I read with great interest a column in the Yukon News last Wednesday by Keith Halliday, the self-styled “Yukonomist.”
Over the years the “Yukonomist” column has provided some fairly reasonable commentary on matters related to territorial, national and global economic issues. Under the guise of an impartial, benevolent economist sharing his worldly expertise with us, the Yukon public, Mr. Halliday usually refrains from over-reaching. However his most recent column is a bridge too far.
In that column Mr. Halliday takes issue with, among other things, the fact that cabinet ministers from the Yukon government have recently written articles in the paper informing the public of their activities and thoughts on various initiatives and policy matters within their respective portfolios.
The right of any person to make such criticisms is without question. What is troubling though is that Mr. Halliday uses the platform of his “Yukonomist” persona to express his partisan political views. His failure to acknowledge his explicit political agenda is at best lacking in transparency and at worst dishonest.
If he wishes to criticize the current government, he should cast off any misconceptions of impartiality and declare that his commentary shills for the Yukon Liberal Party. He should acknowledge in the newspaper, as he does on his personal website “keithhalliday.com,” that he was a back-room boy under the last failed Liberal government. He served as an executive assistant and senior advisor to the last Liberal premier. Since then he has remained active in the Yukon Liberal Party executive, chairing party meetings and hosting party functions. His most recent column is quite obviously an expression of the Yukon Liberal Party and not of some impartial, benevolent economist.
Aside from acknowledging that he is a local economist and children’s author, please add to his contact line that he is an active member and advisor of the Yukon Liberal Party.
Pat McInroy
Yukon Party President