Meetings in Ottawa are important to continue pressing the federal government for action following Parks Canada cuts, Tourism and Culture Minister Mike Nixon said today.

Nixon met with a number of federal ministers, including Environment Canada Minister Peter Kent, on Monday in Ottawa.

"It's just trying to get everybody on the same page and expressing how important the Parks Canada products are in the Yukon,” he said today in a telephone interview.

"If you remove a couple products like that in Ontario, there's not a significant impact. But if you do it in a smaller jurisdiction like ours, it has a greater impact.”

Cuts to guided tours of the SS Klondike and tours of any kind at Dredge No. 4 near Dawson City were among the most controversial impacts of federal budget reductions to Parks Canada made last year.

As for whether any more progress was made toward a solution, Nixon said these meetings were more about relationship building.

"(It's about) keeping a positive relationship with them and not showing up with your hair on fire. Just keep driving that message back to them,” he told the Star.

The federal government is aware of the concerns, Nixon said, adding that he has spoken with officials over the phone and has sent out letters on the matter.

"There's no new concern; the concern is one we all know about in the Yukon. The concerns are that there were cuts, that there was a potential impact on the services offered to tourists and there were cuts to jobs.

"Those are concerns that all Yukoners share. We wanted to keep bringing that message loud and clear to Ottawa and minister Kent, as they move forward to see what can be done to mitigate the issues.”

Nixon repeated a message first heard from Yukon MP Ryan Leef: that an announcement regarding the issues is expected later this month.

As for specific details of any plan, Nixon wasn't offering any. He said it should be a "win-win” for everyone involved.

"Just like any other decision, not everyone is going to support it,” he said. "But they understand, both Ryan and minister Kent understand, the impact that these can have on the Yukon.”

Concerns about the cuts were most recently in the news earlier this month, when the Star revealed a local couple is in the early stages of setting up a not-for-profit organization to help with the cuts' impact.

Donna and Mike Larsen have registered the group, Friends of the Klondike Corridor, with the territory's registrar of societies.

"I've got to wait and see what the message is coming from Ottawa before I can stand behind anything,” said Nixon.

"The group must have been in contact with minister Kent because he knew about them, which is to me a good sign,” Nixon said when asked if he would support such a group.

"I want them (the tourism sites) open; I want tours on there; if it's a group doing it, if it's Parks Canada doing it, that's what's important.”

Meanwhile, Klondike MLA Sandy Silver criticized the government for not putting more focus on the Parks Canada cuts during this visit to Ottawa.

The acting Liberal leader said he is disappointed Premier Darrell Pasloski didn't include the budget reductions on the agenda when he met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper this week in Ottawa. 

"For a government that says this is one of its top priorities, they sure have a funny way of showing it,” he said in a statement. 

"If anyone has the ability to reverse these cuts, it is the prime minister of the country.”

Silver also expressed disappointment in Nixon's meeting.

"Again, it is disappointing that this is the first time our minister of Tourism has actually had a face-to-face meeting with his federal Conservative colleague to discuss these cuts,” he said. 

"The tourism season is almost upon us, and up to this point, the entire lobby campaign from the Government of Yukon consisted of two letters and a promise to ‘find solutions to achieve the government of Canada's goal of fiscal responsibility.'”

Premier, other territorial ministers in Ottawa ....