Yukoners to head to the polls on Nov. 3

The Yukon is heading into a territorial election. Liberal Party Premier Mike Pemberton confirmed at a press conference in Carcross on Thursday that he would ask Commissioner Adeline Webber to dissolve the Legislative Assembly on Friday, designating an election date on Nov. 3. “We’re heading into this election at a time when things could feel heavy. People are feeling frustrated, they’re divided and they’re tired. But I say ‘don’t lose hope.’ Our democracy is strong, and together, we can be stronger still,” he said. “There is a path forward…We have an incredible team of support. If we stay the course, we will definitely get through.” Pemberton noted that if elected, the party would focus on building more affordable homes, healthcare, affordability, strengthening the economy and Reconciliation with First Nations. While the election call is now official, parties have already been ramping up their campaigns. The Yukon Party, the territory’s conservative party, said in a statement on Oct. 1 that it’s ready for an election and has been connecting with voters and business owners territory-wide since kicking off its campaign in April. “From housing, health care and education to the economy, public safety, energy and more effective governance, the Yukon Party is poised to deliver positive change for the territory,” it said. Yukon’s NDP Party likewise said in a statement last week it was busy knocking on doors and signing up new NDP members and volunteers ahead of the election. “We’ve got a strong team that has already hit the ground running. Yukoners can count on every one of them to make healthcare better and lower your costs,” said party president Jan Stick. The party is announcing its campaign priorities today. Here’s a look at what to expect with the Yukon’s 36th election. No Liberal ministers seeking re-election No matter what party is elected, the government’s next cabinet is likely to have some new faces — or, depending on the outcome, familiar ones who have held cabinet positions before. That’s because none of the outgoing Liberal ministers, most of whom have been in office since 2016, are seeking re-election. The only sitting MLA running for re-election is Jeremy Harper, who was elected in 2021 and served as Speaker for the Yukon Legislative Assembly. Pemberton assumed the premiership earlier this year when he became leader of the Yukon Liberal Party, replacing former premier Ranj Pillai, who announced he was stepping down to spend more time with family. Pemberton doesn’t currently hold a seat, but will run in the Whitehorse West district. John Streicker, one of the outgoing ministers, told the Canadian Press that each minister made a personal choice not to run again and it wasn’t related to the party’s recent change in leadership. The Liberals have been in power since 2016 and were elected to a minority government during the last election in 2021, holding eight of the territory’s 19 seats. The government was supported by a confidence and supply agreement with the Yukon NDP that saw it back the Liberals in exchange for implementing parts of its policy priorities. How many candidates are running? While the election has only just been called, parties have already begun rolling out candidates for nearly all of the territory’s 21 ridings. Pemberton said at the campaign kick off that 15 Liberal candidates have been confirmed so far. The Yukon Party has 20 candidates, according to its website, including six incumbents, four of whom held cabinet positions when the party last held power prior to the Liberals’ 2016 win. Two of the Yukon Party MLAs, Geraldine Van Bibber and Stacey Hassard, won’t be seeking re-election. Meanwhile, all three incumbent Yukon NDP MLAs are running again. The party has named 19 candidates. New ridings Beyond candidates, the election comes with some new electoral riding changes. An independent boundaries commission was tasked last year with reviewing the territory’s existing electoral districts to ensure effective representation in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. As a result of its recommendations, Whitehorse’s Whistlebend neighborhood has been divided into two brand new ridings, Whistlebend North and Whistlebend South, to better reflect population growth in the capital. The change means the current number of seats in the Yukon Legislative Assembly will increase from 19 to 21, 13 of which will be in Whitehorse, while the other eight are rural. It also marks the first time the territory has expanded its number of seats since 2008. Other changes entail splitting the Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes riding into two and merging the communities of Ross River and Faro into the Watson Lake-Ross River-Faro riding. Plebiscite vote The election also includes the first plebiscite vote in almost a century, asking whether the territory should change its voting system. The plebiscite follows recommendations from a citizens’ assembly on electoral reform. The Yukon currently follows the first-past-the-post voting system, where the candidate with the most votes wins. Elections Yukon will be asking if voters want to change that to a ranked vote system, where candidates will be ranked by preference. That means if the top candidate does not receive 50 per cent of the vote plus one, the lowest-ranked candidate is dropped. The process continues until a candidate reaches 50 per cent plus one. Canada Post strike With the election approaching, Elections Yukon is making alternative arrangements for voters who might be impacted by the Canada Post strike, particularly those outside the territory who normally rely on the mail to cast their vote by special ballot. That includes couriering special ballot kits for voters outside of the territory with return postage paid for by Elections Yukon. Elections Yukon is also allowing returning offices to accept applications and special ballots from voters in any electoral district. The change gives voters more flexibility when applying, voting and returning special ballots. With files from the Canadian Press Continue Reading