring that the Northwest Territories highways are maintained to a level consistent with approved standards based on traffic use and to provide safe and reliable inter-community travel. This includes maintenance of the all-weather road network and the construction and maintenance of winter roads. In 1996-1997, this division was renamed the Highways Division. The division is responsible for maintenance, rehabilitation, and upgrading of 2200 kilometers of all-weather highways and 1300 kilometers of seasonal winter roads.

By agreement with Transport Canada, the Airports Division, formerly known as Arctic Airports, is responsible for airport development and operations for communities under the Arctic Airports Program. The program provides airport facilities and services in communities to encourage the development of regular and reliable air service throughout the Northwest Territories. Specialists at headquarters and in the regions provide advice and assistance to communities in the planning, operation and maintenance of airports. The division also arranges on-the-job training for community airport maintainers and training for observer/communicators. Airports are inspected to ensure compliance with Federal Government regulations. On behalf of Transport Canada, the Department, through local governments or contractors, manages and operates several airports. Program growth includes funding for the operating costs of new airport facilities and equipment provided in several communities. Municipal governments are encouraged to assume full responsibility for airport operations and maintenance, thereby assuring economic benefit and employment for local residents. This program is responsible for the maintenance, operation, and rehabilitation of all public airports in the Northwest Territories and for the provision of the Community Aerodome Radio Services (CARS). In the late 1990s the devolution of responsibilities from Transport Canada to DOT for Arctic 'A' airports (Yellowknife, Hay River, Norman Wells, Inuvik, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Cambridge Bay, Iqaluit and Resolute) was negociated, followed by the devolution of responsibilities of Arctic 'B' and 'C' airports, to the total of 54 airports in pre-division NWT.

The Motor Vehicles Activity is responsible for the administration of various Acts and Regulations, including the Motor Vehicles Act, which governs all matters relating to driver licensing, vehicle registration, driver examination and road safety. It also enforces trucking industry compliance with these Acts and Regulations, the intent being protection of the public, the environment and the Northwest Territories highway system. The sale of licenses and registration permits is handled by division staff and by private agency contracts throughout the Northwest Territories. Computerized central records are maintained of driver's licenses, vehicle registration, driver records, and abstracts are provided to insurance companies. This activity is also responsible for promoting public safety on the road and coordinating public awareness programs dealing with transportation issues. The Motor Vehicles Division was renamed the Road Licensing and Safety Division in 2002-2003 to reflect its connection with the Road Licensing and Safety Program. This program is responsible for reviewing and monitoring highway transportation legislation, regulations and policy of other governments, reviewing trends in highway transportation safety, technology development and change and identifying opportunities for partnership with other governments and industry in regulatory harmonization and implementation.

From 1992-1993 until 1996, the Highway Transport Board was part of the Department of Transportation. The Board was responsible for the regulation of the "for hire" segment of the bus and trucking industry through the issuance of licenses authorizing the transport of freight or passengers for compensation. The primary regulatory function of the Board was to achieve a safe, economic, efficient and adequate network of viable and effective road transportation services. The Board provided for the planning, development and implementation of administrative support programs, which met the needs of the Board. In addition, the Board conducted investigations, analyzed and presented data related to regulatory matters and developed internal policies and procedures for Board adoption that would further advance the transportation objectives for which the Board was responsible.

The Transportation Planning Division was formed in 1992-1993 and existed until 1996. This division was responsible for the development and promotion of transportation strategies in consultation with stakeholders; the preparation and implementation of Government of the Northwest Territories capital plans and programs for upgrading and expanding transportation infrastructure; representing and promoting Government of the Northwest Territories priorities with other agencies and coordinating Departmental needs for land management, environment studies and permits. This included preparation of planning studies, systems plans and modal plans for infrastructure upgrading and managing capital programs for airport development, highway reconstruction, road construction and community wharves. Furthermore, the division provided, coordinated and promoted Territorial Government priorities in Federal program areas and provided departmental standards, procedures and expertise in environmental affairs and in land acquisition, management and disposal. Between 1996-1997, the planning function of this division became part of the Corporate Services Division. However, the Community Access Road Division emerged from the Transportation Planning Division. This Division provided access roads and trails to local attractions in support of tourism, resource harvesting and recreation opportunities. This division also provides funding and technical assistance to communities in construction and maintenance of local access roads.

On April 1, 2017, the Department of Transportation consolidated with the Department of Public Works and Services to create the new Department of Infrastructure.

The Northwest Territories Development Corporation was established in 1990. Its primary mission was to invest funding, received from the Government of the NWT to enhance community employment opportunities. The Development Corporation fulfilled this mandate by incorporating, establishing and operating businesses or by directing projects that would create employment and income opportunities in the communities of the NWT. It also invested in business enterprises to stimulate the growth of businesses and promoted the economic objectives of the Government of the NWT. The corporation acted as an agent of the Government of the NWT and as a public agent was required to respect the authority of the Financial Administration Act. The day to day operation of the corporation were overseen by a President; however it was governed via a Board of Directors. The corporation had three core committees: The Audit Committee, the Personnel Committee and the Investment Committee.

The Financial Management Secretariat is the central agency responsible for providing advice and support services on the financial management and administration of the government to the Financial Management Board. The Financial Management Board, with the approval of the Commissioner, acts on all matters relating to the financial management and administration of the Northwest Territories. Key responsibility areas include development of the main estimates, five-year program forecasting, supplementary appropriations and quarterly variance reports, negotiations with the federal government for territorial funding and provision of administrative and working support to the Board. The Secretariat is also involved in preparing material and participating in Federal/Territorial financial negotiations. The Secretariat is responsible for planning, coordinating and the consolidation of the operating budget of the Government of the Northwest Territories, including the preparation of Main and Supplementary Estimates.

The Secretary, who is the senior financial officer of the Government, heads the Secretariat Division of the Financial Management Board. Day-to-day management of the Secretariat is the responsibility of the Deputy Secretary. The program's budget and analysis section is responsible for providing senior level budget management and counsel to the Government of the Northwest Territories, primarily focusing on the budget cycle. The capital planning section is responsible for providing senior level budget management and counsel to the Government, primarily focusing on the capital planning process; the financial planning and analysis section is responsible for providing senior level financial management and advice to the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Between 1989-1990, the Financial Management Board Secretariat joined the Department of Finance and then moved to the Department of the Executive in 1994-1995. In 2009-2010 the Secretariat became part of the Department of Finance.

The Inter-Departmental Committee on the Integrated Management Information System was appointed by Commissioner Stuart Hodgson and reported in September 1969. The focus of the Committee was to gather and set forth the informational requirements of each department and to consider the need for an integrated management information system.

The Legal Services Board was established in 1979 by the Legal Services Ordinance (later the Legal Services Act) to provide legal aid to eligible persons in the Northwest Territories. Responsibility for legal aid had been transferred from the federal to the territorial government in 1971, and the program was administered by the Department of Public Services until the establishment of the Legal Services Board.

The Legal Services Board was a public agency which reported to the Minister of Justice. Its mandate was to ensure that NWT residents had access to legal services; ensure the quality of the legal services provided; and develop and coordinate programs aimed at preventing legal problems and increasing public knowledge of the law and the legal system. Its activities in support of this mandate included providing legal aid in civil and criminal matters, administering legal clinics, managing the court worker program, and providing public legal education and information.

The Legal Services Board was headed by a Board of Directors, which was responsible for setting policies, overseeing the operations of legal aid clinics, maintaining panels of private lawyers willing to accept legal aid cases, and hearing appeals in cases where legal aid was denied. Staff at the Legal Aid Office were responsible for assessing applications for legal aid, as well as referring applicants to lawyers, administering payments and arranging travel for panel lawyers.

The Board of Directors was also empowered to appoint non-government organizations as regional legal services committees. These organizations provided legal aid assistance in their regions, courtworker and paralegal services and public legal education and information programs, and received funding from the Legal Services Board. The first legal services clinic in the NWT, Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik, was incorporated in 1974 and later became a regional committee of the Legal Services Board, serving the Baffin region. The NWT Native Courtworkers’ Association, founded in 1975, also became a regional committee in about 1980; in 1987 its name was changed to Mackenzie Court Workers’ Services. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, several other regional committees began operating, including the Arctic Rim Law Centre (formerly the Western Arctic Law Centre), located in Tuktoyaktuk; the Keewatin Courtworker Program, which was replaced by the Keewatin Legal Services Centre in about 1990; the Kitikmeot Legal Services Centre; and the Mackenzie Delta Legal Services Committee. The Legal Services Board also contracted out its public legal education function to the Arctic Public Legal Education and Information Society, which began operating in February 1986.

In the mid-1990s, the Legal Services Board began to shift away from delegating its functions to regional committees. In 1994, the Yellowknife Staff Law Office was opened, operated directly by the Legal Services Board. In 1996, the Legal Services Board arranged the amalgamation of the Arctic Rim Law Centre and the Mackenzie Delta Legal Services Committee, forming the Beaufort Delta Legal Services Clinic as a new regional committee, and in the same year it ceased funding the Arctic Public Legal Education and Information Society and took direct responsibility for public legal education. In 1999, the Legal Services Board also took over the functions of Mackenzie Court Workers’ Services.

With the formation of Nunavut, the Nunavut Legal Services Board began providing legal aid services to residents of Nunavut, and regional committees located in Nunavut were no longer associated with the Legal Services Board of the Northwest Territories, leaving only the Beaufort Delta Legal Services Clinic as a regional committee. As of April 1, 2003, the Legal Services Board took over operations of the Beaufort Delta Legal Services Clinic; from this time on, it no longer contracted out its responsibilities to regional committees. In its final decade, the Legal Services Board opened two more law clinics in Yellowknife, the Yellowknife Family Law Clinic in 2004 and the Somba K’e Law Office in 2010.

The Legal Services Board was replaced by the Legal Aid Commission when the Legal Aid Act came into force on December 28, 2014.

As the primary body of elected officials, the Legislative Assembly is empowered to pass new laws, amend existing laws, determine how public monies are expended, and approve policies and programs. Elections are held every four years and following the elections, the members of the Legislative Assembly elect from among themselves a Speaker of the House, a Premier and the members of the Executive Council. The members of the Executive Council, the Ministers, are assigned portfolios by the Premier and are responsible for managing the various departments and agencies of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Typically this includes introducing new legislation, setting budgets and setting government direction. Prior to 1979, the Legislative Assembly was known as the NWT Council, or Council of the Northwest Territories.

The Legislative Assembly operates according to standard parliamentary procedures with some modifications. The Assembly frequently refers questions to the Committee of the Whole where informal discussion takes place. The Legislative Assembly establishes standing and special committees in order to gather information and public opinion on different issues. The standing or permanent committees on finance, public accounts and legislation carry out a majority of the work of the Legislative Assembly. Sessions are usually held twice yearly for approximately 12 weeks. The official seven languages of the Northwest Territories (English, French, Chipewyan, Slavey, Dogrib, Gwich'in and Inuktitut) are used in the Legislative Assembly with interpretation services provided by the GNWT Language Bureau.

The original North West Territories were created in 1870 when the Hudson's Bay Company sold to the British Government all the lands which it governed under the letters patent of Charles II. These lands were im­mediately transferred to the Government of Canada. On June 22, 1869, the Dominion government of Canada had passed An Act for the temporary government of Rupert's Land and the Northwest Territory in preparation for the transfer of control of these lands. This Act provided for a lieutenant governor, who was to set up a council of 7 to 15 in the administration of affairs. The lands included all the country drained by the rivers flowing into Hudson Bay including most of Saskatchewan and Alberta, part of Manitoba and the Keewatin District of Nunavut. It did not at that time include the greater part of the Arctic, to which the United Kingdom had some claim arising from the various naval expeditions of the early nineteenth century. Although the Hudson's Bay Company abandoned its jurisdiction in 1870, it retained its trading posts and expanded its commercial activities into other parts of Canada. In 1880 the British Government transferred any rights which it had over the Arctic Islands (which were still not completely explored or mapped) to the Canadian Government.

In 1875, the North-West Territories Act was passed, providing for a resident Lieutenant-Governor and an appointed council of not more than five people. A provision allowed for electoral districts of not more than 1000 square miles and not less than 1000 people. At such time as there were 21 electoral districts, the Council would become a Legislative Assembly. This number was surpassed in 1888. The Territories were governed by English law as it existed at the time of the transfer to Canada. This was amended by a con­siderable body of Ordinances passed by the Council. Increasing demands for political independence led to the 1905 creation of the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta and the northward extension of the Province of Manitoba.

The remaining Northwest Territories were constituted by an Act of the Canadian Parliament (4 & 5 Edw.VII, c. 27) in 1905. This provided for the appointment of a Commissioner and a nominated Council of four. A Commissioner for the Territories was appointed in August 1905 but for the next fifteen years the Commissioner ruled without the assistance of a Territorial Council.
The two Commissioners during this period were Frederick White (1905 - 1919), who was also Comptroller of the Royal North West Mounted Police, and N.W. Cory (1919 - 1930), who was Deputy Minister of the Interior. The entire adminis­tration of the Territories was therefore, in Ottawa. Administration of the Territories was the responsibility of the Federal Minister of the Interior, to whom both the Commissioner of Police and the Commissioner of the Territories reported. The population of the Northwest Territories was very sparse in 1905 and the northern islands still largely unexplored. It was not until 1911 that the first complete census was organized throughout the area. Since the area to be covered was vast, administration was limited to essen­tials, and these duties were of a municipal type - the relief of the desti­tute, care of the sick and the prevention of crime. The police posts and patrols provided the local personnel and they were supplemented by the volun­tary efforts of missionaries and Hudson's Bay Company post managers. The police reported to the Mining Lands and Yukon Branch of the Ministry of the Interior (the Mines Branch until 1909) in all matters concerning the Terri­tories. For the administration of justice, the relevant ordinances of the old North West Territories were applied. A few amendments and additions were made by Order in Council at the end of this period, but a decision of the Department of Justice in April, 1921 stated that these were invalid because no Council existed. Any justices appointed for the original Terri­tories were apparently considered capable of hearing cases, and no new jus­tices were appointed. Appeals could be made from their decisions to the nearest Provincial Court of Appeal (Acts 6 & 7 Edw. VII, c. 32 and 7 & 8 Edw. VII, c. 49).

Canada's interest in its Arctic territories has been stimulated from time to time by geological discoveries (gold, other metals and oil) or by war. Each of these events has been followed by changes (and an in­crease in volume) of administrative and judicial activity. The first of these changes occurred at the end of the First World War when oil was dis­covered at Norman Wells. The need to provide for the registration of land and mining claims in the Mackenzie District and for the amendment of the old Ordinance led to the appointment of the first Territorial Council on 20 April, 1921. The councillors (all senior members of the De­partment of the Interior, including the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) met only once, on 28 April 1921, to hear a report by their Acting Secretary, Mr. O.S. Finnie. A party of twenty-two employees had been sent from Ottawa to Fort Smith (just across the Alberta border) to organize a government office for the Mackenzie District. The councillors expressed considerable doubt about the legal posi­tion of the administration. The Ordinances needed revision and the validity of some was referred to the Department's legal advisers. Consideration was given to raising territorial revenue by charging fees for trading and busi­ness licences. It was agreed to ask for an amending Act to increase the number of councillors to six. The amending Act (11 & 12 Geo. V, c. 40) was passed on 13 June 1922 and the new Council met on the next day in a flurry of legal activity. The City of Ottawa lawfully became, for the first time, the capital of the Northwest Territories. The Entry and the Beverage Ordinances (issue by the Commissioner's sole authority) were declared ultra vires, and various official duties relating to the Territories were re-assigned.

A Northwest Territories and Yukon Branch was organized within the Department of the Interior with Mr. O.S. Finnie as its Director. He, and the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs became the two new councillors added by authority of the 1922 Act. By agreement with the Quebec Government, the Branch was also responsible for New Quebec and its Indigenous people. In 1936, when the Department of the Interior was abolished, the Branch and its duties were transferred to the Department of Mines and Resources. It was renamed the Bureau of Northwest Territories and Yukon Affairs and placed in the Lands, Parks and Forests Branch of the Department. In 1950 and 1951 the duties of the Bureau were re-arranged and it was renamed several times.

Until the outbreak of the Second World War, the Territories con­tinued to be governed in the same fashion as before 1922. The police (now re-organized as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) provided the local ad­ministration with assistance from the handful of local territorial govern­ment employees as well as the missionaries and H.B.C. post managers. How­ever closer control was maintained by the Ottawa office and the Territorial Council. Increased efforts were made to list and control the Indigenous peoples. This in turn led to further demands for welfare services and an extension of law enforcement. Progress was slow. It was not until 1942, as a result of wartime problems, that Inuit were listed and issued with disc numbers. For many years the only magistrate in the Territories was an Alberta provin­cial judge who made an annual visit to the Territories.

The discovery of gold in the Great Slave Lake area was followed by the Second World War and further development of the oil resources of Norman Wells. Although these events did not produce any legislative and administrative changes, their impact on the Northwest Territories is clearly shown by the increased number of meetings of the Council and the increased volume of business generated by the administration. During almost the whole of this period the appropriate Deputy Minister acted as Commissioner: W.W. Cory (1919-31), H.H. Rowatt (1931-34), Dr. Charles Camsell (1936-46), and Dr. H.L. Keenleyside (1947-50). In 1935 Mr. R.A. Gibson, the Deputy Commissioner, presided at meetings of the Council. All the members of the Council were Federal public servants, with the first northern resident only being appointed to the Council in 1947 (J.G. McNiven). However by 1951 it was quite clear that this colonial style of government was unsuitable for the increased population and industrial activities of the Territories.

In 1951, the Northwest Territories Act was amended to permit three elected members to be included in the Council of eight and required Council to hold at least two sessions a year, one of them in the north. Further amendments increased the Council's legislative and financial powers. By 1955, Council could authorize the Commissioner to make agreements with the federal government, subject to Ottawa's approval and they could use a separate Northwest Territories revenue account, as long as a deficit was not created. The amendments also allowed the Commissioner to control some public lands, created a Territorial Court, and repealed major part of the NWT Act so that territorial ordinances could take their place.

In 1958, the Council received the power to borrow money subject to federal approval and by 1960 the Council had the power to pass game laws affecting Dene and Inuit. A fourth elected member was added in 1954, as Council membership rose to nine. The size remained the same until 1966, when the first electoral districts were created outside of the Mackenzie. In 1960, the first members from outside the civil service were appointed. In 1964, separate offices for the Government of the Northwest Territories were created; the position of Commissioner became a full-time appointment and the task of building a headquarters that would eventually move north began. A year later, the naming of the Deputy Commissioner became a separate Governor-in-Council appointment and his duties were made full-time. By 1964, four of the five appointees to the nine-member Council were from the private sector; the Deputy Commissioner remained as the only civil servant appointee to the Council. In 1965, the first Inuit member of Council was appointed and the following year, the Council's elected membership increased from four to seven as electoral districts were created in the Keewatin, High Arctic and Eastern Arctic. In that year the Commissioner-in-Council was given authority to set qualifications for electors and candidates, and a separate Consolidated Revenue Fund for the Northwest Territories was set up within the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Canada.

The Carrothers Report recommended that northern residents be given a greater degree of self-government, but felt that the Northwest Territories should not be divided at that time. In 1967, the territorial government moved to the new capital of Yellowknife, as the Report had recommended. In 1970, the Northwest Territories Act was amended again and Council's elected membership increased to 10 and the appointed membership decreased from five to four. Council's term of office was increased to four years from three and the Commissioner-in-Council was authorized to set members' indemnities and allowances and the period in which Ottawa could disallow territorial legislation was cut from two years to one.

The Seventh Council, which included the first elected Dene member, two Inuit members and a Metis member, took office early in 1971. The first fully-elected Council since 1905 took office in 1975. This Council was given the authority to elect its own Speaker and to name two elected members to the Executive Committee (a third was added a year later). In 1979, the NWT Council was renamed the Legislative Assembly. As the chief political body it is composed of non-partisan elected officials representing all residents of the Northwest Territories.

Between 1980-1981, the Legislative Assembly provided all administrative and support services to the Assembly, to the Standing and Special Committees and to individual Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) throughout the year. Its budget included provision for all indemnities and allowances, including those related to the activities of the MLAs. Initially, the main task of the Legislative Assembly was to work toward responsible government and ultimately to attain provincehood for the Northwest Territories. The Clerk's office worked closely with the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada during elections, when electoral districts were being established and members were being elected.

As the Legislative Assembly evolved, the Deputy Commissioner position was removed from the Executive in 1983. The Legislative Assembly budget increased and provided for additional activities of the Legislative Assembly, including retiring allowances for MLAs, the costs of holding sessions of the Assembly and the meetings of Standing and Special Committees. The Standing and Special have concentrated on such matters as the Constitution of Canada, Division of the Northwest Territories, and Constitutional Development in the Western portion of the Territories and Electoral District Boundaries.

Between 1990-1991, the mandate of the Legislative Assembly was as follows: The Speaker and Clerk of the Legislative Assembly were responsible for all activities of the Legislative Assembly. The administration of the Office of the Legislative Assembly and the Office of the Clerk adhered to the Executive Council Act and the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Act. The Acts represented the legal mandate of the Legislative Assembly. The Management and Services Board, in accordance with the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, provided the legal and administrative structure for the Legislative Assembly. The Office of the Clerk provided research, financial, administrative, committee, and public affairs support to members of the Legislative Assembly. Between 1992-1993, the Legislative Assembly Retiring Allowances Act, the Supplementary Retiring Allowances Act, the Elections Act and Official Languages Act were added to the legal mandate of the Legislative Assembly.

Prior to 1993, the Legislative Assembly operated from temporary and leased premises. With the opening of the new Legislative building in 1993, the services delivered by the Assembly expanded. The Clerk provided advice and support to the Speaker and Members on procedural and administrative matters, managed the Legislative Assembly offices, coordinated the provision of legal services to the Speaker, Members, Committees, Management and Services Board and coordinated the duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Pages.

The House and Committee Services provided procedural advice to the Speaker, Chairmen, Committees and Members of the Assembly, managed support services, maintained house records, produced House documents, and managed the Hansard service and the language services, which included the translation of House documents.

The Research and Information Services provided research services to Members and Committees, provided information and reference services through the Legislative and Government Library, provided public information about the Legislative Assembly and assisted Members in the preparation of public information materials.

The Finance and Administration division provided financial and administrative support to the Legislative Assembly, human resource management services, coordinated the management of pension plan for Members, provided administrative support to Members and administrative and financial support to Office of the Languages Commissioner.

The Facilities Management division provided overall management of the Legislative Assembly building and facilities by providing security, maintenance and janitorial services.

The Elections NWT program provided for the administration of Elections and Plebiscites and the Office of the Languages Commissioner provided for the independent operation of the Language Commissioner.

In 1994-1995, the services provided by the Legislative Assembly were condensed to form the following programs. The Office of the Clerk, Office of the Speaker, Expenditures on Behalf of Members, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer and the Commissioner of Official Languages.

The Office of the Clerk included the Clerk’s Office, Deputy Clerk’s Office, Finance and Administration, Research and Library Services, Sessions and Committees. Through these various units the Office of the Clerk managed and directed the Legislative Assembly Office and provided advice and support to the Speaker and Members on procedural and administrative matters, as well as provided visitor services, public information and language services. Through the Research and Library Section, research and reference services were provided to individual Members, Standing and Special Committees, and to the Clerk’s Office and Deputy Clerk’s Office. The Sessions and Committee Units provided funding for the administration of session, provision of Hansard service and funded the administration of all Committees of the Legislative Assembly. Between 1999-2000, the Finance and Administration section was renamed Corporate Services to include financial management, human resources, electronic data processing, office automation, information services and the overall management of the Legislative Building and its facilities. Between 2003-2004, the Research and Library Services was separated into two distinct functions: Research Services and Library Services.

The Office of the Speaker is responsible for developing policies on the overall control and operation of the Office of the Legislative Assembly as Chair of the Management and Services Board. The Speaker is the official representative of the Legislative Assembly at Provincial/Territorial, Federal and International functions.

The Expenditures on Behalf of Members activity provides allowances, per diems, indemnities, pension administration, as well as salaries for Member's constituency assistants.

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer conducts and administers general elections, by-elections and plebiscites in the Northwest Territories according to legislation enacted by the Legislative Assembly. This office is responsible to educate and inform eligible electors and candidates in the Northwest Territories of their democratic rights accorded to them in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Commissioner of Official Languages is responsible for ensuring that the rights, status and privileges of all Official Languages in the Northwest Territories are complied with within the spirit of the Official Languages Act. The Languages Commissioner is responsible for tabling an annual report to the Legislative Assembly that details the activities undertaken and achieved by the office.

In 2004, the NWT Human Rights Commission was established by the enactment of the NWT Human Rights Act. Members of the Commission are appointed by the Legislative Assembly for a term of four years. The Director is an officer of the Commission and is also appointed by the Legislative Assembly for a four year term. Adjucation of complaints/disputes rests with the NWT Human Rights Adjudication Panel, a separate entity.

The Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, created in 1995, was a central agency that supported the Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and the Executive Council. The Ministry managed and coordinated the participation of the Government of the Northwest Territories in all lands, resources and self-government negotiations. It was also responsible for negotiating and developing implementation plans and providing strategic advice on the Aboriginal and Intergovernmental Relations of the Northwest Territories. Advice on national and territorial Aboriginal relations was also provided. There were five divisions within the Ministry. In addition to internal management responsibilities, the Directorate provided strategic advice and support to the Minister and Executive Council on political and constitutional development and on relations with Aboriginal leaders and organizations both within the Northwest Territories and nationally. The prime functions of the Negotiations Division were to manage the GNWT participation and to represent the GNWT interest in the negotiation of lands, resources and self-government agreements. The Policy & Communications Division developed public and internal policies and legislative proposals for the Ministry, provided advice to the Minister and Deputy Minister and developed instructions and mandates for the GNWT's participation in negotiation agreements and implementation plans. This Division also provided support to GNWT negotiators, participated in central agency reviews of legislative proposals and was responsible for overall Ministry communications. The Implementation Division negotiated implementation plans and managed and monitored the implementation of settled lands, resources and self-government agreements. The prime function of the Devolution Negotiations Division was the negotiation of Devolution and Resource Revenue Sharing Agreements with the Federal Government and the Aboriginal Summit. The Devolution Division led the Government of the Northwest Territories’ (GNWT) participation in these negotiations, coordinating the input from other Departments and the preparation of negotiating instructions.