Today, our Yukon Liberal Caucus wrapped up a successful fall sitting in the House.
We were very pleased to see 11 Bills pass in the House this fall, including the creation of new Acts: The Public Airports Act, the Missing Persons Act, and the modernized Legal Profession Act, 2017.
- The Public Airports Act will support the Yukon government to better manage airports and airport lands. This legislation is modeled on the NWT Act, which has been in place for many years. Valuable comments and opinions from the industry were received, and have been incorporated into the legislation. Legislation for airports has been lacking for nearly 22 years. Yukon is the only jurisdiction in the country without a Public Airports Act to ensure transparency and certainty for Yukoners and for the industry.
- The Missing Persons Act will improve access to justice for families and loved ones of missing persons. When a loved one is missing, time is of the essence. The RCMP are currently limited in their ability to investigate reports of missing persons when there is no evidence of criminal activity. The Missing Persons Act is designed to enhance police investigations by allowing faster access to important information like telephone, financial and health records while still protecting personal privacy.
- Our caucus committed to modernizing the legal framework governing Yukon’s legal profession. The changes made this fall to Yukon’s Legal Profession Act will ensure that the practice of law in Yukon keeps pace with developments in other Canadian jurisdictions, changes in the practice of law and technological innovations that affect legal practice. These changes ensure that public interests are protected, and will ensure improved access to justice so that the practice of law in Yukon follows best practices in Canada.
Read the Yukon government press release on the fall 2017 sitting.
Important campaign commitment achieved
Another highlight for our Caucus was Bill 8 passing, which sees presumptive coverage of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for emergency response workers in Yukon. This was an important campaign commitment of our caucus. The Bill also permits for the creation of regulations aimed at preventing psychological injuries, including PTSD, in the workplace.
Learn more about this Bill, and how all Yukon workers are covered for PTSD.
Tribute Highlights
Many important tributes were delivered in the House this fall, include a tribute in remembrance of Mike Smith, a tribute to Movember, and a tribute in remembrance of Jean Gordon.
You can see a full list of fall 2017 tribute from the Legislative Assembly here.
