Electoral reform not priority, despite vote: Yukon’s premier-designate

Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon listens during question period at the Yukon Legislative Assembly in Whitehorse on March 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Crystal Schick

WHITEHORSE — The Yukon’s premier-designate says he’s ready to start implementing key promises from his election campaign but stopped short of pledging electoral reform even after residents voted in favour of changing to a ranked ballot.

Currie Dixon made history Monday when his Yukon Party picked up 14 of the 21 available ridings, lining him up to become the first premier born in the territory.

Dixon said in an interview that his early priorities include a promised expansion of Whitehorse General Hospital and improvements to the territory’s electrical infrastructure.

Unofficial results released by Elections Yukon show that 10,186 of 18,130 voters cast a ballot in favour of changing the Yukon’s voting system from the current first-past-the-post system to a ranked ballot.

The vote is non-binding and Dixon says he thinks changing the way the territory votes is not the best use of limited resources right now.

He says the final decision on whether to go ahead will be made by his new cabinet.

“But, you know, my view is that that’s not something we should be prioritizing, and we should be focusing on issues that matter to Yukoners,” he said.

A date for his swearing-in has not been set yet.

Dixon said work needs to be done in the legislature to make room for two new MLAs after the number of ridings in the territory grew from 19 to 21 this election.

The Yukon Liberal Party, which had formed government in the last election, was nearly wiped out in Monday’s vote, winning just one of 21 seats.

The NDP doubled up from the 2021 election, going from three to six seats.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2025