Whitehorse, YT – The Yukon Liberal Party will vote between two candidates in its upcoming leadership race after the nomination period closed yesterday.
Businessman Mike Pemberton and former Kwanlin Dün First Nation chief Doris Bill are officially in the running to replace outgoing Premier Ranj Pillai. The party will choose its next leader — and Yukon’s next premier — at a convention in Whitehorse on June 19.
Bill, who entered the race first, led Kwanlin Dün for nine years and previously worked as a journalist. She says her lived experience — including time in permanent foster care and residential school — gives her a unique perspective.
If elected, she would be the first Indigenous woman and the first person born in Yukon to serve as premier.
Pemberton, a longtime Whitehorse business owner with three decades of private sector experience, says his campaign will focus on affordability, housing, healthcare, and stronger infrastructure.
He’s pledged to launch a territory-wide community safety program on day one if elected leader and is calling for increases to the northern living allowance.
Yukon Liberal members will cast their votes using a ranked ballot during the June 19 convention. If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, additional rounds will be held until a winner is chosen.
