TESLIN – The Yukon Liberals will establish National Aboriginal Day as a Yukon Statutory Holiday, says Carl Sidney, Liberal candidate for Pelly–Nisutlin.

National Aboriginal Day, celebrated on June 21 of each year, celebrates the diversity and strength of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples, their cultures, and traditions. 

WHITEHORSE – Liberal leader Sandy Silver and Mathieya Alatini, the Yukon Liberals candidate for Kluane, announced the party’s commitment to the mining and tourism industries today.  Alatini is the former Chief of the Kluane First Nation and also a former Yukon Women in Mining Champion.

“Mathieya has long been a strong advocate of business and industry that works in partnership with First Nations. She is an empowering role model for women who are seeking careers in their own back yard,” said Silver. “She is the ideal candidate to outline our support for these two industries that are cornerstones of our economy.” 

TESLIN – The housing situation in Ross River has reached emergency proportions per a letter from the Ross River Dena Council Chief Jack Caesar.  Carl Sidney, Yukon Liberals candidate in Pelly-Nisutlin, is deeply concerned about this situation.

“This situation didn’t happen overnight – housing in Ross River has been an issue for decades and has been allowed to deteriorate to this crisis point due to lacking of funding and an unwillingness by the Yukon government to make this a priority,” said Sidney. “People should not be living in sub-standard homes that are literally dangerous to their health.”

WATSON LAKE – Yukon Liberals will target investment to boost small-scale softwood lumber opportunities and support more biomass heating projects, says Watson Lake Liberal candidate Ernie Jamieson. 

“The Yukon Liberals recognize that economic diversification means supporting existing and emerging sectors. A Yukon Liberal government will work in collaboration with industry and First Nations partners to expand our forestry sector, targeting manufactured lumber,” Jamieson said. “Our government’s investment will also be supported by a forestry plan for southeast Yukon for commercial harvesting.”  This plan would also include silvaculture. 

WHITEHORSE – Riverdale South candidate Tracy McPhee today released the Yukon Liberals plan to improve our health care system. She emphasized the importance of delivering front line health care services in outlining the Liberals plan.

“When you need to go to the hospital, the hospital needs to have the resources to take care of you,” she said. “Yukon Liberals will create better hospital infrastructure for Yukoners by ensuring that all Yukon hospitals have enough beds, equipment, services, and qualified staff. Working together, we will have a responsive health care system.”

WHITEHORSE – Yukon Liberal Leader Sandy Silver and Vuntut Gwitchin candidate Pauline Frost today outlined their party’s plan to create thriving Yukon communities.

“As an MLA from Dawson for the last five years I’ve demonstrated how important the role of rural Yukon is to me personally and if I’m elected Premier that won’t change,” said Silver. “I have always seen the job of a rural MLA as being a community’s representative in Whitehorse and not the other way around.”

WHITEHORSE - Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes candidate John Streicker represented the Yukon Liberal Party's strong environmental policy last night at the forum hosted by CPAWS and the Yukon Conservation Society.

Streicker emphasized the importance of long term planning in a truly collaborative fashion, involving all levels of government, where the goal is true sustainability.

WHITEHORSE – Yukon Liberals will enhance the Small Business Investment Tax Credit as part of a plan to diversify Yukon’s economy, says Copperbelt North candidate Ted Adel.  The Yukon Small Business Investment Tax Credit (YSBITC) is a personal tax credit that reduces Yukon income tax for eligible investors who invest in eligible business corporations making qualified investments.

WHITEHORSE – Copperbelt South Liberal candidate Jocelyn Curteanu today released the Yukon Liberals plan to build the knowledge economy.

“The knowledge economy encompasses the innovation, IT and science sectors; sectors that will build communities and strengthen the economic base of the Yukon,” Curteanu said.  “We can begin to do that by accelerating the completion of the fibre optic redundancy project.  There’s been nothing but empty promises and frustrated consumers because of the lack of urgency surrounding this project.”