The Yukon Liberal Party nominated two more election candidates Thursday night, complementing two more nominations earlier this week.

Christie Richardson secured the seat in Riverdale North, while Cully Robinson will represent the party in Whitehorse West.

Robinson was originally up against Louis-Roch Gagnon for the Whitehorse West nomination, but Gagnon pulled out of the race on Tuesday.

He told the Star this morning that putting pressure on constituents to sign up for the Liberal party was not his "style”.

Gagnon said he was getting a lot of support by going door to door, especially from the francophone community.

"But jumping into a political party is a big leap for some people,” he said.

He almost felt like he was selling a "time-share in Florida” to Whitehorse West residents, he added.

Gagnon said spending 30 minutes at each door, with 300 or 400 doors to visit, was a bit of an overwhelming task.

That was especially true with the short time frame he had to work with, and the fact that he wanted to visit each household twice, he continued.

Gagnon said he's not done with politics, although he doesn't have any immediate plans.

Robinson, a former teacher and principal, is now up against Elaine Taylor, the deputy premier and Minister of Tourism and Culture, in the riding

Robinson did not return phone calls from the Star this morning. An NDP candidate has yet to be announced.

Richardson will run against the Yukon Party's Scott Kent and the Green Party's Kirstina Calhoun in Riverdale North. Either Peter Lesniak or Dave Blottner will represent the NDP in the same riding.

Downtown business owner Patrick Singh was nominated as the Liberal candidate in Whitehorse Centre.

"I am honoured to have been nominated as the Yukon Liberal Party candidate for the downtown area,” Singh said. "I look forward to talking to voters in the coming weeks and throughout the election.”

In his acceptance speech, Singh highlighted his small business experience and the Liberals' balanced approach to economic development and environmental protection.

"Yukoners will have a clear choice to make in the coming election,” he said. "We will focus on helping small businesses succeed.

"The other parties have one-sided priorities that leave too many people on the sidelines. The ‘us against them' thinking only divides people.”

Singh said he is now preparing for the campaign ahead.

"We need to create a climate where we work together for the betterment of our riding, our community and our territory,” he said. "That project starts today, and I will work tirelessly to make this happen.”

People are our greatest resource, Singh said.

"Yukoners are unique. We are very individualistic, yet we possess tremendous pride of place and belief in our collective strength,” he said.

"We can not sit back passively and expect to see the change we desire. It is up to us to get involved. ‘They' will never fix things – we can.”

Singh attempted to become the Liberals' candidate for the Dec. 13, 2010 byelection in the riding, but lost the nomination to Kirk Cameron.

Cameron and Yukon Party candidate Mike Nixon lost the byelection to NDP Leader Liz Hanson.

Nixon is running for a Porter Creek seat this fall, but Cameron has said business commitments will keep him on the electoral sidelines.

Cherish Clarke was nominated Wednesday evening as the Liberal candidate for the riding of Takhini-Kopper King in this fall's election.

Clarke accepted the nomination in front of a standing-room-only crowd of supporters at a meeting held at party headquarters.

"I am thrilled the Yukon Liberal Party has placed its confidence in me, and I look forward to the campaign ahead,” she said.

"We will be putting forward a balanced agenda and platform for voters to consider and we believe the public will respond favourably to it.”

Clarke obtained her bachelor of science degree in 2007 and is employed as an IT professional at the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board.

Going door-to-door in the riding, Clarke said, she found the future of McIntyre Creek is a big issue on the minds of voters.

"The Yukon Party has done nothing to protect the creek during its nine years in office and residents are concerned about the future of this important area,” she said.

"Don Inverarity, the MLA for Porter Creek South, has been a strong defender of protecting the creek from development and I will be as well.

"The Yukon Party, and its ‘development at all costs approach,' certainly doesn't bode well for the future of this important wilderness corridor.”

Born and raised in Whitehorse, Clarke is a member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation and a member of the Wolf (yanyedi) clan.

The election must be called by mid-October.

See editorial.

By Nadine Sander-Green

Star Reporter