The Liberal government’s capital budgeting falls well short of record-setting, the Yukon Party says.

“During a public hearing of the standing committee on public accounts, government officials confirmed that the territorial Liberal government struggles to manage capital projects and left $94 million unspent,” the party said last Wednesday.

“The committee heard the territorial Liberals budgeted a total of $437.3 million for capital projects in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The actual amount spent during the fiscal year was $343.3 million – far below the ‘record-setting’ capital budget that was promised,” the YP said.

“Contractors, First Nations, municipalities, and Yukoners plan for the season based on the expenditures outlined in the capital budget each year,” said Stacey Hassard, the party’s Highways and Public Works critic.

“The past few years we have seen numerous projects that Yukoners are relying on to address critical issues delayed, over budget, or left incomplete due to government delays, cancellations, or a lack of oversight.

“Yukoners are growing frustrated as this Liberal government fails to deliver on their promises,” Hassard added.

The official Opposition urged the government to identify seasonally dependent infrastructure projects and develop a process to award contracts before the building season opens.

“This would enable the contracting community to enter the spring hiring season knowing some of projects they will have on the go for the upcoming construction season, and keep projects on time and on budget,” the party said.

The cabinet communications staff had this response to the Yukon Party’s points.

“Despite the impacts of labour and supply chain challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yukon government spent more than $343 million on capital projects in 2021-22,” staff said in a statement.

“This amount is lower than the $434 million budgeted in 2021-22 budget (not $437, as alleged by the Yukon Party), but reasonably high given the strong headwinds of the pandemic, and represents a nine-per-cent increase over the previous year.”

These capital projects, the statement said, “have kept Yukoners and Yukon businesses busy and contributed to the strongest economy in the country.

“In 2021, the Yukon led the country with GDP growth at 10 per cent and had the lowest unemployment rate in the country. The record capital spending over the past several years has been necessary to address the extreme infrastructure deficit left by the previous Yukon Party government.”

During the Yukon Party’s last year in office (2016), when Hassard was the minister of Highways and Public Works and Economic Development, the statement said, that government budgeted $312.8 million for capital spending – and lapsed $74.2 million.

“That year, the Yukon went into a recession. The territory has enjoyed economic growth every year since the Yukon Liberals formed government, and we continue to have the fastest-growing economy in the country,” the statement said.