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Is the federal NDP still alive in the Yukon?
October 14, 2008 - 9:07pm
Can the Yukon Dippers ever recover from a wipeout like that?
It's sad to see Audrey's riding slide further and further right.
Sorry, had to.
Before Audrey McLaughlin was elected, Yukon was thought of as a pretty rightwing place and was represented for many years by that troglodyte Erik Nielsen.
The NDP was first elected as government in the Yukon two years before Audrey was first elected in a 1987 by-election.
Not quite...... Yukon is driven by and utterly dependent on federal cash to exist, much like the other Territories. Politicians, including incumbent LPC MP Larry Bagnell are ultimately judged and elected on their perceived ability to keep the gravy train running their way. Right wing and left wing don't really apply, if you live there you are aware of just how important govt jobs are, and how important it is to keep that cash coming. McLaughlin had a bit of a problem in the early 90s as the feds woithdrew their physical presence somehwat, although in fact the money they saved was just transferred to the Territorial govt so no real jobs or cash were ultimately lost. But... that was the perception at the time.
Bagnell is very popular, partly because he is hardworking and personable but mostly because the Yukon economy has doen OK in the recession (govt jobs being less subject to recession) and because he has gotten plenty of stimulus money relative to the size of the place.
Actually it was the mid and late'90s that saw the federal government presence slashed. Audrey had no problem winning personal re-election in 1993, even with the disaster of the national campaign, because she was an excellent constituency MP. She could have stayed as long as she wanted as MP I think.
The number one industry in the Yukon is still mining, followed by tourism. I expect the placer miners are doing rather well with the price of gold so high. I suspect one of the reasons support for the NDP has weakened is the reduction in government workers, who tend to be more left wing, since the late '90s. The Yukon is unique because the territorial NDP executive is the federal riding association executive, so the federal NDP should recover when the territorial NDP recovers.
Sorry, but that is not correct. The number one industry has been governmnet for a few decades, they employ many more than any other 'industry' has for a long time, more than all others combined. When the feds cut their own numbers in the early and mid 90s, they did not cut the money supply, it was simply redirected to the terrotorial govt and of course to the new kid on the block, First Nations governments throughout the territory. Outside Whitehorse, in the communities, this newest level of govt is easily the largest presence in every community.
The tourism business has been ravaged by several things, including: high cost of fuel which slows RV travellers, the paving of the AK highway which means campers pass through quickly on the way to their real destination in Alaska, and in recent years the stronger Cancdian dollar has meant far fewer American visitors. Another major contributor has been the withdrawal of Parks Canada direct presence in places like Dawson City, now very few cruise ship operators bus their loads of tourists around the territory.
The mining industry has no real players left: large employers any more- Faro and Whitehorse Copper closed, as was Tungsten in NWT. Placer miners are not really a big employer, though they do buy lots of local fuel and parts. Plenty of them are family run, and many of those families do not even reside in YT. There ahs been lots of exploration, but what the mining industry needs to re enter the economy in a major way is a big mine, and none are in existnce or on the immediate horizon.
Ultimately, nearly all the money required to run all four levels of govt in this place with a tiny population comes from a single source: federal govt.
The main job of any Yukon MP is defintiely at the constituency level, his or her sole job really is to keep that money train rolling north. Bagnell has done a good job of that and his job is not at all in jeopardy.