Yukon NDP Leader Kate White had kind words for the $2.08-billion budget tabled Thursday by the Yukon government.

“It was a bit wild … everything they were congratulating themselves on were NDP initiatives that we made the Liberals do,” White said.

She was referring to early mentions in the budget speech of paid sick leave for businesses and raising the minimum wage.

She questioned the lack of progress on the wellness counsellor positions that were to be established in Yukon schools, another commitment in the Liberal-NDP Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA).

“To this point, they actually haven’t been hired, and they certainly haven’t been put in schools,” the NDP leader said.

And while the budget has identified $5.4 million for the Yukon Dental Program, another CASA initiative, White is concerned that the new federal dental program could affect the “extensive coverage” that Yukoners now have.

“I don’t want Yukoners to lose out, and that’s not really been addressed.”

White was a little bemused by the size of the budget.

“When I was elected in 2011, we were just over $1 billion. In 2024, we have crested $2 billion. We’ve had population growth, of course; that adds a lot of money.

“The question then is if that money is addressing all the concerns of Yukoners.”

Budget needs to ‘meet people where they are’

“Knowing we have a $2-billion budget but that it’s not meeting people where they are at is problematic,” she said.

The three NDP MLAs will be “digging down” during the budget debates to figure out why that’s the case.

White had little time for the Yukon Party’s criticism of the $488.8-million net financial debt forecast for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

“I think the budget officials were very clear about tangible capital investments and how that becomes net debt.

“I’m just going to say that a budget has to work for people. In some cases, we see where it could work and in other places we will have questions.”

White commended the work of the Finance department on the budget.

“They’re making sure things are more accurate and more timely. I’ll say that budgeting makes a lot more sense now than it did before under the Yukon Party.”

The $50-million contingency fund has a bigger role now, covering emergent health care costs as well as forest fire and flood emergencies.

White said it’s a good way of budgeting, having the money ready now rather than coming up with it in a supplementary budget later.

If $50 million turns out not to be enough for this coming year’s emergencies, “then we’ll have to have that conversation: how do we plan for the changing climate and how do we take those measures?”

White noted her concern about how the City of Whitehorse will manage the risk of landslides to Robert Service Way, given the costs involved.

As well, she flagged the slope instability on the way into Dawson City, which is the responsibility of the Yukon government.

“It’s a real concern, because that slope has power lines, making it more complicated.

“Let’s hope it’s not a bad flood season or a bad fire season.”

Reconciliation plans questioned

While “Advancing Reconciliation” is one of the four priorities in the budget, White wasn’t sure if the budget will do that well.

(It includes almost $8 million for culturally appropriate services, a micro-funding program for Indigenous artists, actions on missing and murdered Indigenous women, and practising effective land management.)

“Reconciliation is more than words, it has to really be actions,” she said.

“The truth is that the Yukon government hasn’t lived up to all of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to actions. It’s for First Nations to say if (the government’s actions) have been enough.”

White noted that there are still four regional land use plans to be developed, 30 years after the Umbrella Final Agreement was signed. “That is not respect or reconciliation ….”

The on-again, off-again $21-million Skagway ore dock project was a “chaotic” situation, she said.

“It’s a challenging situation …. I understand Yukon’s need for tidewater access, but I have questions about the way forward.

“I think Yukoners should be able to recoup the price of this investment,” and now that the project has been postponed, there is opportunity to go forward in a different way, White said.

She also questioned the funding identified for health care.

“Health is complicated because people need access to health care WHEN they need it.

“We know there are still thousands of people on the wait list for a family doctor. The only real action taken in the last calendar year was a CASA commitment, to open a walk-in clinic.

“So really, people are still trying to access primary health care, and that’s problematic.”

She noted the work to create the health authority has raised questions about how pensions, leave, private health care coverage and more will be affected.