Meet the Yukon's candidates: Barbara Dunlop steps up for the Conservatives

This is part of a series of profiles of Yukon's five federal election candidates. Another will be published each day.

All candidates were asked the same questions. Answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

It's probably safe to say Barbara Dunlop has sold more books than any living Yukoner. Dunlop has penned more than 50 Harlequin romance novels, vaulting her onto bestseller lists the world over.

But Dunlop is not just a master of the bodice-ripper. She's also an experienced civil servant, having worked as the Yukon's film commissioner and at the territory's Department of Economic Development. 

It's also probably safe to say that Dunlop did not plan on being the Conservative candidate in the upcoming federal election. But she stepped in after Jonas Smith was dumped by the party over his comments regarding vaccine mandates.

Smith came close to winning the seat for the Conservatives last time. Can Dunlop get over the hump?

What about your background makes you an ideal candidate for the Conservative Party?

I'm a longtime Yukoner and a longtime Conservative supporter. I have lived in the Yukon for 32 years, raised two kids here. I'm a former senior manager with the Department of Economic Development in the Yukon government. And I've been on school councils and just generally gotten to know the Yukon and the Yukon people on many fronts.

Why did you want to run in this particular election?

I've thought about running in the past. The timing had never seemed right to me. And then when there was a sudden opportunity to run in this particular election, the timing was right. And I was excited to get into the race. Since I've read the Conservative Party platform, I've been even more excited to be in the race because I'm happy to give Yukoners an opportunity to vote for the Conservative Party.

If you do win, what's the first issue you'd like to tackle?

I think COVID-19 recovery is the top of everybody's mind. And I think coming through the pandemic, we really need to look at building our economy and getting everybody back to work and getting our lives back to normal.

If you could magically transport anywhere to any concert, who would you see and why?

I have extraordinarily fond memories of seeing Elton John when I was like, 12 years old. My parents, I have no idea why, but they let me go by bus with a 12-year-old friend into Vancouver. We saw Elton John at the Pacific Coliseum and it was an absolute blast. 

Profiles of Yukon's other federal candidates will be published through the week: 

Wednesday: Jonas Smith, Independent

Thursday: Lenore Morris, Green Party

Friday: Brendan Hanley, Liberals

Monday: Lisa Vollans-Leduc, NDP