Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai stepping down, won't run in next election

Before he decided to run in the 2022 leadership campaign to become premier of the Yukon, Ranj Pillai says he had a conversation with his son on the shores of the Yukon River.

Pillai said they discussed what it would mean to take on the job.

“He told me that it is important that people understand that someone who looks like us can do this job, can represent Yukoners,” said Pillai, whose father is from India.

“What neither of us appreciated was the extent to which doing this work impacts all aspects of one's life. There are some very positive memories and many difficult ones. But ask any elected official, anyone who lives in service to the public, nothing you do is possible without the support of those closest to you.”

Pillai announced Wednesday that he was stepping down as the leader of the territorial Liberal party and will not be running for re-election in his Whitehorse riding of Porter Creek South.

He said he's asked the party to immediately begin the process of selecting a new leader who will then become premier.

Pillai said being premier has been the greatest honour of his life and he is proud of what the government accomplished. 

He told reporters he will work until an election is called and hopes to continue in his role as minister of economic development focused on issues such as the ongoing tariff threat from the United States and continued recruitment of more doctors and nurses.

He joked about possibly joining the Canadian Armed Forces when he leaves politics.

"I've been looking at that. I'm 52 when we finish this, you have until 53. So, I've got a small window to maybe serve in uniform in some fashion," he said.

He said he wants to "breathe and take some time" before deciding what's next.

Pillai was elected in 2009 to Whitehorse city council, becoming "the first elected councillor north of 60 who looked like me," he said. 

In 2016 he was part of the Liberal team that swept to power under then-premier Sandy Silver, going from one seat in the legislature to a majority government.

The Liberals currently have a minority government and are operating with a confidence and supply agreement in place with the NDP.

He was sworn in as premier in January 2023 after being acclaimed.

When reflecting on the last nine years, Pillai pointed to successes such as bringing telecommunications redundancy to the North with the Dempster Fibre Project, the creation of the first university in the North – Yukon University – and significant work to advance reconciliation. 

A statement from the Yukon Liberal Party says the executive will meet Wednesday to discuss timelines and entry requirements for the leadership convention.

The Opposition Yukon Party said in a statement that Pillai's decision was a surprise.

The statement wishes Pillai well while saying the government has "plunged the Yukon into record-setting debt, overseen the worst-performing economy in 2024, led our health-care system to the brink of collapse, and seen a skyrocketing wave of crime."

“This decision also means that the Yukon will be essentially leaderless during a time that the prime minister and other premiers have stated is of great consequence for our country.”

The next territorial election has to be held on or before Nov. 3.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick