Comments made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Whitehorse regarding Bill S-6 contradict Premier Darrell Pasloski, says NDP Justice critic Lois Moorcroft.

Moorcroft said in an interview this morning Pasloski has acknowledged in the past the Yukon government had asked for two of the four controversial amendments to the legislation that guides environmental screenings in the Yukon.

When asked about the amendments that have angered Yukon First Nations, Harper said the Yukon government had requested them.

“Previously we had the premier saying he only asked for two of them and the prime minister is saying the premier asked for them all,” Moorcroft said. “The premier has some explaining to do.”

Pasloski declined this morning to discuss specifically if he asked for two or all four of the recommendations.

The government, he said, provided many comments and recommendations regarding the development of Bill S-6, which is federal legislation and ultimately up to the federal government to draft.

Pasloski said those comments and recommendations were shared with First Nations.

“Right from the beginning, I have been open and honest that our focus has been creating jobs in the Yukon, and to ensure the environmental assessment process is consistent and competitive with the other jurisdictions,” he said.

Three First Nations officially announced last Thursday their intention to file legal action against the federal government for passing Bill S-6 with the four controversial amendments.

Yukon First Nations maintain they were never consulted on the four amendments.

Unlike the consultation that occurred on 70-plus amendments they did agree to as part of the mandatory five-year review of the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act, there was no consultation on the four, the First Nations maintain.

Bill S-6 was passed in June. For the past year or more, Yukon First Nations have been threatening legal action if the four amendments were included in the new legislation.

The Teslin Tlingit Council, the Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations will represent the First Nations with support from the majority of First Nations with aboriginal land claim agreements.

The First Nations argue the four amendments amount to a breach of their land claim settlements.

A senior Vancouver aboriginal rights lawyer, Gregory McDade, has been retained by the First Nations to lead the lawsuit.

McDade has a great deal of experience arguing cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, some of which are referred to regularly in the Yukon Supreme Court.

It’s expected McDade and his law firm will file the legal challenge within the month, the First Nations said in a press release last Thursday. They also indicated the release was deliberately timed to coincide with the prime minister’s arrival in Whitehorse.

First Nations argue the amendments introduce political influence into the screening process and could reduce the quality of environment assessments.

The premier said again this morning he has made an offer to sit down with First Nations to discuss solutions to their objections over S-6.

Pasloski said the invitation still stands.

“At the end of the day, it is our responsibility as leaders in the Yukon to resolve these differences outside of court,” he said.

Moorcroft said the prime minister’s comment made last Friday during a press conference suggests Pasloski has not been clear with Yukoners regarding the Yukon Party government’s involvement in drafting Bill S-6.

“I think it will be a very lively discussion in the legislature when it convenes this fall,” she said.

The NDP critic said whether the government officially requested two of the four amendments or all four, ultimately they support all four and they have to be held accountable for that.

“There is a very big concern when our government is not respecting our land claim agreements because they are not just for First Nations, they are for all Yukon.”

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