Yukoners got another chance to hear from candidates hoping to represent them in Ottawa as the territory’s MP following the federal election.
The event, hosted by the Yukon Federation of Labour (YFL) was held in a packed meeting room at the Gold Rush Inn in Whitehorse on April 14. It was also streamed online.
On hand to answer questions were Gabrielle Dupont representing the Green Party, Brendan Hanley of the Liberals and Katherine McCallum from the NDP. Ryan Leef of the Conservatives did not attend but passed on a message via organizers that he would respond to written questions and would be discussing issues at Yukoners’ doors.
The three candidates provided brief opening statements with their personal histories and some of their parties’ priorities before they answered questions. Moderator and YFL president Teresa Acheson explained that the first set of questions were drafted with input from Yukon workers, unions and the Canadian Labour Congress. The candidates were asked what they would do to support families and address the cost of living crisis amid a growing gap between wages and corporate profits.
Hanley spoke to the driving forces behind cost of living noting the global supply chain disruptions from events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and wars. He stated that economic threats made by the U.S. administration could make things worse in the coming years. He noted that both the Liberals and the Conservatives are proposing tax cuts “to address the immediate pocket-book needs” of Yukoners.” He says the Liberals’ proposed cut is a 1 per cent cut to the marginal tax rate, which will save two-income families up to $825 annually. He contrasted this with the Conservative plan for a 2.5 per cent cut that he argues will put many government programs reliant on income-tax funds at risk. Hanley added that the Liberals remain committed to programs already in place on the affordability front, naming the $10 a day child care program the Canada Child Benefit and the federal dental care plan.
McCallum drew on her own experiences as a single parent when speaking about affordability challenges. She touted the NDP plan to introduce a guaranteed basic income and recognized the need to make things more affordable for people who are working but are unable to get ahead. Her reply referenced plans and programs including free dental care for all, expanded pharmacare, housing measures and capped prices on essential groceries. To fund these tax loopholes, including off shore tax havens must be closed and corporations must pay their fair share into the system, McCallum said.
Dupont of the Greens said her party plans to remove federal income tax on the first $40,000 in annual income that people earn. The basic personal amount that is currently not taxed federally is $16,129. She said the Greens also want to close tax loopholes for large corporations and want to introduce a guaranteed livable income capable of insulating people from life emergencies. She spoke to the link between food transportation and production disruptions resulting from climate change and natural disasters and the prices Yukoners pay at the grocery store. Dupont also suggested that a move towards renewable energy sources could make Yukoners’ energy bills less influenced by the policies of outside governments or other forces.
The candidates were then asked about what they would do to support health-care workers amid the pressure the Yukon system faces.
McCallum said the NDP has a comprehensive plan on this front including pan-Canadian licensing for health care workers allowing them to practice in different parts of the country more easily and grants for doctors committed to practicing in the north. She said the plan also includes greater Indigenous representation in health care, streamlining of Canadian credentials for internationally-trained doctors and nurses and a 1 per cent increase of the federal health transfer to the provinces and territories.
Dupont sees the challenges faced by the health-care system as tied to housing costs, noting the challenges the costs create for recruiting and retaining staff in the Yukon. She said one of her party’s priorities is access to a family doctor for everyone to promote prevention of more serious issues. Dupont added that immigration has a role in staffing the Yukon’s health-care system.
Hanley spoke to his own experience as a general practitioner regarding the decline of doctor availability in the Yukon. He noted that when he first arrived in the territory for a temporary position 30 years ago he was told that the Yukon had plenty of doctors. He recognizes that this has changed with an increasing population and aging health-care work force and despite 20 years of predictions no level go government has adequately responded. That brewing crisis was “catapulted” by the pandemic in his view with health-care workers taking early retirement or other jobs. He said the federal role in resolving this includes modernizing health-care data to adequately track shortages, assisting with licensing international graduates and Canadians who took health-care training abroad and helping scale up innovative practices among other measures.
Speaking to a question on housing affordability, Dupont said an affordability definition of housing that costs no more than 30 per cent of the person living there’s income must be applied and projects receiving public money must fit that definition. McCallum noted the challenges housing costs have created for young people trying to leave home and cited NDP plans for tenants’ bill of rights and the construction of 100,000 publicly-owned rent-controlled apartments on public land across the country. Hanley cited the variety of housing projects completed or put into motion over his past term and Mark Carney’s plans for a $25-billion fund to “get the federal government back in the business of building homes and plans to encourage pre-fabricated housing; the Liberals’ goal is the construction of 500,000 houses per year.
Questions on making it easier for workers to unionize and personal experience standing up for workers led both the Liberal and NDP representatives to claim victory on anti-scab legislation, referring to Bill C-58, a package of Canadian Labour Code modifications that included tighter prohibitions on the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout. It passed the House of Commons unanimously in May 2024. Dupont spoke about jobs that will be created by a transition to green energy and briefly took the federal government’s cuts to the Yukon Nominee Program allocation to task, stating that the Greens would seek to improve such programs rather than cutting them to improve resources for employees.
“Where does your party stand on the issue in Gaza and the West Bank, and what specific strategies would you take to end the genocide and bring humanitarian aid to Gazans?” the candidates were asked.
Hanley says his party advocates against illegal settlements in the West Bank a two-state solution ending the war, and a ceasefire like the one which was recently broken by the Israelis.
“I will say, on a more personal note, is that we are seeing repeated violations of international humanitarian law and Israeli actions in its efforts to eliminate Hamas and the civilian toll continues to be devastating and unacceptable. This is, these violations include repeated targeting of civilians, of aid workers, of humanitarian and medical facilities, the cutting off of humanitarian aid, the interference with fresh water supply, the blockade to access to aid, and we are now facing an even more serious scenario, because whereas the only country that significantly had leverage over Israelis’ actions was the United States, who has now basically checked out of their responsibility in working with Israel, and perhaps being at least somewhat of a modifier in Israel's actions. So it's an extremely troubling scenario,” he said.
“The NDP stance on the genocide in Gaza is that genocide is never okay. We need to pressure the US and other countries to stop funding the genocide. No children should die at the hands of greed and capitalism and war mongering. We need more funding for humanitarian aid, and PSAC [Public Service Alliance of Canada] has just reiterated its call for an immediate arms embargo on Israel,” McCallum replied
“At the Green Party, we are a non violent party, and our approaches are always towards peaceful resolution. And again, the Green Party, we do want to emphasize solutions on international laws, human rights, again, peaceful resolution to guide us on this conflict, and this is what we will continue to do,” Dupont said.
The candidates concluded the evening with brief closing statements.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com
