The interim leader of the federal Liberal party says the Yukon lost a strong advocate for the territory when Conservative MP Ryan Leef defeated Larry Bagnell in the 2011 election.

"The voice has been pretty quiet in comparison to the way it was when Larry was there,” Bob Rae told the Star this morning during a telephone interview.

"Larry was a hugely effective spokesperson and a very, very strong representative of the whole territory, and things have been pretty quiet since then,” Rae said.

Bagnell defeated then-NDP incumbent Louise Hardy in the 2000 election to begin an 11-year run as the Yukon's MP.

The Toronto MP will be in Whitehorse on Sunday as part of his last national tour as party leader.

While he will only be in the territory for a short stop-over, Rae plans to meet with First Nations leaders and representatives from multi-cultural organizations.

"We want to see what their view of the current situation is and get a sense of how they feel some of the resource issues are being handled and talk to them about the progress of discussions they're having with the federal government,” said Rae.

Resource revenue issues would be handled more effectively by a Liberal government, the former NDP MP argued.

"Obviously, the territorial government is part of that discussion, a very key part of that discussion, but the other reality is that the federal government sets the tone for those discussions, and the federal government, I think, helps to bring people to a table where these things can be discussed,” he said.

But resource revenue-sharing isn't the only area where a governing Liberal party could benefit the territory, Rae hinted.

"We wouldn't have the kind of cuts that we've seen to Parks Canada and to the (southwest Yukon) research station, and just the general challenges that we're facing now with the Conservatives that I think are only going to get more serious after the next budget.

"Closing the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) office (in Whitehorse) was a truly bad decision, and didn't make any sense at all,” he said.

The next federal budget is set for tabling March 21 – the same day as the territorial budget.

While those cuts were brought down in the name of balancing budgets, Rae said it's important to remember the Conservatives promised front-line services wouldn't be affected.

"I think the key is to find a consistent pattern of restraint that doesn't end up strangling the services to the public that are so critical, and so critical for northern development,” he said.

The next party leader is set to be chosen April 14, but Rae, who has held the interim post for two years, won't say where his alliances lie.

"I think it's important to recognize the qualities that each one of the people bring to the table,” he said.

Political pundits predict a certain win for Justin Trudeau.

However, with only 1 1/2 terms as an MP under his belt, some have questioned whether he's ready for the responsibility of leading Parliament's third party.

But age has nothing to do with it, Rae said.

"I became the leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party when I was 33 years old, and I think a lot of people said, ‘well, maybe you're not old enough,' but time proved that that wasn't necessarily the case, and I think the same thing's true for all the candidates,” he noted.

"I think there's a lot of very qualified candidates, and certainly Mr. Trudeau is among them.”

Rae was Ontario's NDP premier from 1990 to 1995, when he was defeated by the Conservatives, led by Mike Harris.

While he's in Whitehorse Rae will also attend a St. Paddy's Day-themed party fund-raiser at the High Country Inn Sunday.

The event, which will start at 7 p.m., is open to the public.

A Liberal news release distributed Thursday quoted Rae as saying that "Given recent activities in the Yukon and the lack of strong northern leadership, I felt compelled to come to Whitehorse and meet with Yukoners and Liberals to ensure them that the Liberal Party of Canada recognizes the North as an important and unique region of our country.

"Yukoners deserve representation that celebrates your uniqueness, and not one that only follows the leader.”