A near record-setting session of the Yukon Legislative Assembly is in the books.

The 45-day sitting was the longest sitting in more than 25 years, and the second-longest continuous sitting in the assembly’s history, according to a government release.

In total, MLAs sat for 54 days in 2020, the fourth-highest number of sitting days of all provinces and territories this year. That happened even after the spring session broke early last March due to the pandemic.

The leaders of all three parties weighed in with their end-of-year comments following question period Tuesday, and both Premier Sandy Silver and Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon participated in separate interviews with the Star.

Silver stressed that while it was an unusual year to be in government with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic sending ripple effects everywhere, it was a strikingly productive one for legislation and government initiatives.

He talked up several new pieces of legislation that focus on investing in economic and social supports for Yukoners impacted by COVID-19, protecting and providing support to Yukoners, strengthening the territory’s waste reduction efforts, and improving its democratic processes.

He pointed to the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Protection Act which bans conversion therapy in the Yukon, supporting the government’s commitment to inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two-Spirit plus Yukoners (LGBTQ2S+) as examples of actions he was particularly proud of.

One thing the session was somewhat remarkable for was its underlying nastiness and partisanship, although Silver said he didn’t see it that way despite comments he made during a scrum with local media following question period Tuesday.

At that time, Silver said, “This historically long sitting has really highlighted the priorities of the opposition parties. For months, we heard about the need to call back the assembly.

“And when we came back, the Yukon Party asked questions about bats (in the Ross River school) for days.

“We asked if they supported the state of emergency and it took them five weeks to make up their minds. In the meantime, we heard them supporting the lawsuit against the border restrictions we put in place to protect Yukoners,” the premier added.

“We heard them advocate for opening the bubble to Alberta, where cases have been growing at alarming rates. We heard them pushing to ignore the recommendations from Dr. (Brendan) Hanley to get all of our kids back in school.

“We also heard them wilfully spread misinformation for 45 days. Dr. Hanley appeared as a witness and the Yukon Party health critic (Patti McLeod) did not even ask questions. We did not hear a single question about vaccines after we released our plan.”

On Wednesday morning, Silver said he didn’t see an over-abundance of partisanship as a problem, despite those comments.

He attributed most of the nastiness in the legislature to the Yukon Party, saying the government had to defend itself over unrelenting attacks.

Silver said his priority in the face of such hostility was to talk about what the government had done, what it planned to do, and how it compared to actions taken by the previous government. That government, of course, was a Yukon Party regime.

He boasted this year’s legislative session was a tribute to having a good team.

“We did a lot, and got a lot accomplished. It wasn’t just all COVID. We worked extremely hard, and some of it was very innovative.”

COVID, of course, was the single dominant issue of the year for the government and the assembly. With the spring session being cut short by the pandemic, the slack had to be made up in a busier-than-usual fall sitting.

“As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, our government remains focused on protecting Yukoners and supporting them through these challenging times,” Silver said.

“This fall, we passed budget measures focused on social and economic supports and health care services for Yukoners in response to COVID-19.

“We are also pleased to pass new laws introducing paid leave for those experiencing domestic violence, strengthening Yukon’s waste reduction efforts, supporting and protecting LGBTQ2S+ Yukoners, and introducing fixed election dates for territorial elections. Our government continues to deliver on commitments that improve the lives of Yukoners.”

One thing the Liberals didn’t get to were the changes to child care they proposed during the summer. Silver said the commitment by the government to make those changes remained firm, and it was never necessarily the plan to have the reforms in place this fall.

Silver was also annoyed over the continuing allegations that his government was lacking in its ability to consult with the public on important issues.

“We can do better, but that’s not factually correct,” he insisted. “We’ve heard there’s a lot of engagement fatigue.”

He also refused all questions as to when the mandatory election for 2021 might be called.

“I’m not going there,” he said. “I’m not in that head space right now. I’m just looking forward to heading home to Dawson for a break.”

Dixon was also put on the hot seat over the tense and angry atmosphere in the assembly.

In the same vein as Silver, he put the blame for the lack of cordiality on the Liberals.

When he was first elected as leader last May, Dixon said there were elements of the party he wished to change. Chief among them was a desire to make it less oppositional and establish a friendlier, more approachable image.

Even though he doesn’t have a seat in the legislature, Dixon thought he had made some strides toward accomplishing that goal.

“There have always been some areas we needed to improve on,” he said. “A couple of the things we wanted to do was focus more on mental health and child care.”

As the father of a young family, child care is definitely something he knows well.

He he wanted the party members in the assembly to spend less time on acting like attack dogs, and more on promoting viable alternatives to government policies.

Dixon said some strides have been made toward achieving that.

“We didn’t want to just attack,” he said. “We’ve committed to taking a more positive role. That’s what the government has done, though. They’ve just attacked us.”

One thing that has particularly frustrated him from his vantage point on the outside looking in has been the inability or unwillingness – perhaps both – of the Liberal cabinet ministers to provide definitive answers to questions. Even simple yes or no questions are typically stonewalled, he said.

He thanked his team for the work they’ve done while he’s been unable to join them in the assembly.

“My members have done a great job,” he said.

It’s taken a lot of the strain off of him to have such a wealth of experience and talent to work with, he added.

He’s busy with the planning work on establishing a new policy platform for the party in anticipation of the 2021 election, which could come as soon as the spring.

Nothing is certain on that front, he said, but “it doesn’t change what I need to do as a leader.”

NDP Leader Kate White picked her words carefully, but it was clear she was frustrated about the atmosphere in the legislature.

“In times like these, you see people’s true colours,” she said. “Our goal was to try to lift people up.”

She and fellow MLA Liz Hanson tried to remain above the partisan fray, White said, but it was certainly difficult to ignore the sour relationship between the Liberals and the Yukon Party.

Silver highlighted a number of legislative items he thought were noteworthy, as did a media release from the government.

1. Amendments to the Employment Standards Act will provide access to paid and unpaid leave for victims of domestic or sexualized violence in Yukon.

The new leave provisions also extend to employees if their child, a person they care for, or close friend is a victim of domestic or sexualized violence.

1. Amendments to the Elections Act established fixed dates for territorial elections. Territorial elections will occur on the first Monday in November every four years, starting on Nov. 3, 2025.

2. The Second Appropriation Act 2020-21 includes an increase of $95.9 million in operations and maintenance (O&M) gross spending, with an offsetting increase of $58 million in O&M recoveries.

The additional spending provides economic and social supports as well as expanded health services for Yukoners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes funding to begin implementing the Putting People First plan for health and social care.

1. A motion to establish an all-party committee to review the Yukon’s Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA) passed during the fall sitting. The committee, which includes a representative from each of the three parties, will consider and identify options for modernizing CEMA, as well as make recommendations on possible amendments to the act.

The committee will submit a report to the house on its findings and recommendations by Aug. 31, 2021.