Opposition questions Yukon premier on possible substitute teacher cuts

The Yukon premier faced more questions about possible spending cuts on Tuesday in the legislature, withOfficial Opposition House Leader Scott Kent claiming government cuts are causing the budget for substitute teachers to be slashed.

Last week, a leaked cabinet document instructed all deputy ministers to find operations and maintenance savings of up to two per cent.

Kent said a two per cent cutto the Department of Education equals $3.6 million.

"Substitutes play an important role in the day-to-day operations of a school. They cover teachers in a multitude of circumstances and schools depend on them," said Kent.

• Yukon premier grilled over leaked document about government cuts

"We've heard Holy Family [Elementary School, in Whitehorse] has been asked to cut their budget for substitute teachers in half. Does the premier believe that cutting the substitute teacher budget is appropriate?"

'Woeful inaccuracies,' says premier

Premier Sandy Silver did not acknowledge possible substitute teacher cuts.

He called the Yukon Party's representation of departmental cuts "woeful inaccuracies."

"These are not the words of the territorial government. These are the words of the Yukon Party," said Silver.

"They keep talking about cuts. Now they're talking about cuts to substitute teachers. This is not something that's being contemplated right now by this government. What is being contemplated is efficiencies."

Silver said a financial advisory panel told the government that if it acted quickly and found efficiencies, programs would not have to be cut.