A former Whitehorse mayor is among three Yukoners appointed to the territory’s first-ever Independent Commission on Electoral Reform.

They are ex-mayor Bev Buckway, chair Jessica Lott Thompson and Jean-Sébastien Blais.

The announcement was made Monday.

The commission is responsible for investigating and assessing options on three main areas of electoral reform:

• the system we use to elect the territorial government;

• the ways Yukoners participate in democracy both during and between elections; and

• how territorial political parties and elected officials operate before, during and after elections.

The commission’s work will also be informed by the priorities of Yukoners as identified through a public engagement on electoral reform that took place in the fall of 2018, the government said in a statement.

The commission will receive administrative and research support to carry out its mandate from the Electoral Reform Secretariat.

The Secretariat is comprised of public servants who will receive their guidance and direction from the commission.

The commission will be responsible for setting its own work schedule in order to provide a final report with recommendations by Jan. 31, 2020.

Lott Thompson is the director of the Yukon Human Rights Commission, president of the Yukon branch of the Canadian Bar Association, and holds an LL.M. Master of Laws in Constitutional Law. 

She is a former criminal prosecutor, has worked as an international election observer and is an experienced mediator.

Buckway is the former executive director of the Association of Yukon Communities.

She served as the mayor of Whitehorse from 2006 to 2012 and as a Whitehorse city councillor from 2003 to 2006.

She holds a Master of Arts in Professional Communication and her experience includes executive governance roles on a number of local, territorial, and national bodies.

Blais is the president of the Commission Scolaire Francophone du Yukon and a policy analyst with the Yukon Housing Corp.

He has served as the vice-president of the Association franco-yukonnaise. He holds a Master of Arts in Political Science and is a joint-author of a published article on governance innovation.

This past spring, the Yukon Party and New Democrats criticized Premier Sandy Silver for making the appointments unilaterally, as opposed to having the legislature determine the commission’s makeup.

Silver said he had consulted with both parties’ representatives, and accused the parties of wanting to exert control over the process.

It’s not ciear if any of the recommendations will be accepted and implemented in time for the 2021 election.

“Thank you to the commission members for offering their valuable time, passion and energy to further improve our democracy,” Silver said Monday.

“I am very pleased to have three qualified and respected leaders from our territory to take on the important and complex task of working with Yukoners on their priorities for electoral reform.

“I look forward to receiving the final report with recommendations for how to strengthen Yukon’s democratic systems.”

Lott Thompson also commented.

“The Independent Commission on Electoral Reform is keenly aware of this responsibility and the historic importance of our inquiry into the fundamental elements of our democratic system in Yukon; as well as the essential need for our inquiry and engagement process to be broad, robust, open, transparent, inclusive, and accessible,” she said.

“We will exercise our duties with care, diligence and impartiality, on behalf of all Yukoners.”

The selection process hasn’t impressed Brad Cathers, the Yukon Party’s critic of democratic institutions.

Speaking to the Star Tuesday afternoon, the MLA expressed concern that the Liberals are stacking the deck on the commission. He said this is contrary to the premier’s promise to appoint non-partisan candidates.

“This is very clearly the opposite of what he (Silver) promised,” Cathers said.

He specifically pointed out that Blais has clear ties to the federal Liberals, through donations and serving four years as a policy chair.

According to Blais’ LinkedIn profile, he has been a Liberal policy chair since October 2014.

Cathers also pointed out that Lott Thompson had made donations to the federal NDP over several years.

Buckway, meanwhile, is the sister of former territorial Liberal cabinet minister Pam Buckway, who served in ex-premier Pat Duncan’s government from 2000 to 2002.

Cathers clarified that these are not criticisms of each appointee personally, as they are free to associate with any party they choose.

“This is not about the people,” Cathers said.

He said his criticism stems from the structure of the selection process.

He emphasized that democracy belongs to Yukoners, and not a party which received less than 50 per cent of the vote in the November 2016 election.

– With a file from Gord Fortin