Yukon's opposition parties unveiled their campaign platforms with the territorial New Democrats pledging millions in new programming if they're elected next month, and the Yukon Party promising a prospering private sector.
The NDP says it will pay for tuition for students in health care and education programs at Yukon University if they agree to work in the territory for five years after graduation.
The party says its promises will be paid for in part with a two per cent tax on those who fly in and out of the territory for work but file their taxes elsewhere.
Leader Currie Dixon says his Yukon Party believes government needs to create conditions for a "thriving and prosperous private sector," and is promising to release more land for housing, while also adding continuing care facilities and expanding Whitehorse's hospital.
Both parties are hoping to replace the current Liberal government when voters go to the polls on Nov. 3.
The NDP is the only territorial party that includes costs with its platform, estimating nearly $90 million in new investments this year if it is elected, but Dixon says his party's plans are practical, realistic and achievable.
"We don't need to finance these types of commitments with significant new tax hikes that we see from other parties, and we believe it can all be included within the existing fiscal framework of the territory," he says.
The Yukon Party says it will removing all land transfer fees to reduce the cost of homes and introduce incentives to build more rentals.
Dixon says the territory has seen record levels of spending and debt under the Liberal minority government meaning there are "difficult decisions" to make.
He says his platform makes no mention of public service layoffs but that the rate of growth of the Yukon government "needs to be constrained."
"The rate that the public service has grown over the last few years has been unsustainable, and we need to ensure that the territory's trajectory in terms of those public finances are sustainable," he said.
"But what we want to see is growth, and we want to see growth driven by the private sector, not the government."
Other promises in the NDP platform include a universal school nutrition program, a 50-unit medical travel lodge offering free stays for people coming to Whitehorse for care, and a pledge to raise mining royalties.
The Yukon Liberal party revealed its platform last week, with promises including a $300-million hospital expansion and a reduction in the waiting list for government housing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2025