Opposition pursues IEPs issue
The Yukon Party continues to go after the government over the issue of Independent Education Plans (IEPs) like a dog with a particularly juicy bone.
The Yukon Party continues to go after the government over the issue of Independent Education Plans (IEPs) like a dog with a particularly juicy bone.
On Monday, for the third straight day, the party attacked new Education Minister Jeanie McLean about the government’s handling of the contentious issue.
Before Christmas 2020, the issue was a subject of fierce debate between the government and the opposition parties.
The Liberals denied changing anything about the plans, while the opposition alleged more than 200 students had been moved off the IEPs into other, less suitable support streams.
Late last month, when the Liberals and Yukon NDP signed the Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) to form a stable minority government, one of the clauses the NDP demanded was a reversal to the changes to the IEPs the Liberals had made.
It’s been great fodder for the Yukon Party, as the language being used suggests the Liberals acknowledge they changed the IEPs – something they had denied up to that point.
So far, McLean has been unable to provide a clear and coherent answer to that question. That’s something the Yukon Party has pounced on during question periods.
On Monday, Opposition Leader Currie Dixon spoke to reporters about the plans.
“Look, I appreciate the current government ministers are all new to their portfolios and it will take some time to find their way with their new departments, but we’ve asked about this three days in a row now and we kind of hoped we would see answers from the minister about the IEPs,” Dixon said.
“The reason we’ve highlighted those issues is because they come up an an explicit part of the CASA agreement. In that agreement, they say they’re going to address all of this by May 28. That’s 11 days away, and they can’t answer how many kids are affected.”
After three days of questioning, Dixon said, he expected that McLean would have asked her staff to brief her on the issues and provide the number of students affected – but that has not happened.
The matter will be the subject of a confidence vote at the end of the session, Dixon said.
If the government loses the vote, it would fall, he added.
Dixon said he doesn’t know why the NDP isn’t raising the issue in the legislature, as it’s an important part of the CASA agreement, which was unveiled April 28.
Comments (9)
Up 0 Down 0
CJ2 on May 25, 2021 at 11:32 pm
@Llama, I was wondering about the phrasing myself. This reporter seems to find something amusing and odd about the opposition being ... oppositional.
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Llama on May 20, 2021 at 10:21 pm
"The Yukon Party continues to go after the government... like a dog with a particularly juicy bone."
What kind of reporting/writing is this... Honestly. Sometimes it's best to just stick to the dumpster fire that is the comments section, but the star really outdid themselves with this one.
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Trina on May 20, 2021 at 12:16 pm
They are INDIVIDUAL Education Plans, not independent.
Up 5 Down 13
Covid Era Graduates on May 19, 2021 at 6:38 pm
@ Have you tried letting the kids “effected”? You must be a Covid Era Graduate - Get that CEG certificate framed!
If you can’t lift em up then drag em down - Liberal Party Canada!
Up 16 Down 15
Patti Eyre on May 19, 2021 at 6:23 pm
Oh man, with Stacy and Wade out of the picture, all we will ever hear from is Currie, this is going to be a LONG couple of years.
Up 26 Down 13
Have you tried letting the kids effected write letters to Silver? on May 19, 2021 at 4:19 pm
He should pay attention to those.
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JSM on May 19, 2021 at 2:58 pm
Lieberals putting themselves first and not caring about the children? Colour me shocked... Not! These poors kids are going to be strapped with debt and under educated. I am glad at least that the Yukon Party is fighting for the rights of the underrepresented.
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Joe on May 19, 2021 at 2:47 pm
She doesn't care, she doesn't need to answer. Her pension eligibility has been secured by the NDP coalition. The date of agreement coincides with pension eligibility.
Up 19 Down 21
Wilf Carter on May 19, 2021 at 2:39 pm
Inflation numbers are out today for Canada. 3.4% that everything has gone up that we buy. That means higher interest rates are on the way and higher borrowing cost for Yukon, City and Federal governments to cover interest on debts which they all have in great amounts and Yukon liberals and NDP want to take us $500 million in debt at a time of so much uncertainty!!!