The Yukon Party made history Tuesday when it became the first party since 1989 to win a second term in government.
The party won 10 of the territory's 18 seats, one more than it had going into the election. The Liberals ended the day with five and the NDP hung on to three.
Fourteen elected MLAs are incumbents.
Yukoners heard Fentie's message
Yukon Party Leader Dennis Fentie said it was a difficult race but voters heard his party's message to stay the course.
"I think it's because we were bucking what's been a long-standing trend in the Yukon where Yukoners have exercised their view on government by consistently voting governments out," Fentie said Tuesday night.
"That trend was certainly well-entrenched. That was something we knew we had to try and counter."
Since Fentie's government came to power in 2002, the territory's economy has taken off in part because of money from Ottawa and rising commodity prices.
Liberals and NDP disappointed
Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell said it's tough to defeat a government when times are good.
"It's very difficult to run against a strong economy and the economy in Yukon, as in all of western Canada and all over Canada, has been strong over the past few years," he said.
NDP Leader Todd Hardy, who spent most of the campaign in a Vancouver hospital undergoing leukemia treatment, said he was disappointed his party did not do better.
"Frankly, this was one of the toughest campaigns I've ever experienced but you know what, it's the NDP that makes the difference in opposition," Hardy said.
Although the NDP had the most female candidates, only two Yukon Party women were elected — cabinet minister Elaine Taylor and Pelly-Nisutlin candidate Marion Horne.
Two ridings were won by fewer than 10 votes — McIntyre-Takhini and Porter Creek South — and recounts will be done.
Turnout among the Yukon's 18,679 eligible voters was down slightly at 72 per cent. The Yukon Party garnered 40 per cent of the popular vote, the Liberals 35 cent and the NDP 23 per cent.
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| 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 | ||||