In a move rarely seen, the territory’s Liberal government defeated one of its own bills Monday.

The legislation would have seen a 20th electoral riding introduced into the Yukon, among other things.

That’s in relation to the Electoral District Boundaries Act, which made its way through the legislative process this sitting before being defeated on its second reading.

Liberal MLAs unanimously disagreed with the bill, and were joined by the Yukon Party’s Brad Cathers.

Meanwhile, both NDP MLAs – Takhini-Kopper King’s Kate White and Whitehorse Centre’s Liz Hanson – voted in favour of the bill, as did the remainder of the five Yukon Party MLAs.

Late Monday afternoon, Hanson released a statement on the vote, saying she was “highly disappointed” in the result.

The Electoral Boundaries Commission, chaired by Yukon Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Veale, worked hard to put recommendations forward, Hanson said. “Yet somehow, the government thinks it knows best.”

She also remained critical of the timeline connected to the bill, saying she saw it as the government delaying debate until the last week of the fall sitting. (It’s set to wrap up Thursday.)

Defeating the bill, she continued, is an insult to those who served on the commission and the Yukoners who had their voices heard on the public consultation period.

Ultimately, Hanson was curious about why the government rejected the suggestions that she thought could have kept the status quo of “maintaining the rural/urban parity.”

“This is no way to give voters confidence in our electoral process.”

Meanwhile, for his part, Premier Sandy Silver said it just wasn’t the right time to look at a change like this.

“Now is not the time to add a politician in the Yukon,” he wrote in a statement late Monday afternoon.

“Now is the time for Yukon’s elected officials to dedicate themselves to their responsibilities and work hard on behalf of their constituents.”

The option to add an additional riding, for example, he said, “was introduced very late in the process” after much of the consultation had already taken place.

The changes from the commission’s initial report last year to its final one tabled last April (which recommended the 20th riding) were dramatic and concerning enough for the Yukon Liberals to not accept the bill.

“Yukon ridings have small numbers of voters. Adding a 20th riding would have further reduce(d) the number of voters in each riding.”

Silver wrapped up by thanking both the commission and public for their feedback.

By way of background: the independent commission tasked with the duty of proposing the names, number and boundaries of electoral districts had suggested the 20th riding in its 114-page final report.

Tabled last April, it would have seen some of the current ridings dissolve, new ones created and some boundaries change.

Some of those shifts would have resulted in three districts (Pelly-Nisutlin, Mayo-Tatchun and Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes) recreated into four: Carmacks-Faro-Ross River, Mayo-Pelly, Carcross-Tagish-Teslin and Mount Lorne-Marsh Lake.

The interim report was released in November 2017, but did not mention increasing the number of ridings (until the April 2018 final report).

Cathers, who represents the Lake Laberge riding, was the sole member from his party who voted against the bill.

The proposed change would have changed the boundaries of the district to be more in line with the city boundaries – giving up the Hidden Valley and MacPherson subdivions but gaining areas that currently fall into the Porter Creek North and Takhini-Kopper King area.

“Moving people into a district with a larger population would reduce the influence of individual votes,” Cathers said Monday, reading in part a section of a Facebook post he wrote to share with his constituents that there could be major changes coming if the bill passed.

The interim report from last year saw no changes proposed for the Lake Laberge riding.

Echoing Silver’s remarks, Cathers said his preference was to not add another politician to the assembly.

“Feedback that I have heard also was not supportive of a growth of the number of MLAs,” he added.

This possibility was also referenced by the Yukon Party interim Leader Stacey Hassard, who saw value in the recommendation put forth by the commission.

“Am I personally in favour of having a growing government, I guess, by adding a 20th member? It’s not my favourite thing to do,” he said Monday.

“But at the same time, it is very important that the people of the Yukon get proper representation here,” including rural residents. He added it was a free vote from his party, with Cathers the only dissenting member.

The final vote in the assembly was seven in favour and 11 dissenting.

Had the bill passed, it would have been sent to committee, then third reading.