The Yukon Liberal Party and the Yukon Party were nearly deadlocked in political fundraising last year, according to an annual report on political party revenues.
The report released Sept. 2 by Elections Yukon rounds up the total revenues received by each registered political party for 2021, which marked a territorial election that saw the Liberals reduced to a minority government. The initial report has been corrected after an error was found in the reporting of the Yukon NDP’s numbers.
In the report, the distribution of total contributions breaks down as follows: the Yukon Party made up 41 per cent, the Yukon Liberal Party accounted for 40 per cent, the Yukon NDP comprised 18 per cent and the Yukon Freedom Party represented one per cent of revenues across the board.
In the Yukon’s chief electoral officer’s report to the legislative assembly, since money can translate into political success, there are rules around electoral finance, including contributions to the political parties involved in the territorial election, that are designed to make the financing fair and transparent.
“In a democracy, elections between competing political parties and movements have been the dominant process to elect governments,” reads the report.
“To reach out to the electorate and explain their goals and policies, and to receive input from the people on their views, candidates and political parties require funding. Access to funding, with no strings attached, is crucial to the overall vibrancy of an electoral and democratic system.”
As of the end of December, there were four registered political parties, with the Yukon Freedom Party registering as new and the Yukon Green Party deregistering.
No anonymous contributions had been reported.
The Yukon Liberal Party brought in $264,173 from 111 contributors, including 30 contributions over $250. Liberal Leader Sandy Silver is listed as the top contributor at $11,500. Northern Vision Development put in $2,800 and Alcan Air provided $2,500.
The Yukon Party brought in $269,891 from 229 contributors, including 46 contributions over $250. Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon gave $5,000, which matched the other top contributions by Hartter Holdings, Britany Dixon and Nuway Crushing.
The Yukon NDP brought in $123,121 from 564 contributors, including 55 contributions over $250. The NDP’s biggest contributor is Elizabeth Hanson at $1,800, followed by Rachael Cardiff at $1,500 and NDP Leader Kate White at $1,400.
The Yukon Freedom Party brought in $8,150 from 11 contributors, including six contributions over $250. South Nahanni Outfitters Ltd. contributed $3,000, while Barbara McLeod and David S. Robertson each chipped in $1,275. Jonas Smith, who ran as an independent in the 2021 federal elections after being dropped by the Conservative Party of Canada, appears to have given $300 to the party.
The report notes that no amounts had been reported for independent candidate Coach Jan Prieditis, who ran in the Mountainview riding, as he is not associated with any of the registered political parties.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
