Despite contrary assurances from our leaders, our rapidly increasing debt load should be a matter of concern to everyone. My research indicates our government is indebted to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
As a result, along with its related commissions and corporations, it is paying substantial annual interest with our tax dollars to accommodate these substantial loans.
Considering a recorded Yukon population of only 34,000 residents as of last December, this has to be the heaviest per-capita debt load in all of Canada.
The time for fiscal restraint is long overdue, and this serious issue must be addressed immediately.
Taxpayers are entitled to know the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
If Premier Darrell Pasloski and his cabinet should declare that I am wrong in my assessment, I hereby challenge them to prove it openly with appropriate documentation for Yukon residents and taxpayers to consider.
Failure to do so would only further confirm my findings to date.
I think you should know that following a 10-year study, the National CD Howe Institute has proclaimed our territorial government “the worst financial planner in Canada and a standout for failing to live up to its spending plans.”
It also revealed the Yukon had overruns compared to what they had planned on spending, to the tune of about $500 million over the decade.
They also noted “the Yukon government uses different accounting practices for its budget and year-end audited statements. That makes it tough to track down the actual overspending.”
They concluded that “changes should be made to ensure the Yukon government clearly explains why it’s spending more than it takes in.”
I feel strongly that, as Yukon citizens and taxpayers, we must hold our leaders to account and demand answers about these and other related fiscal matters forthwith.
The government is telling us one thing and national experts quite another about our debt load.
It is up to you as a resident to determine which one is telling the truth. When this question has been answered to your satisfaction, there is only one moral obligation to consider. Either demand that government publicly identifies and deals with this massive debt situation today, or just leave the whole matter for our children and future generations to resolve later.
The decision is yours.
Donald E. Taylor
Watson Lake