Yukon cabinet minister's email gaffe tips opposition to Liberal talking points

Yukon Community Services Minister John Streicker fell victim to an email disaster of his own making this week when he sent internal Liberal caucus communications to an opposition staffer.

The emails include talking points aimed at rebutting opposition complaints about a select legislative committee to look into changes to the territory's Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA), which falls within the purview of the Department of Community Services.

Yukon Party and NDP MLAs have criticized that committee because the government insists on Streicker's membership. Each party has one MLA on the committee, but the opposition believes it's inappropriate for Streicker to represent the government.

They say it allows Streicker to "write his own report card" and that Community Service employees will be reluctant to criticize their own boss.

"They want total control of the process so the minister of Community Services can review his own conduct," said Yukon Party leader Stacey Hassard during Question Period Tuesday.

Streicker's emails include past examples of cabinet ministers sitting on select committees, including the former Yukon Party government's then-Justice minister, Marian Horne, who was appointed to a select committee on human rights.

The emails also lay out points of debate for Liberal MLAs that point out prior examples of Yukon Party ministers sitting on select committees.

"​Six out [of] 7 of these committees had a Minister on the committee, so the argument today that a Minister should not be on a select committee is more of 'do as I say, not as I do,'" Streicker wrote.

Hassard said the emails stand as proof Streicker is trying to manipulate the committee. Streicker said he simply made a mistake, compounded by auto-fill. The emails are addressed to Ted Laking, a Yukon Party staffer, instead of Ted Adel, a Liberal backbencher.  

'No big deal'

In Question Period, Streicker said the affair was "no big deal." Both the Yukon Party and the Liberals released the emails to the media. Streicker tabled them in the assembly and said he also sent them to the NDP.

"I'm doing my work around preparing for a motion that I've put on the floor here that I think is important to debate," Streicker said of the contents of the emails.

More troublesome for the Liberals is that one of the emails was addressed to Speaker Nils Clarke, who was elected as a Liberal MLA in 2016, but who serves at arm's length from the government.

"What is particularly startling about these emails is that included on the list of people the Liberal minister addressed these partisan strategies to is the member for Riverdale North [Clarke], who also happens to be the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly," said Yukon Party MLA Brad Cathers.

Cathers said this calls into question Clarke's neutrality, especially since it's not the first time Clarke has faced criticism for being cozy with the Liberal caucus.

'I apologize to this house'

Streicker said he made a mistake and that Clarke never responded to the email. 

"Mr. Speaker, I don't believe it's appropriate for me to send something to you. I did it [by] mistake. I apologize to this house," Streicker said. "It's one of those things, Mr. Speaker, where you press send on an email and sometimes there's auto-fill."

The Liberals used their majority Tuesday to defeat an NDP motion to remove Streicker from the select committee. In the emails, Streicker wrote that he was willing to step down from the committee, but that the Liberals preferred that he stay.

The Liberals said that's because as Community Services minister, Streicker oversees CEMA and has extensive experience with the act, using it to issue ministerial orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The select committee has the power to hold hearings and call witnesses. It will examine the current act and recommend possible changes to CEMA. 

The committee is required to report back to the Legislative Assembly before the end of next August.