The Special Committee on Electoral Reform’s reporting deadline has been extended by the Legislative Assembly.
On May 26, 2021, the Yukon Legislative Assembly adopted Motion No. 61, thereby establishing the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. The committee’s purpose, or mandate, as set out in the motion, is to examine electoral reform and report to the Legislative Assembly its findings and recommendations. On October 25, 2021, the Assembly set the committee's reporting deadline to the 2022 Fall Sitting. The deadline was further extended to the 2023 Spring Sitting on November 15, 2022.
As part of its study of potential changes to the voting system, the committee held hearings with expert witnesses and the general public online and in communities across the territory. The committee also received written submissions and had the Yukon Bureau of Statistics administer a survey which was completed by 6,129 Yukoners.
Seeking Further Public Input
The committee requested an extension from the Assembly to be able to seek further input before deciding on its final recommendations. In particular, the committee is looking to gauge Yukoner’s preferences regarding citizens assemblies.
Interim Report
The committee is currently preparing to release its initial findings in an interim report which will be made public by November 24, 2022, the end of the 2022 Fall Sitting of the Legislative Assembly.
More information on the committee, including the motion establishing the committee and meeting minutes, is available at https://yukonassembly.ca/SCER
Information on types of electoral systems is available at https://www.howyukonvotes.ca/. A more in depth analysis of the options available was prepared by the committee’s researcher and is contained in Dr. Keith Archer’s report.