This past Monday the Yukon NDP called on the Yukon Government to extend the wage top up program for essential workers beyond sixteen weeks. The motion also called for government to accept applications for the program from employees rather than just employers.

Indigenous people in this country have have had to fight tooth and nail for their right to access their traditional lands and waters. Recent events in Nova Scotia are a reminder of the continuing struggles of Indigenous people, and the failure of our law enforcement agencies to adequately protect Indigenous rights.

Child care has always been a key concern in the Yukon but the impact of COVID-19 has proven that we need urgent action towards universal affordable child care. Parents are increasingly having to work from home or take on shift-work during the pandemic, but the cost of child care continues to rise. On Tuesday, Yukon NDP MLA Liz Hanson challenged the government to act on its commitment to provide universal child care.

“The government has announced their intention to provide universal child care twice, as if announcements counted as action, but still no real action has taken place,” states Hanson. “The response I got in the Legislative Assembly boils down to ‘we’re waiting on the federal government to take action.’ Well, the federal Liberals first promised universal child care in the early 1990s, so if our territorial government is waiting on the federal government to act on child care they might be waiting a long time.”

Government is the largest employer in the Yukon. Yet the majority of government jobs are located in a single community, Whitehorse. Many people have to choose between living with their families or seeking a ‘good government job’ in the city as a result. For many Indigenous people, this comes with the added loss of having to leave their traditional territories in order to access government jobs.