More than 100 people turned out last evening at the Gold Rush Inn to hear ex-energy corporation director and former government leader Willard Phelps' pitch for a new political party in the Yukon.

"We're all here, I think, for a fundamental reason, and that is we share a deep and biding concern about what's happened to our political system,” said Phelps at the meeting's outset. "There's something drastically wrong with the way things are going.”

Last June, Phelps and three other directors quit the Yukon Energy Corp. board to protest what they viewed as Premier Dennis Fentie's designs to privatize the public utility in a deal with Calgary-based ATCO.

Since then, the 68-year-old Phelps has been on a campaign to remove Fentie from power.

In October, he commissioned a poll, results of which showed two out of three respondents were dissatisfied with the ruling Yukon Party and its opposition Liberal and New Democratic Party counterparts. But Wednesday evening's meeting was the first serious attempt at a shot across the ruling Yukon Party's bow.

"Are they servants of the people or are they self-serving?” asked Phelps of those MLAs who stick with the Fentie regime in spite of the Yukon Energy/ATCO scandal that has rocked the government.

Outlined in a handout and reiterated during his opening gambit, Phelps suggested a sweetened pension deal passed into law two years ago is keeping MLAs loyal to Fentie.

Phelps' vision is for a "big tent” political party made up of quasi-independent MLAs, elected by members in the territory's 19 constituencies.

A basic charter and membership rules would determine how these elections would operate and internal decision-making. The party's platform would be fluid; dependent on the wishes of the membership and those candidates chosen to run in a territorial election.

While two dozen volunteered afterward to craft the new party's charter and platform and 60 signed up to be kept abreast of these activities, there was some confusion about Phelps' vision for a nonpartisan political party as well as who was at the helm.

"I'll take this as far as I have to, but I'm not looking for another career, if that's what your asking,” Phelps responded to a question on whether he would lead such a party.

Keeping partisanship at bay in a new political entity would be a challenge, Phelps conceded, but it's the only way to attract as many as possible disaffected public and rival party members to the fold.

"The people have to decide,” was a popular Phelps refrain on questions of leadership, platform and structure of the as-yet undetermined political movement.

Wading into potential platform ideas, recall legislation is what Phelps believes would be beneficial to territorial politics, giving constituents the ability to vote out their MLA if they are dissatisfied with his or her performance

Such a provision could prevent floor-crossing and party flip-flopping – a territorial political pastime.

However, not all in attendance were enamored by Phelps' idea for a new party, or with Phelps.

The first person from the audience to address the crowd was a federal Green Party member from Teslin, who felt a territorial Green Party, not a wholly new political entity, was the better way forward.

Several speakers later, another Green Party member suggested the same thing, but a tally of signup sheets at the meeting's end revealed that idea was not popular; only two names were on a list supporting a territorial Green Party compared to more than 80 signatures from those interested in starting from scratch.

Jim Brohman, lead negotiator for the Yukon government employees' union, took Phelps to task for his conduct while he was in government as an independent minister in the 1990s.

"When on the road to Damascus did you change your ways?” asked Brohman, before reminding Phelps and the audience that it was under Phelps' leadership that the government first explored the idea of privatizing the energy corporation.

Brohman also read into the record an acrimonious response Phelps provided an opposition MLA during a question period more than 10 years ago.

On the issue of privatization, Phelps said he was open with the public on a deal the government ultimately determined was not in the best interest of the territory, while referring to his past question period conduct as "spirited debate”.

"I'm as guilty as anybody,” Phelps said of the personal attacks and punch-counter punch legislature Q&A that today Phelps believes is part of the problem.

During his opening remarks, Phelps admitted that he was largely responsible in the late 1970s for bringing party politics to the territory, "but it's clear that's not working anymore.”

Phelps also said he was not out to convert the legislature to a glorified town council or to the concensus-style government employed by sister territories Nunavut or the N.W.T.

Porkbarreling is why a consensus or municipal-style system were poor options, according to Phelps.

The former government leader and one-time member of the Yukon Party cabinet also denied he was "in a cock fight” with Fentie, as Peter Percival charged near the meeting's close.

On the flip side of skeptics in the room were those in favour of starting a new party. Among them was Andy Carvill, grand chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN), who supported the concept and wanted in at the ground floor.

"If I may, I want to be involved in policy development,” he offered.

In the preamble to his remarks, Carvill said he was speaking as a regular citizen and not as the CYFN's leader, but in a room full of familiar faces and their current or previous affiliations, it was hard to ignore the ramifications of such heavyweight support.

Tr'ondek Hwech'in Chief Eddie Taylor and the chief of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, Simon Mervyn, were also in attendance but did not speak.

Many who did speak, including Phelps, disapproved of deteriorating relations between the Yukon government and first nations, highlighted by the current government challenge before the Supreme Court of Canada over a 65-hectare agricultural lease on the traditional territory of the Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation.

There is no set date for a follow-up meeting but Phelps said work will soon begin by volunteers on the party's charter, membership rules, potential platform and communications strategy; initiatives to be organized via face-to-face meetings and electronic communication.

Those interested in getting involved can contact Phelps at his Carcross residence, he added.