Minister sparking dissent, YP charges
The controversy over the government’s First Nations Procurement Policy flared up again in the legislature last Thursday, during the opening day of the spring session.
The controversy over the government’s First Nations Procurement Policy flared up again in the legislature last Thursday, during the opening day of the spring session.
It resulted in an unusual and contentious clash between Richard Mostyn, the minister of Highways and Public Works, and the official Opposition Leader Stacey Hassard.
During question period, Hassard said, “Last December, the minister of Highways and Public Works told this house that he had conducted extensive consultations with the business community on the First Nation procurement policy.
“He even claimed that he had conducted one-on-one consultations with businesses before announcing the policy, yet he was unable to tell us a single company that he had actually spoken to.
“Since that time, the Yukon Contractors Association has written a letter to the minister indicating that the government did not consult the business community,” Hassard added.
“Now, we know that he has developed a reputation of fighting with industry and misrepresenting their views and the level of consultation that has taken place. As we have said, this isn’t the first time that this minister has been caught providing inaccurate information on important government files.”
The exchange between the two took on an odd note when Hassard said a few minutes later, “It has actually gotten so bad that we are now receiving reports from contractors that Liberal MLAs and ministers have started to disparage and blame this minister for his mishandling of this file.
“Not only has he alienated industry, he has now started to alienate his own party, as members of his own cabinet and caucus are complaining to constituents about him.”
Hassard asked Premier Sandy Silver to remove Mostyn from his position over the alleged mishandling of the file.
While the first question appeared to create some irritation in Mostyn, the suggestion of dissension within the Liberal caucus left him obviously rankled.
“Well, Mr. Speaker, again, I vehemently disagree with the characterizations made by the leader of the official Opposition this afternoon,” Mostyn said.
“It seems that the Yukon Party can’t help but stoke division in our territory; we’ve seen it for years. We have seen it on the Peel. We have seen it in the legal cases that they have lost. We see it in the inability of them to build the Teslin bridge in 2014, and here they are now — they’re trying to stoke division in this team.
“Well, this team is united, Mr. Speaker,” the minister said.
“My colleagues and I have worked so hard together, and I will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them any day.”
Silver didn’t respond to the demand for Mostyn’s removal from the portfolio.
On Monday, Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon mentioned the situation again while he was being questioned by reporters about that morning’s startling resignation of Don Hutton from the Liberal caucus.
Dixon said Hutton bolting the party is yet another sign of the dissension and fractures in the Liberal ranks.
“Mr. Hutton’s statements are a stunning indictment of the Liberal leadership,” Dixon said.
“We’ve known for some time this government is one that struggles to take action. It fits very much with some things we’ve heard recently about fissures within the Liberal caucus.
“We know that a number of Liberal MLAs and ministers have been overtly criticizing the minister of Highways and Public Works for his handling of the First Nations Procurement Policy,” Dixon added.
Comments (24)
Up 1 Down 0
Leonard on Mar 16, 2021 at 7:29 pm
@Potatoe Head, wow you sure can colour up a simple example with a bunch of what ifs. Let’s see what you can do with this one. YTG needs cedar lumber for their parks division. There are 4 bidders. Builders Supplyland, Kilrich Industries, Home Hardware Whitehorse, Home Hardware Watson Lake. Now there are only a few suppliers of cedar in western Canada so cost prices will be the same for all bidders. So each bidder has to figure out how tight they can bid. For sake of argument let’s say Kilrich bids with a 29% profit. The other 3 know it’s tight and bid with 10% profit. But as Kilrich is a First Nation company, they will win the tender. The taxpayer will pay 19% more. Now I’m sure you can find a way to bring up bankers friends and friends of the minister, blah, blah, blah.
Up 0 Down 0
drum on Mar 16, 2021 at 6:36 pm
Interesting that no one is watching the border even although a contract was awarded.
Up 2 Down 15
Peeled Potatoe on Mar 16, 2021 at 11:59 am
Dearest Leonard, let's see if I can draw you a picture that you might be able to grasp (I am not holding my breath).
OK, so we have two people, one non native (NN) and one native (N), they both go to the bank to get a loan, but the NN gets a way better interest rate because he knows the banker and his daddy has a big account there. The bobcat needs repairs and the N goes to a repair shop and gets nailed for repairs because he is N and does not know the NN repair person.
Then they submit their bids but the NN still gets the job because he knows the NN administering the contract and they fish together on the weekend. Not only that, where ever the N goes, whether it is for fuel, oil, whatever, he does not get near the deals that the NN gets, only because he is a N.
Do you get the picture?
Up 1 Down 1
Michael Hall on Mar 16, 2021 at 7:19 am
That leonard guy making me and my people angry.
Up 0 Down 7
"Mostyn" on Mar 15, 2021 at 8:08 pm
We are all Mostyn. From the Planes of Abraham to the Finnlayson caribou to the beauty of Kathleen lake to the wide skys of Watson Lake. We are all Mostyn!
Up 0 Down 6
What a rube on Mar 15, 2021 at 7:00 pm
“ Mr. Hutton’s statements are a stunning indictment of the Liberal leadership,” Dixon said.
That’s rich coming from someone without an elected leader - Hahhaha. What a rube. Does he think we don’t remember when Dixon in a rage quit the YP a few years ago?
Up 25 Down 5
Leonard on Mar 15, 2021 at 10:26 am
@Potatoe Head, yes, let’s blame a deal behind closed doors on the Yukon Contractors. Here’s a simple example for you to wrap your potatoe around.
We have 2 young entrepreneurs, 1 non-first nation and 1 First Nation. Both have borrowed to buy a bobcat and an old dump truck. YTG has a tender to clear a school, hospital or whatever. With this BVR policy the First Nation bidder gets up to 20% advantage and most likely wins the bid even if his price is the highest. YTGs money is taxpayers of Canada money. Canadians deserve transparency and fairness in the spending of their money. This division rest solely on the government of the day. No matter how many times Mostyn says this will be good for all, it’s simply not true.
Up 14 Down 16
Veg on Mar 12, 2021 at 4:37 pm
@ Disappointed
That’s the Yukon Party’s MO. Complain about everything and offer no concrete solutions.
Sock Puppet and YP candidate Angela Drainville has a Facebook page where she has (before she announced she was running in the election) complained for months that high school kids need to be back to full time and that YP the Liberals were harming these children’s future.
Within MINUTES of the announcement that grades 10-12 would be back full time she was back on her page complaining that it was happening too fast!
Look up her on google, in particular her employment history and legal battles. Perfectly suited for the YP
Up 39 Down 11
Wilf Carter on Mar 11, 2021 at 9:12 am
Liberal team is united at making a financial mess of our public money. Trudeau is a great example for Sandy, Ranj, Tracy and Richard. With Trudeau they might be able to listen to people that know something about managing government. Folks we need to take back our Yukon government.
Up 25 Down 2
Vern Schlimbesser on Mar 11, 2021 at 8:15 am
This is just an idea, based on a search for logic in all this mess;
Predictably all these projects go over budget. Predictably there is always complaints of "no consultation". Predictably there is always complaints of "arbitrary decisions".
It seems to me this is the story at the end of every 4-6 years of government by ANY party in Yukon. The Liberals this time are maybe a little worse and arrogant than most cycles, but they do seem to be cycles. If I'm right what causes this?
Could it be the shear size of the machine and it's reluctance to be told what to do? Could it be that every politician who goes against the will of the machine ends up isolated and misinformed, thereby doomed to eventual embarrassment?
If any Government wants to achieve an agenda (platform or whatever you call it) it could require some brutal tactics.
It doesn't help that the majority of voters survive on the very machine the politicians are trying to direct. (Years ago I carefully counted 70% of employment in Yukon was Government money, the Govt only admits to just over 50%)
It doesn't help that the collective rights of at least a dozen groups make legally backed demands for attention.
It doesn't help that the codified regulatory system is immense and unneccessarily complicated making evaluation or compliance nearly impossible. Couple that with the machines habit of confusing policies for law and adding to the confusion at will.
So, what can improve all this? A different group of people sitting in the elected chairs? Not likely in long term, unless they actually have control over the machine, which I believe they do not have.
The only possible solution is a return to basics. I think.
Up 36 Down 3
YukonMax on Mar 11, 2021 at 6:42 am
Mostyn is the one signing off on the tenders issued with a closing date weeks after the contract is deemed to begin. A real head scratcher.
Up 28 Down 8
Disappointed on Mar 10, 2021 at 9:32 pm
@Finally
The Yukon Party is not taking a stand. That's the problem. All they are saying is that there should have been more consultations. Sure, they aren't not wrong, but that's the smallest issue with the whole thing. Who cares if we get another 6 months or a year of consultations if nothing changes? The Yukon Party is doing the bare minimum here so they can tell us 'hey we tried to stand up for you'.
The Yukon Party needs to demand either:
A) This liberal policy be scrapped as a whole
or
B) At the very least, get rid of the Bid Value Reductions
or
C) The policy be paused indefinitely while the whole thing is reconfigured over as much time as it takes.
If all the Yukon Party or Currie Dixon does is whine about consultations, then I'm afraid I might find myself too busy to vote on election day. Oh and what I mean by 'too busy' is drinking a beer and twiddling my thumbs.
Currie, if you can't be bothered to give us strong support while the Liberals are coming after us right now, why exactly should we support you when you are fighting them on election day? It's a two way street my friend and right now you aren't doing your part.
Judging from your facebook it seems you are much more concerned with Millenial town halls and mid-wife births than you are with procurement or contractors.
Up 29 Down 4
TMYK on Mar 10, 2021 at 6:54 pm
The infighting in the Liberal Caucus is no secret. That they have managed to hold thing together for so long is actually kind of impressive.
Up 9 Down 36
Potatoe Head on Mar 10, 2021 at 6:02 pm
The only people that are trying to drive a wedge between Yukoners are the contractors who are going to have some other folks at the feeding trough cutting into the huge piece of the YTG contracting pie!
I am not sure if any other party was in power they would be approaching this issue much differently.
If any entity deserves a piece of the pie, it is First Nations people.
Up 7 Down 35
Observer on Mar 10, 2021 at 5:51 pm
They don't call him Cunning Currie the Dud Dixon for nothing.
Up 6 Down 8
shoulder to shoulder? on Mar 10, 2021 at 4:48 pm
What an insensitive comment! Don't you know how many people have died because of Covid! And now you're saying you don't care about the safe six!
So we're now allowed to be shoulder to shoulder? From the horse's mouth!
Up 40 Down 5
Huh? Bridges? on Mar 10, 2021 at 4:36 pm
Maybe stop buying votes. Here in Watson Lake you doubled the contract price for FN to watch the border. Guess what? No one is there. They took the money and didn't do a damn thing.
Up 50 Down 15
Finally The Yukon Party takes a stand! on Mar 10, 2021 at 3:50 pm
They hit the two most important things
1) no one is against the procurement policy, just the handling of it!
2) Mostyn and Sherman are not representing contractors!
Up 58 Down 13
JustSayin' on Mar 10, 2021 at 3:07 pm
The Teslin Bridge had an issue because the FN wants to manage it, where others feel that is not reasonable. The Liberals in the purchasing votes have given how many bridges? Carcross, the bridges on the NRR, bridges on the North Canol... who were they given to manage? Furthermore, consultation on the bridge is still occurring because where the approach was designed it would have ruined a business in Teslin. Way to lie Silver, must be something in the water you and some of your members are drinking. Why is when people lie, their pants actually do not catch on fire..?
Up 21 Down 72
Patti Eyre on Mar 10, 2021 at 2:40 pm
I love this! Stacey acting on second and third hand information and passing it off as primary info, classic ruse of the incompetent!
Up 70 Down 11
My Opinion on Mar 10, 2021 at 2:28 pm
With the Liberals consultations only takes place with First Nations.
Look at Yukon Energy, two years of consultation and negotiations over sharing agreements and lease agreements for Battery with KDFN and TAAN. Where was the consultation with the Tax Payer? We still have no idea what we are paying them for rent, taxes or what they glean from the Sharing.
Also now that every First Nation already has a cultural centre (most with a Government tenant to provide ongoing rent) like the library in Whitehorse or Kluane National Park Headquarters in Haines Jct. Were we consulted on those expenditures? It is not only the Liberals either as I have stated but there is no consultation as to how our tax dollars are spent, or who in the general population it adversely effects.
Up 65 Down 12
joe and jane on Mar 10, 2021 at 2:02 pm
Way to call him out Mr. Hassard ! And from where I sit I doesn't appear the liberal team stands united.
Up 60 Down 15
Wilf Carter on Mar 10, 2021 at 1:46 pm
Richard M minister of Highways does not understand what he is doing, the same with Sandy and Ranj. No wonder people in Richard's riding can't wait to see him gone and it's even worse in Ranj and Tracy ridings.
How do I know? Because I am connected to 1,000's of Yukoners who can't understand why the liberals are such failures at managing public affairs.
Why do Yukoners hear from only Ranj, Richard, Pauline and Sandy.
Yukoners we need to remove this liberal mismanagement of our money. Not telling Yukoners we are $170 million in debt and when they came to power, they had money in the bank.
We had a strong Yukon economy because of the previous government had put in place for them
Up 67 Down 11
Groucho d'North on Mar 10, 2021 at 1:42 pm
As entertaining as this is to watch, I don't believe Mr. Mostyn should bear the brunt of this divisive and racial policy decision alone. It was a Cabinet decision to do things as they were done and each Cabinet Minister should also share in the criticisms being made. TEAM Liberal remember?