One year in, Yukon Party delivering on platform promises

WHITEHORSE – One year ago, Yukoners voted for change and elected a strong Yukon Party majority government with a clear mandate. 

We inherited serious fiscal and infrastructure challenges. Years of unsustainable spending pushed the Yukon dangerously close to our debt limit, and long-standing underinvestment in reliable energy and health care infrastructure left growing pressures on services, which constrained our ability to plan for the future.

The Yukon Party government has been upfront with Yukoners about the challenges before us and the work required to turn it around. Delivering our mandate has meant providing principled leadership, making responsible decisions, and supporting a capable and empowered public service focused on serving Yukoners and helping communities succeed.

“Yukoners gave us a mandate for change: to get the economy back on track and deliver results,” said Premier Currie Dixon. “From day one, we provided clear direction through mandate letters and implementation plans, brought greater discipline to budgeting and debt management, and refocused government on the fundamentals: clear priorities, better planning, strong partnerships, and delivering results.”

Since taking office, the Yukon Party government has taken decisive steps to restore fiscal discipline and improve accountability for taxpayer dollars. A new fall capital budgeting process is helping advance projects sooner, while departments and government corporations have been directed to ensure spending is responsible, results-driven, and aligned with government priorities.

At the same time, the government has made progress on the issues that matter most to Yukoners, including improving health care, increasing housing supply, enhancing public safety, strengthening education, supporting economic growth, and delivering more effective and accountable government services.

“We are proud of the progress our government has made in its first year by focusing on the priorities Yukoners elected us to deliver,” said Dixon. “More Yukoners are connected with primary care providers, more land is being unlocked for housing, policing resources have been strengthened, and we are putting students back at the centre of our education system.”

Our government has advanced reconciliation and strengthened government-to-government relationships with First Nations, while building stronger partnerships with municipalities, industry, and community organizations to improve services and support economic growth across the Yukon.

Over the past year, we have taken meaningful steps to restore fiscal discipline, improve government accountability, and position the Yukon for long-term success, including:

•    Charting a path to balance by implementing a more disciplined approach to budgeting and financial management;
•    Delivering better value for taxpayers by launching a new government-wide Responsible Spending Initiative;
•    Preparing for emergencies and unforeseen events by introducing a new $100 million voted contingency;
•    Maintaining financial stability and flexibility by preserving strong credit ratings;
•    Improving transparency and accountability by publishing mandate letters and ministerial implementation plans to show how commitments are being delivered;
•    Advancing reconciliation and government-to-government collaboration by upholding our commitment to four Yukon Forums a year, with the first one held within a week of swearing-in, and launching a new process to complete new minerals legislation; and
•    Improving planning certainty and project delivery by introducing a new Fall Capital Budget process and advancing $138.8 million in early capital funding for 2027-28 projects;

“Yukoners asked for sound governance, responsible financial management, and clear direction for the territory,” said Dixon. “While there is more work to do, we have spent our first year laying that foundation and putting the Yukon on a path back to balance. We will continue to make responsible decisions, invest in key priorities, and deliver results for Yukoners.”

The Yukon Party government will continue to chart a path to balance while making responsible spending decisions and investing in the priorities that support strong communities, a growing economy, and a high quality of life for Yukoners.

-30-

Media Contact
Tim Kucharuk
Media Director
(867) 689-7874
[email protected]