Two contenders are vying for Yukon Liberal Party leadership and, in effect, the premier’s chair: local businessman and party insider Mike Pemberton, and former Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN) chief and journalist Doris Bill.
Liberal party members will vote on their leader at a convention in Whitehorse on June 19, since Premier and Liberal Leader Ranj Pillai announced in May that he will step aside after a new party leader is named. The results of the vote will confirm the party leader and premier designate, the party president said by email.
June 12 was the deadline to become a party member in order to vote at the convention, per party rules.
While Liberals held a meet-and-greet event with the candidates on the evening of June 12, no leadership debate is planned, as far as the News is aware.
The Liberals currently form a minority government, with the Yukon NDP propping them up through a confidence and supply deal.
Territorial general elections must occur by Nov. 3.
The News put questions to each of the candidates for Liberal leader during a video call with Pemberton and an in-person interview with Bill, so readers can compare and contrast their responses. The questions weren’t provided to the candidates ahead of the interviews.
Read on to find out how Pemberton and Bill are positioning themselves, what they're prioritizing in the race for Liberal leadership and where they'll take the territory.
- What are your top three priorities for party leadership, if you’re successful?
Bill: Bill, who was the first to announce her candidacy, listed her three priorities for right away: crime, housing and health care.
"We don't have a whole lot of time between now and when a next election is called," she said. She later indicated to the News that she won't call elections right away or over the summer.
Addressing crime in downtown Whitehorse and across the territory is a top priority for Bill.
Given her community safety background, she said she has a plan for the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter located at 405 Alexander St., which has been a political hot potato.
“I don't want to say what it is, because I don't want to overstep on any progress that's been made, but I do have some ideas that I believe would help,” she said.
“Community safety, by the way, can't be implemented overnight, despite what people say.”
She said the community needs to come together and take responsibility for community safety. She noted that when she was chief, KDFN started Canada’s first community safety officer program.
Bill also wants to ensure housing is spread across the territory, such as the 10-plex built in Watson Lake, noting she has already started on that kind of work as chair of the Yukon Housing Corporation.
“We have to continue on this vein,” she said.
“The amount of housing in the past year has been unprecedented, and I think we need to continue that.”
Her third priority involves health care, specifically continuing the work around the new health authority, recruiting health professionals and streamlining the system to make it less bureaucratic, she said.
Pemberton: He said he won’t immediately go in and make massive changes that disrupt the people running the Yukon in the next few months, before territorial elections take place.
“I think it's important to understand that not being elected should weigh on everybody's mind,” he said.
Pemberton said he won’t call for general elections on day one, day two or even week three.
In the short term, he will prioritize safety in the streets, whether or not it’s “shelter-generated.” While he said he doesn’t believe the shelter is causing the problem, and he believes that much-needed “good work” takes place inside the shelter, he recognizes “there's an element around the shelter that's creating havoc for business.”
He wants to address the situation in a way that’s culturally sensitive and impactful. He wants to hear solutions from the people and organizations doing the work on the ground — not politicians. He has pledged a community safety program on day one.
Pemberton also wants to be careful about protecting the environment while not adding burden to the backs of businesses. For example, he said the territorial government’s extended producer responsibility initiative needs a closer look.
He attributed current economic struggles to the COVID-19 pandemic, wars around the world and U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to trade.
“It needs to be sustainable and the business needs to be profitable in order to remain a business,” he said.
“Businesses are struggling, not because the economy is bad.”
- Will you run for MLA and, if so, which riding?
Pemberton: Pemberton said he will absolutely run for MLA. He has been looking at the Whitehorse West riding, which is currently held by Liberal MLA and cabinet minister Richard Mostyn.
Bill: Bill plans to run for MLA, although she hasn’t determined which riding she will run in yet.
- What makes you the best fit to lead the territory when it comes to Canada’s sovereignty and Arctic and northern security?
Bill: Bill says her background in politics, governance and negotiations on this front make her the best fit.
“I was there, you know, along with the chiefs when we talked about the Arctic framework,” she said.
She grew up in the North, born in Whitehorse and raised in permanent care in Inuvik, Northwest Territories.
She talked about the importance of considering whether people in communities and the infrastructure there can handle additions, such as reserves or air force bases. She stressed the necessity of discussing those kinds of major military initiatives with political leaders and communities.
Pemberton: Pemberton’s extensive time with the Liberal party at the national and territorial levels makes him a good fit and had added to his awareness around the North, he said.
To make the territory more secure, Pemberton emphasized tying the Yukon to the North American electricity grid via British Columbia, a project that Pillai has presented as his number one “nation-building project” to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
- How will you balance supporting the mining industry and protecting the environment given the environmental and financial implications of Eagle Gold Mine?
Pemberton: Pemberton is anxious to see the independent review board’s findings around the heap leach failure at Victoria Gold Corporation’s mine nearly a year ago.
He said proper mining inspections need to be done and maintained. He doesn’t want to see mining companies come up and simply be “checking the boxes.”
Pemberton said mining companies must be conscious of the environment and partnerships with First Nations, if they plan on being in the territory.
“If they're not, quite honestly, they're not welcome,” he said.
Bill: The Yukon needs to figure out how to responsibly develop mining in the territory, Bill said.
She anticipates reviewing the much-anticipated independent review board report before commenting further.
She wants to sit with communities as well as industry to hear their points of view. She looks forward to the new mining legislation framework that’s underway.
“You have to look at technology. You have to look to the experts. You have to look to First Nation people, you know. And really, when you make a decision around that kind of thing, it has to be a well-rounded decision,” she said.
Both leadership hopefuls emphasized avoiding “environmental disasters” of the past.
- What levers will you pull to get or keep the Yukon's economy on track?
Bill: Bill hears concerns about the rising costs of essential services, the cost of living and electricity that Yukoners are facing as some people struggle to balance their budgets.
“There's a lot of things we can do in terms of infrastructure right across the territory,” she said.
She suggested leveraging projects people want to build in their communities to drive economic development.
Bill looks forward to learning more about what projects Carney is looking to fast track in the territory.
Pemberton: Pemberton believes the bigger piece is getting the cost of living on track.
“We got to do everything we can to, you know, to bring the cost of living down to a level that is sustainable for all. In turn, that will generate dollars to keep the vibrant economy,” he said.
He figures that keeping and getting some mines operating in a “thoughtful” way in the territory will also help boost the economy and bring in critical minerals that are being targeted.
He suggested times have changed since the Faro mine "disaster” which is dubbed one of the most complex abandoned mine remediation projects in Canada.
He highlighted the savviness and sophisticated nature of Yukoners, which he suggests will grow moving forward to ensure “we’re not in that same situation.”
- Do you believe that a power grid connection via B.C. is a priority for the territory and will you continue to advocate for it?
Pemberton: As noted above, Pemberton pledged to advocate for connecting the isolated Yukon to the North American grid.
“It's the beginning of the future of the Yukon,” he said.
At the same time, the territory needs to build and expand on renewable energy infrastructure, per Pemberton.
Bill: While she recognizes this project is a priority for the current Liberal government under Pillai, Bill needs to dive deeper into the work around grid connection before making any commitments on that front.
In particular, she wonders about the cost — which she said would have to be shared with the federal government.
“If we're going to start trying to bring down the cost of electricity for Yukoners, we have to modernize the existing system,” she said.
- Will you go ahead with a new health authority and a new surgical tower or what are your big plans on the health front?
Bill: Bill wants to continue the efforts driven by the Yukon government to establish a health authority and help bring a new surgical tower to fruition as part of expanding the Whitehorse General Hospital.
“I also think we might need something down the road along maybe along the highway or closer to places like Porter Creek and Whistle Bend,” she said.
She emphasized addressing the issue of better access to health care given traffic congestion during rush hour and the bottle necks that ambulances have to face in their trips to and from the Whitehorse hospital.
She suggested one or two communities might need medical facilities, too, adding she wants to see an incoming health infrastructure report that’s underway.
“We need to really invest in a major investment in healthcare in the future,” she said.
Pemberton: Pemberton hesitated to weigh in on something that he hasn’t been briefed on.
“I will say that I believe the health authority is the right move,” he said.
He applauded the Yukon’s health-care system.
“People here sometimes forget how well we do have it,” he said.
As the territory and nation grapple with health-care worker shortages, he wants to find ways to bring more health-care professional talent to the Yukon.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
