Traditional Knowledge, Language & Culture
First Nations make enormous contributions to Yukon based on their history in the territory. Revitalizing, maintaining and celebrating First Nations knowledge, language and culture are core to a modern Yukon.
A Yukon Liberal government will:
- establish National Aboriginal Day as a Yukon statutory holiday;
- support Yukon First Nations in establishing and administering archives of traditional knowledge;
- market First Nations arts and culture initiatives in partnership with Yukon First Nations;
- incorporate First Nations’ culture into the Standing Orders, customs, and practices of the Legislature;
- in consultation with First Nations and First Nation Heritage Centres, establish an Indigenous Fine Arts Program, and
- work with linguistic experts and First Nations to develop, preserve and enhance traditional knowledge, First Nation languages, and First Nation culture.
Early Childhood
Child care, development and education from birth to age eight must be co-ordinated to maximize the benefits to our children.
A Yukon Liberal Government will:
- research, develop and implement a Yukon Early Childhood Strategy (childcare, development and education), in consultation with early childhood education and health care professionals, parents and First Nation governments, in order to improve developmental and educational outcomes, and
- create structures that close the gap in responsibility between the Departments of Health and Social Services and Education.
Housing
Affordable and accessible housing remains an issue in the Territory and the Yukon Liberals will take crucial steps to address the initial purchase requirements and ongoing costs associated with home ownership through enhanced low income housing options across the Territory.
A Yukon Liberal government will:
- implement a community-based housing retrofit program to upgrade existing housing stock, improve energy efficiency and stimulate local Yukon businesses;
- modernize the Government’s approach to the provision of staff and social housing and collaborate with the private sector to develop strategies for program delivery which support community economic growth;
- work with communities to create available developed land banks to keep land prices affordable, and
- prioritize federal funding towards the creation of affordable housing.
Public Service Excellence
Yukon’s public servants are our family, our neighbours and our friends. Supporting the public service enables them to improve the quality of life for Yukoners through their daily work.
A Yukon Liberal Government will:
- provide political direction, then respect the work of public servants while holding them accountable for the delivery of programs and services to Yukoners;
- generate more opportunities for public servants to build capacity through professional development (internally and externally), and
- review hiring/promotion processes to ensure that they are open and transparent.
Economic and Infrastructure Development
We must invest in the infrastructure of communities, to capitalize on their ambitions and develop their economies in a fiscally responsible manner.
A Yukon Liberal government will:
- support municipalities in the development of community plans and use those plans to inform the direction of community development;
- assist communities in developing “mining within municipality” policies that respect the needs of all residents, while providing certainty for land users and compensation, where appropriate, for miners;
- expand the existing campground infrastructure;
- support necessary investments in basic community infrastructure that is needed to support communities and industry, and
- reduce community reliance on diesel energy.