Liberal Brendan Hanley to run for re-election as Yukon MP
'There's still a lot to do and I want to keep going,' said Hanley, who will seek a 2nd term as MP
Brendan Hanley has been confirmed as the Liberal candidate for Yukon in the next federal election. He'll be seeking a second term as the territory's only MP.
"I believe I've had something to offer to the Yukon," Hanley said on Thursday. "There's still a lot to do and I want to keep going and continue to offer what I think is an effective voice for Yukon."
Hanley first won his seat in the 2021 general election. The physician was relatively new to politics at the time, but had developed a significant public profile as the territory's chief public health officer through the first couple of years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He won in 2021 with 33 per cent of the vote, to Conservative Barbara Dunlop's 26 per cent and NDP candidate Lisa Vollans-Leduc's 22 per cent. Independent candidate Jonas Smith and Green candidate Lenore Morris (now a Whitehorse city councillor) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The territory has been represented by a Liberal for most of the last 25 years, with the only interruption between 2011 and 2015 when Conservative Ryan Leef held the seat.
Hanley said if he's re-elected he wants to keep focusing on issues such as housing, health care and climate change.
"And now, of course, a whole new problem with the U.S. administration, effectively a hostile administration, that is threatening all kinds of economic upheaval to our country, let alone our very sovereignty as a nation," he said.
"This is a new issue for us that is going to require effective, strong advocacy and leadership. And I feel I can be that person."
Hanley also said he's excited by what he sees as a "major turnaround" in his party, which is now in the middle of a leadership race to select Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's successor. Hanley was among a group of Liberal MPs publicly calling for Trudeau to step down late last year as the party's popularity seemed to be in freefall.
He's since endorsed Mark Carney's bid to lead his party. Carney is widely seen as the front-runner.
"This is not an easy time. It's an incredibly unpredictable time. But we still need leaders, we still need a government, we still need laws and legislation. And most importantly, we still need a strong advocate for Yukon," he said.
Hanley is the first confirmed Yukon candidate for the next federal election, which could happen as early as this spring.
With files from Virginie Ann