The Yukon Party is taking further action to reprimand two veteran MLAs following the ongoing text scandal that went public last Sunday night.
Stacey Hassard, a former interim party leader, and Wade Istchenko are now facing the prospect of being ordered to attend educational and training courses on workplace bullying and harassment prevention.
In a news release, the party stated: “On Friday, April 30, 2021, two Yukon Party MLAs sent offensive and rude text messages to a group of people that included the premier. These comments are entirely unacceptable and inappropriate, especially from holders of public office.
“Since that time, the Yukon Party has been reviewing appropriate next steps, including reviewing the Yukon Legislative Assembly Respectful Conduct Policy that was brought into force in 2019.
Crude-texting MLAs will receive anti-bullying training, says Yukon Party leader
Two Yukon Party MLAs who engaged in a vulgar text chat about some of their political opponents will receive anti-bullying and anti-harassment training, according to their party leader.
Social Sharing Both MLAs are sincere in their commitment to learn from this incident and to understand the issues better
CBC News ·
Posted: May 06, 2021 7:13 PM CT | Last Updated: May 7
Yukon Party MLAs Stacey Hassard and Wade Istchenko, who engaged in a vulgar text exchange that became public over the weekend, will attend anti-bullying and anti-harassment training, their party leader says.(CBC/Yukon Party)
You can colour Jeanie McLean, the minister responsible for the Women’s Directorate, unimpressed with the recent behaviour of Yukon Party MLAs Stacey Hassard and Wade Istchenko.
And she’s not the only one. The Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) is demanding more severe punishment for the duo.
The political veterans were at the heart of an inappropriate and disturbing group text thread that made juvenile observations about the genitalia of all three party leaders last Friday. The Star is not publishing the two men’s sexually charged comments in detail.
Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon has not been made available to the Star this week to discuss his colleagues’ conduct.
Sometimes politics are so absurd it’s difficult to decide whether to laugh or cry.
A case in point happened over the weekend as a series of offensive texts from veteran Yukon Party MLAs went public.
The texts were mostly the work of Stacey Hassard – the party’s acting leader for 3 ½ years – and Kluane MLA Wade Istchenko.
They were sent sometime Friday.
The texts, provided to the media by the Liberal party and Premier Sandy Silver, start midway through a conversation.
“Don’t egg him on,” reads the first text in the thread from an unidentified person.
“He’ll build a meme of Sandy and Kate measuring d -s. Not joking.”
The Yukon government’s sudden decision to send local high school students back to full-time classes in April was the source of some intense debate Wednesday in the legislature.
During question period, the government and Premier Sandy Silver were grilled on the decision by Yukon Party MLAs.
Scott Kent, the education critic for the YP, was particularly pointed in his questions.
“As we have said, A Path Forward, which the Liberals released just five days ago, says that, in order to get students back to full-time class in
person in Whitehorse, we need to meet a criteria of and I’ll quote again: ‘High overall vaccination rate for the entire Yukon population.’