Meet the Yukon's candidates: Lenore Morris tries again for the Greens

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. 

So far, the Greens are the only party in Yukon to run the same candidate as 2019. That year, Whitehorse lawyer Lenore Morris took more than 10 per cent of the vote, helping the party bounce back from a dispiriting 2015 showing where they captured just 2.6 per cent.

Despite the chaos swirling around the party at a federal level, the Greens have a strong track record in the Yukon, dating back to a pair of runs by John Streicker (now a cabinet minister with the territorial Liberals). Morris hopes to build on that base.

What about your background makes you an ideal candidate in this election? 

I've been living in the Yukon for a long time, so I feel like I know the issues. I've been living in Whitehorse for almost 22 years, but I my roots go back much farther than that to Dawson City.

I'm a lawyer. That's my profession. I'm in private practice here, and I have my own law firm. I've spent my career fighting for justice and advocating for our clients and I think that that's exactly what Yukoners need done for them. 

Why did you want to run in this election?

The reasons why I'm running in 2021 are largely the same reasons why I was running in 2019. I think that we could have better government than we do. I think that there are a lot of different views and ideas that are not necessarily being reflected in our current composition of parliamentarians and the things that our government is doing.

So, for example, I know that climate change is a huge issue for a lot of people, and the current Liberal government says it's a huge issue for them, but the numbers just do not back it up. There hasn't been any change at all in greenhouse gas emissions during the time they've been in government and I think they need a push.

If you win, what's the first issue you want to tackle?

I think there are a number of justice issues, climate justice is part of it. So for for me, I'm not going to be around to see the worst of the climate problems, but my kids will be. My grandchildren will be. And so I see it as an actual justice issue.

I think there's real economic justice issues that can be addressed in this country. We've become a country with tremendous wealth inequality where there's some people that have become very, very rich. The flip side is that my own kids would have a hard time buying a house. Housing has become almost totally unaffordable. 

We need to be working towards reconciliation with Indigenous people. Obviously, it's a huge issue. We have some different looking issues in the Yukon, where 11 of 14 First Nations have self-government agreements, have modern treaties. But across across Canada, our treaty process is almost completely stalled. 

If you could transport magically to any concert any time, who would you see and where?

I would love to see Great Big Sea. They're not doing any concerts anymore. I missed them when they came to Whitehorse. It's now about 15 years ago, and I regretted it ever since. They are the most fun band and I would love to see them live.

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

Wednesday: Jonas Smith, Independent

Friday: Brendan Hanley, Liberals

Monday: Lisa Vollans-Leduc, NDP

Tuesday: Barb Dunlop, Conservatives