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The Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) today announced the release of a final report that examines the interjurisdictional dynamics amongst Yukon First Nations and non-Indigenous governments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research study was commissioned by CYFN on behalf of Yukon First Nations. During the 2020 General Assembly, Yukon First Nation Leadership emphasized the need to understand Yukon First Nations experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and to incorporate them in the Yukon government’s planned review of the Civil Emergency Measures Act (CEMA).

The COVID-19 pandemic brought numerous challenges to the Yukon, including a prolonged state of emergency that challenged the shared governance system in the territory. The final report highlighted 8 key findings and identified 25 recommendations based on the reflections and experiences of those involved in the pandemic response. Although some aspects of these experiences were unique to COVID-19, overarching lessons learned can inform future legislative review, policy, and practice in Yukon emergency planning and management.

The report highlights barriers that impacted Yukon First Nations throughout the pandemic and illustrates the essential role that collaboration, coordination and access to information plays during a public health emergency. Understanding and addressing these barriers will be essential to modernizing our approach and delivering an effective and collective community-level response to potentially harmful viruses in the future. Initiatives like Yukon First Nations COVID Response and the One Yukon Coalition support Yukon First Nation leadership in emergency response and build on the lessons learned during pandemic.

Key Findings Include:

• • That new territorial emergency legislation must be jointly developed through a collaborative YG/Yukon First Nation working group.

• • That unique considerations and needs of rural and Yukon First Nations communities need to be considered during emergency planning and response.

• • That there is a need for stronger organizational structures that support communication, collaboration, and relationship building between Yukon First Nations, communities and YG during emergency planning and response.

• • That respect for Indigenous self-determination and recognition of nation-to-nation relationships contributes to effective interjurisdictional relationships and collaboration.

• • That Yukon First Nations need access to data as soon as it is available, and access to technical guidance and plain language information in order to make decisions for their citizens.

Quick Facts:

• • This was a 2-year research project conducted with funding support from the Government of Yukon’s COVID-19 Research Recovery Fund.

• • The project was hosted and administered by CYFN, through One Yukon Coalition, who worked with a team of Yukon-based facilitators, and community-based and Yukon University researchers to design and implement the project. The team included  Kluane First Nation Citizen Math’ieya Alatini, Kari Johnston, Alison Perrin, Rhiannon Klein and Kiri Staples.

• • As part of the project, a legal review of CEMA was conducted by Kluane First Nation lawyer, Helena Tlen, with guidance and contributions from Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation lawyer, Daryn Leas.

For Further Information Contact:

Math’ieya Alatini
President, One Yukon Coalition
P: 867.333.9445
oneyukon.ca | hello@oneyukon.ca