Premier Ranj Pillai has been a travellin’ man in the past couple of weeks.
Fresh off a trip to Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day this month, Pillai hosted the annual Western Premiers’ Conference last week in Whitehorse before jetting off to Ottawa to meet with several federal ministers.
While a spokesperson said he was not available to speak to The Yukon Star, Pillai’s staff provided a prepared statement Friday.
“This week I had the opportunity to meet with minister Dominic LeBlanc, minister Dan Vandal, minister Melanie Joly and minister Marc Miller in Ottawa. These meetings provided a valuable opportunity to build on previous discussions with the federal government about issues important to Yukoners, as well as to expand on the conversations I chaired earlier this week at the Western Premiers’ Conference in Whitehorse,” Pillai said in the statement.
“In my meeting with minister LeBlanc, we discussed priorities for the Yukon and key outcomes from the Western Premiers’ Conference. I emphasized how our government is working to make our communities more resilient and laying the groundwork for long-term economic growth.”
Pillai provided some summaries of his talks with each minister.
“With minister Vandal, our discussions focused on Arctic security, as well as the importance of the Yukon’s tourism sector. We had a productive dialogue, particularly on seeking the minister’s commitment to support our efforts for the development of a Yukon convention centre.”
His meeting with Joly “concentrated on the Government of Canada’s engagement in the Arctic and Canada-U.S. relations,” Pillai said.
“I reiterated our support for the minister’s goals to develop an Arctic foreign policy and emphasized the Yukon’s interest in maintaining our international engagement and working with the Government of Canada to enhance our circumpolar presence,” the premier reported.
“I provided her with an update on the work being done by the Yukon Arctic Security Advisory Council and our territory’s ongoing demonstration of our commitment to enhancing Arctic security. We also discussed the need for investments in dual-use infrastructure in Canada’s North.”
He and Miller focused on immigration strategies to support both newcomers to Canada and the Yukon business community, “and we confirmed his interest in moving forward with a citizenship ceremony in Whitehorse,” Pillai said.
