The Government of Yukon has issued a special warrant to ensure government programs and functions are able to continue while the third supplementary estimates for the 2022–23 fiscal year are debated during the fall legislative sitting.
The special warrant provides budgetary authorization for up to $15.3 million in additional government spending for the 2022–23 fiscal year – the fiscal year in which retroactive payments were earned by Yukon Employees’ Union members. The entirety of this amount relates to these payments.
Public Sector Accounting Standards require that any payments occurring – or wages earned – in a specific fiscal year must also be recognized in that year if it remains open.
The Special Warrant (No. 1) 2022–23 is issued as an Order in Council under the Financial Administration Act. This funding ensures that six government departments continue to have spending authority for operational purposes.
Additional appropriations are included in this special warrant for the departments of Justice, Health and Social Services, Environment and Highways and Public Works, as well the Executive Council Office and the Public Service Commission. All other departments are able to fund the retroactive payments from their existing appropriations for 2022–23.
This special warrant helps to ensure that the government is able to meet its financial commitments outlined as part of the most recent collective agreement with the Yukon Employees’ Union. This agreement recognizes the value of our employees and allows them to continue to provide the services Yukoners expect from their government. It also ensures that employees can receive the retroactive pay they are entitled to.
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A special warrant is an authorization that allows government departments to spend money or allocate funds for specific purposes when the regular budgetary or parliamentary approval process is not yet in place.
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Special warrants are typically used in situations where there is an urgent and essential need for funding. In this case, the special warrant ensures that employees can receive the retroactive pay they are entitled to as part of the collective agreement payments.
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Spending included as part of the special warrant is reviewed and debated during the next sitting of the Yukon Legislative Assembly.
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The amounts quoted in this release represent amounts rounded to the nearest million.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Eric Clement
Communications, Finance
867-393-6482
eric.clement@yukon.ca