Tiara Topps is the first NDP candidate to be announced, and says that the territory's broken health-care system can be fixed.
The Yukon NDP have announced its first candidate for nomination for the 2025 territorial election.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Yukon NDP Leader Kate White introduced Tiara Topps as the NDP candidate running for nomination in Whistle Bend North.
Topps is a licensed practical nurse with experience in long-term care and home care. She says that, due to inadequate support from the Government of Yukon, she has seen the territory’s health-care system go from bad to dangerous.
“Right now, health care is broken,” Topps told media Tuesday. “Every day, I see how people are falling through the cracks.”
“But here’s the thing; we can fix health care. The solutions exist!”
“They exist in the people on the front lines. Nurses, doctors, paramedics, social workers, therapy staff, support staff, and every other allied health professional that take care of Yukoners every single day.”
“They have the knowledge to solve these problems. They know what we need to do to care for our community and take care of you.”
Those health care workers are in short supply. The Yukon, much like the rest of Canada, is facing a staffing shortage in health care fields like nursing.
With recruitment and retention being the main obstacles to addressing the shortage, Topps says that the Yukon government’s strategy for retention could use some work.
“The Liberals created a nursing bonus in an attempt to retain nurses in the Yukon. It was an unorganized, inequitable promise that caused division among health care workers.”
“I experienced this first-hand as a new mom. They gave it to some nurses and not others. We are no further ahead for it.”
Kate White expressed her enthusiasm at Topps joining the team, and said that the 2025 territorial election will be about health care.
Just two hours after the NDP announcement, the Yukon Party announced that Yvonne Clarke, who was originally confirmed as the candidate for Porter Creek Centre, will face candidates in the Whistle Bend North district. Porter Creek Centre was split three ways by the Electoral Boundaries Commission.
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