Trudeau will keep promise on Bill S-6: Yukon Liberal leader

Prime minister-designateJustin Trudeau will keep his promise to repeal the problematic sections of Bill S-6, Yukon Liberal leader Sandy Silver said.

Silver spoke briefly with Trudeau on Monday.

"It was a really quick conversation," Silver said."He's a really, really busy man."

SilverremindedTrudeau of a key election promise if elected, the federal Liberals would do away with the unpopular portions of abill that amended Yukon's Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act. Bill S-6 passed in the last parliament, before the federal election.

YukonFirst Nations strenuously fought the fouramendments for much of last year. They saythe changes undermine the integrity of their final land claims agreements. Three First Nations filed a lawsuit just days before theOct.19 election.

"The four amendments did not have the'duty to consult' in them, and we were thrilled to hear that [Trudeau]was of the same belief and he was sticking to his commitment," Silver said.

"It is the Liberal Party of Canada's opinion that no bill should go forth without that duty to consult."

Silver saidthere's no firm timetable on exactly when the legislation will be amended in Ottawa,given that the new parliament will not sit immediately.

But Silveraddedthat it's important the changes be madenot only for Yukon First Nationsbut also for the territory'seconomy. Mining industry representatives tookthe unusual step of asking the previous Conservative government to reach an agreement with First Nations on the issue of Bill S-6, saying that such disputes impede the viability of doing business in the territory.

Yukon premier Darrell Pasloski, once a vigorous supporterof Bill S-6,has since softened his stance.He told the Yukon legislature on Monday and again on Tuesday that his government"would not be a barrier" to any changes introduced by the new federal government.