On Friday, May 26th 2017, our Liberal caucus was proud to meet with Yukon First Nation Chiefs for the second Yukon Forum of the year.
Our caucus is committed to revitalizing the Yukon Forum. Our Liberal caucus committed to holding four Yukon Forums annually, as agreed by Yukon Chiefs. We made this commitment because our caucus believes strong and effective government-to-government relationships are absolutely necessary to a modern Yukon.
The first Yukon Forum was held on January 13th and was focused on developing a framework for how the new government and First Nation governments will work together to address joint priorities. The meeting was positive and beneficial, with the leaders coming together to sign the Intergovernmental Working Together Declaration. This declaration committed to identifying joint priorities for action by the governments.
During our second Yukon Forum, our caucus and First Nation Chiefs discussed and decided upon the Joint Priorities, which are built upon the principles of effective Bilateral and Trilateral collaborative relationships and processes; reconciliation through the Final and Self-Government Agreements; strong, healthy communities; and closing socio-economic gaps.
The Forum included many meaningful and important discussions around key issues, such as the national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and infrastructure funding needs and opportunities. After the Forum, MLA for Klondike Sandy Silver stated,
“Reconciliation requires collaboration among our governments. At this Yukon Forum we identified our shared priorities for action over the coming years. These priorities are of great importance to our governments and will guide our work together to bring tangible benefits to all Yukoners.”
