Photo by Whitehorse Star
Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon
Dixon announces Yukon Party caucus critic roles
Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon today announced the critic roles for the official Opposition.
Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon today announced the critic roles for the official Opposition.
Stacey Hassard will remain leader of the official Opposition in the legislative assembly and will take on the new role of critic for Ethics and Accountability in addition to his role as critic for Highways and Public Works.
Scott Kent will remain house leader and will take on the role of critic for Yukon Energy Corp. and Yukon Development Corp. in addition to his roles as critic for Education and Energy, Mines and Resources.
Brad Cathers, who challenged Dixon for the leadership decided in May, will remain deputy house leader and will take on the new role of critic for Finance and Fiscal Sustainability.
He will retain his critic roles for Democratic Institutions, Justice, Protective Services, and Agriculture.
Cathers will also be moving onto the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. That’s the primary committee responsible for scrutinizing government spending and Auditor General reports.
Geraldine Van Bibber will take on the role as critic of the Executive Council Office, Public Service Commission, and Women’s Directorate while maintaining her critic role for Community Services.
Wade Istchenko will take on the new role of critic for Tourism and Economic Recovery while keeping his roles for the Yukon Liquor Corp., Yukon Lottery Commission, and Environment.
Patti McLeod will take on the new role of critic for Housing and Land Development while maintaining her roles for Health and Social Services, and the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board.
McLeod will also take on the critic role for the French Language Services Directorate.
“Since 2016, the Yukon Party caucus has demonstrated that they are the strongest official opposition that Yukon has ever seen,” said Dixon, who is not an MLA.
“They have successfully held the Liberal government to account, exposed their chronic indecision, and highlighted their lack of leadership continuously throughout this mandate.”
In the past few years, Dixon added, the government has developed a number of undemocratic tendencies and in recent months has abused its authority by giving themselves broad new powers, doubling the territory’s debt limit to $800 million, and increasing spending without any opposition oversight.
“Meanwhile, the economy has been devastated,” Dixon said.
“To address these issues, special critic roles have been created to allow for the official Opposition to appropriately hold the government to account going forward.
“While the Yukon Party has done an admirable job highlighting Liberal mismanagement, the growing abuse of power and disrespect for democracy by the Liberals needs to be further scrutinized,” added Dixon.
“Yukoners deserve accountability and our new critic roles will allow us to focus on what matters to Yukoners – the future economic and democratic health of our territory.”
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Comments (9)
Up 8 Down 1
Set the record straight on Jul 11, 2020 at 12:23 am
@sheepchaser not all retirees own all those things you say and take these exorbitant vacations annually. I think more than half are not as well off as you allude to.
Up 27 Down 27
Allan Stanley on Jul 8, 2020 at 9:49 am
Giving Pasloski's toadies new hats doesn't make them competent.
When is Dixon going to start bringing in new blood ?
Up 23 Down 24
Jordon of Porter Creek on Jul 7, 2020 at 7:50 pm
Gordon of Riverdale - Are you out of your gourd? It is not what happens in a Pandemic it is what was manufactured within the Pandemic. The Pandemic provided the opportunity and the cover to facilitate the destructive redistributive processes of a neoliberal economic regime, the socialist utopia brought to you by your politico myopia.
But hey, have a Coke and a smile and STFUP!
Up 28 Down 16
Mad Trapper of Riverdale on Jul 7, 2020 at 5:19 pm
The government needs oversight badly and hopefully this change will wake up the opposition. Especially happy to see Wade on the tourism file, maybe he can find the AWOL tourism minister and figure out what her department actually does.
Up 24 Down 30
woodcutter on Jul 7, 2020 at 4:49 pm
Economic devastation...lol, that's rich. Besides a few zombie businesses, I have never seen it so busy. So busy that we have warnings from the largest lumber supplier and their competition, that a shortage of building materials is expected.
Finally, the Yukon Party has found its niche, critics, cause anyone can be a critic, however to govern, well, their track record speaks for itself. Better to stay in oppositions there folks, at least long enough to get your fully indexed pension.
Up 35 Down 35
Gordon of Riverdale on Jul 7, 2020 at 1:55 pm
“Meanwhile, the economy has been devastated,” Dixon said.
That's what happens in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC
Up 32 Down 20
Sheepchaser on Jul 7, 2020 at 9:16 am
“They have successfully held the Liberal government to account, exposed their chronic indecision, and highlighted their lack of leadership continuously throughout this mandate.”
That’s far too generous. Holding a government to account requires more than just enraging the already enraged on Wastebook, et al.
Where is the exposure of internal documents? The protection for whistle blowers? Where are the criminal investigations for fraud and breach of trust?
Regardless of who is in government, it certainly seems like the only people who ever get fired from YG are those who care enough about the citizens they serve to let everyone know just how incompetent the leadership is. That’s not healthy and it tells you most of what you need to know about the internal culture.
To that end, my personal opinion is that the Yukon Party and Liberal Party are only qualified to manage the decline of our society. It’s what the boomers do best, after all. It will take a much more radical re-imagining of our systems and structures to energize the average future citizen with a feeling that they can work towards a bright future.
At present, we look down the barrel of laughably overpriced houses, lifelong debt and a crumbling social safety net that will be bankrupt by the time anyone currently under the age of forty reaches the ‘age of entitlement.’ While current retirees somehow own second homes, jet boats and vacation somewhere warm in the winter but still get government cheques? Give your heads a shake, folks.
Where are the real leaders? How much longer do we have to put up with the most selfish generation to ever pillage the earth, ignore evidence, and judge all others as unworthy?
If we leave these clowns in charge, they will continue to divide and conquer us with petty identity politics while maintaining their power.
Up 43 Down 45
Snowman on Jul 6, 2020 at 7:52 pm
Who cares. It's all the same crew recycled from the Pasloski government anyways. Even their leader now.
Up 40 Down 48
EG on Jul 6, 2020 at 3:52 pm
Mini-Paz should worry about getting elected before he whines about the pandemic spending. If his people were in charge we'd be in a much bigger mess. All things considered, Sandy's crew has gotten us through this pretty well so far. Tax payers fully understand the weight of the debt we are facing but a pandemic isn't really something you can build up a war chest for.