Yukon premier Darrell Pasloski presses Trudeau on transfer payment cuts

Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloskiis hopeful he was able to dissuade the federal government from following through on proposed cuts to federal transfer payments to the territory.

"Definitely I was heard," Pasloski said, after meetings this week in Ottawa with both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

"What the finance minister said isthey're still working on it, and he hopes to be able to announce where they're going to go, shortly."

Officials from Finance Canada told the three northern territories in Decemberthat there would be cuts to transfer paymentsbecause of changes to the way Statistics Canada calculates what each territory gets under Territorial Formula Financing. That agreement provides the majority of operating funds for all three territories.

For Yukon, it means $23 million less next year. The N.W.T. and Nunavut will see even larger cuts $34 million and $33.8 million next year, respectively.

"What I re-iterated was that our formula financing agreementis based on the principles of stabilityand predictability,and that we're in the second year of a fiveyear agreement," Pasloski said.

"Any such changes really should be part of a negotiation of a new agreement,as we approach the end of a fiveyear term."

Pasloski said overall, his meeting with Trudeauthis weekwas positive,despite their differentpolitical stripes. Pasloskionce ran as a federal candidate for the Conservative Party, and hesupported Yukon's Conservative candidate in the last election.

"I think it's important as a premier to work with whoever we have," Pasloski said.