FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                  February 22, 2024

WHITEHORSE – On Thursday, the eve of a long weekend for many Yukoners, the Liberal government issued a Special Warrant to cover unbudgeted spending in the departments of Health and Social Services and Highways and Public Works for the rest of the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Special warrants are issued by the cabinet as an order-in-council and are done without any legislative oversight.

In 2016, when he was an opposition MLA, Finance Minister Sandy Silver called the use of Special Warrants undemocratic and stated that governments who use them disrespect democracy.

“This unbudgeted spending comes with just over a month left in the fiscal year, and shows that despite all their empty rhetoric about budgeting more accurately, the Liberal government is again using a special warrant to cover tens of millions of dollars in cost overruns,” said Official Opposition Finance Critic Brad Cathers. “Under Premier Pillai’s watch, the Liberals have issued two large special warrants, broken the Financial Administration Act by failing to meet the legal deadline for releasing the Public Accounts, and left Yukon Hospitals so chronically short of money they diverted millions of dollars in capital funding to cover employee payroll costs.”

The use of a special warrant is a further example of the Liberals’ irresponsible financial management. Over successive budgets, the Liberals have spent down the net financial assets of the Yukon. Last year’s budget documents project the territory will have $374.8 million in net debt. This is a sharp decline from the $274 million in net financial assets the Yukon had on March 31, 2017.

“From chronically underfunding our hospitals and failing to respond to the needs of our health care system, to delays in housing lot development, to the neglect of rural Yukon, the Liberals are continuing to show they are unfit to govern,” added Cathers. “Despite these and many other issues, Kate White and the NDP continue to support this unpopular Liberal government that has completely lost the confidence of the majority of Yukoners.”

In return for supporting the government, the NDP Caucus benefits from over a quarter-million dollars of direct funding from the Liberal cabinet to their caucus annually.

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Contact:
Tim Kucharuk
Press Secretary
(867) 393-7026