Commissioner of Yukon


The Commissioner of Yukon is the representative of the Government of Canada in the Canadian federal territory of Yukon. The commissioner is appointed by the federal government and, in contrast to the Governor General of Canada or the Lieutenant Governors of the Canadian provinces, is not a viceroy and therefore not a direct representative of the Canadian monarch in the territory eo ipso.

List of commissioners

Commissioners (1897–1918)

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 CommissionerTerm startTerm end
1François Xavier GosselinJune 17, 1907February 1, 1912
2George P. MacKenzieFebruary 1, 1912April 1, 1925
3Percy ReidApril 1, 1925November 14, 1927
–George A. Jeckell November 14, 1927April 1, 1928
4George I. MacLeanApril 1, 1928June 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.
#ControllerTerm startTerm end
1George A. JeckellJune 30, 1932September 18, 1947
2John Edward GibbenSeptember 18, 1947July 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. Beginning in 1978, Yukon had party government with a Government Leader.
In October 1979, federal minister Jake Epp 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, 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
#CommissionerTerm startTerm end
1John Edward GibbenJuly 13, 1948August 15, 1950
2Andrew Harold GibsonAugust 15, 1950October 15, 1951
3Frederick FraserOctober 15, 1951November 5, 1952
4Wilfred George BrownNovember 5, 1952June 8, 1955
5Frederick Howard CollinsJune 8, 1955May 1, 1962
6Gordon Robertson CameronMay 1, 1962November 7, 1966
7James SmithNovember 7, 1966July 1, 1976
8Arthur MacDonald PearsonJuly 1, 1976November 1, 1978
9Frank FinglandNovember 1, 1978January 20, 1979
10Ione ChristensenJanuary 20, 1979October 9, 1979
11Douglas BellOctober 9, 1979March 27, 1986
12Ken McKinnonMarch 27, 1986June 12, 1995
13Judy GingellJune 12, 1995October 1, 2000
14Jack CableOctober 1, 2000December 1, 2005
15Geraldine Van BibberDecember 1, 2005December 1, 2010
16Doug PhillipsDecember 1, 2010January 31, 2018
17Angélique BernardMarch 12, 2018Incumbent

Living former Commissioners

, six former commissioners are alive, the oldest being Douglas Bell.
NameTermDate of birth
Frank Fingland1978 - 1979
Ione Christensen1979
Douglas Bell1979 - 1986
Judy Gingell1995 - 2000
Jack Cable2000 - 2005
Geraldine Van Bibber2005 - 2010
Doug Phillips2010 - 2018