The 35th Yukon general election was held on April 12, 2021 — Canada's fifth provincial or territorial election during the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Sandy Silver called the election on March 12, 2021, triggering a 31-day campaign with roughly eight months remaining in his five-year mandate. At the time of the call, Yukon had zero active COVID-19 cases and more than 45% of eligible adults had received their first vaccine dose — one of the fastest rollouts in the country. The opposition Yukon Party criticized the timing, arguing Silver should have passed the 2021 budget and focused on the vaccine campaign. Turnout was approximately 65.6% of registered voters.

The Liberal caucus had frayed in the days before the call. Don Hutton, the MLA for Mayo-Tatchun and Deputy Speaker, left the Liberal caucus on March 8, citing frustration with government inaction on substance abuse and addictions. He endorsed the NDP but did not seek re-election.

Results

The election produced a hung legislature — the first in Yukon since 1992 — with the Yukon Party and Liberals each winning 8 seats and the NDP winning 3. The Yukon Party won approximately 39.3% of the popular vote despite winning the same number of seats as the Liberals, who captured roughly 32.4%. The NDP took 28.2%. Despite placing second in popular vote, Silver remained premier and formed a minority government, sworn in on April 23.

On April 28, the Liberals and NDP announced a Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) that would sustain the government until January 31, 2023. The 16-point agreement included commitments to raise the minimum wage to $15.20 per hour, cap residential rent increases to the rate of inflation, establish territory-wide dental care, and increase greenhouse gas emission reduction targets from 30% to 45% by 2030. The agreement held — when the Yukon Party tabled a non-confidence motion in November 2021, the NDP voted it down.

The Yukon Party dominated rural ridings while Whitehorse fragmented among all three parties. The Liberals held key seats outside the capital — Klondike, Mayo-Tatchun, and Mount Lorne — Southern Lakes — that kept them at parity with the Yukon Party. Several Whitehorse ridings were decided by razor-thin margins: Whitehorse West by 22 votes, Mount Lorne — Southern Lakes by 40, and Mountainview by 46.

Party Leaders

Sandy Silver (Liberal) was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and moved to the Yukon in 1996. He spent two years teaching in Whitehorse before settling in Dawson City in 1998 to teach mathematics at Robert Service School, where he became deeply embedded in the community — coaching school sports, volunteering with the fire department, serving as president of the Dawson City Music Festival, and performing with the Pointer Brothers band. First elected as one of only two Liberal MLAs in 2011, he became interim leader in August 2012 after fellow Liberal Darius Elias left the caucus, then permanent leader by acclamation in 2014. He led the Liberals from a single seat to an 11-seat majority in 2016, ending 14 years of Yukon Party rule. In 2021, Silver won Klondike with 526 votes but saw his party reduced to a minority. He announced in September 2022 that he would step down and was succeeded as premier by Ranj Pillai in January 2023.

Currie Dixon (Yukon Party) was born and raised in Whitehorse. He holds a BA in Political Science and History from Saint Francis Xavier University and an MA from the University of Northern British Columbia focused on First Nations governance. First elected in 2011 in Copperbelt North, he became the youngest cabinet minister in Yukon history at age 26, serving under Premier Darrell Pasloski with portfolios including Environment, Economic Development, and Community Services. He chose not to run in 2016 and pursued a private-sector career before returning to win the Yukon Party leadership on May 23, 2020, defeating Linda Benoit and Brad Cathers. The 2021 election was his first as leader. He won Copperbelt North with 52% of the vote and a 371-vote margin over the Liberal candidate, leading the Yukon Party to Official Opposition.

Kate White (NDP) was born in 1977 and raised in the Yukon, graduating from F.H. Collins Secondary School. A Red Seal baker who owned a catering company and a coffee shop, she also worked in corrections and the mining industry. She first ran for the NDP in 2006 in Porter Creek Centre, then won Takhini-Kopper King in 2011 and has held it since. Acclaimed as NDP leader in April 2019, succeeding Liz Hanson, the 2021 election was her first as leader. She won Takhini-Kopper King with 63% of the vote — the strongest result of any party leader — and led the NDP from 2 seats to 3.

Campaign Issues

The COVID-19 pandemic formed the backdrop to the entire campaign, though Silver's successful vaccine rollout blunted opposition attacks. Housing affordability was the dominant policy issue — Kate White noted it had been a voter concern in every election since 2011 — with Whitehorse experiencing acute shortages. Addiction and substance abuse gained prominence after Don Hutton's defection from the Liberal caucus, which he attributed to government inaction on the crisis. Mining and resource development remained central to the Yukon economy, with the NDP proposing higher royalty rates and arguing the territory collected more revenue from campground fees than from mining. The NDP also pushed the most aggressive climate targets, calling for a 45% emission reduction by 2030 and inclusion of mining emissions in the territory's reduction framework.

Notable Outcomes

The most dramatic result came in Vuntut Gwitchin, the territory's northernmost riding centred on Old Crow. Incumbent Liberal Pauline Frost and NDP challenger Annie Blake each received exactly 78 votes. A judicial recount confirmed the tie, and on April 19, a drawing of lots outside the Yukon courthouse gave the seat to Blake. The result was consequential — it gave the NDP 3 seats instead of 2 and denied the Liberals a one-seat plurality over the Yukon Party. Frost launched a legal challenge arguing two voters did not meet residency requirements, but Chief Justice Suzanne Duncan dismissed the case in August 2021. Elsewhere, Yvonne Clarke won Porter Creek Centre by 58 votes in a riding that had seen significant population growth. The popular-vote disconnect — the Yukon Party winning 39% but only 8 seats, the same as the Liberals with 32% — intensified calls for electoral reform that would eventually lead to a formal study and a plebiscite held alongside the 2025 election.