Almost 100 people attended Saturday's NDP convention at The Old Fire Hall, party leader Liz Hanson said this morning.

The official Opposition party began its annual meeting with an update on the Peel watershed, later going on to reconfirm its commitment to implement the final recommended Peel plan if the NDP forms a government in 2016.

During her address to delegates and observers, Hanson said the party is working toward the next election.

She highlighted some of the work the caucus has done to date, in particular keeping its commitment to consult and listen to Yukoners from across the territory.

"We want to be able to demonstrate as a government you can work in co-operation with people and in particular to rebuild the relationship between the Government of Yukon and First Nations

governments because that's been really tested for a number of years under the Yukon Party,” she told the Star.

The delegates later passed resolutions mandating the party executive to establish an election committee and another urging broad consultation on the government's plan to build a 300-bed continuing care facility before it moves forward with the project.

Nycole Turmel, the whip for the federal NDP, gave Saturday's keynote address.

During an interview Friday afternoon, she outlined some of the topics she planned to cover, including a critical look at the Conservative government's approach to the economy.

The government claims it's created jobs, she said, but the NDP argues those jobs are low-paid, part-time and don't promote economic stability.

Turmel's criticisms of the government extended to its approach to health care, the environment, and its lack of consultation with the provinces, territories and municipalities.

"This government is looking with a short-term vision, not a long-term vision to develop an economy or environment that is helpful in keeping the country's health,” Turmel said.

As the former national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, she is critical of the government's major funding cuts to services.

"The position of this government is really privatization, it's clear. For us, our position is to provide services to Canadians,” she said, highlighting the dichotomy between the government's pro-military

agenda and its cuts to veterans' services.

The Hull-Aylmer, Que. MP also planned to discuss the NDP's concerns with the government's proposed Fair Elections Act and the party's campaign to engage Canadians on that issue, which she credits the government with having backed away from some of the more controversial aspects of the bill.

"That's a message I want to send to the NDP here, as well as the population; the population can make a difference, the population if they are involved...in issues... they can send to their representative a

message to make sure the government will back off...on their legislation that is really bad for Canadians,” said Turmel.

She highlighted the similar challenges confronting the federal and territorial NDP facing off against majority Conservative governments.

"The only way we can change something is to get them out of government,” she said, noting that's exactly what the NDP plans to do come 2015.

An NDP government would create good jobs, work with communities on looming infrastructure issues, with the provinces on the environment and health care, and listen to First Nations, on education, and other pressing concerns, she vowed.