Brad Cathers, the estranged Yukon Party member and former cabinet minister now sitting as the independent MLA for Lake Laberge, is just plain stubborn, or a man of principles, depending on who's doing the describing.

For those who want Cathers to return to the government side of the legislature, like David Ford, president of the Lake Laberge Yukon Party Riding Association, he had better do it soon.

"Brad can either take that mandate back he got when he started or we'll find another candidate,” Ford told the Star Thursday afternoon.

On April 7 at Hidden Valley School's library, Ford held what is now a widely publicized meeting for party loyalists from the riding; those who believe Cathers erred in judgment when he resigned from cabinet and caucus and are fed up that he refuses to go back.

On Aug. 28, 2009, Cathers, a party Wunderkind and considered Premier Dennis Fentie's right-hand man, announced that he could no longer serve in good conscience under the premier.

Cathers charged the premier lied to caucus and then to the public, about negotiations with Calgary-based energy giant ATCO to privatize the territory's public utility.

Supporters of Cathers, like Yukon Party member and Lake Laberge constituent Al Falle, were not invited to the April 7 gathering, attended by Fentie and about two-dozen "loyalists.”

Not only did the meeting violate party rules as it was unadvertised, Falle said, but it is simply more of the same micromanaged politicking with Fentie calling the shots and everyone else falling in line.

"What David did basically confirmed everything that I was bitching about,” Falle told the Star this week.

"It's unfortunate that they believe they are going to pick and choose who they are going to listen to; come on, that's stupid and not democratic,” said Falle.

"And that's the general attitude that Fentie and his people have taken – if you don't agree with Fentie 100 per cent, then you're castrated, you're out, you're gone.

But you can't kick me out of the party.”

Falle said he believes the statements made by Cathers and ex-energy corporation chair Willard Phelps, who also resigned his post at the public utility over Fentie's attempts to privatize the corporation, behind closed doors and behind the backs of his cabinet members.

For his part, Cathers maintains, as he has from that fateful day last August, that he remains a Yukon Party member and would return to its government caucus on one condition: that Fentie steps down or is replaced.

But that opportunity may not come soon enough for Cathers.

The Yukon Party will hold its annual spring convention on May 29, and whether Fentie faces a leadership review or not, the Lake Laberge arm of the party will hold a May 5 meeting to decide what to do about Cathers.

Ford said he is not ruling out Cathers as the riding association's candidate in the next election, which will take place before the end of 2011, but the Lake Laberge MLA must return to sit with the government, unconditionally.

However, Cathers is unwilling to budge and intends to run in the next election, even as a spoiler, regardless of what the Lake Laberge YP Riding Association does.

"For them to (run another candidate), that would essentially be an effort to see a Liberal elected versus seeing me put in,” warns Cathers.

But the risk doesn't seem to faze Ford.

"I'm not too worked up about that and I can't speculate at what would happen at this point,” said Ford.

"But enough of this independence across the floor. I've had enough.”