The Yukon Party is making a bid to topple the governing Liberals in the legislature.

Opposition Leader Currie Dixon announced Sunday evening he will table a confidence motion in the legislative assembly this afternoon.

During an interview with the Star this morning, Dixon said he is introducing the motion because the Liberals have been “mismanaging a number of critical files”. They range from the Hidden Valley School sexual abuse scandal through medical clinics, health care and the budget, he said.

Dixon said he feels so strongly the current government has been a flop that he has offered the NDP the same critical role in a Yukon Party government he would head as the Liberals have granted.

Dixon said he has pledged to continue with the current Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) the NDP has struck with the Liberals in late April in exchange for the party’s assistance in toppling the government.

“While I have significant concerns with some of the policies agreed to in the CASA, my desire to see real political accountability outweighs those concerns,” said Dixon.

“This is not an offer I have made lightly, but it is one that I feel is necessary in this situation and in the best interests of the territory.”

Dixon said he has approached NDP Kate White with the offer.

He told the Star her only reaction was to say “she would think about it.”

The release said the motion comes almost a month after MLAs voted in favour of a motion calling for deputy premier Tracy-Anne McPhee to resign from the cabinet over the government’s mishandling of the Hidden Valley School sexual abuse scandal.

Since then, Premier Sandy Silver has refused to remove McPhee and has ignored the legislature’s will on the matter.

“This Liberal government has demonstrated that they view the clearly expressed will of the Yukon Legislative Assembly as meaningless and something to be ignored,” said Dixon.

“Not only have the Liberals ignored the legislature, but they also continue to ignore parents and families from the Hidden Valley School community who continue to be frustrated by the ongoing refusal of the Liberal government to answer basic questions or provide information about what happened.”

The release noted that during the debate on the motion calling for McPhee’s resignation, members of the NDP caucus spoke strongly in favour of McPhee stepping down. NDP MLA Emily Tredger said: “It is not safe for her to be in the cabinet.”

Following the passage of the motion, White told media she would not vote against the government in a confidence motion because the commitments made by the Liberals in the two parties’ agreement are too important to her.

Recognizing this, Dixon has offered the NDP support for the CASA for the duration of that agreement so Yukoners do not have to go to the polls for the fourth time this year.

“Additionally, the Yukon Party would launch a truly independent public inquiry into the Hidden Valley School scandal,” the statement said.

“Such an inquiry would include the full duration of the assailant’s time in the school system, from his hiring to the present.”

A former educational assistant at the school was convicted of sexual interference against a child and served a jail term.

With McPhee as the Education minister, the government did not inform parents about the EA’s 2019 charge nor the later conviction and jail term.

White released this statement this morning:

“As the leader of the Yukon NDP, I have committed to providing confidence to the Liberal government until the end of our agreement. I will not be breaking this commitment,” she said.

“The most likely option of voting in favuor of a non-confidence motion would mean calling an election. No one but the Yukon Party thinks an election is what Yukon needs right now,” the NDP leader added.

“Our territory is not only facing a global pandemic. Yukoners are facing a health care crisis, a housing crisis, an opioid crisis, a mental health crisis and an education crisis.

“What Mr. Dixon is proposing does not help solving any of these issues, but rather advances his own personal interest,” White added.

“Ultimately, I always put Yukoners at the centre of my decisions. Yukoners need their elected officials to show leadership and to work on tackling these very real issues the territory is facing.

“They don’t need elected officials to play political games. They do not need another election.”

The Star contacted cabinet communications staff this morning for a response to Dixon’s move. There was no response.