Voters 'chose change,' says Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon, projected to win majority government
Yukon Party projected to win in 14 of territory's 21 ridings as final results trickle in
Currie Dixon's Yukon Party is projected to win a majority government in Monday's territorial election, marking the party's return to government after nine years in opposition.
"What a night and what a result," Dixon said in a victory speech late in the evening. The Yukon Party was projected to win in 14 of the territory's 21 ridings, as final results continue to trickle in.
"Tonight Yukoners chose to move on from the status quo. They chose a new path. They chose change."
Dixon's victory marks the end of nine years of Liberal government in the Yukon, the last four of which saw the minority Liberals propped up by the NDP. Now, the Liberals looked set to return to the political wilderness, with only one seat — Vuntut Gwichin — seemingly still within its grasp as the vote count continued.
Dixon will become the territory's 12th premier and the first to be born in the territory. He was a former cabinet minister in Darrell Pasloski's government a decade ago, and has been party leader since 2020.
The four-week campaign was dominated by talk about the territory's strained health-care system, the housing shortage, community safety, and the cost of living. Dixon touched on all those issues in his victory speech, again vowing "change."
Dixon also said that Yukoners want to see Whitehorse's downtown "cleaned up and made safe."
He also said they want the territory's economy "back on track."
"The Yukon government should no longer be an impediment to the growth of the private sector. It should create the conditions for growth, focus on doing what governments do well, and get out of the way of private industry," he said.
"Yukoners have told us that they want to see this change, and the good news is that change is here."
Along with Dixon holding onto his Copperbelt North seat, longtime party MLAs Brad Cathers, Scott Kent, Patti McLeod and Wade Istchenko were all re-elected, along with Yvonne Clarke who this time will represent the new riding of Whistle Bend North.
The party has also picked up former Liberal premier Ranj Pillai's seat in Porter Creek South, where newcomer Adam Gerle is projected to win, and the Whitehorse West riding, where Laura Lang defeated Pemberton.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader Kate White will hold onto her Takhini riding, and the party's Lane Tredger won re-election in the longtime NDP stronghold of Whitehorse Centre. The NDP was also projected to pick up at least four seats held by Liberals in the last government: Klondike, where former Liberal premier Sandy Silver was the longtime MLA, as well as Mountainview, Riverdale South, and Riverdale North, all held by Liberal cabinet ministers in the last government. Brett McDonald is projected to win Klondike for the NDP, Linda Moen in Mountainview, Justin Ziegler in Riverdale South and Carmen Gustafson in Riverdale North.
Pemberton's Liberals, are trailing in third place in all the ridings where votes are still being counted, except one. Liberal Debra-Leigh Reti is holding a narrow lead in the small northern riding of Vuntut Gwichin.
The election looked set to send the Liberals right back to where they were before they vaulted to a majority government in 2016 — as the third party in legislature, with just one sitting member, potentially representing the smallest, northernmost riding in the territory.
Turnout in the election was down significantly from the last vote in 2021. According to unofficial numbers from Elections Yukon on Monday night, just 53 per cent of registered electors cast a ballot. That's down from 65 per cent in 2021 and 76 per cent in 2016.
All of CBC North's coverage of the Yukon territorial election can be found here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yukon Votes 2025
Yukon Party projected to win majority government
Currie Dixon's Yukon Party is projected to win a majority government in Monday's territorial election, marking the party's return to government after nine years in opposition.
From: David Amos
Date: Thu, Oct 16, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Subject: yukon
To: David Amos
Media Contact
Tim Kucharuk
Campaign Media Director
(867) 689-7874
timkucharuk@yukonparty.ca
curriedixon@gmail.com
(867) 335-6870
kent@northwestel.net
lib
connect@laellund.ca
Harjit.Mavi.YLP@gmail.com
vidapelayo2013@gmail.com
mellisa.kwok.whitehorse.centre
abdullah.khalid.ylp@gmail.com
Beverly.WhistleBendNorth@gmail
connect@markkelly.ca
jacklynforportercreeknorth@gma
Dana Hatherly
I’m the legislative reporter for the Yukon News. I also cover general assignments for the newspaper and online, primarily reporting on hard news and politics for the territory since January 2022.
Phone
867-667-6285 ext1604
dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
ndp
(867) 668-2203
brent.for.klondike@gmail.com
Whitehorse, YT, Canada, Yukon
+1 867-332-0752
Chris.dunbar@yukonndp.ca
yukonndp.ca
Timeline
- April 12, 2021 – The Yukon Liberal Party under Sandy Silver won a minority government in the 2021 Yukon general election.
- April 28, 2021 – The Yukon New Democratic Party announced that they had entered into a formal confidence and supply agreement with the Liberals.[10]
- November 15, 2021 – The Yukon Freedom Party registers as a political party with Elections Yukon.[11]
- September 9, 2022 – Sandy Silver announced his intention to resign as premier and party leader, staying on until the party elects a successor.[12]
- January 9, 2023 – Silver was succeeded by Ranj Pillai. Pillai was acclaimed as Liberal leader and became premier on January 14.[13]
- May 7, 2025 – Pillai announced his decision to not seek re-election and resign as party leader.[14]
- June 19, 2025 – Businessman Mike Pemberton was elected to succeed Pillai; he did not hold a seat in the legislature before the election. Pemberton became premier on June 27.
- October 3, 2025 – Premier Pemberton asked the Commissioner to dissolve the Legislative Assembly for a general territorial election, scheduled for November 3, 2025.[15]
Incumbents not standing for re-election
| Member of the Legislative Assembly | Electoral District | Date announced | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Silver[12] | Klondike | September 9, 2022 | |
| Geraldine Van Bibber[16] | Porter Creek North | January 28, 2025 | |
| Ranj Pillai[14] | Porter Creek South | May 7, 2025 | |
| Stacey Hassard[17] | Pelly-Nisutlin | July 2, 2025 | |
| Richard Mostyn[18] | Whitehorse West | July 30, 2025 | |
| Nils Clarke[19] | Riverdale North | August 1, 2025 | |
| Jeanie McLean[20] | Mountainview | August 15, 2025 | |
| John Streicker[21] | Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes | August 22, 2025 | |
| Tracy-Anne McPhee[22] | Riverdale South | September 10, 2025 | |
Candidates
Bold indicates party leaders
† – denotes a retiring incumbent MLA
‡ – running for re-election in different riding
Rural Yukon
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon | Liberal | NDP | Independent | |||||||
| Klondike | Richard Nagano[23] | Brent McDonald[24] | Sandy Silver†[12] | |||||||
| Kluane | Wade Istchenko[25] | John Vandermeer[24] | Wade Istchenko | |||||||
| Lake Laberge | Brad Cathers[26] | Tom Amson[27] | Kai Miller[24] | Brad Cathers | ||||||
| Mayo-Tatchun | Cory Bellmore[28] | Jeremy Harper[29] | Colin Prentice[24] | Jeremy Harper | ||||||
| Marsh Lake-Mount Lorne-Golden Horn | Jen Gehmair[30] | James Rowberry[31] | Kevin Kennedy[24] | John Streicker† Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes | ||||||
| Southern Lakes | Tyler Porter[32] | Cynthia James[33] | Tip Evans[34] | Jean-Michel Harvey[35] | New District | |||||
| Watson Lake-Ross River–Faro | Patti McLeod[36] | Lael Lund[37] | Josie O'Brien[24] | Stacey Hassard†[17] Pelly-Nisutlin | ||||||
| Merged District | ||||||||||
| Patti McLeod Watson Lake | ||||||||||
| Vuntut Gwitchin | Sandra Charlie[38] | Debra-Leigh Reti[39] | Annie Blake[40] | Annie Blake | ||||||
Whitehorse
| Electoral district | Candidates | Incumbent | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon | Liberal | NDP | ||||||
| Copperbelt North | Currie Dixon[41] | Matthew Lien[24] | Currie Dixon | |||||
| Copperbelt South | Scott Kent[42] | Derek Yap[43] | Robin Reid-Fraser[34] | Scott Kent | ||||
| Mountainview | Peter Grundmanis[44] | Jon Weller[45] | Linda Moen[24] | Jeanie McLean† | ||||
| Porter Creek Centre | Ted Laking[46] | Louis Gagnon[47] | Hilary Smith[34] | Yvonne Clarke‡ | ||||
| Porter Creek North | Doris Anderson[48] | Jacklyn Stockstill[49] | Chris Dunbar[34] | Geraldine Van Bibber†[16] | ||||
| Porter Creek South | Adam Gerle[50] | Harjit Mavi[51][52] | Dario Paola[24] | Ranj Pillai†[14] | ||||
| Riverdale North | Rose Sellars[53] | Mark Kelly[54] | Carmen Gustafson[24] | Nils Clarke†[19] | ||||
| Riverdale South | Aurora Viernes[55] | Sunny Patch[56][52] | Justin Ziegler[24] | Tracy-Anne McPhee† | ||||
| Takhini | Logan Freese[57] | Abdullah Khalid[58][52] | Kate White[1] | Kate White Takhini-Kopper King | ||||
| Whistle Bend North | Yvonne Clarke[59] | Beverly Cooper[60] | Tiara Topps[61] | New District | ||||
| Whistle Bend South | Linda Benoit[62] | Vida Pelayo[63] | Dustin McKenzie-Hubbard[24] | New District | ||||
| Whitehorse Centre | Keith Jacobsen[64] | Mellisa Kwok[65] | Lane Tredger[66] | Lane Tredger | ||||
| Whitehorse West | Laura Lang[67] | Mike Pemberton[1] | Katherine McCallum[24] | Richard Mostyn†[18] | ||||
Campaign
Prior to the drawing up of the writ, the Yukon Party became the first party to launch its campaign for the election on May 6, 2025.[68] The NDP launched their campaign on September 11, and the Liberals launched their campaign on October 2.[69] Issues in the election include rising territorial debt, healthcare, crime, the cost-of-living, and housing.[70] The CBC's leaders' forum was held on October 23, hosted by Chris Windeyer.[71][72]
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