Yukon.

• Author: Kolody, Linda
• Position: Legislative Reports - Election of new members of the Legislative Assembly; royal visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

General election

The 33rd Legislative Assembly was dissolved by Order of Commissioner Doug Phillips on October 7. On November 7, a general election was held to elect the 19 members who would comprise the territory's 34* Legislative Assembly. The Yukon Liberal Party won a majority government, with Mr. Sandy Silver, the member for Klondike and the lone Liberal member going into the election, emerging at the helm of an 11-member caucus.

The Yukon Party, which had been in power for three successive terms over 14 years, and which had 11 members at the time the election was called, returned six MLAs, becoming the new Official Opposition. While the Yukon Party gained a seat in Porter Creek Centre with the election of former Commissioner Geraldine Van Bibber, Premier Darrell Pasloski lost his seat in the riding of Mountainview. Mr. Pasloski stepped down as party leader and Stacey Hassard is now interim leader of the Yukon Party.

The New Democratic Party, which had entered the election with six members, retained two seats, including leader Liz Hanson's seat in Whitehorse Centre.

There were two ridings that each featured two incumbent members on the ballot: Copperbelt South, and Whitehorse Centre. In Copperbelt South, Yukon Party Minister Scott Kent won the seat that had been held by NDP member Lois Moorcroft (who had herself been a Minister in a previous NDP government). In Whitehorse Centre, Yukon Party Minister Doug Graham was on the ballot in the riding held by Ms. Hanson (as noted, Ms. Hanson retained her seat).

The new Legislative Assembly features eight returning members and 11 new ML As. In total, seven women were elected; one more than in the previous Legislative Assembly, and the highest number ever in a Yukon general election. Female MLAs now comprise 36.8 per cent of the House.

Recounts were held in the two ridings in which the plurality was less than ten votes: Mountainview, and Vuntut Gwitchin. In both cases the election night result was confirmed by the recount. Each riding was won by seven votes...