Yukon NDP: Five things the Yukon Liberals should do with their surplus

December 12, 2022

Whitehorse – Last week, Yukoners learned that the Liberal Government failed to spend $55.1 million dollars of public money this year.

“Inflation is making life more difficult for Yukoners. Widespread shortages are threatening our healthcare, our education system, our social services, and more. Now is not the time to cut back on spending”, said Yukon NDP Leader Kate White.

“Yukoners are struggling every day – to buy groceries and pay rent, to afford medication, to save for retirement or their children’s education, or even to find a place to call home. The government should be using leftover public money to help people, not to sit in the bank,” added White.

Here’s five things a Yukon NDP government would do to help Yukoners right away:

1. Investments in healthcare worker retention and attraction. The bonuses paid to Yukon Government employed nurses are a start, but they don’t apply to nurses under the Yukon Hospital Corporation. Hospital workers and other frontline workers deserve a raise too.
2. Opening a public walk-in medical clinic. Too many Yukoners don’t have access to a family doctor and are forced to use the Emergency for basic healthcare services. This is a waste of resources and a waste of money that could be avoided by opening a public walk-in clinic.
3. Build more Yukon Housing units. The waitlist for Yukon Housing continues to grow as housing costs keep rising. The Liberals are selling off public land for private development instead of building housing for those who need it most. 
4. Implementing the Yukon NDP anti-inflation package. The cost of everything continues to rise and Yukoners have said the government’s efforts to reduce costs have been inadequate. The Yukon NDP proposed measures that would help people afford life in the Yukon.
5. Funding free transit in the City of Whitehorse. The City of Whitehorse and Yukon government have declared a climate emergency, yet the government has done little to support getting people out of their cars. This is an easy measure that would go a long way.

The Yukon carries very little debt compared to other Canadian jurisdictions, and while paying it off should be a priority, that should not come at the cost of our healthcare system or the wellbeing of Yukoners.

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