After seven years of NDP government in the Yukon, there were many changes to the territory during that time.
In 1992, the government swung over to a new party, the Yukon Party, who used to be the Progressive Conservatives.
The man leading that party, and the new premier of the territory, was John Ostashek.
John Ostashek was born in High Prairie, Alberta in 1936. For several years as an adult, he operated a trail riding business in Jasper National Park before he moved to the Yukon in 1972.
In the territory, Ostashek was a big-game hunting outfitter who was able to build a living helping people hunt the large animals found in the Yukon. He had purchased the business when he arrived in the Yukon. He later sold that business and operated a small farm and flew people on tours over Kluane National Park.
It was in his position as an outfitter that Ostashek first began to appear in the news media.
In 1982, he did an interview where he stated he supported the poisoning of wolves in the territory in order to save 50,000 Moose. He wrote,
“we are probably two years too late with that poisoning program. We have to knock down the wolves in order for the moose to come back.”
In 1990, he sold his outfitting business so he could focus on other things, like politics.
When it came to politics, Ostashek first became involved in 1978 when the Progressive Conservative Party of Yukon formed. He said of his reasons for joining the party,
“I’ve been involved in the party since 1978, not because I was a Tory, but because it was to be a non-aligned party, a party to look after the interests of Yukoners.”
A supporter of Hilda Watson, the first party leader, he never attempted to win a seat in the legislature. He said,
“Consensus government doesn’t work.”
In June 1992, he was elected leader of the Yukon Party. The party had changed its name in 1991 from the Progressive Conservatives due to the declining popularity of the government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. At the first leadership convention in June 1991, 21-year-old Chris Young was elected as leader. He had served as the president of the Yukon Progressive Conservatives’ youth chapter. Within days of his victory, the party lost two MLAs who formed the Independent Alliance Party.
By August 1991, Young resigned as leader because it was believed that voters would not support a party with such a young leader.
John Ostashek was acclaimed as leader after his rival, Daniel Lang, dropped out on Nov. 22, 1991. Ostashek immediately saw support for the party grow, with party membership doubling as he came into the leadership role.
As leader, Ostashek stated he wanted to get members of the First Nations, along with young people and women, to contribute their ideas. He said,
“I think we have the vehicle now to get more native people involved. We did have quite a few native people back in 1978. We used to have delegates from Old Crow coming down for every convention. Over the years, as people became disenchanted with the direction the party was going in, they began to drop off.”
Leading up to the territorial election in the autumn, Ostashek accused the NDP of wasting millions in taxpayer money by putting money into the Yukon Energy Corp. and a sawmill that went bankrupt.
“We live in a small economy here and a lot of money seems to be wasted.”
In the Oct. 19, 1992 election, the Yukon Party won the election with seven seats, while the Liberals took one and the NDP took six. With a minority government, Ostashek was able to stay in power with the support of independent MLAs who were right-leaning.
He said in his acceptance speech,
“It looks like Yukoners have told us tonight they want a change. We will go on and we will finish the job we have started. I do not think the Yukon Party will have any problems forming the next government.”
After his election, Ostashek called himself a common man and working man who shared Canadians cynicism about elected leaders. He told Macleans,
“I truly believe that most politicians go into office in good faith but they soon lose touch with reality and become more interested in getting re-elected than serving the people who put them there.”
Within a week of his election, Faro mine officials were in his office looking for a $29 million loan, which he turned down.
His government reduced public services and brought in new welfare reforms. He also rolled back salaries of public employees and teachers to reduce operating costs, which caused a great deal of workers’ resentment.
While he supported the Yukon becoming a province, he did not want to keep the title of premier. Instead, he went back to using the title government leader. He said,
“I’m not much for fancy titles. Besides, it is not truthful to be calling yourself a premier if you don’t have a province.”
While his rollbacks on wages and other cutbacks drew criticism, he also negotiated crucial land claims agreements. He also touted the Yukon as a place open for investments to help inject funds into the economy.
Outspoken as leader of the territory, Ostashek had plenty of critics during his time in the top job. Bea Firth, an Opposition MLA stated that he focused on his quote “good ol’ boys regime” and that he was often a mean and nasty person.
In contrast, Opposition MLA Todd Hardy, who led the NDP while Ostashek was government leader, saw him differently as a man who never took cheap shots, but who could get angry and passionate about his views. He said,
“I didn’t find him a dirty player.”
In March 1995, the Yukon Party took a hit when they pulled out of plans for a casino in Whitehorse. Ostashek stated that the government would drop out of the plans and let someone else build the casino. He said,
“It wouldn’t be proper for the government to push ahead with it if the city opposes it.”
As 1995 started to move into 1996, many expected Ostashek to call an election but he remained coy on whether or not he would early in the year.
On Aug. 29, citing his record on fiscal management and business development, Ostashek called an election. He said,
“We’ve got a tough battle ahead of us but we are going to be winners. The best social program in the world is a good paying job. This election campaign is going to be about jobs for Yukoners and which party can best deliver those jobs.”
One of the promises he made was the creation of 2,000 jobs if the Yukon Party was elected. Many believed that his party pulling out of the First Nations-backed hotel and convention centre earlier would hurt the party though. Other issues that dogged Ostashek during the election campaign was the sale of an airplane owned by his company in 1993 that was not claimed on his MLA’s financial disclosure. In 1994, he was accused of conflict of interest when an apartment building owned by his company received funds from a Yukon Housing Corp subsidy. The day of the accusation, Ostashek’s disclosure was amended to include the blind trust of the company.
On Sept. 27, Ostashek stated he was upbeat about the coming election. He stated that while he and his party members were mostly new to politics when they were elected in 1992, they quickly learned what needed to be done. He said,
“We had to learn fast. I hope that people are satisfied enough to give us another mandate.”
In the Sept. 30, 1996 election, the NDP came back to victory under Piers McDonald with a majority government of 11 seats. The Yukon Party fell to three seats, and John Ostashek became the Leader of the Opposition. The Liberals took three seats.
On election night, Ostashek said,
“We’ve had happier days than this haven’t we. It wasn’t to be. It was very disappointing. It was very disappointing because I think we did do a great job on the economy.”
Ostashek remained leader of the party through the next few years.
Years later the Whitehorse Daily Star wrote of his time as leader,
“Though the leader’s critics would snicker at his magnificent mangling of the grammatical fineries of the English language, his blunt exterior belied a sharp, far reaching mind, especially when it came to the command of budgetary formulas.”
In the 2000 election, his party was once again defeated. His party won only one seat, its worst showing in the party’s history going back to 1978 when it was the Progressive Conservatives. The Liberals won 10 seats, while the NDP won six seats.
Ostashek lost his own seat and he resigned as Yukon Party leader on April 17, 2000 and retired from politics.
The Whitehorse Daily Star wrote,
“He departed politics with coiffed hair and a business suit, but his unending belief in and love for his adopted territory easily survived the modified public image. Gruff, forthright and determined, but with an empathetic streak he carefully kept concealed from the electors, this was indeed a leader on a crusade, out to act on conservative-oriented policies he stubbornly felt were right for the times and circumstances his territory found itself in.”
Ostashek died on June 10, 2007 from cancer in Vancouver. Doug Phillips, who served in Ostashek’s cabinet stated,
“He was not a politician’s politician. He was just sort of a common guy who would just take a situation and deal with it. There was no grey area with John. It was only black and white.”
