Only two of the 17 women candidates were elected to the legislature on Tuesday, as the territory returned the Yukon Party government with a majority.
One of them was former Yukon Party cabinet minister Elaine Taylor, who won her Whitehorse West riding with 53 per cent of the popular vote. Liberal Mike Walton captured 39 per cent of the vote and NDP candidate Rhoda Merkel took eight per cent.
The other woman to win a seat was Yukon Party candidate Marian Horne, who took the riding of Pelly-Nisutlin with 42 per cent of the vote.
It was one of the few districts with four candidates: NDP candidate Gwen Wally and Liberal Hammond Dick both captured about 25 per cent of the vote, while Independent Elvis Aaron Presley, the colourful candidate who took seven per cent of the ballots.
Women candidates were themselves an election issue. When the legislature was dissolved each party had one woman member:
- Pat Duncan-Liberal, Porter Creek South (did not run again).
- Lorraine Peter-NDP, Vuntun Gwitchin.
- Elaine Taylor-Yukon Party, Whitehorse West.
The parties agreed that more women needed to be recruited.
The NDP was the most successful, nominating eight candidates, followed by the ruling Yukon Party with five. The Liberal party had only three women running.
In four ridings, there was more than one woman candidate:
Mayo-Tatchun:
- Karen Gage (NDP)
- Jean VanBibber (Yukon Party)
Mount Lorne:
- Valerie Boxall (Yukon Party)
- Colleen Wirth (Liberal)
Pelly-Nisutlin:
- Marian Horne (Yukon Party)
- Gwen Wally (NDP)
Whitehorse West:
- Rhoda Merkel (NDP)
- Elaine Taylor (Yukon Party)
Related
Internal Links
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YP | 10 | 0 | 10 | 40.78% |
| LIB | 5 | 0 | 5 | 34.83% |
| NDP | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23.33% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.06% |
| Last Update:October 10, 10:01:08 PM PDT | ||||