The race to become leader of the Yukon Party and premier of the territory heated up at the High Country Inn Wednesday evening, with the party's leadership forum.

The forum gave each of the three candidates — Jim Kenyon, Darrell Pasloski and Rod Taylor — 20 minutes each to woo the audience ahead of the May 28 vote on Premier Dennis Fentie's successor.

Several issues were repeated throughout the evening. They included housing, the increased need for energy in the territory, what to do about the conservation vs. development issue of the Peel watershed, the decorum of territorial politics, and how to keep the economy growing.

Here's a rundown of what the candidates had to say.

Jim Kenyon

Kenyon, the only MLA of the three candidates, said he brings experience to the leadership race.

First elected to his Porter Creek North riding in 2002, Kenyon said the last 8 1/2 years are like an extended job interview for the leadership position.

"What I bring to the table is a very minimal learning curve. I've been doing this for 8 1/2 years,” he said.

His experience as economic development minister shows not only what he has done, but what he can do in the future, Kenyon said. Overall, he wants to build on the current government's successes.

"We need consistent programs and policies. We need to continue what we've been doing,” he said. "We need to keep Yukon on that steady track.”

The government has had a lot of successes in areas ranging from housing to health care, said Kenyon, but people can't always see them because so much takes place behind closed doors.

"The biggest problem that we've had is that we haven't told people what we're doing,” he said.

There must be more communication, said Kenyon.

He noted a lack of communication over the issue of connecting to the B.C. power grid to expand Yukon's energy capacity.

As he argued in a letter published in Wednesday's Star, Kenyon said the idea is simply not feasible due to costs. He noted that something needs to be done to expand the Yukon's energy capacity, however, as development will rely on it.

And development is important, said Kenyon, but it must be done in such a way that "respects why we are here” and ensures the environment is protected. Kenyon said that inspections must be utilized and funding must be put toward inspections to ensure they are being done properly.

Kenyon said that he is not adverse to working together with other parties in the legislature.

"We have worked collaboratively with other parties when it's been reasonable to do so, when they've had reasonable suggestions,” he said.

However, Kenyon noted that things are not always civil in the legislature, and said that it's hard not to argue "when someone's calling you an idiot.”

Still, as leader, Kenyon said he would work with other parties and with the Speaker of the House to ensure that standing rules of order are enforced so decorum can be maintained.

Darrell Pasloski

Pasloski wants the Yukon Party to be a "unified team” without an inner circle.

"Our team will continue to work toward an even better Yukon future,” he told forum attendees. "This is our vision. This is our quest. This is our plan.”

As leader, Pasloski said he would ensure issues are addressed collectively "with respect and integrity.”

He has already started ground work on building his team, and said he has talked to people interested in seeking the party's nomination, listing several names during his speech.

Pasloski said he has also talked to Yukon Party MLAs, soliciting their support, but said most have chosen to remain neutral. (Several ministers have endorsed Taylor, while former Yukon Party MLA Brad Cathers has backed Pasloski.)

According to Pasloski, who ran for the Conservative Party in the 2008 federal election, his connections would be an asset should he be elected leader.

"I believe my relationship with Ottawa will be a benefit to the Yukon Party and to Yukon,” he said.

Ensuring a "balanced surplus budget”, continuing to invest in infrastructure, and building and improving relationships with First Nations governments are some of his priorities, said Pasloski.

In order to sustain the territory's economic growth, however, the Yukon's energy capacity needs to be expanded, said Pasloski, who supports a transmission line linking to the B.C. power grid.

While Pasloski said ensuring the quality of the environment is important, he also argued that the Peel watershed should not be a central issue of the coming election campaign.

"There's no point in selecting arbitrary percentages for protection,” he said.

However, decisions regarding a coming election are far from being made. Pasloski said that, if he were leader, creating an election platform would be a collaborative process open to all members of the Yukon Party.

"We have the team, we have the vision, and we have the plan to secure Yukon's future health and prosperity,” he said.

Rod Taylor

"It's obvious to me that I'm the outsider in this race,” Taylor told the forum. He added that, for the party faithful, voting for him would be "a bit of a leap of faith” as they are likely unfamiliar with him and his policies.

However, Taylor is confident that he is the best man for the job. He said that, despite rumours to the contrary, he is dedicated to the Yukon Party.

"The reality for me is that the Yukon Party is always going to be synonymous with business and the economy,” he said.

Taylor said he has also been criticized for his outlook on the Peel watershed, but added his personal convictions have never changed.

"The first thing that I've said all along is that you do not take an area the size of Scotland and turn it into a park. You just don't do that,” he said, adding that doing so would be "catastrophic” for mining.

Instead, Taylor advocated a "credible, third party” evaluation of what costs would be before any decisions are made.

For Taylor, the former chair of the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon, maintaining a strong economy is of the utmost importance.

"If this economy, trust me, gets turned over to those other two parties, I guarantee you this economy is going to go south faster than a flock of Canadian geese,” he said. "And we cannot have that happen.”

At the same time, Taylor said, it is essential to maintain a high quality of life in the territory.

"Nobody wants to see the Yukon, certainly Whitehorse in particular, become Fort McMurray (Alta.) run amok. And you know, it doesn't have to. There is a way to manage this growth and keep it sustainable and still improve on this quality of life.”

In addition to diversifying the economy, Taylor said the Yukon needs to incentivize developers to create affordable rental units for young couples, join the B.C. energy grid, and focus on infrastructure, particularly for health care.

"We will forget the price 20 years from now. And we will certainly forget the price when it's our family members that are using those facilities.”

Taylor admitted some of his solutions to big issues may be "remarkably naïve,” but said that he's OK with that because perhaps what's needed is a new perspective.