Premier Ranj Pillai has reminded Yukoners that he runs a government that engages with them.

“Our government believes that communication with Yukoners is a two-way street,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

“Yukoners’ views, knowledge and stories help the government make better decisions.

“And, in turn, the government has a responsibility to communicate openly and honestly with Yukoners about how we hear from them, what we’ve heard from them and how the information they provide helps to shape the future of our territory.”

Ministers and public servants are available to speak to the media, Pillai added.

Updates are provided through the use of direct mailings, social media, ministerial statements (with the opposition parties’ consent), and during question period and debate in the legislature, he said.

“We conduct public engagements to hear directly from Yukoners, to provide an opportunity for them to voice their concerns and beliefs, and so that they can directly inform policy design and government decision-making,” the premier added.

Since 2017, the government has conducted over 100 territory-wide, public engagements, he said.

It recently consulted with Yukoners on the Whitehorse school facilities capital planning, “where we spoke to Yukoners about their needs, ideas and considerations for Whitehorse-area school facilities,” Pillai said. A What We Heard report will be issued on this engagement shortly.

“We also consulted with members of the LGBTQ2S+ community on implementation of the LGBTQ2S+ Action Plan, which will help us determine our progress,” he said.

The government also consulted on identifying barriers to Indigenous recruitment and retention in the public service, to help explore barriers that Indigenous applicants and employees experience throughout the recruitment and employee experience with the government.

“It has been over six years since we promised Yukoners we would include them in the decision-making process and the development of the strategies, policies and actions that affect them the most,” Pillai said.

There are currently several engagements open to the public, including:

• The five-year review of the Cannabis Control and Regulation Act, which looks at how the relatively new piece of legislation is working;

• A review of the Public Interest Disclosure of Wrongdoing Act, which will look for potential improvements to whistleblowing legislation, such as expanding the act to cover other organizations and groups; and

• The engagement process for improving the sustainable solid waste management system for the Yukon.