4 Yukon Party MLAs back Taylor's leadership bid

Four top Yukon Party MLAs are endorsing leadership candidate Rod Taylor, as members prepare to vote on who will succeed Premier Dennis Fentie and lead the party into the next territorial election.

Taylor, a Whitehorse-area tourism operator, is running against Darrell Pasloski and former cabinet minister Jim Kenyon for leadership of Yukon's current governing party.

Members will elect their new leader on May 28, in time for a general election that must be called this fall.

Fentie announced last month that he is retiring from politics. He is currently interim leader until his replacement is chosen.

Cabinet ministers Elaine Taylor, Archie Lang and John Edzerza, along with Speaker Ted Staffen, officially announced their support for Taylor on Thursday, less than a day after all three candidates made their pitches at a forum in Whitehorse.

Edzerza said Taylor has showed compassion and promised to "look at some of the pressing issues of mental health issues or drug addictions for young people.

"Those are important [issues], as they are as important as opening up mines," Edzerza said.

Not deterred by Liberal rumours

Staffen said he has been encouraged by the many new faces he has seen at Taylor's campaign events.

"That's a good sign when you have people coming to support a party that we've been involved in for the last 40 years, and we've got people in the room that we don't know," he said.

Lang said he is not deterred by rumours of Taylor's past connections with the territorial Liberals, who have claimed Taylor had approached them two years ago and expressed interest in running as a candidate only if he could be party leader.

When Taylor announced his candidacy for the Yukon Party leadership last month, he told reporters he had turned down prior offers from the Liberal camp.

"Remember, Mr. Fentie came from the NDP … and he came over and joined our team and we were successful," Lang said, referring to the former NDP MLA's move in 2002 to switch parties and win the Yukon Party leadership.

Taylor said all the stars are aligning for the right-leaning Yukon Party, with a federal Conservative majority government that includes newly-elected Yukon MP Ryan Leef  and Yukon Conservative Senator Dan Lang.

"If there was ever a time when we have a chance to honestly be able to go to Ottawa and begin a dialogue, now is the time," Taylor said.

150 attend leadership forum

Meanwhile, Yukon Party heavyweights Craig Tuton and Brad Cathers have thrown their support behind Pasloski.

About 150 party members came out to Wednesday night's leadership forum to hear Pasloski, Kenyon and Taylor talk about a number of issues, such as the economy, housing, energy and protection of the Peel River watershed.

Kenyon, the MLA for Porter Creek North, said he is bringing more than eight years of cabinet experience to the job. He also touted the Yukon Party government's economic success.

"We went from double-digit unemployment to the lowest recorded unemployment rate in all of North America. I think that's an accomplishment," Kenyon said to applause.

Pasloski, who ran unsuccessfully for the Conservatives in the 2008 federal election, said he would lead the Yukon Party with integrity, respect and collaboration.

"You can't build yourself up by tearing somebody else down," Pasloski said. "There will be no inner circle."

Pasloski also said he has recruited a number of candidates to run in the upcoming territorial election, which is widely believed to be called this fall.

Some disagreed with forum format

Taylor countered Pasloski's connections to the federal Conservatives with his own connections to the national tourism industry and his successful business background.

While many Yukon Party members said Wednesday night's forum would help them form a decision, some were disappointed to see no debate and no questions allowed from the floor. Each candidate was given 20 minutes to address the audience.

"Really disappointing; I think it was poor planning," said party member Lee Stephens.

"I think we're getting further away from the whole debate aspect of politics. We saw it with the federal election that there was no real debate," said Lindsay Heynan, another party member.

"I think there needs to be more of that 'Johnny on the spot' from the audience so people can feel like they're being heard."