With his party winning two-thirds of the 21 seats in the legislature, Yukon Party Leader and premier-designate Currie Dixon said his newly-elected majority government has received the “strongest mandate that any government has had in recent memory” in Yukon politics.
“Having a strong majority means that the Yukon Party is well positioned to advance an agenda that we think is important for Yukon,” Dixon told the News by phone on Nov. 4.
The general territorial elections saw the Yukon NDP take six seats (up from three) to pivot from the third party to the Official Opposition and a lone Liberal elected (down from eight) to the Yukon Legislative Assembly. That’s based on the unofficial results of the ballot count released by Elections Yukon after polls closed at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. The official count is expected to be finalized on Nov. 6, according to assistant chief electoral officer Jesse Devost in an email to the media.
Chief electoral officer Maxwell Harvey has described the 2025 Yukon elections as “historic” given the plebiscite vote on electoral reform, two new ridings and redrawn district boundaries, alongside the two school board elections which are being held separately later this month.
During an interview with the News by phone on Nov. 4, Dixon suggested how the Yukon could look and feel different for Yukoners under a Yukon Party majority compared to the past few years led by the outgoing Yukon Liberal Party minority government. The Liberal caucus had a confidence-and-supply deal, originally struck in 2021 and reupped in 2023, with the Yukon NDP that effectively kept the Liberals in power.
“Over the last four years, we’ve had a government that’s been defined by the relationship between the Liberals and the NDP through the confidence-and-supply agreement, and a Liberal government trying to implement the policies of the NDP, and a lot of confusion about who was actually in control,” Dixon said.
“I think that consistency, clarity and stability is what Yukoners can expect.”
After spending the past two terms as the Official Opposition, Dixon recognized the role of the Official Opposition NDP when it comes to asking questions and holding the government to account. He added that he believes the legislature can play a bigger role when it comes to scrutinizing legislation, regulations and other actions and decisions by the government.
“I want to work with the legislative assembly as a whole to make some of those changes to allow for that increased level of scrutiny and transparency. And that’s going to require the Yukon Party and the NDP and the Liberal MLA to work together on some fronts.”
When Dixon was first elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly in 2011, he said, the Yukon Party at the time inherited a government that was on the heels of two previous Yukon Party governments. Dixon described the situation back then as having “solid public finances and a strong economy.”
Dixon said that contrasts the situation his party faces now.
“Today we inherit public finances that are stretched and thin, an economy that is one of the weakest in the country, and significant serious challenges facing the territory, whether it’s the housing crisis, the health-care crisis, or any number of other crises facing Yukoners,” he said.
He is optimistic in the ability of his 14 MLAs to handle the challenges and navigate the decision making to “shepherd Yukon through these difficult times.”
All six incumbent Yukon Party MLAs who sought re-election were re-elected: Dixon for Copperbelt North, Scott Kent for Copperbelt South, Wade Istchenko for Kluane, Brad Cathers for Lake Laberge, Patti McLeod for the redrawn riding of Watson Lake-Ross River-Faro and Yvonne Clarke for Whistle Bend North, one of two new ridings.
According to the unofficial results, eight new faces will join them in the legislature: Jen Gehmair for Marsh Lake-Mount Lorne-Golden Horn, Cory Bellmore for Mayo-Tatchun, Ted Laking for Porter Creek Centre, Doris Anderson for Porter Creek North, Adam Gerle for Porter Creek South, Tyler Porter for Southern Lakes, Linda Benoit for Whistle Bend South and Laura Lang for Whitehorse West.
Dixon suggested the diversity, experience and qualifications of his new and returning MLAs should give Yukoners confidence.
Dixon said he will consider the options with regards to creating a new cabinet of ministers and looking at the structure of the government. That will be determined throughout the course of the transition period, per Dixon.
Dixon’s swearing in ceremony, in which he officially becomes premier, has yet to be set, as of the time of the interview on the morning of Nov. 4.
Dixon said he has been congratulated by Yukon NDP Leader Kate White via phone and in person by Yukon Liberal Leader and outgoing premier Mike Pemberton, who stopped by the Yukon Party election results watch party the previous evening. Pemberton came in third out of three candidates in the race for the Whitehorse West seat, which saw the Yukon Party’s Laura Lang pull through with a commanding lead.
Dixon said Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office has reached out to his office. The first meeting between the premier designate and the prime minister has yet to be set, per Dixon. In addition to Pemberton, Dixon has heard from a number of other premiers, including a call from Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is among political leaders in Canada who posted congratulatory remarks on social media.
Despite the Yukon NDP framing their rivals as the “Conservative Yukon Party” Dixon has repeatedly denied having “formal” ties to the Conservative Party of Canada.
The territorial NDP has highlighted donations flowing from the pockets of some Yukon Party candidates to the federal party as well as some Yukon Party affiliates having campaigned for and worked for the federal party and made appearances at federal party events.
In an email statement on Oct. 28 to the News, the Yukon Party claimed there is “no formal connection between the two parties” given that they don’t share fundraising with the federal party and they have separate memberships and constitutions. As reported by the News, Dixon recently acknowledged “a significant overlap in our membership with the (federal) Conservative Party, but it’s not a perfect overlap.”
When speaking with reporters following his victory speech before midnight on Nov. 3, Dixon said his party is offering a change from “some combination of Liberal and NDP government, whether you characterize that as a coalition or a Liberal-NDP government, or whatever.”
Dixon wouldn’t name a particular policy initiative that will be the first for his government to see through.
“That’s not going to be a decision that I make on my own,” he said.
“It’s going to be a decision that the 14 Yukon Party MLAs will have to make, and you need to just look at our platform to see what our priorities were, and we’re going to get to work on those immediately.”
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com