Yeah, so… the Yukon is having a territorial election on October 18…
It looks like an interesting show…
– Premier Dennis Fentie of the Yukon Party was elected as an Yukon NDP MLA in 1996 and 2000 before crossing the floor in 2002 to join the right-wing conservative Yukon Party. Only weeks after crossing the floor, Fentie became Leader of the Yukon Party and only months after that did he lead the Yukon Party to electoral victory. And he became Premier… (eat your heart out, Belinda Stronach 😉 ).
– Nearly half of the current Yukon Liberal Caucus crossed from the NDP… in February of 2006, NDP Leader Todd Hardy booted longtime NDP MLA’s Eric Fairclough (also NDP leader from 2000 to 2002) and Gary McRobb out of the then-NDP Official Opposition Caucus.
Soon after, they both joined Arthur Mitchell‘s Yukon Liberals, making the Yukon Liberals the Official Opposition… only four years after the Liberals were destroyed in the 2002 election – going from 8 seats to 1 – they were now the Official Opposition.
– Former Yukon Party MLA and Justice Minister John Edzerza left the Yukon Party this year to sit as an Independent MLA. He is now running as a NDP candidate in his riding of McIntyre-Takhini.
Weird… the CBC has a great article about crossing the floor.
Here are the changes since the last election in 2002 and at dissolution…
2002
Yukon Party – 12
Yukon NDP – 5
Yukon Liberal – 1
2006
Yukon Party – 9
Yukon Liberal – 5
Yukon NDP – 3
Independent – 2
