Reactions to the historic agreement the Yukon Liberals and NDP announced late Wednesday afternoon started rolling in swiftly Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said “Yukoners have chosen to re-elect a government led by the Yukon Liberal Party. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Sandy Silver on his re-election as premier.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with Premier Silver and the Government of Yukon to keep northerners and their communities safe, healthy, and supported in this challenging time, and to build back better for everyone.

“Together, we can make progress on shared priorities, including tackling the impacts of climate change in the North, creating jobs and clean economic growth, delivering on affordable housing and child care, and improving the well-being of Indigenous peoples, as we recover from the global COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Fair Vote Yukon group also congratulated the Liberals and NDP for signing “an historic Confidence and Supply Agreement with a commitment to a Legislative Assembly Special Committee on Electoral Reform.

“The Confidence and Supply Agreement states that the special committee will have an equal number of MLAs from each party, and promises it will bring recommendations on electoral reform to the Legislature by March 31, 2022.

“Fair Vote Yukon is calling on all parties to back a Yukon Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, and is urging the committee to put a Citizens’ Assembly at the top of their agenda.”

“Yukon citizens need a process we can trust,” said Fair Vote Yukon’s Sally Wright.

“Too often, partisan self-interest has scuttled progress. A new multi-party committee of MLAs is a hopeful first step, but to be truly inclusive of Yukon’s diverse population and free of partisan interests, we need to put citizens in the driver’s seat.

“We look forward to a modern voting system that values equality, where every voter really counts,” said Wright.

“We urge all MLAs to back a Yukon Citizens’ Assembly to deliver meaningful change for Yukon voters.”

The agreement itself provides some insights as to how this unusual process is planned to work.

“The Yukon Liberals and the Yukon NDP campaigned on policy proposals that included point of agreement across multiple themes,” it says.

“We have agreed on a number of proposals to advance during the course of this agreement.

“The agreeement sets out a new relationship between the parties, founded on the principle of ‘good faith and no surprises.’”

The pact includes a variety of noteworthy points. Here are some of the highlights:

“The leader of the Yukon Liberals will not request a dissolution of the Assembly during the term of this agreement, except following the defeat of a motion of confidence,” one clause reads.

“Yukon NDP MLAs will neither move, not vote non-confidence during the term of the agreement, so long as the measures outlined in this agreement are enacted and the principle of ‘good faith and no surprises’ are observed.”

Other clauses outline a consultation process on spending measures if changes are greater than or less than two per cent.

There is also a dispute resolution process, effectively adding another layer of bureaucracy to the partnership.

The NDP MLAs are to be treated as a group, rather than independently.

The NDP will support the Liberal budget and all other confidence motions, including the Throne Speech.

The government will also provide the NDP with additional resources to help fulfill the partnership. That includes funding for three more staff positions.

Consultations between the two parties means the NDP will be provided with access to key documents and staff as required.

At least one private member’s bill from the NDP will be put to a final vote during the duration of the agreement.

Joint policies will be negotiated between the two parties via an implementation committee.

A special committee will be struck to investigate electoral reform.

The leader of the NDP will receive an invitation to join the Yukon Forum sessions.

The NDP will provide a candidate for the deputy Speaker position, provided it has at least three MLAs.

“I’m so proud of this plan, but this isn’t the end, it’s just a start,” NDP Leader Kate White said.

“We know that we have differences and we’re sure to have lots of good debate in the coming months about them. We’ve built strong processes for having those discussions and engaging Yukoners so we can continue to move forward.

“This agreement outlines a new way for the government to work - with meaningful contribution and collaboration at every step.”

Silver said, “This agreement creates a more formal bridge between our two caucuses and will put these ideas into action.

“Thank you, Kate, for seeing the value in a strong, stable, collaborative government. I look forward to the good work that we can do going forward together.”