Currie Dixon criticizes vaccine mandate, says it is an attempt to distract Yukoners from the "mounting scandal" related to Hidden Valley

Monday, 18 October 2021 15:23

By Dylan MacNeil

Currie Dixon making a campaign announcement during last spring's territorial election (file photo).

The government is still not offering answers in the legislature.

The second week of the fall sitting of the Yukon legislature kicked off this afternoon. Currie Dixon, leader of the official opposition the Yukon Party, criticized the government’s vaccine mandate that was announced on Friday. He says it is an attempt to take attention away from the conversation around Hidden Valley.

“It was a politically motivated attempt by the liberal government to distract Yukoners from the mounting scandal relating to sexual abuse of children at the Hidden Valley School. It was an attempt to distract from the role of the Deputy Premier in that scandal, as well as her refusal to answer any of the many questions that have been put to her by parents, media, and the opposition,” said Dixon.

“We will not stop asking the Deputy Premier about her role in the sexual abuse scandal until she answers the questions and takes responsibility.”

After what he called a “disastrous first week in the legislature”, Dixon once again questioned the Deputy Premier and former Education Minister Tracey-Anne McPhee, asking why parents weren’t notified in 2019 when an Educational Assistant at Hidden Valley Elementary School sexually abused a student. Similarly to last week, McPhee kept her mouth shut. Current Education Minister Jeanie McLean handled the questioning, not offering a clear answer.

“I have launched an independent review of the government of Yukon’s response to the situation at the Hidden Valley School. Which again, is a commitment that I made directly to the families of the children. Particularly, those ones that were impacted directly from the situation. I am happy to say today that the independent reviewer Amanda Rogers is in the Yukon this week starting the ground work on this review,” responded McLean.

Dixon also asked Premier Sandy Silver when he first learned about the situation and if he knew about it when he promoted McPhee to Deputy Premier, details he left out of his answer.

“I know the Yukon Party wants to be the judge and the jury. We will allow the independent review to answer all questions and make sure that this issue, this devastating situation, does not go without response to the parents, to the families, to the education community,” said Silver.

Also in the legislature, Lake Laberge MLA Brad Cathers tabled a petition from Yukoners to get answers from the government on the Hidden Valley situation. He says it has between 300 and 350 signatures.

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