Yukoners want civility and respect in their legislative assembly, not another look at electoral reform, says a $124,000-report delivered Wednesday by former commissioner Ken McKinnon.

The lifelong Yukoner was hired by the Yukon Party to study electoral reform.

He explained in a briefing that elected members of the assembly already know their constituents are not interested in entertaining a different system of democratic representation.

First nations, he said, are particularly not interested in entertaining the issue of electoral reform because it may raise the question of how Old Crow can have its own elected representative with such a small population base.

He said the leadership of the Council of Yukon First Nations puts electoral reform at about 999th out of 1,000 on a scale of priorities.

Rather, Yukoners want their MLAs to consider a code of conduct for behaviour in the legislative assembly, as well as other issues that fit under the umbrella of legislative renewal. An example is a fixed date for territorial elections, without any cat-and-mousing around, McKinnon explained.

'They were not concerned about how people got elected to the Yukon legislature but they were incredibly concerned about how they act once they got there,' McKinnon told reporters.

'Every time we knocked on the door, we were told, We do not like the way you act,'' the former Conservative MLA said of how Yukoners view their elected representatives.

'We want you people to treat each other with civility and respect, and we are not seeing that,'' is how he described some feedback.

Other provinces and countries have looked at electoral reform, so that the make-up of their legislative assemblies more accurately reflects the proportion of votes cast in a general election.

In the Yukon, for instance, the Liberal party received 29 per cent of the popular vote in the 2002 territorial election but came away with one lone seat. Yet the New Democrats took home five seats with 27 per cent of the popular vote.

Investigating electoral reform was a commitment made by the Yukon Party government during its 2002 election campaign.

McKinnon pointed out there are a number of reasons why jurisdictions look at electoral reform aside from the issue of proportional representation.

It's believed reform can stimulate greater voter turnout, particularly among young voters, and increase gender and racial distribution among elected representatives.

The Yukon, said the former commissioner appointed 19 years ago by then-Tory prime minister Brian Mulroney, is already the envy of Canada when it comes to voter turnout and gender and racial distribution.

The success harks back to the mid-1970s, when former Yukon Supreme Court justice Harry Maddison headed two electoral boundary commissions. And the work has continued.

For the 2002 territorial election, as a result of a electoral boundary review, several boundary changes were made, the riding of Riverside was eliminated, a third riding for Porter Creek was added, and Whitehorse West was split into two. The result was a net increase in the legislative assembly of one seat, from 17 to 18.

Premier Dennis Fentie said this morning he did agree with McKinnon's report that there is no need for electoral reform, that the territory's electoral system is in good shape.

'We have a good system; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'

And the premier accepts McKinnon's recommendation that its now time to look at legislative renewal, including a code of conduct for members of the assembly.

Fentie said as a member of the legislature, he has to share the blame for what can be unbecoming behaviour in the house.

'We spend a lot of time in the legislative assembly in endless discourse of nothing,' he said. He did assert that Yukon Party Speaker Ted Staffen has certainly improved the situation.

Fentie hinted an official response to McKinnon's report could come as early as this afternoon's sitting of the legislature.

McKinnon said the exercise in legislative renewal need not start back in the Stone Ages. A good starting point, he said, would be the Democratic Reform Act tabled last fall by the NDP.

The act recommends several areas for review, including a set date for territorial elections, a system B.C. has, guidelines of qualifications for the appointment of MLAs to cabinet, as well as a myriad of other areas.

Opposition Leader Todd Hardy has reminded the house this week that if deputy premier Peter Jenkins owed the City of Dawson money like his company owes the territorial government, he would not be able to seek municipal office.

Companies owned and operated by Jenkins are among several which have refused to repay money loaned by the government to help build their businesses.

The NDP bill also recommends the creation of an all-party committee to make appointments to boards and committees.

McKinnon said such a committee would go a long way in doing away with suspicions about the validity of an appointment.

He told reporters he would have loved the opportunity to appear before the legislature to defend his appointment as senior advisor on electoral reform.

It would do away with the 'good ol' boys' club' appearance, said McKinnon, a former member of the territorial council that predates today's legislature.

Recent appointments, like that of short-lived Conservative premier Willard Phelps as chair of the Yukon Development Corp. and Yukon Energy, have come under fire with suspicions of political nepotism.

'I think all three parties know it is time to act on legislative renewal,' McKinnon said.

It was expected Hardy would table today a revised version of his renewal bill tabled last fall to more closely reflect McKinnon's comments and recommendations, NDP spokesman Ken Bolton indicated at noon.

Hardy raised McKinnon's work early in this afternoon's question period. He calculates the report's cost at $5,000 per page, and wondered if Fentie believes the document has proved good value for taxpayers.