Yukon Government and First Nations Leaders meeting at Thursday's Yukon Forum in downtown Whitehorse. Photo Courtesy of Yukon Government.
Whitehorse, YT – The Yukon government and First Nations leadership say they are setting a new tone after co-chairing their first Yukon Forum together last week.
Premier Currie Dixon and Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Math’ieya Alatini met Thursday with newly elected cabinet ministers and chiefs from across the territory. The meeting came less than a week after the new government was sworn in, which Dixon says gave First Nations leaders an early opportunity to influence the government’s priorities.
“I haven’t issued mandate letters to ministers yet, and they indicated to chiefs and leadership today that part of our discussions today would help inform how we move forward and how we set our priorities and agendas going forward for the new government,” Dixon told reporters.
The forum touched on health, education, lands, and resources, but both leaders emphasized the day was primarily about rebuilding trust. Alatini said the willingness of the government to listen and incorporate feedback marked a positive shift after years of strained relations under previous governments.
“The willingness to listen and incorporate the feedback or the sharing from the Chiefs is something that I haven’t seen previously,” said Alatini. “It goes a long way towards building a stronger relationship.”
Four Yukon Forums are legally required each year. Both Dixon and Alatini said they hope to produce a joint declaration outlining shared priorities in future meetings.
