Legislative reports: Yukon.

The 2002 Spring Sitting of the Second Session of the 30th Legislature began on April 4 and ended on May 30. The Sitting saw, among other things, the government lapse into a minority situation, 16 bills receive assent (including a new electoral boundaries act), two questions of privilege and the first, anti-climactic, application of new Standing Orders agreed to in the 2001 Fall Sitting.

Parliamentary Peregrinations

On April 2 three government private Members -- Wayne Jim (McIntyre-Takhini), Mike McLarnon (Whitehorse Centre) and Don Roberts (Porter Creek North) -- left the government caucus to sit as independents. This move reduced the Liberal government's caucus from 11 to 8, putting it into a minority position in the 17-seat legislature. It also effectively left the governing party without any private members. The Liberal government has had a seven-member cabinet since June 2001. The eighth Liberal in the House is Speaker Dennis Schneider (Whitehorse West).

The change from majority to minority government raised constant speculation as to whether the session would be completed, or whether Yukoners would face a spring election. It also led to procedural conundrums a majority government would not have to face.

The migration of government private members was not the only seat-switching, however. On May 7 Dennis Fentie (Watson Lake) left his post as House Leader of the Official Opposition New Democratic Party to become the second sitting Member of the Yukon Party, the third party in the Assembly, which was then in the midst of a leadership race. Mr. Fentie subsequently entered, and won, the race to lead the Yukon Party.

After the Spring Sitting ended NDP leader Eric Fairclough announced a formal review of his leadership would take place on September 21 in anticipation of a fall election. Since then the review has developed into a leadership race as two other individuals, including former Whitehorse Centre MLA Todd Hardy, have announced their intention to contest Mr. Fairclough's leadership.

Special Warrants

On March 14 Premier Pat Duncan (Porter Creek South) announced that the government had obtained $282.3 million in spending authority through special warrant to cover costs for the first three months of the 2002-03 fiscal year. This was done because the legislature was not set to reconvene until after the start of the fiscal year. The Leader of the Official Opposition, Mr. Fairclough (Mayo-Tatchun), argued that the government should have reconvened the Assembly before the beginning of the fiscal year so that the government could obtain its spending authority through the legislature. However, the government thought it best to wait until after April I as that was the date a reorganization of government departments would take effect. Mr. Fairclough subsequently sent a letter to Governor General Adrienne Clarkson asking for her advice as to the constitutionality of...

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