Some politicians with seats in the Yukon Legislative Assembly turn to campaign mode while confidence and supply deal between governing Liberals and Yukon NDP remains intact The minority Yukon Liberal Party government’s $2.36-billion main budget for 2025-26 passed and the confidence and supply deal, or CASA, between the Liberals and Yukon NDP remains intact as some MLAs in the Yukon Legislative Assembly turn to campaign mode ahead of territorial elections that have yet to be declared. Premier Ranj Pillai suggested the opposition hit the campaign trail during the question period in the chambers the final day of the 2025 spring sitting on May 1. The three party leaders with seats in the House looked ahead to elections while speaking with reporters in their respective private offices within the legislative building on May 1. Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon doesn’t feel like his side typically gets answers from the government anyways. He noted that the final day was a bit more fiery than normal given it may be the last time the 35th assembly convenes. As for the timeline for a vote, Pillai indicated polls won’t open in territorial elections until after the summer. Elections Yukon is working on bringing two pieces into place: the electoral boundary shift from 19 to 21 ridings and a plebiscite on ranked ballots. Despite the uncertainty around the election timeline, cabinet communications confirmed it will be the last time this version of the Liberals put forward a territorial budget since Yukon elections must occur on or before Nov. 3, 2025. While eyeing the future, Pillai looked further back than March 2025. Pillai said a couple of weeks into being sworn in, following a leadership contest in early 2023 (since former premier and outgoing Klondike MLA Sandy Silver announced his resignation as premier and party leader after a new leader was found), the Yukon Party leader told CEOs and business leaders that “the government’s over, it’s going to be done, and that the odds were against.” At the time, Pillai noted, the government had already pulled through peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and was busy dealing with signing a Canadian health-care agreement, unknown aerial objects being shot down by NORAD over the Mayo area and building a budget. That’s also around when the second iteration of CASA was signed with Yukon NDP Leader Kate White. White told reporters she’s confident the outstanding items in the agreement will get done before elections are held. Pillai and White each suggested most Yukoners asked them to put division aside to make positive things happen for them. While the two sides compromised, the Official Opposition Yukon Party has been waiting for the partnership to fail so that elections could be called and they could, in their minds, form government. “I know that the opposition will say they’re focused on the future, but the Yukon Party of the past is the Yukon Party of the future. It’s 103 years of sitting over there,” Pillai said. He was referring to his math on the total number of years Yukon Party MLAs have already spent in the legislative assembly. The Yukon Party’s new slogan appears to be “Change Starts Now,” according to a photo the party posted to Facebook of a sign outside the party’s campaign headquarters, which opened on the evening of April 30. Dixon said his party is focused on presenting a vision for the Yukon that’s forward looking while the Liberals focus on the past. “We want to present an alternative to what we’ve seen over the past nine years and present a positive vision for the future for Yukon,” he said. When asked for his plans, Dixon often hints to reporters to watch for his party’s upcoming election platform to be released. While the premier criticized the party for a lack of a plan, Dixon said Yukoners can decide if they want change or more of the same. The Yukon NDP leader advised there are three different parties with three sets of values and perspectives. “This is the beginning of how each will lay that out,” White said. White said she will be proposing solutions gleaned from experts and people around them. While the Yukon Legislate Assembly expects May 1 to be the final day of this legislative assembly, it is possible that another sitting be called before the government dissolves ahead of elections, according to deputy clerk Allison Lloyd by email to the News. The premier must give sufficient time to Speaker Jeremy Harper to give two-weeks’ notice for the House to meet, per Lloyd. Plus, the start day for sittings can be moved around in an election year. “Due to the election, there may or may not be a Fall Sitting. Following the elections in 2002 and 2016, no Fall Sitting was held,” Lloyd said. “Or the Fall Sitting may be shorter than normal in an election year. In 2006 and 2011 the Fall Sitting lasted 12 sitting days and nine sitting days, respectively.” During what will likely be her last day on the floor of the legislature, Yukon Party MLA Geraldine Van Bibber, in a way, surprised her rivals when she gave credit to NDP Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew for taking action that his opponents in the losing Progressive Conservatives had actively campaigned against using billboards. “His campaign promise to search the Winnipeg landfill to find missing loved ones was honoured, and they were found — amazing courage shown by this leader,” Van Bibber said. Van Bibber cited Education Minister Jeanie McLean speaking at a Red Dress Day event several years ago to mark missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ people. “She said — quote: ‘If I go missing, please come look for me.’ Thank you for that, as it struck me that our women have to continue saying this,” Van Bibber said. “We don’t just up and leave our comfort zone. We don’t just decide one day to leave our families. We don’t. As we go forward, learn, listen and be considerate of others. The stories we think we know may not be so. So, Mr. Speaker, if I go missing, come look for me.” Given it was potentially the final sitting day, things also got a bit feisty on the floor. In a passionate speech, McLean accused the NDP of calling her homophobic and transphobic over a textbook that the minister has told the House isn’t currently being used in Catholic school classrooms. White said the textbook breaches the Education department’s sexual orientation and gender identity, or SOGI, policy. “I don’t accept that, and I will never accept it,” McLean said about the allegations. When speaking with reporters, White denied making the allegations. “I’ve never once called her homophobic or transphobic, but she is the minister of Education, and within the Yukon schools, she has not enforced the SOGI policy,” White said. “She has not protected queer kids or educators, and that’s a problem currently. Right now, there’s a transphobic, homophobic textbook that’s available in our Catholic high school, and it’s unacceptable. It’s never been personal, but she does have a responsibility as the department, as the minister of Education.” Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
With Yukon elections on horizon, current Liberal govts final main budget passes
