Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Responds to Petition Filed in Yukon Supreme Court

The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (VGFN) has been served a petition filed in the Yukon Supreme Court on August 31st challenging decisions made by the VGFN and raising concerns regarding the passage of legislation such as our Amendment to the Governance Act and Election Law.

VGFN respects the right of Citizens to seek judicial review of decisions they believe warrant examination. At the same time, we will defend the decisions taken by our duly elected leadership through the appropriate legal process.

Commitment to a Fair and Accessible Election

VGFN remains committed to ensuring that our upcoming election provides Citizens with meaningful and accessible opportunities to participate. This includes supporting online voting for eligible Citizens, recognizing that Citizens live in communities throughout Yukon and across Canada.

Providing an online voting option through our Election Law is an important step toward making participation in the democratic process more accessible, particularly for Citizens who are unable to be physically present at polling stations in Whitehorse or Old Crow on election day.

VGFN believes that Citizens should have the opportunity to participate in an election that is fair, transparent and accessible, and will continue working to ensure the electoral process, as established in our Election Law, meets those objectives.

Keeping Our Focus on Old Crow

While these legal proceedings are a distraction, they do not change our primary responsibility to our Citizens. Our focus remains on Old Crow and supporting our people through what continues to be a difficult and challenging time. There are significant issues facing the community, and our leadership and staff remain focused on providing services, supporting families, strengthening community programs and closing out their current terms.

“We recognize there are differing views within our community, and we respect the right of individuals to express those views,” said Chief Pauline Frost. "However, our responsibility is to continue governing, supporting our Citizens and doing the work that our community expects of us. We will defend our decisions made under our governance framework, while ensuring our attention remains firmly on the needs of our people and the community of Old Crow during this caretaker period.”

VGFN will not litigate these matters through the media. We will respect the legal process and provide further information when appropriate and when doing so does not prejudice these proceedings

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For all media inquiries, please contact:

Riley Smith, Strategic Communications Advisor
riley.smith@vgfn.ca 
(825) 965-8586

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