Alex Furlong says he and his family are feeling "ambivalent” about leaving the Yukon but excited about the challenges ahead.

Furlong, who has held the position of president of the Yukon Federation of Labour (YFL) for the past 10 years, has accepted the position of regional director for the Canadian Labour Congress' Prairie region.

His last day as president for the YFL will be July 8, and he will start work in Regina at the beginning of August. A new YFL president has yet to be chosen.

Furlong explained that basically, the new position covers more area – including Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories – and requires him to be "less political” than his current position.

"It was a tough decision for the whole family,” Furlong told the Star Monday. "Sometimes you just have to say ‘No risk, no gain.'”

Furlong also believes new leadership will rejuvenate the federation.

"Ten years on the political side of things is enough. After that, you become cynical and always say what's on your mind, which gets you in trouble.”

Furlong did not want to comment on his recent failed attempt at winning the Yukon's NDP nomination for the May 2 federal election. Kevin Barr was the party's nominee.

Furlong did, though, have a few things to say about the results of the election and how they will affect Canada's labour movement.

"The (Stephen) Harper government is not on the side of workers and working families,” he said. "Benefits and job security are being compromised. Right now, 40,000 to 80,000 public sector jobs are expected to be cut because the government is in deficit.”

The government is forcing the public sector to pay for the 2008 economic crash, which was not, Furlong emphasized, caused by the public sector at all.

"Workers have to mobilize,” said Furlong. "We are the people who put the politicians in place, so we can take them out .... We need to ensure we are protecting the rights we fought so hard for in the past 100 years, because they are all on the table with this government.”

Furlong expects to see "many days of protests” on Parliament Hill, and maybe even a general strike within the next four years.

As for whether he will take a swing at politics again, Furlong didn't give a definite "no” but said that since he will be busy working in the political arena anyway, he didn't see it happening anytime soon.

Furlong first entered the labour movement when he was a teenager.

To help pay the bills when he was going to college in Newfoundland, he worked part-time in a hotel. Furlong soon found himself secretary treasurer of the local union. Three weeks later, the union was on strike and Furlong's career in the labour movement had begun.

Since then, he has worked in "every position” within the labour movement, from labour relations to acting as the political voice as president of the YFL.

Furlong, his wife and his three daughters will all move to Regina at the end of July. Furlong said his children have been raised as "social-minded individuals”.

"We've raised them to be mindful of the fact that there are people in the world who cannot speak for themselves and people who are marginalized,” he said.

Furlong doesn't know if his own children will follow in his career path, but hopes they will see their potential to advocate on behalf of the less fortunate.

When Furlong dropped the hint that the family might be moving south, his children didn't seem to have any qualms with uprooting their lives. But now that the move is a reality, the whole family is having "mixed feelings” about the transition, Furlong said.

"The Yukon has been very good for my career, and my family,” he said.

The new YFL president, who must come from within the executive council, will be chosen in the next several weeks.