Yukon Government sign outside the Jim Smith Building in downtown Whitehorse. CKRW File Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke.
Whitehorse, YT – Opposition parties blocked a ministerial statement on the Eagle Gold Mine, accusing the Yukon Government of “grandstanding” and failing to answer outstanding questions.
On October 31st, Minister of Energy Mines and Resources John Streicker was set to deliver a statement announcing the completion of a safety berm, additional water storage ponds and efforts to intercept contaminated groundwater following a heap leach failure at the Eagle Gold Mine in June.
The Yukon NDP and Yukon Party both opposed the statement, stating that the Yukon Government is grandstanding.
Yukon NDP Leader Kate White criticized the statements as performative, stating, “all they want to do is grandstand, and the Yukon NDP isn’t having it.”
The Yukon Party caucus reported asking over 30 unanswered questions.
An email from the Yukon Government’s Cabinet Communications argues that the opposition is “ignoring the voices of Yukoners who continue to ask for regular updates.”
The Official Opposition said in an email to CKRW that they’ve seen a pattern of ministerial statements followed by the exact same information being released as a press release the following day.
“The Liberals have a myriad of communications tools at their disposal that they could utilize instead of taking up time in the Legislative Assembly,” reads the email.
