There’s a dispute brewing between the Liberals and the Yukon Party over travel expenses.

It all started last Thursday, when Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn gave notice of a motion in the legislature.

The motion read, “That this House do issue an order for the return of documents related to the member for Lake Laberge’s travel costs detailed in the Report on Subsistence, Travel and Accommodation of Members of the Yukon Legislative Assembly 2023-24, where the member for Lake Laberge billed taxpayers $23,174.93 for 203 trips, mainly between Lake Laberge and Whitehorse, including one trip for which taxpayers were billed $1,283.86.”

During that day’s question period, Lake Laberge MLA Brad Cathers of the Yukon Party criticized Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee’s trip to Scotland, during which she also took personal time after her official duties.

“The minister wouldn’t go to Watson Lake for a meeting when she was asked and refused to attend a meeting with municipal leaders in Carmacks about health care while she was in Scotland vacationing after travelling there on the taxpayers’ dime,” Cathers said.

Premier Ranj Pillai retorted, “I am glad she didn’t go to Lake Laberge, because it would have been a more expensive trip.”

Cathers then took another shot at the Liberals.

“As the premier knows, he spent $170,000 on the trip to India (in 2023) and the minister spent $13,000 on the Scotland trip with nothing to show for it while the territory’s health crisis includes growing problems at Yukon hospitals.

“Service reductions due to chronic underfunding resulted in delayed cancer screenings, MRIs, and other tests and cancelled surgeries,” Cathers said.

“Whitehorse (General) Hospital is often over-capacity, resulting in surgery cancellations, ER wait times growing, and hallway medicine happening when they are over 100-per-cent capacity.”

Pillai responded, “We know that Health and Social Services right now is using the relationships that we made in India to recruit nurses and to partner with other universities here in the country. I look forward to seeing those nurses come to the Yukon.”

In email to the Star from Tim Kucharuk of the Yukon Party, the YP disputed the claim that Cathers spent $1,283.86 on a trip from Lake Laberge to Whitehorse.

“The report on 2023-2024 MLA travel shows that multiple MLAs claimed one trip under sessional travel at a cost between $1,200 to $1,300. This sessional travel claim was for the special sitting in Dawson City last summer.

“It is disappointing the Liberal government is now choosing to play politics with the costs of the event they proposed as part of their Yukon 125 celebration,” Kucharuk said.

“Especially since the number of support staff and cost to taxpayers was reduced from the Liberal proposal due to push-back from opposition MLAs.

“The minister of Community Services attacking the travel costs for a rural MLA is just another example of how the territorial Liberals are out of touch with the challenges of rural Yukoners, including living and travel costs, service cuts to landfills and nursing stations, and the lack of funding to Yukon municipalities via the Comprehensive Municipal Grant.

“We hope that he will respect Watson Lake MLA Patti McLeod’s motion to negotiate with Yukon municipalities so that they are properly funded,” Kucharuk added.

In an email to the Star, cabinet communications director Jordan Owens explained why expenses for the trip to Dawson City weren’t listed in the Liberals’ travel expenses.

“In the case of the special sitting in Dawson, ministers travelled in their capacity as cabinet ministers, as they all conducted ministerial business in Dawson,” Owens said.

The following are the total travel expenses claimed by all MLAs in the report.

• Jeremy Harper (Mayo-Tatchun) – $66,416.88;

• Annie Blake (Vuntut Gwitchin) – $43,116.81;

• Wade Istchenko (Kluane) – $40,222.93;

• Patti McLeod (Watson Lake) – $39,455.27;

• Sandy Silver (Klondike) – $32,501.28;

• Stacey Hassard (Pelly-Nitsutlin) – $25,051.42;

• Brad Cathers (Lake Laberge) – $24,583.30;

• Scott Kent (Copperbelt South) – $9,525.06;

• Currie Dixon (Copperbelt North) – $9,264.63;

• Kate White (Takhini-Kopper King) – $8,337.55;

• Lane Tredger (Whitehorse Centre) – $5,104.01;

• John Streicker (Mt. Lorne-Southern Lakes) – $4,743.06;

• Geraldine Van Bibber (Porter Creek North) – $2,734.36;

• Yvonne Clarke (Porter Creek Centre) – $1,369.69;

• Nils Clarke (Riverdale North) – $0;

• Jeanie McLean (Mountainview) – $0;

• Tracy-Anne McPhee (Riverdale South) – $0;

• Richard Mostyn (Whitehorse West) – $0; and

• Ranj Pillai (Porter Creek South) – $0.

Asked to explain the amount that Harper claimed, Laura Seeley of cabinet communications emailed this breakdown of the Speaker’s expenses:

• “Rent: This reflects the rent that MLA Harper pays to also have a residence in Whitehorse (similar to most all other MLAs representing ridings outside of Whitehorse do).

• “MLA travel: This reflects travel costs incurred by MLA Harper for constituency work. This could include gas, kilometres, etc., to travel to his riding (which encompasses several Yukon communities – Mayo, Pelly and Carmacks) to stay connected to his constituents while also attending events in the capital.

• “Recognized Speaker Travel: This reflects travel that MLA Harper does during sitting days, since he needs to be present in the House (as Speaker) while also maintaining connection to his rural riding.

• “Other travel: This reflects costs for events that he attends as a member of the Liberal caucus, similar to things covered under ‘Ministerial Travel Expenses” for cabinet ministers.’”

Seeley also clarified the location of Harper’s residence.

“MLA Harper’s primary residence is in Pelly, but he also rents in Whitehorse.”

Seeley added, “We’d like to emphasize how we find it hard to understand how MLA Cathers could bill taxpayers for 203 trips for the short drive from Lake Laberge to Whitehorse.

“Even his colleague MLA Kent, who commutes from Marsh Lake, only billed for 67 trips.

“By contrast, Pelly, Mayo and Carmacks – the communities within MLA Harper’s riding – are hundreds of kilometres away.”

A total of $312,426.25 was claimed by MLAs in 2023-24. That’s up from $280,736.88 incurred in 2022-23. Here is the breakdown of those expenses:

• Rent – $107,525.27;

• MLA travel – $56,620,33;

• Minister MLA travel – $12,909.90;

• Recognized leader travel – $14,385.63;

• Sessional travel – $64,918.46; and

• Other travel – $56,066.66

The complete travel expenses report can be found at https://yukonassembly.ca/sites/default/files/2024-04/report-mla-travel-2023-2024.pdf

Meanwhile, the Yukon Party clarified a reference last week by Pillai to the Yukon Party being linked to a business banned from participating in the Yukon Nominee Program.

“The (2023) Pierre Poilievre event at Antoinette’s (a Fourth Avenue restaurant) was not a Yukon Party event. It was organized by the Conservative Party of Canada as part of their leader’s visit.

“This is a common mistake, and it is important media does not confuse the issue for the public. While there are strong relationships between the parties, they are separate entities and separate memberships.

“Yukon Party MLAs chose to participate as they saw fit,” the official Opposition said.