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In a political misstep during Yukon’s election campaign, NDP Leader Kate White has apologized for falsely claiming an endorsement from Da Daghay Development Corporation in a party news release about housing initiatives.
The original release, issued Tuesday, outlined the NDP’s housing platform, which included creating a tenant-landlord relations board, constructing new subsidized housing units, building homes for first-time buyers, and establishing a Yukon building code. It explicitly stated that “White’s plan has been endorsed by Da Daghay, a leading First Nation development corporation.”
When contacted by CBC News, Da Daghay—the economic development arm of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council First Nation—refuted the claim, stating they are not endorsing any political party during the territorial election campaign.
White addressed the error while speaking to reporters on Wednesday, describing it as a “misprint on our part in the news release” and attributing it to being “pretty busy” with campaign activities. She confirmed she had already apologized directly to Da Daghay officials for the misrepresentation.
“I’ve thanked them for pointing it out,” White told reporters, adding cryptically, “We’re excited about this. I’ll just say that.”
Following the controversy, the NDP promptly removed all references to Da Daghay from the news release on the party’s website. When pressed for clarification, White claimed Da Daghay had “endorsed the portion of home ownership,” presumably referring to the NDP’s campaign promise to build 100 homes for first-time buyers “in partnership with Yukon First Nations development corporations.” However, Da Daghay declined to comment on either the NDP’s platform or the news release when asked by CBC.
The incident highlights the sensitive relationship between political parties and Indigenous organizations in the Yukon, where First Nations have significant economic and political influence. Development corporations like Da Daghay typically maintain political neutrality during elections to preserve working relationships with whichever party forms government.
Housing remains a critical issue in Yukon’s electoral landscape, with all parties vying to present solutions to the territory’s ongoing housing crisis. The vacancy rate in Whitehorse, the territorial capital, has hovered near zero for several years, while housing prices have skyrocketed beyond the reach of many residents.
The Yukon’s housing challenges are particularly acute due to its remote location, short construction season, high building costs, and growing population. In recent years, the territory has experienced one of Canada’s fastest population growth rates, putting additional pressure on an already strained housing market.
Political analysts suggest that White’s eagerness to demonstrate industry support for her housing platform may have led to the premature or inaccurate claim of endorsement. The NDP, currently the third party in Yukon’s legislative assembly, is working to position itself as offering substantive solutions to the territory’s housing challenges.
The territorial election campaign continues with voters heading to the polls next month. All three major parties—the governing Liberals, the Yukon Party, and the NDP—have made housing a centerpiece of their platforms, recognizing its significance to voters across the territory.
Da Daghay Development Corporation, established in 2007, has been involved in several successful housing and commercial developments throughout the Whitehorse area, making their endorsement a potentially valuable asset for any party’s housing platform.
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9 Comments
Interesting situation. It seems like an honest mistake, though the NDP should have verified the endorsement before publicizing it. Transparent communication and owning up to errors are the right approach. Hopefully this doesn’t become a bigger distraction from the housing policy proposals.
I agree, owning up to the mistake and apologizing is the right move. These things can happen, especially in the heat of a campaign. As long as they learn from it and are more diligent about verifying endorsements going forward, this shouldn’t be a major issue.
This is an unfortunate mix-up, but the NDP leader’s response seems appropriate. Owning up to errors and apologizing directly is the responsible thing to do. Going forward, they’ll need to be extra diligent about verifying endorsements before making claims. Hopefully this gets resolved without too much disruption to their policy platform.
A regrettable mistake, but the NDP leader handled it well by taking responsibility and apologizing. Fact-checking endorsements is crucial, especially during an election. Hopefully this doesn’t become a bigger distraction and the focus can return to their housing policy proposals.
Hmm, this is an interesting development. While it seems like an honest mistake, the NDP should have verified the endorsement before publicizing it. Transparency and owning up to errors are important, so I’m glad the leader apologized. Let’s hope this doesn’t detract too much from their housing policy proposals.
I agree, the quick apology was the right move here. Campaign teams need to be extremely careful about endorsement claims, but mistakes can happen. As long as they learn from this experience, it shouldn’t be a major issue going forward.
This is an unfortunate mixup, but it’s good that the NDP leader apologized directly to Da Daghay. Honesty and accountability are important, especially during elections. I wonder if there are any lessons to be learned about fact-checking endorsement claims before release.
This seems like a simple mix-up, but it’s good the NDP leader was quick to acknowledge and correct the error. Endorsements should always be verified, but sometimes mistakes slip through. Kudos to White for taking responsibility and smoothing things over with Da Daghay.
A regrettable situation, but the NDP leader handled it well by taking responsibility and apologizing directly. Campaign teams need to be extra vigilant about fact-checking endorsement claims, even from reputable sources. Hopefully this gets resolved without becoming a bigger distraction.