In this year’s Yukon election, there is a notable increase in the number of women candidates compared to the past two elections. Out of the 61 candidates, 27 are women, making up over 44% of the total candidates. The Yukon Party has ten women candidates, the NDP has nine, and the Liberals have eight.
All party nominations have been finalized as the nomination period recently closed. The Yukon Party and NDP have candidates in all 21 electoral districts, while the Liberals have candidates in 18. Additionally, there is one Independent candidate in the running.
The current election sees more women candidates than in 2016 or 2021. In 2016, there were a total of 63 candidates with 26 being women. Lindsay Brumwell, the executive director of Equal Voice, a non-profit organization focusing on gender representation in Canadian politics, commended the increase in female candidates in Yukon, highlighting the progress made.
Brumwell noted that the proportion of female candidates and elected officials at the federal level has historically hovered around 30 percent. She praised Yukon for surpassing other Canadian jurisdictions in female representation in the current election.
Among the candidates, nine out of the 14 First Nations candidates are women, representing various ridings across the territory. Notably, there are three Filipina candidates vying for seats in Whitehorse, while no Black candidates have been fielded by any party.
Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon emphasized the intentional diversity in their candidate selection process, with a mix of new faces and backgrounds from across the territory. Cynthia James, a member of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, is running for the Liberals in Southern Lakes, alongside two other Yukon First Nations women.
NDP incumbent Lane Tredger highlighted their party’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity, aiming to appeal to a wide range of constituents. Tredger, the first openly non-binary MLA in Yukon’s history, emphasized the importance of having a diverse team to truly represent Yukoners from all walks of life.