TIRED, DESPERATE YUKON PARTY GOVERNMENT RIPE FOR DEFEAT
The last sitting of the Legislative Assembly before the territorial election was acrimonious, confrontational and often dysfunctional, and the Yukon Party government deserves much of the blame, says New Democratic Party leader Liz Hanson.
“It failed to deliver on its 2006 campaign promise to improve the conduct, decorum and co-operation in the Legislative Assembly,” Hanson adds. “It is depressing to see how little real progress was made during its mandate to improve how we work together in the public interest.”
After nine years in office, the government has shown it is rarely open to new ideas or new ways of doing things, she continues.
It rejected most attempts by opposition politicians to engage in constructive dialogue and resorted to filibusters, closure and personal attacks to avoid or deflect criticism. It repeatedly ignored the wishes of the people it was elected to represent.
“This government is long on promises, rhetoric and bluster but short on working collaboratively and sharing power with its many partners, including the members of the House, other levels of government, non-government organizations and most stakeholder groups,” says Mount Lorne MLA Steve Cardiff.
“It failed to manage the economy or maximize economic benefits accruing to Yukoners from our finite non-renewable resources,” adds Cardiff.
“And it also missed many opportunities to improve in significant ways the lives of those less fortunate, those who struggle with addictions, mental illness or to provide for themselves and their families.”
The New Democratic Party also believes the government’s unprecedented and unsustainable borrowing and spending habits will hobble Yukon for decades to come. Meanwhile, the territory’s economy remains as dependent as ever on Ottawa, with about 80 per cent of the 2011-2012 budget still coming from the federal government.
“When future historians judge this government, they will not be kind,” Hanson says.
“They will see lots of spending on such things as roads and buildings with little analysis. They will see a government the Auditor General of Canada has repeatedly said spends public money without strategic planning, without clear priorities or without attention to risk management. They will see a government that spent big but not wisely.”
The government is also moving fast to industrialize the territory before completing comprehensive land-use planning to ensure our priceless wilderness and wildlife will sustain future generations, Hanson continues.
“In its unwillingness to bring greater common sense and fairness to the free-entry system for mineral staking, it is sowing the seeds for the next Fort McMurray, with its well-documented social and environmental liabilities. The government is taking us down a path that is not sustainable and will lead to continued conflict and uncertainty.
“Yukoners deserve better, and a New Democratic Party government is committed to rebuilding the public’s faith, trust and respect in their politicians and democratic institutions, and will strive for excellence, honesty, integrity and compassion in all it says and does. It has proven time and again an ability and desire to work constructively and collaboratively for the greater public good.”