While 2006 may have featured the election of the first back-to-back majority government since 1989, the number of politicians' personal stories may prove to be what the year is remembered for.

Former NDP MLAs Eric Fairclough and Gary McRobb were ousted from the party in March after leader Todd Hardy learned they had been in discussions with the Liberals about running on that party's banner in the pending territorial election.

Both men did eventually join the Liberal party, robbing the NDP of its official Opposition status and upping the Grits' numbers to four seats in the assembly.

Soon after the move, the NDP tabled legislation to amend the Legislative Assembly Act to make it impossible for an MLA who ran under a party's banner in a territorial election to cross the floor to sit with another party without first going back to the voters.

The move created spirited debate in the legislature, described by many of the MLAs as one of the ugliest and touchiest they've seen in their political careers.

But the dance along the political spectrum continued later in the year.

After growing speculation Yukon Party cabinet minister John Edzerza had grown dissatisfied with his caucus, openly declaring himself a 'free agent' in March, he handed Premier Dennis Fentie his resignation in August.

Hours later, he held a press conference to declare he intended to seek re-election in his McIntyre-Takhini riding as an NDP candidate.

On Oct. 10, his riding's constituents did return him to office in a six-vote margin against Liberal candidate Ed Schultz.

Meanwhile, the three female politicians in the legislature Elaine Taylor, Pat Duncan and Lorraine Peter formed the first nonpartisan women's caucus in the Yukon's history. They tabled a motion that changed the legislative assembly's hours to 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The intent is to give the elected representatives more time at home with their families, and was a move that attracted attention throughout much of the country.

Duncan, a longtime advocate for the challenges faced by women politicians, later decided she would not run again for election after a decade-long career in politics.

The former premier cited wanting to spend more time with her children and health concerns as reasons for her departure from the political arena.

Meanwhile, Klondike MLA Peter Jenkins also decided not to put his name forward for the Oct. 10 election.

Jenkins, a former Health minister and deputy premier, had left the Yukon Party in November 2005 to sit as an independent after a conflict with his caucus over the status of his more-than $308,000 in unpaid government loans.

He spent his remaining year in the house drilling his former colleagues about the government's stance on issues ranging from bans on smoking to the Dawson City sewage treatment system.

Outside the assembly, a court order forced Jenkins to repay his debt. An agreement with the collector saw him pay $281,000 in March.

Jenkins cited health and business concerns as his reasons for not returning to political office.

On the floor of the legislature, Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Archie Lang was put into the hot seat about his outside interests in Devilhole Outfitters and any involvement he had in the development of the controversial big game outfitters land policy.

Community Services Minister Glenn Hart also came under fire for his holdings in the Meadow Lakes golf course, whose other principals successfully sought city approval to develop an adjacent country residential subdivision.

Under the direction of Conflicts Commissioner David Jones, Hart ceased to respond to any questions regarding land. As well, he was no longer involved in any discussions regarding the development process, planning, zoning or approval of development.

The politician who perhaps experienced the most formidable challenge of the year became Hardy, 49, when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and medevaced to Vancouver in August.

Despite a bedside visit with the premier, doctors' briefings and public statements that the NDP leader would like the pending territorial election to be delayed until he could return to the territory, Fentie still dropped the writ on Sept. 10.

Hardy remained sidelined for much of the election, still in Vancouver receiving chemotherapy and conducting press conferences by speaker phone.

He returned to the territory on Sept. 29 for the final days of the campaign, but despite the rally, the NDP only managed to secure three seats in the election.

Hardy now remains in Vancouver, having received a stem cell transplant from his sister in November. It's hoped he will be able to return to the territory in late February and take his seat in the legislative assembly.

Despite his illness, Hardy's Whitehorse Centre constituents convincingly returned him to the legislature. He took 47 per cent of the vote and 357 ballots.

All the incumbent MLAs seeking office again were returned, except for Peter and Dean Hassard, who had moved to Whitehorse from his Pelly-Nisutlin riding and sought a seat in Liberal stronghold Porter Creek South.

Four new MLAs joined the legislative assembly in the results that saw the Yukon Party take 40 per cent of the popular vote.

Don Inverarity and Darius Elias joined the Liberal caucus representing Porter Creek South and Vuntut Gwitchin, respectively. Inverarity defeated Hassard by just six votes.

On the government side, Marion Horne and Steve Nordick took the seats for Pelly-Nisutlin and Klondike.

The 10-seat Yukon Party majority government saw Horne join the caucus as Justice minister and Southern Lakes MLA Patrick Rouble become Education minister.

Questions regarding the education reform project and the amendments to the Education Act continued to mount throughout the year.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act also passed through the legislature with an investigative office opening in Whitehorse with the goal of helping shut down drug houses throughout the territory.

Legislation also passed through the house that allowed deeply indebted Dawson City to hold a municipal election after spending two years without a mayor or council.

The Yukon government had removed the municipal government from the city in April 2004, after it was found to be $4.3 million in debt.

A bail-out package for the town was also unveiled this past spring, which included $3.43 million in government debt relief and 25 years to pay off the remaining $1.5 million.

Changes were also made to the Income Tax Act to put $4.3 million back into the pockets of Yukoners.

The amendments are aimed at increasing several of the nonrefundable tax credits.

The biggest piece of legislation, however, remained the 2006-07 budget. Tabled in March, the $793-million document again toppled previous budgets during the Yukon Party's mandate.

The Yukon budget had only hit the $600-million mark for the first time in the 2003/2004 fiscal year.

Despite the record spending, Fentie still asked for $105.6 million more when he tabled the supplementary budget in late November.

The biggest increase in the budget came from an additional $51.7 million flowing to the territory from Ottawa.

The transfers, announced in the federal budget, took the money from Ottawa to a total of $610 million in the Yukon's books.

The largest increase came from the $50-million Northern Housing Trust, established to increase the supply of affordable housing in the three territories, including rental, transitional and supportive housing.

It has been decided through the territorial government, and in partnership with first nations government at the Yukon Forum, that the money will be split.

First nations will receive $32.5 million, while the remaining $17.5 million will be used by the territory to build affordable housing, predominantly in Whitehorse.

The Yukon Forum also decided on 17 projects that will spend the first $10 million of the $40-million Northern Strategy trust.

The forum also established a working group to address land issues that may fall outside the Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment legislation.

The group will also be working on issues related to the implementation of the big game outfitter policy.

The feasibility study of the proposed Alaska-Canada rail link was completed this year, suggesting that a T-shaped route be constructed, which would see Carmacks become a hub.

The territory also received a new tourism slogan, declaring the Yukon is 'Larger than Life', and renovations to the Whitehorse International Airport began.

Questions and concerns continued to be raised over the year regarding the environment, health care and the government's use of sole-sourced contracts.

Incomplete reviews of the Children's Act, Workers' Compensation Act, Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and social assistance rates also came under fire by the opposition.

Meanwhile, the government announced it would be reopening the Thomson Centre as a long-term care facility. It also unveiled several programs directed at attracting health care professionals to the territory by offering incentives such as debt relief for young doctors.

A climate change strategy was finally released in September. Then, during the election campaign, the Yukon Party committed to building a climate change research centre in conjunction with Yukon College.

It also indicated its intention to establish more treatment programming and facilities to help those with substance abuse problems.

Addressing the labour shortage in the territory and the need for more individuals working in the skilled trades also became a priority, while the Yukon's unemployment rate sank to a historic low at 3.8 per cent.

The Yukon Party's second mandate will be up to five years long, ending in 2011.