Yukon New Democratic Party

Yukon New Democratic Party
Nouveau Parti démocratique du Yukon
Active territorial party
Leader Elizabeth Hanson
President Skeeter Wright
Founded 1978 (1978)
Headquarters Whitehorse, Yukon
Ideology Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
National affiliation New Democratic Party
Colours Orange, Green
Seats in Legislature
6 / 19
Website
www.yukonndp.ca

The Yukon New Democratic Party (NDP) is a social-democratic political party in the Yukon territory of Canada.

The Yukon NDP first formed the government of the territory under the leadership of Tony Penikett from 1985 to 1992, and under the leadership of Piers McDonald from 1996 to 2000. The party's current leader is Elizabeth Hanson. The NDP sat as official opposition to the current Yukon Party government in the Yukon Legislative Assembly until May 2006. In the 2006 Yukon election later that year, the three incumbent New Democrat Members of the Legislative Assembly were reelected, but the party failed to win any additional seats and remained in third place behind the five members of the Yukon Liberal Party and the ten member Yukon Party majority government.

In January 2009 the NDP were reduced to two seats: Todd Hardy (Whitehorse Centre) and Steve Cardiff (Mount Lorne), after the Party's third member, John Edzerza, resigned to sit as an independent. Edzerza later rejoined the Yukon Party, for which he had originally been elected in the 2002 Yukon election.

Hardy died in July 2010, reducing the NDP to a single seat. On November 12, a by-election was called for his riding of Whitehorse Centre on December 13, which was won by the Party leader Hanson. Cardiff was killed in a car crash on July 7, 2011, again reducing the party to one seat in the legislature entering the 2011 election.

In the 2011 election the Yukon NDP under Elizabeth Hanson elected six MLAs to form the territory's Official Opposition. The NDP was the only party to see an increase in its share of the popular vote over the 2006 Yukon election.

The Yukon NDP is a territorial section of the federal New Democratic Party.

Election results

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1978 Fred Berger 20.3
1 / 16
 Increase 1 Increase 3rd Opposition
1982 Tony Penikett 35.4
6 / 16
 Increase 5 Increase 2nd Opposition
1985 Tony Penikett 41.1
8 / 16
 Increase 2 Increase 1st Minority
1989 Tony Penikett 41.1
9 / 16
 Increase 1 Steady 1st Majority
1992 Tony Penikett 35.1
6 / 17
 Decrease 3 Decrease 2nd Opposition
1996 Piers McDonald 5,774 39.9
11 / 17
 Increase 5 Increase 1st Majority
2000 Piers McDonald 4,677 32.8
6 / 17
 Decrease 5 Decrease 2nd Opposition
2002 Todd Hardy 3,763 26.9
5 / 18
 Decrease 1 Steady 2nd Opposition
2006 Todd Hardy 3,197 34.7
3 / 18
 Decrease 2 Decrease 3rd Opposition
2011 Elizabeth Hanson 5,154 32.6
6 / 19
 Increase 3 Increase 2nd Opposition

Leaders

(Note - Party politics only began in the Yukon in 1978)

See also

External links


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