And we're off and running with the 45th federal election.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called a snap election on Sunday with Canadians going to the polls on April 28 to pick the next government that will, in theory, serve for the next four years.

So with candidates now on the trail, what does Hay River want to see from the next government? For Glenn Smith, the town's senior administrative officer, that's simple: federal funding to help with the town's 10-year capital plan.

"It's no secret that we have a huge gap to overcome when it comes to upgrading," he told 快盈v3 on Monday. "It's around $80 million to $90 million and that sort of money is only coming from the federal government. We'll be thinking about how to move on that and I think we want to hear from all parties what their plans are."

There's also the issue of Arctic sovereignty and how the territory fits into that mould, he added.

"It's definitely an emerging topic, especially with all that's coming out of the U.S.," he said. "What will our economy look like in the future? We have to start maximizing federal money. There's the tariffs as well and when you start hearing about relief programs, that could only compound our infrastructure gap."

快盈v3 has already spoken with three of the four declared candidates running for the NWT's seat in the House of Commons: Kimberly Fairman for the Conservatives, the NDP's Kelvin Kotchilea and Rebecca Alty, who announced last Friday that she would be the Liberal candidate.

Alty, who indicated that she would make the South Slave one of her first stops on the campaign trail, said housing would be her no. 1 priority should she be elected.

"Housing is so interconnected to everything, whether it's mental health, addictions, the economy. Housing is one of my top ones," she said.

What makes her the better candidate, Alty said, is her years-long experience as an elected official. Before she became mayor of Yellowknife in 2018, she served as a city councillor for two terms from 2012 to 2018. 

Alty also mentioned her time as president of the NWT Association of Communities, saying she worked with a multitude of mayors, chiefs and councillors from across the territory.

She said it's important to listen and engage face-to-face with smaller communities, both during her campaign and if she becomes the territory's new MP.

Alty plans on visiting as many communities as possible, though she admitted she probably won't make it to all 33 in the NWT. She's hoping to make that up with phone calls and video calls. 

In a previous interview with 快盈v3, Kotchilea said his main goals during the campaign would include protecting health care, more federal transfers to offset the high cost of living, supporting Indigenous governments with self-government and land claim negotiation and strengthening climate measures.

鈥淚t鈥檚 uncertain times right now for Canadians and the shorter the election period, the better we will be to provide the necessary support that is needed,鈥� said Kotchilea. 

As for Fairman, she was in Hay River last Friday to speak with people in the community.

She told 快盈v3 that the last 10 years have been lost under the Liberal Party and, for the North in particular, a lack of foresight has put the NWT in a very difficult place. 

鈥淚 look to leaders, who over several decades have been working tirelessly to position the NWT in a place of strength,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey must be shaking their heads right now wondering where it all went wrong. We should be a vibrant territory with abundant opportunity and a bright future for our children. Instead, we are faced with the highest crime statistics in the country, no prospect of an economy outside of government, lack of affordable and diverse housing options (and) budget deficits that we will pass on to our children."

Angela Davidson is the Green Party candidate and 快盈v3 hasn't been able to reach her yet. We'll add her comments when we do.