Premier Dennis Fentie's resignation comes as no surprise to the Yukon's opposition leaders.

Neither believes a change of leadership will bring about a real shift in the Yukon Party's way of doing business.

"It's not a real surprise – you could see a lack of fire in the last sitting,” Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell said following Fentie's announcement Wednesday.

"And once I found out that Mr. Taylor was running and who was behind him, we certainly knew.”

Rod Taylor, the chair of the Tourism Industry Association Yukon until this week, entered the race Tuesday with a clear message: He is the candidate the Yukon Party's core MLAs are rallying behind.

He was joined by deputy premier Elaine Taylor, Fentie's right-hand woman and certainly the friendly face of the Yukon Party (she makes a habit of crossing out Mr. So-and-so at the top of her letters and writing in the recipient's first name).

Also present were Archie Lang – who aside from being the MLA for Porter Creek Centre is a major mover in the party – and Ted Staffen, the Yukon Party-nominated Speaker of the House.

Also in the running are Darrell Pasloski, former owner of the capital's two Shoppers Drug Mart stores and the failed 2008 federal Conservative candidate, and Jim Kenyon, the MLA for Porter Creek North.

Noticeably absent from the race is Patrick Rouble. The MLA for the Southern Lakes region is the Minister of Education and Energy, Mines and Resources, and was Fentie's go-to guy during debates in the last sitting of the legislature.

Political insiders from all three parties speculated that Fentie would pass the torch to Rouble when the time came.

"He's out of the territory,” a Yukon Party spokesperson said today, in response to a request for an interview with Rouble. "I'm as surprised as you are.”

While Rod Taylor, Kenyon and Pasloski have all listed transparency and a hands-off approach to the bureaucracy as highlights of their promised leadership style, NDP Leader Liz Hanson expects to see more of the same no matter who leads the right-leaning party.

"It's a great tactic to call out the behaviour that people don't like,” Hanson said of the thinly veiled criticism of Fentie's leadership style found in the three candidates' opening remarks.

"I think we'll hear a lot of: ‘Those were the kind of things that happened under Dennis, but the agenda of the party is still that of a strong power elite in this territory.”

When Fentie does things like call up a senior bureaucrat in the Department of Environment and instruct him to significantly change a submission to the Peel planning commission to fall in line with the party's position, "that causes an erosion in the morale of the public service,” Hanson said.

"We have competent public servants who are being directed to make political decisions.”

And where some might say that is Fentie's style, Hanson said it is the Yukon Party way.

"We'll see a change in the marquee, but that's about it.”

Speaking about Kenyon specifically, and the Yukon Party MLAs' demeanour in the legislature generally, Hanson said: "The big challenge there would be unlearning nine years of behaviour.”

As Fentie exits the political arena, Mitchell took the magnanimous approach.

"I have to take my hat off to Mr. Fentie; it's been an amazing career,” he told the Star.

"Much happened under his watch. I don't give him credit for all of it, but I have to give him credit for some.”

He called Fentie a "consummate debater, very sharp and very bright.

"Any time you enter into a debate with Dennis Fentie, you'd better be on your toes because if you slip, he'll get you.”

But even in his measured praise of Fentie, Mitchell is not optimistic about what the Yukon Party's leadership race has to offer.

"You can shine and polish the car, but it's still the Yukon Party car, no matter who's behind the wheel,” Mitchell said.

He criticized Rod Taylor's "dramatic shift” on protection of the Peel watershed as he moved from tourism association president to hopeful leader.

As for Kenyon, Mitchell pointed to the Minister of Economic Development's recent admission that he learned about negotiations to sell of public energy assets after they happened, but before they became public and still refused to "take the principled approach” and protest.