The 2018 spring sitting of the Yukon legislative assembly officially wrapped up Tuesday.

Its 30-day duration saw the Yukon Liberal government declare promises delivered on a number of fronts – not without criticism from opposition parties – including the creation of a five-year capital plan, permanent funding for tourism marketing, and early tendering of construction projects.

Other announcements, while not marquis elements of the Liberals’ platform, were met with significant praise from Yukoners – the creation of an RCMP historical case unit, money for a Yukon Innovation Hub, and permanent funding for the American Sign Language interpreting program, among others.

But nearly a year and a half into their mandate, many more platform promises remain unfulfilled, and the governing Liberals spent many a question period rebutting opposition on major political issues like carbon pricing and government group homes.

The sitting began nearly two months ago on March 1, with the tabling of the largest-ever territorial budget at $1.47 billion. The $4.5-million annual deficit budgeted for 2018-19 is much smaller than what was previously forecast for this fiscal year.

In a sitting wrap-up press conference, Premier and Finance Minister Sandy Silver kept the focus on economics in a short speech.

“Our whole-of-government approach to build healthy, vibrant and sustainable communities is showing results,” he remarked. “Yukon has the lowest unemployment rate in the country right now, for months now as well. The economy is finally turning the corner, and is expected to grow substantially in coming years.”

He was similarly confident in his response to questions about the issue that dominated question period during the latter half of the sitting – the safety of children and youth in the Yukon government child protection and group home systems.

He confirmed that youth in government care are safe. An internal incident review is being conducted by the Department of Health and Social Services, he reiterated, and the government has committed to cooperate with an independent, systemic review of group homes by the territory’s Child and Youth Advocate.

The advocate’s office confirmed this morning that the terms of reference for her review will be released by the end of this week.

“I believe that this minister and this department on a whole of government approach is doing a fantastic job to address systemic issues,” Silver said, referencing Health and Social Services Minister Pauline Frost’s work to reduce the historically disproportionate number of Indigenous children in government care, as well as the opening of four mental wellness hubs in Yukon communities.

Another theme this sitting has been the federal price on carbon, set to come into effect in the Yukon on Jan. 1, 2019, at $20 per tonne.

The official Opposition has criticized the government for going back on what it sees as a Liberal commitment to return every penny of carbon tax revenue to the pocket of the Yukoner who spent it.

Silver has maintained that the promise was actually to return all money to Yukoners and Yukon businesses, and that the point of a carbon tax is certainly not exact, unconditional reimbursement, but rather encouraging changes in behaviour where possible.

How the carbon pricing rebate mechanism will be structured wasn’t a question answered this sitting – Silver repeated yesterday that more information from the federal government is still required to finalize its design.

Asked about possible carbon pricing exceptions for the territory, beyond those under consideration for emissions-intensive, trade-exposed sectors like mining, Silver said he’s headed to Ottawa next week and will be speaking with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna.

“We hope to get some more clarity and more information for Yukoners at that time about this federal carbon pricing mechanism,” the premier said.

He also fielded questions about a major 2018-19 budget commitment – $11.8 million toward a fibre optic redundancy link.

In early March, he told the legislative assembly that a route had been chosen and the official announcement was coming in “very close due time,” after a bit more information was gleaned from the federal government.

Nearly two months later, further details are still outstanding. Yesterday Silver acknowledged the need for the redundancy link, and said the government just needs “to take the time to do it right.”

He pointed out that “this isn’t just one government, and it’s also not just one community, and it’s dealing with private sector as well, so lots of things to consider.”

Updates were requested on other budget promises, including a Health and Social Services review and a commitment to make sure the Yukon government is the “right size,” as the premier said in his budget speech.

Both were promises created out of the financial advisory panel’s final report, published last November. The Yukon Liberals announced the panel’s creation with their first budget last spring, and tasked it with looking at options to improve the territory’s financial position.

Silver confirmed yesterday the government isn’t considering civil service attrition – eliminating jobs after the public servants holding them retire – but rather focusing on efficiencies in program and service delivery.

More information will come shortly about the Health and Social Services review, Silver said.

The legislative assembly passed a motion this sitting that committed the government to reviewing its medical travel program within this larger departmental review.

Cabinet told the Star in March that its terms of reference will be made available in April.

In a wrap-up scrum with media yesterday, Yukon Party interim leader Stacey Hassard criticized the government’s performance on another commitment put forth in the premier’s March budget speech.

Despite a professed desire to “get out of the business of business,” the government tabled a Cannabis Control and Regulation Act that Hassard denounced for growing government.

The official Opposition has been vocal in their criticism of the government’s hybrid cannabis retail model, enshrined in the new act.

Rather than starting with government retail and bringing in the private sector down the road when regulations are developed, sales should be solely private, the Yukon Party has argued.

While the government is looking to source and open a retail space in the Marwell area in time for legalization, it has communicated its intention to move out of the retail sphere once the private sector is up and running.

Hassard was also critical of Frost’s responses to questions about child protection. She fielded queries from the Opposition on a near-daily basis following CBC reports of wrongdoing in Yukon government group homes.

“We got a lot of responses, however we didn’t seem to ever get two responses that aligned with one another, and that’s really disheartening.”

The Yukon Party asked last week if the premier would lighten Frost’s ministerial workload. She’s responsible for three portfolios – Health and Social Services, Environment and the Yukon Housing Corp.

Silver repeatedly expressed confidence in and praise for her competence in her various roles, and told media that a cabinet shuffle isn’t in the cards at this point.

Hassard also said he’s disappointed to see a continued pattern of Liberal blame cast at the previous Yukon Party government for current challenges, after nearly a year and a half in office.

Yukon NDP Leader Liz Hanson raised her own concerns about Frost and the department’s work on the group home and child protection file.

“We have a minister that contradicted herself on a daily basis and that’s not helped by the premier constantly cheerleading that kind of performance,” she told media in a scrum yesterday.

“I do believe that the minister may have been misled by public servants, senior public servants who have clearly been covering up some very serious situations that have been ongoing for some time.”

She also criticized the paucity of details surrounding things the Liberals have said they will do – like strike a non-partisan commission on electoral reform, and create a lobbying registry.

Silver confirmed Tuesday that his government is working on both commitments, noting “we have an awful lot of legislating to do.”

Along with the budget and the Cannabis Control and Regulation Act, other major bills passed this sitting were the Gender Diversity and Related Amendments Act, to make laws, policies and programs more inclusive, and the Order of Yukon Act, establishing what will be the territory’s highest honour.

The 2018 fall sitting will begin in the first week of October.

While the government typically announces major elements of its legislative agenda just prior to the sitting, Yukoners can expect a bill concerning electoral boundaries for the next two territorial elections, as well as updates to the Coroners Act. Government House Leader Tracy-Anne McPhee confirmed the latter in question period yesterday.