GOVERNMENT VOTES ‘NO’ TO IMPROVING DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The Yukon Party government voted unanimously against improving democracy and accountability in municipal politics during debate Wednesday on a New Democratic Party motion.
The motion called on the government to ensure that citizens have the right to organize referenda to deal with issues of concern to them. It also suggested that citizens who feel they have been treated unfairly by a municipal government should have recourse through the Office of the Yukon Ombudsman.
“I wanted to put these proposals on the table, and encourage the minister of Community Services to discuss them with the public as part of any future review of the Municipal Act,” says Steve Cardiff, the MLA for Mount Lorne, the mover of the motion. “Instead, the minister tried to amend all the substance out of the motion, and when his attempt was overruled by the Speaker, he and his colleagues voted against it.”
Discussions with the public, as well as recent events, led to this issue being raised by the NDP in the Legislative Assembly. Recently, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled against a Whitehorse citizen’s right to organize a referendum in favour of creating a park at MacLean Lake.
Throughout his response during the debate on the motion, the minister frequently talked about reviewing the Municipal Act. But he gave no assurances he would expand the consultations beyond municipal councils during the process.
“Strengthening democracy and accountability – whether in local, territorial or federal politics – is a shared responsibility between elected representatives and the citizenry,” Cardiff adds. “And there is always room for improvement.
“I am very disappointed the minister responsible for such an important piece of Yukon democracy saw the motion as a threat, and quashed it, and did not take advantage of the opportunity to assure the Yukon people they are part of the debate.”
The vote was 7-6, with all members of the Liberal caucus and the independent member from Lake Laberge voting in favour of the motion.