Yukon premier refuses to call out Stephen Harper on S-6 remarks

Yukon premier Darrell Pasloski is skittish when asked whether it was the federal or territorial government which brought forward the four controversial amendments to Bill S-6.

The premier wouldn't say definitively Tuesday whether the four amendments came at his behest, instead saying there has been "too much finger pointing and not enough effort to resolve our differences."

Pasloski was responding to remarks made by Conservative Leader Stephen Harper during his visit to Whitehorse last week. In response to a question from the CBC, Harper replied that the four problematic clauses were added at the insistence of Pasloski's government.

Bill S-6 passed in June and amends the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act. Yukon First Nations have vowed to challenge it in court. The four controversial clauses include:

• delegation of federal powers to the Yukon government,
• policy direction to the YESAB by the federal aboriginal affairs minister,
• timelines for assessments,
• exemptions of certain projects from renewals and amendments.

The Champagne and Aishihik, Little Salmon-Carmacks, and Teslin Tlingit First Nations say they will file a lawsuit challenging S-6 within the month.

Opposition parties not buying it

Pasloski says he supported S-6 because he wants to see a strong economy and local jobs. He concedes that a lawsuit which affects development on the territory of three First Nations will impede that.

He denies that Yukon First Nations don't trust his government, adding that his door is always open.

"At the end of the day, it's our responsibilities as leaders in the Yukon...to find a way to resolve these kinds of issues out of court," he said. "I genuinely believe there is another path."

Meanwhile Yukon opposition politicians aren't buying any of it.

NDP Justice Critic Lois Moorcroft says the government needs to disclose where the amendments came from. "Who brought forward these...amendments? Why are two different conservative governments bringing in legislation that don't respect our land claims agreements?"

Meanwhile Liberal Leader Sandy Silver says who started it is moot, because the reality is that all Yukoners will suffer.

"Once again, taking us down that path where we're going to see years and years of lost revenue and lost opportunities because of an archaic way of thinking." 

Both the federal Liberals and NDP have said they'll scrap the four contentious clauses if they form government.