WHITEHORSE — The Yukon election has been officially launched as Premier Mike Pemberton asked the Commissioner of Yukon Adeline Webber to dissolve the 35th legislative assembly.
The vote will be held on Nov. 3, the last possible day under the territory’s fixed election legislation.
The election will be the territory’s first with 21 ridings, up from the current 19, and 15 will have new boundaries after a commission recommended changes last year.
None of the parties have a full slate of candidates, with the NDP and Yukon Party missing one each, while the Liberals have six more spots to fill.
Former Speaker Jeremy Harper is the only Liberal MLA seeking re-election.
The Yukon Liberals have been in power since 2016, securing a minority government in 2021 with the support of the three New Democrats in the legislature.
Pemberton said while in Carcross on Thursday that the election would be called Friday.
He praised the outgoing ministers for the work they did, particularly during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“They kept their nose to the grindstone and did an incredible job in finishing a lot of that work. There’s still lots of work to do, we all know that,” he said.
Early themes for the campaign are already emerging, with all three parties promising a focus on housing, health care and the rising cost of living in the territory.
Opposition Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon is pitching his party as the option to offer change.
“You’ll see, as we announce there are various platform commitments over the course of the next four weeks, how precisely we differentiate ourselves,” he said Thursday.
“But ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, we’re the only party that can truly offer change.”
More than 36,000 Yukon residents are eligible to cast a ballot in the election, which will also include a non-binding vote on electoral reform.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2025.
The Canadian Press
