Governance and democratic institutions

YUKON TERRITORY

Office of the Premier

2071 Second Avenue Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 1B2 Canada

SENT BY REGISTERED MAIL AND SECURE EMAIL

Date: January __, 2026

To:

The Right Honourable [Prime Minister] Prime Minister of Canada Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

CC:

To Whom It May Concern:

The Northwest Territories is pleased to serve as Co-Signer for Yukon's application to adopt Alaska.

Yukon is our neighbor and our sibling. We were one territory until 1898. We share the same sky, the same cold, the same challenges of governing vast northern lands with small populations.

We believe Yukon is ready for this responsibility. Their Indigenous governance record is the best in Canada. Their commitment to Alaska is genuine. Their preparation is thorough.

CERTIFICATE OF LIVE STATEHOOD

STATE FILE NUMBER: USA-STATE-49

This is to certify that:

Yukon Territory — Application to Adopt the State of Alaska

We've discussed the dream. Now let's discuss the legal reality.

(Spoiler: It's complicated.)

Current Legal Status:

Yukon:

• Canadian territory (not province)
• Powers devolved from federal government
• Yukon Act governs relationship with Ottawa
• Less autonomy than provinces
• Population: ~45,000

Alaska:

In 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike region of Yukon. Within two years, 100,000 people set off for Dawson City. Most didn't make it. Those who did mostly didn't find gold. A few got rich. Everyone got a story.

In 1899, gold was discovered near Nome, Alaska. Another rush. Another flood of dreamers. Similar outcomes.

These two gold rushes shaped the modern North. They also happened to fall on opposite sides of a border neither the prospectors nor the Indigenous peoples had any say in drawing.

Klondike (Yukon):

Oil and gas built Alaska's economy. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline has been pumping crude from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez since 1977.

Yukon has been more ambivalent about pipelines. We've watched projects proposed, debated, abandoned.

A unified territory would need to reconcile these different relationships with fossil fuels.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline: