Liberals and Yukon Party deny First Nations’ right to consent

November 9, 2022

Whitehorse, YT — The Liberals and the Yukon Party have voted against the NDP’s bid to restore veto power over oil and gas activity to Yukon First Nations (YFNs) without Final Agreements.

Yukon NDP Leader Kate White’s private member’s Bill (Bill 306) would have put this right back into territorial law a decade after the Yukon Party repealed Section 13 of the Oil and Gas Act, commonly referred to as the First Nations consent clause.

The Yukon Party’s move to disempower affected YFNs was vehemently opposed by First Nations across the territory and by the Yukon NDP.

White was deeply disappointed when the Liberals and the Yukon Party voted down Bill 306 on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

“This could have been a historic day for the Yukon,” she said.

“Bill 306 was an opportunity to right past wrongs, but the Liberal government and the Yukon Party decided they didn’t want that.”

The NDP’s Annie Blake, who represents the riding of Vuntut Gwitchin, was left disappointed, but not surprised.

“For generations, Yukon First Nations have insisted on our rights to consent to outside companies entering our territories. We are the guardians of our lands, and our communities are impacted by resource extraction,” Blake said.

“Consent is the future of modern treaties. It’s the future of government-to-government relationships, and it needs to be the future of our territory,” White added.

“If the Liberals and The Yukon Party don’t want that for our future, they can at least admit they’re ready to leave Yukon First Nations behind.”

Multiple YFNs supported White’s Bill, but that didn’t matter to the Liberals or the Yukon Party when they voted it down.

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