FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 21, 2021
WHITEHORSE - The Leader of the Official Opposition, Currie Dixon, announced that he will table a confidence motion in the Yukon Legislative Assembly on Monday, November 22.
The motion comes almost a month after MLAs voted in favour of a motion calling for Deputy Premier Tracy-Anne McPhee to resign from Cabinet over the government’s mishandling of the Hidden Valley School sexual abuse scandal. Since then, Premier Sandy Silver has refused to remove McPhee and has ignored the will of the Yukon Legislative Assembly.
“This Liberal government has demonstrated that they view the clearly expressed will of the Yukon Legislative Assembly as meaningless and something to be ignored,” said Dixon. “Not only have the Liberals ignored the Legislature, but they also continue to ignore parents and families from the Hidden Valley School community who continue to be frustrated by the ongoing refusal of the Liberal government to answer basic questions or provide information about what happened.”
During the debate on the motion calling on the Deputy Premier to resign, members of the NDP caucus spoke strongly in favour of McPhee stepping down. One NDP MLA said: “It is not safe for her to be in the cabinet.” Following the passage of the motion, the NDP Leader told media that she would not vote against the Liberal government in a confidence motion because the commitments made by the Liberals in their Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) were too important to her.
Recognizing this, Dixon has offered the NDP support for the CASA for the duration of that agreement so that Yukoners do not have to go to the polls for the 4th time this year. Additionally, the Yukon Party would launch a truly independent public inquiry into the Hidden Valley School scandal. Such an inquiry would include the full duration of the assailant’s time in the school system, from his hiring to the present.
“While I have significant concerns with some of the policies agreed to in the CASA, my desire to see real political accountability outweighs those concerns,” said Dixon. “This is not an offer I have made lightly, but it is one that I feel is necessary in this situation and in the best interests of the territory.”
It is also abundantly clear the Liberal government is failing Yukoners on multiple other fronts. Whether it is a shortage of doctors and teachers, the rising cost of living, the lack of housing, or the looming energy crisis.
The Yukon Party Official Opposition will call the motion for debate in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, November 24 which is the earliest available possibility.
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Contact:
Tim Kucharuk
Press Secretary
(867) 393-7026