2021 Yukon general election

The 2021 Yukon general election was held on April 12, 2021, to return members of the 35th Yukon Legislative Assembly.^[1][3] The election resulted in a hung parliament where the incumbent governing Yukon Liberal Party and the opposition Yukon Party won 8 seats each, while the Yukon New Democratic Party held the remaining 3. As the incumbent party given the first opportunity to form government, a Liberal minority government was sworn in on April 23, 2021.^[4] The Liberals and NDP announced the establishment of a formal confidence and supply agreement on April 28, 2021.^[5]

2021 Yukon general election

← 2016 April 12, 2021[1] Next →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 19 seats to the Legislative Assembly 10 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	64.44%
Majority party Minority party Third party   YP NDP Leader Currie Dixon Sandy Silver Kate White[2] Party Yukon Party Liberal New Democratic Leader since May 23, 2020 August 17, 2012 May 4, 2019 Leader's seat Copperbelt North[lower-alpha 1] Klondike Takhini-Kopper King Last election 6 seats, 33.38% 11 seats, 39.41% 2 seats, 26.23% Seats before 6 10 2 Seats won 8 8 3 Seat change 2 3 1 Popular vote 7,477 6,142 5,356 Percentage 39.32% 32.37% 28.17% Swing 5.94pp 7.04pp 1.94pp
Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding.
Premier before election Sandy Silver Liberal Premier after election Sandy Silver Liberal

During the 2016 election, the Liberals included a commitment in their platform to introduce fixed election dates in the territory.^[6] In October 2020, the government introduced legislation to amend the Elections Act and create fixed election dates.^[7] The legislation passed in December 2020, and took effect after the 2021 election.^[8]

Voter turnout dropped almost twelve percentage points compared to 2016, caused to an extent by the introduction of a standing List of Electors, resulting in a higher percentage of Yukoners being registered. More votes were cast than in 2016, in part due to the territory's strong population growth since the last election.^{[citation needed]}

Results

The final seat standing for the election was only resolved on April 19, 2021, because of a 78–78 vote tie in the Vuntut Gwitchin riding, the territory's smallest by population. After the tie was upheld by a judicial recount, drawing of lots gave the seat to the NDP's Annie Blake, denying the Yukon Liberals a one-seat plurality over the Yukon Party.^[9]

Summary of the 2021 Legislative Assembly of Yukon election results^[10]

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats
					2016	Dissolution	Elected	Change
	Yukon Party	7,477	39.32	+5.84	6	6	8	+2
	Liberal	6,155	32.37	-7.04	11	10	8	-3
	New Democratic	5,356	28.17	+1.94	2	2	3	+1
	Independents	26	0.14	-0.06	0	1	0	±0
Total		19,014	100.00	–	19	19	19	0
Valid votes		19,014	99.56
Invalid/blank votes		84	0.44
Total votes		19,098	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		29,637	64.44

Popular vote Yukon   39.32% Liberal   32.37% New Democratic   28.17% Independent   0.14%

Seats summary Yukon Party   42.11% Liberal   42.11% New Democratic   15.78%

Results by Riding

Each candidate stands in a single electoral district.

Bold indicates party leaders and cabinet members are italicized
† - denotes a retiring incumbent MLA

Rural Yukon

Electoral district	Candidates						Incumbent
	Liberal		Yukon		NDP
Klondike		Sandy Silver 526 (47.2%)		Charlie Dagostin 364 (32.7%)		Chris Clarke 224 (20.1%)		Sandy Silver
Kluane		Luke Campbell 219 (28.0%)		Wade Istchenko 352 (45.0%)		Dave Weir 211 (27.0%)		Wade Istchenko
Lake Laberge		Tracey Jacobs 229 (17.8%)		Brad Cathers 799 (62.1%)		Ian Angus 259 (20.1%)		Brad Cathers
Mayo-Tatchun		Jeremy Harper 238 (37.7%)		Peter Grundmanis 186 (29.4%)		Patty Wallingham 208 (32.9%)		Don Hutton†
Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes		John Streicker 446 (39.0%)		Eric Schroff 406 (35.5%)		Erik Pinkerton 292 (25.5%)		John Streicker
Pelly-Nisutlin		Katherine Alexander 97 (13.6%)		Stacey Hassard 362 (50.8%)		George Bahm 254 (35.6%)		Stacey Hassard
Vuntut Gwitchin		Pauline Frost 78 (50.0%)				Annie Blake 78 (50.0%)		Pauline Frost
Watson Lake		Amanda Brown 237 (43.1%)		Patti McLeod 313 (56.9%)				Patti McLeod

In Vuntut Gwitchin, both candidates each received 78 votes, resulting in a tie. A judicial recount took place and there remained a tie vote. Therefore, a random draw determined that Annie Blake would fill the seat.^[11]

Whitehorse

Electoral district	Candidates								Incumbent
	Liberal		Yukon		NDP		Other
Copperbelt North		Ted Adel 346 (25.1%)		Currie Dixon 717 (51.9%)		Saba Javed 318 (23.0%)				Ted Adel
Copperbelt South		Sheila Robertson 259 (20.3%)		Scott Kent 726 (57.0%)		Kaori Torigai 289 (22.7%)				Scott Kent
Mountainview		Jeanie McLean 402 (38.2%)		Ray Sydney 268 (25.5%)		Michelle Friesen 356 (33.8%)		Coach Jan Prieditis 26 (2.5%)		Jeanie McLean
Porter Creek Centre		Paolo Gallina 646 (38.4%)		Yvonne Clarke 704 (41.8%)		Shonagh McCrindle 334 (19.8%)				Paolo Gallina
Porter Creek North		Staci McIntosh 331 (28.9%)		Geraldine Van Bibber 562 (49.2%)		Francis van Kessel 250 (21.9%)				Geraldine Van Bibber
Porter Creek South		Ranj Pillai 309 (47.2%)		Chad Sjodin 262 (40.0%)		Colette Acheson 84 (12.8%)				Ranj Pillai
Riverdale North		Nils Clarke 469 (41.7%)		Cory Adams 280 (24.9%)		Vanessa Thorson 375 (33.4%)				Nils Clarke
Riverdale South		Tracy-Anne McPhee 415 (39.3%)		Cynthia Lyslo 307 (29.1%)		Jason Cook 334 (31.6%)				Tracy-Anne McPhee
Takhini-Kopper King		Raj Murugaiyan 198 (16.4%)		Morgan Yuill 244 (20.3%)		Kate White 763 (63.3%)				Kate White
Whitehorse Centre		Dan Curtis 312 (29.5%)		Eileen Melnychuk 249 (23.5%)		Emily Tredger 498 (47.0%)				Liz Hanson†
Whitehorse West		Richard Mostyn 398 (39.7%)		Angela Drainville 376 (37.5%)		Ron Davis 229 (22.8%)				Richard Mostyn

The Yukon Green Party did not run any candidates in the election; as a result, the party has been deregistered by Elections Yukon.^[12][13]

Incumbent MLAs who were defeated

Party		Name	Constituency	Year elected	Seat held by party since	Defeated by	Party
	Liberal	Ted Adel	Copperbelt North	2016	2016	Currie Dixon	Yukon
	Liberal	Paolo Gallina	Porter Creek Centre	2016	2016	Yvonne Clarke	Yukon
	Liberal	Pauline Frost	Vuntut Gwitchin	2016	2016	Annie Blake	NDP

Opinion polls

Polling firm	Last date of polling	Link	Liberal	Yukon	NDP	Green	Other	Margin of error	Sample size	Polling method	Lead
Léger	February 7, 2021	HTML	31	32	33	-	4		600	phone	1
DataPath Systems	December 20, 2017	HTML	47	36	11	5	1	±4.8 pp	424	online	11
Election 2016	November 7, 2016	PDF	39.4	33.4	26.2	0.8	0.2				6

Aftermath

The election resulted in a hung parliament, with no party winning the requisite 10 seats to form a majority in the legislature. The Yukon Party and the Liberals, with 8 seats each, entered discussions with the NDP to determine support for a minority government.^[14] The Liberals, as the incumbent governing party, were given the opportunity to continue as government and test the confidence of the legislature. The Yukon Party publicly stated that they were not included in any talks to form a coalition government or provide other support to the Liberals, while the NDP did not indicate the content of their leader's discussion with the Liberals.^[15] On April 28, 2021, the Liberals and NDP announced a formal confidence and supply agreement to allow the Liberals to form a minority government.^[5]

Following the tie vote in Vuntut Gwitchin, which declared NDP candidate Annie Blake as the winner following the drawing of lots, outgoing Liberal MLA Pauline Frost filed a legal challenge challenging the results; Frost initially claimed that two votes had been counted from the district that "should not have been cast."^[16] Only one vote was actually formally challenged by Frost in court, on the grounds that as a prisoner in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre the voter should have registered to vote in Whitehorse rather than his home community; the challenge was rejected by Suzanne Duncan of the Supreme Court of Yukon in August, affirming Blake's victory.^[17]

Notes

1. Former MLA for this riding. Not the incumbent, but stood in this seat and won.

References

1. "FAQ". Elections Yukon. Retrieved September 18, 2020. The next territorial election will be held no later than November 18, 2021.
2. "Kate White to be the new leader of the Yukon NDP". Yukon News. April 24, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
3. "Online election registration now available". Whitehorse Star. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
4. "Yukon Liberals set to be sworn-in as party aims to form minority government". CTVNews. April 23, 2021. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
5. "Yukon Liberals, NDP make deal to work together in government". CBC News. April 28, 2021. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021.
6. "Yukon Liberals commit to fixed election dates". CKRW News. November 2, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
7. Ritchie, Haley (October 10, 2020). "Fixed election dates proposed". Yukon News. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
8. Ritchie, Haley (December 30, 2020). "Marathon fall legislature sitting ends". Yukon News. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
9. "Yukon NDP win final riding by rare drawing of lots, maintaining Liberal, Yukon Party tie in assembly". CBC North. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
10. "Official Results" (PDF). Elections Yukon. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
11. "Yukon NDP win final riding by rare drawing of lots, maintaining Liberal, Yukon Party tie in assembly". CBC News. April 19, 2021.
12. "Why Yukon's Green Party faded to black this election". CBC News. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
13. Ritchie, Haley (March 25, 2021). "Greens won't run candidates in 2021 election". Yukon News. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
14. "Yukon Liberals set to be sworn-in as party aims to form minority government". CTVNews. April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
15. "Yukon Party leader to Liberals: Get on with governing already". ca.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
16. Ritchie, Haley (April 23, 2021). "Pauline Frost files legal challenge against Vuntut Gwitchin election results". Yukon News. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
17. Tim Gilick, "‘I think there’s a sense of relief,’ MLA says". Whitehorse Star, August 6, 2021.