Mr. Silver: Mr. Speaker, I stand also to pay tribute to Cancer Awareness Month, known as Daffodil Month. This is when Canadians show their support for cancer research and prevention and those currently fighting cancer by wearing a daffodil on their collar. The bright, happy daffodil represents hope for those who are on a cancer journey.  

Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Yukon Liberals and also the Official Opposition, I also would like to tribute the bridge building competition and thank the minister for his tribute.

I am going to specifically make a special recognition to Robert Service School’s Clive Betts. This is the 17^th year that Clive has sent grade-4 bridges to the competition. It is the 23^rd annual this year, so that means that there have only been six years in which Robert Service School and Clive Betts haven’t participated.

Mr. Silver: Mr. Speaker, this year the annual transfer payment from the Government of Canada to the Yukon is on the rise again. It’s at a record level, in fact. We received $21 million more than last year and we continue to rely on Ottawa for more than 80 percent of our budget.

Despite years of promises from the Yukon Party, we remain as dependent as ever on Ottawa. The Yukon Party promises to make Yukon a net contributor to Canada and we are failing in that regard. Despite yet another increase, the government is still unhappy and wanted more from Ottawa. The changes should come as no surprise to the Premier because he and a former federal Conservative Finance minister signed the agreement that we have in place now. Changes that were implemented last fall are part of that agreement, and the government has known about these changes since 2012, and certainly since 2014.

Mr. Speaker, will the Premier confirm for the record that the transfer payment from Ottawa is up some $21 million over last year?

“The goal of this budget is to try to buy Yukoners’ hearts and minds with their own money.

A look at the long term plan shows a spike in capital spending that drops off dramatically after the next election.  What the territory needs is a consistent project building schedule that ensures local contractors receive the lion’s share of the work, and keeps dollars in Yukon.  The largest project in the budget is being built by an Outside contractor.

Mr. Silver: Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise today on behalf of all of my colleagues in the Legislative Assembly to pay tribute to Dawson City resident and Yukon government employee, Martin Kienzler. Aside from his many contributions to the community, he was recently awarded the Outstanding Partner award by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.