Where the other leaders focused on fostering good relationships with First Nations governments, the premier talked about opportunities for Yukoners more broadly in his speech to the Yukon First Nations Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.

And some who attended the lunch-hour talk said that was unfortunate.

“At the very beginning of our luncheon series, there was a very strong focus towards building that relationship with First Nations. Today, we never really got connected in that same sense,” said Peter Johnston, the grand chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations.

The premier spoke about supporting small businesses and creating jobs for Yukoners in general, but said little about building relationships with First Nations people and governments, said Johnston. It’s these relationships, the grand chief stressed, that are key to a prosperous Yukon.

“Each mine is in the back yard of a traditional territory of a particular First Nation and First Nation governments, regardless of whether they’re recognized under the agreements,” said Johnston.

The grand chief said he wants assurance that his citizens will be offered jobs and training, and will be involved in planning.

“Unfortunately, it was not a lot of focus to Yukon First Nations,” he said.

Darrell Pasloski’s speech was in stark contrast to the Liberal leader’s last week. Sandy Silver laid out several concrete plans to involve First Nations governments in the decision-making process.

For one, he promised to meet with all Yukon First Nations chiefs in his first 30 days in office.

For another, he vowed once again to accept the recommendations made by the Peel Watershed Planning Commission in 2011, which would protect 80 per cent of the Peel region from oil, gas and mineral developments.

The current Yukon government wants to develop a much larger portion of the Peel, First Nations and Environmental groups want the watershed preserved.

Pasloski made no mention in his speech of the Peel, the fight over which has moved all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Nor did he mention Bill S-6 – changes to the Yukon Environmental Assessment Act that were made by the Harper government, and supported by Pasloski’s government.

Three First Nations governments said S-6 violated their land claim agreements, and filed a lawsuit in the Yukon Supreme Court.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said the federal Liberals would repeal Bill S-6 this fall.

Eric Fairclough, chief of Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation, was at Thursday’s luncheon.

He expressed disappointment over the omission of Bill S-6 from the premier’s speech. Little Salmon-Carmacks is one of the three First Nations plaintiffs in the S-6 court case.

“There is a record that the Yukon Party has over their years in leading the government of Yukon and some of them have not been so good when it comes to First Nations relations, particularly when it comes to the amendment of the Environmental Assessment Act,” he said.

“Of course, there was no mention of that.”

It’s good, said Fairclough, a former NDP and Liberal MLA, that the Yukon Party wants to work with First Nations development corporations, but it’s not enough.

“There’s not a deep enough recognition about how much First Nations contribute to the economy in the Yukon,” he said.

“The government needs to be working more in involving First Nations into those types of decision-making.” 

In his luncheon speech, Silver said he would hold Yukon Forums, meetings of Yukon and First Nations government leaders, “up to four times a year.”

This suggests the Liberals would organize the forums more often that the Yukon Party, which has held one Yukon Forum every other year since 2012.

When asked whether he would schedule Yukon Forums more frequently if re-elected this fall, Pasloski said that “what’s even equally or more important is informal conversations that happen,” and that, “we don’t send out a press release every time we pick up the phone and we talk amongst ourselves.”

To media afterward, Pasloski said his speech to the chamber was intentionally centred on business.

“The theme of my speech was about our clear vision for the future and how together we can continue to grow an economy that creates jobs for Yukoners, keeps life affordable for Yukoners,” he said.

The premier raised the carbon tax in his talk. It’s an issue that’s sure to generate heat in the upcoming election.

“There is no single issue that will have a larger negative impact on your business or your community than a carbon tax.”

He said such a levy will make the cost of living and building in the territory more expensive, thus making it harder of local companies to compete against bigger ones from the Outside.

“Both of the leaders you have already hosted at these lunches are committed to bringing in a carbon tax,” he said in reference to Silver and the NDP’s Liz Hanson.

The premier asserted that he’s the only one who will stand up to Ottawa on this issue, despite numerous reports that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intends to place a minimum price on carbon nationally ahead of the United Nations climate conference in November.

Pasloski appealed to small business owners in the room:

“I raised my children while balancing the demands of my clients and customers,” he said.

“I have lived through tough times when you wonder where the money to pay all the bills is going to come from. I’ve laid awake at night, wondering how I am going to protect the jobs of my dedicated employees.”

His experiences, he said, have given him “a great deal of respect” for small-business people.

The premier made a number of campaign promises not directly aimed at First Nations, but at Yukoners in general.

If re-elected, he would build a long-awaited redundant fiber optic line up the Dempster Highway, he said.

He promised incentives to spur growth in the IT sector, but did not get into detail.

He pointed to a recent deal with the Yukon’s Total North and Northwestel Inc. to bring faster Internet to government buildings and schools in Carmacks, Watson Lake and Teslin as an example of his government’s commitment to improve connectivity in the territory.

“When the children in those communities benefit from high-speed Internet in the schools and when seniors can see faraway specialists on telehealth consults, we will know we have succeeded,” he said.

He promised to overhaul the procurement process and adopt all 37 recommendations that came out of a critical report by a procurement review panel in May.

Pasloski ended by saying that he had done some learning in his last five years in office.

“Life is like business,” he said.

“You set out with excitement and bold intentions. Along the way, reality kicks in and you find yourself facing challenges you never expected.

“That was me five years ago, and it will be the same for anyone else that sits in this chair for the first time.”

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