Yukon.

• Date: 22 September 2021
• Author: Kolody, Linda

Election Results

As previously noted, no party won a majority of seats in the territory's April 12 general election. The breakdown by party of the 19 seats in the 35th Yukon Legislative Assembly is: Liberal Party--8; Yukon Party -8, NDP-3.

Premier Sandy Silver (Klondike), the Leader of the Yukon Liberal Party, was re-elected as an MLA for a third successive term. Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon (Copperbelt North) was elected in the riding that he had represented as an MLA in the 33 (rd) Legislative Assembly when he served in Cabinet of the late Dennis Fentie. The Leader of the NDP, Kate White (Takhini Kopper-King) was re-elected as a Member for a third successive term.

Liberal-NDP Confidence and Supply Agreement

On April 28, Premier Silver and Ms. White signed a "confidence and supply agreement" (commonly referred to as "the CASA") between their respective caucuses, effective through January 31,2023. Although the CASA does not establish a coalition government, it provides that the Yukon Liberal Leader will not ask for a dissolution of the Assembly and that NDP MLAs "will neither move nor vote non-confidence", and "will vote in favour of the government on confidence motions."

The CASA lays out several legislative and policy areas in which the two parties agree to work together: "[m]aking democracy work for people ... [a]ddressing climate change and protecting the environment ... [cheating jobs and building a sustainable economy ... [i]mproving the services people count on ... [and M]aking life more affordable for people". Included in the final policy area is a temporary cap (to the rate of inflation) on residential rent increases. The agreement notes that the NDP's "support for policy and legislation which does not relate to confidence or supply is not subject to this agreement and will be decided on an issue-by-issue basis".

As well, the CASA provides for the Liberal government to conduct "meaningful consultation" with the NDP caucus on certain issues, for additional caucus resources and staff to be allocated to the NDP, and for the government's legislative drafting services to be available to the NDP caucus for the preparation of NDP private members' bills.

Included among a number of other provisions in the CASA are that the House meet within one month of the government's swearing-in; that a Liberal MLA be nominated to be Speaker, and an NDP MLA to be Deputy Speaker; that the 2021-22 budget be introduced and passed during the first...