Demonstrated victims of domestic violence should be allowed to end a lease early and remove an abuser’s name from a lease, according to a Yukon NDP motion passed today in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. The motion echoes a similar measure approved unanimously by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta that makes it easier for people fleeing domestic violence to find safe, stable housing.

The Yukon NDP Official Opposition caucus has raised issues on behalf of Yukoners that show a widespread desire for change in Yukon as the territory heads into an election year.

As the clock counts down to one of the last pre-election sittings of the Yukon legislature, the Yukon NDP caucus is outlining the top priorities it has heard from Yukoners over the summer. Yukoners have been vocal about those priorities through unprecedented levels of citizen advocacy – and the Yukon NDP caucus is ready to echo the community’s voices in the legislature on the issues that matter the most.

Despite repeated opportunities for action, including cancelled affordable housing projects and a multi-million dollar federal fund that lay unspent until this year’s budget, the Yukon Party government remains unwilling to recognize the housing challenges Yukon faces in 2015.