Order of Yukon | |
---|---|
Awarded by the commissioner of Yukon | |
Type | Territorial order |
Eligibility | All current and former residents of the territory who are not elected representatives in government |
Awarded for | Significant contributions to the advancement of Yukon society. |
Status | Currently constituted |
Chancellor | Adeline Webber |
Grades | Member |
Post-nominals | OY |
Statistics | |
First induction | January 1, 2020 |
Total inductees | 20 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Order of the Northwest Territories |
Next (lower) | Star of Military Valour |
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The Order of Yukon (French : Ordre du Yukon) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian territory of Yukon. Instituted in 2018, with its first members inducted in 2019, it is the highest honour which can be bestowed by the Government of Yukon. It is intended to honour current and former residents of the territory.
Prior to the creation of the Order of Yukon, an unofficial order, the Order of Polaris, was created in 1973 largely to celebrate members of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame but was not part of the Canadian honours system. When the Order of the Northwest Territories was created in 2015, Yukon remained the only province or territory in Canada without a domestic order.
The Order of Yukon was first proposed in 2016, following public consultation. [1] The order was created by the passage of the Order of Yukon Act in 2018. The award is modelled on the orders of the Canadian provinces. Inductees are entitled to use the postnominal letters OY. [2]
The call for nominations was first announced in late May 2019 with the first ceremony set for New Year's Day for 2020. [3] The first 10 recipients were named ahead of the ceremony on December 2, 2019. [4] [5]
Potential members are recommended to the chancellor by an advisory council consisting of the Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Yukon, secretary of the Executive Council of Yukon, the president of Yukon University, two individuals chosen by the chancellor, and one individual chosen by the Council of Yukon First Nations.
The commissioner of Yukon bestows the award and is an ex officio member as the order's chancellor.
Yukon is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It is the most densely populated territory in Canada, with an estimated population of 46,704 as of 2024, though it has a smaller population than all provinces. Whitehorse, the territorial capital, is the largest settlement in any of the three territories.
The Order of Canada is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
Piers McDonald, OC is a Yukon politician and businessman. Born in Kingston, Ontario, McDonald, originally a miner by profession, is a long-time MLA, Cabinet minister, and the fifth premier of Yukon. He was leader of the Yukon New Democratic Party from 1995 to 2000.
Christopher William Pearson was the second leader of the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party and the first premier of the Yukon in the Yukon.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Yukon since July 14, 2004, immediately following a ruling from the Supreme Court of Yukon. This made the territory the fourth jurisdiction in Canada, and the seventh in the world after the Netherlands, Belgium, Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec and Massachusetts, to legalise same-sex marriage. Yukon was the first of Canada's three territories to legalise same-sex marriage, and the only one to do so before the federal legalisation of same-sex marriage in July 2005 by the Parliament of Canada.
Judy Gingell, is an aboriginal Canadian politician, who served as the commissioner of Yukon from 1995 to 2000.
Ione Jean Christensen,, néeCameron is a former Canadian Senator.
Yukon University is a public university in the Canadian territory of Yukon. The university main campus is based in Whitehorse, although the institution also operates 12 campuses throughout the territory. The university confers bachelor's degrees, diplomas, certificates as well as trades and vocational training and adult basic education. The institution is currently the only university based in northern Canada.
The Order of Polaris is awarded by the Government of Yukon's Transportation Hall of Fame for meritorious service in Yukon in the field of aviation.
The orders, decorations, and medals of the Canadian provinces, in which each province of Canada has devised a system of orders and other awards to honour residents for actions or deeds that benefit their local community or province, are in turn subsumed within the Canadian honours system. Each province sets its own rules and criteria for eligibility and also for how each award is presented. Most of the awards allow for the recipients to wear their awards in public, and most grant the recipients the use of post-nominal letters after their names. Not all of the awards listed below are part of the Canadian honours system, thus some of them may not be worn or court mounted with awards that are part of the Canadian honours system.
Douglas Leslie Dewey Bell, was a Canadian politician who served as the commissioner of Yukon. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1989 and a member of the Order of Yukon in 2019. Bell died at the age of 94 in 2021 after a period of declining health.
Geraldine Van Bibber is a Canadian politician representing the Yukon electoral district of Porter Creek North as a member of the Yukon Party. She was elected as part of the 2016 Yukon election.
The Yukon Territorial Council was a political body in the Canadian territory of Yukon, prior to the creation of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. Although not a full legislature, the council acted as an advisory body to the Commissioner of Yukon, and had the power to pass non-binding motions of legislation which would be forwarded to the commissioner for consideration.
Franco-Yukonnais are French Canadian or French-speaking residents of Yukon, a territory of Canada. French has full official language status in the Yukon.
Samuel Timothy Johnston is a former Canadian politician in the territory of Yukon, Canada. He served as chief of the Teslin Tlingit Council from 1970 to 1984, and represented Campbell in the Yukon Legislative Assembly from 1985 to 1992 as a NDP member.
Douglas George Phillips is a Canadian businessman and politician and the commissioner of Yukon from 2010 to 2018.
The Order of Nunavut is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Instituted in 2010 it is the highest honour which can be bestowed by the Government of Nunavut. It is intended to honour current and former residents of the territory.
The Order of the Northwest Territories is a civil honour for merit in the Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories. Instituted in 2013, it is the highest honour which can be bestowed by the Government of the Northwest Territories. It is intended to honour current and former residents of the territory who have served with great distinction and excelled in any field of endeavour to benefit the people of the Northwest Territories and others. The commissioner of the Northwest Territories is a member of the order by virtue of their position, and serves as the chancellor of the order.
Rose Marie Angélique Bernard is the former commissioner of Yukon, appointed on 12 March 2018. She was the youngest person to serve as commissioner for any of Canada's three northern territories and the first Franco-Yukonnais to serve as commissioner.
Adeline Kh'ayàdê Webber is a Canadian politician, currently serving as commissioner of Yukon, since May 31, 2023. She is a member of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation and Kukhhittan Clan.