For the first time in the Yukon’s history, more women than men have been elected to the territory’s Legislative Assembly.
According to Elections Yukon, 11 women and one non-binary MLA were elected in this week’s vote — making up 57 per cent of the legislature.
Lindsay Brumwell, interim executive director of Equal Voice — a charity dedicated to improving gender representation in Canadian politics — said the result came as “a pleasant surprise.”
“This is an amazing result,” she said. “We’re really happy to see Yukon leading the way in Canada.”
Brumwell said the milestone reflects how northern communities value local leadership regardless of gender.
“It’s a testament to people knowing their neighbours, picking the best community leaders for them, and supporting the people that are going to best serve them in these roles.”
Brumwell said similar progress has been made in other jurisdictions, including British Columbia, where women surpassed 50 per cent representation in the 2024 provincial election, and the Northwest Territories, which reached gender parity after its 2019 election.
During the campaign, the Yukon also saw the most women running in a campaign in at least a decade. Twenty-seven women and one gender diverse person ran to represent their electoral districts totalling 46 per cent.
Brumwell added that more women in office can lead to stronger policy.
“Having women around the decision-making table is critical to making sure that policies reflect everyone.”
NGOs advocating for women need more funding, MLAs say
Yvonne Clarke was re-elected Monday night, as a Yukon Party MLA this time for the new riding of Whistle Bend North. She said she’s proud to be part of the territory’s first female-majority legislature.
“It feels really good,” she said. “I’m just so happy that I’m able to continue my work — and that it’s a majority. That’s icing on the cake.”
Clarke, who has chaired the Yukon Advisory Council on Women’s Issues and served on the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians steering committee, said she hopes to keep advancing gender equality now that she is part of government. She noted legislatures in other provinces and territories offer child-care support for MLAs.
She also called for more funding for the NGOs under the Yukon Women’s Coalition — a group of organizations advocating for better women’s health care and other policies that support women and fight poverty and violence against women.
Linda Moen, NDP MLA-elect for Mountainview, used to work with the coalition and with the RCMP Together for Safety group — a collaboration between Whitehorse women’s groups and Whitehorse RCMP. She agrees that funding is needed.
“I know that every year they struggle to get enough funding to continue that coalition group,” Moen said.
Women still less likely to run
Brumwell says research shows women are still more likely than men to believe they aren’t qualified for elected office. As a result, they require more support and encouragement from leaders and their own communities to take on the challenge.
She says the territory’s election results are a testament to the support and encouragement candidates received from all Yukoners.
“It is the hard work of many people in the Yukon that continue to champion women, asking women to run, and credit to the women and gender diverse people for being willing to put their names forward,” Brumwell said.
Clarke hailed the support she received from party leader Currie Dixon, and encouraged other leaders to do the same.
“When there’s a woman wanting to run, you go over to that woman and talk to them, they might say no three times. And so you have to be patient, and you just have to keep going and asking them,” said Clarke.
She said she’d like to see leaders and MLAs present to high school students about what they do and what it means to run for public office.
“Please consider running. It’s fun, and you can make a difference,” Clarke said.
Moen, also a Kwanlin Dün First Nation councillor before she was elected, said she was deeply supported by her community and her party during the campaign.
“I had a lot of encouragement from my family and friends,” she said. “And I cannot say enough about Kate White and the Yukon NDP, and all the volunteers and canvassers that came out and helped out. It was just a really great journey.”
‘We have every right to come into these spaces’
Moen said the results also send a strong message to Indigenous women across the country.
“Myself being Indigenous sends a clear message across Canada that we have every right to come into these spaces.”
She said Indigenous women have long held leadership roles in their communities.
“We are a matriarchal society in our First Nations,” she said. “Women often are the leaders, the backbone of the communities.”
On election night, at the NDP headquarters, Moen recalled Margaret Commodore, a four-time Yukon MLA, telling her about how Moen’s grandmother, a community leader in her own right, supported Commodore.
“She asked, ‘Where’s Sophie Smarsh’s granddaughter?’ And I said, ‘That’s me.’ She said, ‘Your grandmother was one of the first people that supported me.’ It was a really beautiful moment,” Moen said. “It shows how Indigenous women support other Indigenous women in leadership.”
Moen says she hopes it inspires the next generation to see leadership as something within their reach.
