Commissioner of Yukon
| Commissioner of Yukon
Commissaire du Yukon | |
|---|---|
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Badge of the Commissioner of Yukon | |
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Flag of the Commissioner of Yukon | |
| Inaugural holder | James Morrow Walsh |
| Formation | August 17, 1897 |
This is a list of Yukon Commissioners from 1897 to the present. The commissioner is appointed by the Government of Canada, but a commissioner, in contrast to the Governor-General of Canada or the Lieutenants-Governor of the Canadian provinces, is not a viceroy and therefore commissioners are not direct representatives of the monarch in the territory eo ipso.
List of commissioners
Commissioners (1897-1918)
| # | Image | Commissioner | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
James Morrow Walsh | August 17, 1897 | July 5, 1898 |
| 2 | .jpg) |
William Ogilvie | July 5, 1898 | March 11, 1901 |
| 3 |  |
James Hamilton Ross | March 11, 1901 | February 8, 1902 |
| – |  |
Henry William Newlands (interim) | February 8, 1902 | August 15, 1902 |
| – |  |
Zachary Taylor Wood (interim) | August 15, 1902 | March 4, 1903 |
| 4 | Frederick Tennyson Congdon | March 4, 1903 | October 29, 1904 | |
| – | Zachary Taylor Wood (interim) | October 29, 1904 | May 27, 1905 | |
| 5 |  |
William Wallace Burns McInnes | May 27, 1905 | December 31, 1906 |
| – | |
John T. Lithgow (interim) | December 31, 1906 | June 17, 1907 |
| 6 | Alexander Henderson | June 17, 1907 | June 1, 1911 | |
| – | Arthur Wilson (interim) | June 1, 1911 | February 1, 1912 | |
| 7 |  |
George Black | February 1, 1912 | October 13, 1916 |
| – | |
George Norris Williams (interim) | October 13, 1916 | April 1, 1918 |
Gold Commissioners
The offices of Commissioner and Administrator were abolished in 1918. Office replaced by the Gold Commissioner who was responsible to the federal Minister of the Interior.
| # | Gold Commissioner | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | François Xavier Gosselin | June 17, 1907 | February 1, 1912 |
| 2 | George P. MacKenzie | February 1, 1912 | April 1, 1925 |
| 3 | Percy Reid | April 1, 1925 | November 14, 1927 |
| – | George A. Jeckell (interim) | November 14, 1927 | April 1, 1928 |
| 4 | George I. MacLean | April 1, 1928 | June 30, 1932 |
Controllers
The positions of Gold Commissioner and Comptroller were combined in 1932 with the Comptroller being the title for the chief executive. The title was changed to "Controller" in 1936.
| # | Controller | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George A. Jeckell | June 30, 1932 | September 18, 1947 |
| 2 | John Edward Gibben | September 18, 1947 | July 13, 1948 |
Commissioners (1948-present)
In 1948, the title of chief executive once again became Commissioner. By the 1960s, the Commissioner had formed an executive committee that included some members of the elected Territorial Council, in essence a cabinet. (By the mid 1970s, the Territorial Council was referring to itself as a Legislative Assembly, and its members MLAs rather than Councillors.) Beginning in 1978, Yukon had party government with a Government Leader.
In October 1979, federal minister Jake Epp (Indian Affairs and Northern Development) issued a letter, often known as the Epp letter, instructing the Commissioner to assume a role similar to that of a provincial Lieutenant-Governor, and devolving leadership of the day-to-day government to the majority leader of the legislative assembly (territorial council), to whom the Epp letter granted the authority to use the title Premier. At that time, the government leader added a fifth elected member to the committee, which became an executive council.
Subsequent federal ministers did not revoke this authority and instruction, which was eventually codified in amendments to the Yukon Act, along with redesignation of the legislative assembly from territorial council. The process, particularly since 1979, has devolved powers from the federal government to the territorial government, bringing authority which is normally reserved by the Articles of Confederation for provinces to the territory.
See also: List of premiers of Yukon
| # | Commissioner | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Edward Gibben | July 13, 1948 | August 15, 1950 |
| 2 | Andrew Harold Gibson | August 15, 1950 | October 15, 1951 |
| 3 | Frederick Fraser | October 15, 1951 | November 5, 1952 |
| 4 | Wilfred George Brown | November 5, 1952 | June 8, 1955 |
| 5 | Frederick Howard Collins | June 8, 1955 | May 1, 1962 |
| 6 | Gordon Robertson Cameron | May 1, 1962 | November 7, 1966 |
| 7 | James Smith | November 7, 1966 | July 1, 1976 |
| 8 | Arthur MacDonald Pearson | July 1, 1976 | November 1, 1978 |
| 9 | Frank Fingland | November 1, 1978 | January 20, 1979 |
| 10 | Ione Christensen | January 20, 1979 | October 9, 1979 |
| 11 | Douglas Bell | October 9, 1979 | March 27, 1986 |
| 12 | Ken McKinnon | March 27, 1986 | June 12, 1995 |
| 13 | Judy Gingell | June 12, 1995 | October 1, 2000 |
| 14 | Jack Cable | October 1, 2000 | December 1, 2005 |
| 15 | Geraldine Van Bibber | December 1, 2005 | December 1, 2010 |
| 16 | Doug Phillips | December 1, 2010 | Incumbent |
Living former Commissioners
As of November 2010, seven former commissioners are alive, the oldest being Douglas Bell (1979–1986, born 1926).
| Name | Term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Frank Fingland | 1978 – 1979 | 1929 (age 87–88) |
| Ione Christensen | 1979 | October 10, 1933 |
| Douglas Bell | 1979 – 1986 | June 15, 1926 |
| John Kenneth McKinnon | 1986 – 1995 | April 20, 1936 |
| Judy Gingell | 1995 – 2000 | 1948 (age 68–69) |
| Jack Cable | 2000 – 2005 | August 17, 1934 |
| Geraldine Van Bibber | 2005 – 2010 | July 3, 1951 |
References
- "History". Commissioner of Yukon. Government of Yukon. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- "Commissioners, Gold Commissioners and Controllers of the Yukon Territory". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2009-11-30.