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Liz Hanson and Sandy Silver

Sitting concludes; election countdown begins

The last sitting of the 33rd Yukon Legislative Assembly wrapped up Thursday, but with a territorial election looming,

By Sidney Cohen on May 27, 2016

The last sitting of the 33rd Yukon Legislative Assembly wrapped up Thursday, but with a territorial election looming, work is hardly over for most of the territory’s 19 MLAs.

While Yukoners will have the summer to reflect on their elected representatives, the three major parties must prepare for an election – the outcome of which is far from predictable.

Thursday’s final day saw MLAs pass the 2016-17 budget.

It also saw the Yukon Party government touting its accomplishments (that “this government has no net debt” was a refrain heard often from the premier this sitting, and he repeated it again twice yesterday).

The NDP, meanwhile, pointed to the Yukon’s economy which, under this government, has seen three straight years of decline.

The NDP pilloried the Yukon Party government for its “tired and out of touch agenda” in a statement on the end of the sitting.

The official Opposition party said the Yukon Party government missed its chance to strengthen relationships with the territory’s First Nations governments and held up Bill S-6 as a major government fumble.

S-6 contained four contentious amendments that First Nations governments said defied their land claim agreements and disrespected the Umbrella Final Agreement.

Changes to S-6 were made in consideration of recommendations from the Pasloski government.

During her visit to the Yukon in April, Carolyn Bennett, the minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, announced the federal government would repeal the four controversial S-6 amendments.

“Premier Darrell Pasloski and the Yukon Party government have failed to mend fences with Yukon’s First Nation governments by choosing courtrooms over the negotiation table on issues like the Peel Watershed land use plan and the government’s unilateral amendments to Bill S-6,” the NDP said in its statement.

The New Democrats said they will continue to push for diversifying the economy through expanding renewable energy and information technology sectors.

Once again, the NDP came out vehemently against hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” in the House yesterday and in its statement on the end of the sitting. It called on the government to make known its intentions for oil and gas extraction in the Yukon.

“Yukoners don’t want fracking; Yukon First Nation governments don’t want it; it can’t be proven safe; and even with the Yukon Party government subsidizing the industry, it wouldn’t benefit Yukon financially,” NDP MLA Lois Moorcroft said during question period.

“The Yukon NDP has been clear in our support of a moratorium on fracking in Yukon, and Yukoners want to know where their elected representatives stand.”

On this point, Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Scott Kent said the government supports shale gas development in the Liard Basin, but said it would not go ahead without support from the Liard First Nation.

The Liberals too shone a light on the Yukon’s shrinking economy, and denounced the Yukon Party for trying to “buy Yukoners’ hearts and minds” with the territorial budget, in its statement.

“A look at the long-term plan shows a spike in capital spending that drops off dramatically after the next election,” said Liberal Leader Sandy Silver. 

“What the territory needs is a consistent project building schedule that ensures local contractors receive the lion’s share of the work, and keeps dollars in Yukon.”

Silver said the government increased spending and reduced its surplus over the last two years “to try and buy votes.”

Regulating midwifery in the territory, making tourism data collection more transparent and the frequent comings and goings of deputy ministers were some of the issues championed by Silver this sitting.

The Klondike MLA said he was disappointed that Dawson City did not get a new recreation centre during this government’s mandate, nor did it see its airport’s runway paved.

Silver was absent from the legislature Thursday to attend the annual national Liberal convention, which began at noon Thursday in Winnipeg (see brief, p. 3).

The Yukon Party issued a news release about Silver’s absence, in which Pasloski “challenged Liberal Leader Sandy Silver’s priorities,” and started the twitter hashtag, #PuttingYukoners2nd.

But it wasn’t all barbs and jabs.

During this sitting, the government passed a new Student Financial Assistance Act, which opens up access to grant money for more Yukon students seeking post-secondary education (see story, p. 5).

It also ensured that parents of young children can continue to claim tax credits for enrolling their kids in extracurricular sports and arts programs.

“The Yukon Party will continue to stand for Yukoners on issues that matter to them,” Pasloski said in a Yukon Party news release sent out Thursday.

“We will work to avoid deficits, maintain our no-net-debt status, oppose a carbon tax, care for Yukoners, and, now more than ever, stand up for our resource industry.”

See related story below; leaders’ commentaries, pages 15, 17.

Comments (6)

Up 6 Down 1

Recently retired on Jun 1, 2016 at 6:51 pm

@Wilf aka The truth hurts - Wilf you used to brag about being some kind of financial manager at Northwestel in the Revenue dept. back in the 80s I believe. Two of us with more than 30 years of service apiece at Northwestel never heard of you before. I find that strange as everybody used to know everybody back in the day. What about that truth Wilf?

Up 16 Down 18

ProScience Greenie on May 29, 2016 at 8:30 pm

Anyone but the NDP and we'll be fine here in the Yukon.

Up 20 Down 41

When the truth hurts on May 28, 2016 at 2:14 pm

Sandy Silver has no interest in the Yukon only his political career. Yukon is only a steping stone onto the big Ottawa stage.
NDP don't listen very well or they just don't get our and the world's economics or the impact of the Yukon.
NDP and liberals have not put forth one original idea on the economy of the Yukon.
No creditability with voters.
Build a rec plex Sandy states, pave the airport, stop the special senior care home and let senior suffer.
The Peel use plan became political and it was done wrong because of that situation, the same as the fracking comment.
NDP does not get it. IT is not a big industry in the Yukon and might get larger but we are competing with over 30 others that are much more advanced than the Yukon.
She also points to expanding renewable energy. What is renewable energy and what is she going to do with it.
Far as fracking goes, we need an independent body with no politicians or government employees to complete an independent report on the fracking.
Talk to the President of the University of Cape Breton first.
The present very left wing President of the US has spent billions on studying fracking and found there is nothing wrong with and is promoting it himself.
Drop in capital spending is because of the Federal Liberals cutting funds to the Yukon Government and no increases which adds up over the years.
Now you have the liberals in Ottawa telling Yukoners where how we are going to invest our infrastructure money
So the claw backs means over $60 million per year the Yukon Government has to spend on infrastructure. Sandy supports this type of action. Sandy talks about a building schedule that is consistent. That is what the Yukon Party has done and is doing.
Local contractors get the lion share while the liberal mayor gives the work to outside firms.
Sandy Silver liberals and NDP's lack of knowledge in any kind of development by these statements are very dangerous for Yukon's future, economy, infrastructure.
Liberals and NDP do not understand moderate day infrastructure planning models and refuse to listen to people in the know.
Liberals and NDP are showing how incompetent they really are because investing in infrastructure you look at models from social, economic and a domestic point of view to build a balanced economy, maximum impact of public.
Yukon Party stands for what matters to Yukoners.

Up 30 Down 6

William Allen on May 27, 2016 at 10:45 pm

All of the new hospitals, water treatment and sewage plants need a good look at. Poor engineering in all of the new buildings are in need of more work, look into that.

Up 39 Down 8

Arn Anderson on May 27, 2016 at 9:26 pm

NDP points out 3 years of decline....Secretly they can do much better and make it a decade.

Up 40 Down 13

June Jackson on May 27, 2016 at 8:26 pm

I'm glad Mr. Pasloski took time to make this lengthy commentary..it's been cold in the Yukon last few days and we needed some hot air.

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