“Unholy Alliance” votes for change in Ministerial Statements

Thursday, 26 October 2023 11:48

By Stuart Bonell

Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai delivers his Ministerial Statement on the importance of ministerial statements at the Yukon Legislative Assembly on October 25 (Photo: Government of Yukon)

Change moved by Lake Laberge MLA Brad Cathers passes in the house 11-7 following long debate and

Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai delivered a ministerial statement in the Yukon Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, as the Government of Yukon’s MLAs have done every day of this sitting. Wednesday’s statement, however, discussed a change moved by Lake Laberge MLA Brad Cathers that would allow the Yukon Party and the Yukon NDP to approve or veto the Liberal Government’s ministerial statements.

In clearer terms, the Premier delivered a ministerial statement… on ministerial statements.

Pillai expressed the importance of these statements as a way to share information with Yukoners, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental protection, and First Nations concerns about friends and family.

“Our government has used ministerial statements to deliver information about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and about the search for children who disappeared after being kidnapped and sent to residential schools,” said Pillai. “It’s sad that the Yukon NDP and the Yukon Party will limit our ability to provide this information to Yukoners about our efforts to find out what happened to their friends, family, and loved ones.”

In his rebuttal, official Opposition house Leader Scott Kent said that the Premier’s statement was exactly what prompted the movement in the first place.

“Thank you to the premier for completely justifying the position of the opposition parties,” said Kent. “It’s pretty rich for an MLA who didn’t get a single vote to become the leader of his party, nor a single vote in the 2021 election to be premier of the Yukon, to lecture this house about the state of our democracy.”

Yukon NDP Leader Kate White’s rebuttal looked at the history of ministerial statements in the Yukon. She said that the Liberal Government has used old news releases for their statements, resulting in repetition. She also said that the closing statements in response to the opposition are not being used as intended.

“In the closing, the ministers are supposed to answer the questions [that] the opposition has highlighted,” said White. “But we know this is seldom the case. On the contrary; this is typically where the Liberals tell either the Yukon Party or the Yukon NDP, or both of us, why and how we’re wrong.”

In his closing statements yesterday, Pillai did not mince words in response to the Yukon Party and Yukon NDP’s position regarding ministerial statements.

“Normally, the Yukon Party criticizes us for working with the Yukon NDP to support the most vulnerable Yukoners, build affordable housing, and protect seniors and students; especially 2SLGBTQIA students,” said Pillai in his closing statement. “But today, we will see the unholy alliance of the Yukon Party and NDP working together to limit Yukoners’ ability to access information about their government.”

“The conspirators of the Yukon Party and NDP have used their majority on the Standing Committee on Rules, Elections, and Privileges to try to amend the standing orders on this house to limit an important mechanism of this legislature to provide information to Yukoners.”

Cathers’ proposal that at least two out of three house leaders must approve the topic of Ministerial Statements was approved in the Legislative Assembly 11 to 7 on October 25.