Yukon gov't not buying votes with school supplies, minister says

Yukon education minister Doug Graham is defending his government's decision to buy school supplies for Yukon students this fall — likely within weeks of a territorial election.

"I guess the timing could be considered a little suspect, but it really is something that school councils have [wanted]," Graham said.

"Over the years, school councils have asked for it, and it just happened to come up at this time."

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The government was keen to highlight the plan when it released the territorial budget earlier this month.

"We are going to take some stress and strain off every parent in the Yukon by making the first day of school a little bit easier," Premier Darrell Pasloski said in his budget speech.

The idea is to provide school councils with $100 per student, to buy supplies such as pencils and backpacks — "a basic package that everyone must have," according to Graham.

The NDP were quick to pounce after the budget came out, comparing the $520,000 school supplies plan to "Harper-style vote-buying tactics.

"Yukon families will see this pre-election handout for what it is," NDP leader Liz Hanson said in a statement.

Bringing students to an 'equitable level'

Graham dismisses the NDP line, saying it's not a simple handout. 

"We really believe that if each student has all of the supplies needed at the beginning of the year, it will take the pressure off the parents, as well as the children who look around and see others with full set of crayons or pencils," Graham said.

"It will bring everybody to an equal, equitable level."

He said school councils will be given the funding directly, "and within certain parameters, [be] allowed to do with it what they think is essential for the students in their school."

The details have yet to be worked out, but Graham makes one thing clear — each student will get the same, regardless of what their parents could afford. Any sort of "needs assessment" would be almost impossible, he said. 

"This way, it's fair to everyone," he said.