Yukon MLAs are preparing to return to the house for the spring sitting on Thursday afternoon.

The Star sat down with all three party leaders in the lead-up to the sitting to discuss what to expect and what they hope to accomplish. 

Though the minority governing party has a new leader in Ranj Pillai, who took over from Sandy Silver in January, in many ways, little has changed for the Liberals since the house last sat in November 2022.

Silver remains a minister in a cabinet that looks nearly the same as it did when he was premier.

The party has extended its Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) with the NDP, first signed in 2021, into 2025.

The deal commits the territory’s Liberals to a number of third-party policy initiatives in exchange for support of its minority government.

With that in mind, Pillai said he wants to continue the work his party has been doing since it received its mandate in the 2021 election.

And for his first sitting as premier, he said, his top priority is simple: pass the 2023-24 fiscal year budget – to be tabled Thursday – to fund that work.

“It would be great to see both parties stand next to and support (this budget) because these are a lot of things that they would both believe in,” Pillai told the Star, referencing the Yukon Party and the NDP. 

“Will that happen? Maybe not.

“But, of course, it’s important to get this budget passed to get the money into the programs and out to the building of infrastructure and supports that we need to have in place.”

Pillai said housing, health care, education and helping Yukoners deal with rising costs are key areas that will be addressed in the budget his government has prepared.

He said these are issues the other two parties have also told him are important, and he’s confident he can get their support.

Beyond the budget, Pillai said, he wants to show Yukoners the direction his party is taking the territory under his leadership.

Pillai has faced criticisms about the legitimacy of his leadership, and for his party’s renewed agreement with the Yukon NDP.

Pillai replaced Silver as premier in an uncontested, intraparty campaign after the former premier announced in September 2022 he was stepping down.

He has said he’s continuing the mandate given to his party in the last election, and doesn’t need to seek his own mandate by calling another election. 

“People want stability,” he said late last year.

As for his party’s renewed agreement with the NDP, the Yukon Party has said the Liberal government has allowed the third party to take over its agenda in exchange for power.

Pillai said his party has done no such thing.

“I don’t believe that (CASA) is the third party hijacking the agenda,” he said.

Issues outlined in the CASA, like education, housing and health care, he said, are important to both parties. 

“I think that everybody sitting around a kitchen table right now, would say that those are things that we have to focus on.” 

The new CASA commits the Liberals to 33 NDP-driven initiatives.

It also commits the government to continue supporting initiatives from the CASA signed in 2021, like rent control – which cabinet minister Richard Mostyn said in late 2022 his party wouldn’t support after that agreement expired. 

But Pillai said he knows there will be plenty of debate this sitting among all three parties. He expects to put forward initiatives on the economy, private business, mining and other issues that the NDP will disagree with.

“I think we’ll clearly define our government from the other two parties,” he said.

Pillai said his government has worked to build the Yukon’s economy into the best in the country, with the lowest unemployment rate.

Supporting local business, addressing labour shortages in multiple sectors, improving mental health and health care services and looking forward to the territory’s energy needs are all areas he wants to bring to the legislature this spring, he said.

“I think (this sitting’s) going to be a chance for us to share with Yukoners how much we’re doing to work on their behalf.”

In the background of the upcoming sitting is the ongoing collective bargaining between the government and the union representing most government employees.

Talks reached an impasse in January and have moved to a conciliation board that will hear from both sides and make recommendations.

Should the Yukon Employees’ Union (YEU) reject those recommendations later this year, YG employees may be headed for a strike. 

Pillai said he had a positive conversation with YEU president Steve Geick recently and he believes the two parties will find common ground.