Geraldine Van Bibber
Geraldine Van Bibber CM (born July 3, 1951) 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.
Geraldine van Bibber | |
|---|---|
| Commissioner of Yukon | |
| In office December 1, 2005 – December 17, 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Paul Martin Stephen Harper |
| Premier | Dennis Fentie |
| Preceded by | Jack Cable |
| Succeeded by | Doug Phillips |
| Member of the Yukon Legislative Assembly for Porter Creek North | |
| Assumed office November 7, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Doug Graham |
| Chancellor of Yukon College | |
| In office December 10, 2012 – September 22, 2016 | |
| Premier | Darrell Pasloski |
| Preceded by | Rolfe Hougen |
| Succeeded by | Piers McDonald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 3, 1951 Dawson City, Yukon |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Yukon Party |
| Spouse | Pat Van Bibber |
| Residence(s) | Whitehorse, Yukon |
| Profession | appointed official, businesswoman |
Van Bibber served as the commissioner of Yukon from 2005 to 2010[1] and a member of the Gwichʼin First Nation. She has also served as Chancellor of Yukon College[2] and Administrator of the Yukon.
Prior to being appointed to office, Van Bibber worked for the Yukon Department of Finance. She was also instrumental in the formation of the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association, as a private tour operator.[3]
She was re-elected at the 2021 Yukon general election.
Political career
Van Bibber announced her intention to seek the Yukon Party nomination in its stronghold riding of Porter Creek North in the 2016 Yukon election, which had been vacated after the incumbent Yukon Party representative, Doug Graham, announced his retirement. Although highly unusual for a former Commissioner to run for elected office - given the position's non-partisan nature - she was not the Yukon's first Commissioner to later seek elected office, and was already serving in a partisan role at the time as Senior Advisor to the Premier in the Yukon Party Cabinet Offices.[4] She was elected to the Yukon Legislature for the riding of Porter Creek North on November 7, 2016.
Van Bibber is currently a member of the Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments and the Standing Committee on Appointments to Major Government Boards and Committees. She is also the Yukon Party caucus critic for the Department of Education, the Aboriginal relations branch of the Executive Council Office, and the Department of Tourism and Culture.[5]
Honours
Van Bibber was appointed a Commander of the Order of St. John in 2006[6] and was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada - one of Canada's highest civilian honours - in 2016.[7] Her citation into the Order of Canada recognizes her "role in making the territory a travel-destination by coordinating its tourism industry and broadening awareness of its unique Indigenous cultures.[8]"
Van Bibber is also a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.[9]
Electoral record
2021 general election
| 2021 Yukon general election: Porter Creek North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Yukon Party | Geraldine Van Bibber | 562 | 49.16 | +5.2% | ||||
| Liberal | Staci McIntosh | 331 | 28.95 | -8.8% | ||||
| New Democratic | Francis Van Kessel | 250 | 21.87 | +7.2% | ||||
| Total valid votes | 1,143 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Eligible voters | ||||||||
| Yukon Party hold | Swing | -10.11 | ||||||
Source(s) | ||||||||
2016 general election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon Party | Geraldine Van Bibber | 435 | 44.0% | -5.8% | |
| Liberal | Eileen Melnychuk | 372 | 37.6% | +27.4% | |
| New Democratic | Francis van Kessel | 145 | 14.7% | -16.8% | |
| Green | Mike Ivens | 37 | 3.7% | -4.9% | |
| Total | 989 | 100.0% | |||
References
- "Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners". Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- "Yukon College: Geraldine Van Bibber named Yukon College's new chancellor". www.yukoncollege.yk.ca. Archived from the original on 2013-01-13.
- Geraldine Van Bibber Yukon Party Caucus. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- Geraldine Van Bibber Yukon Party Caucus. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
- Geraldine Van Bibber Yukon Legislative Assembly. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- Canada Gazette Part I, Vol. 141, No. 17 Archived May 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- "Olympians, jurists, researchers among 113 new appointments to Order of Canada". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- Geraldine Van Bibber, C.M. The Governor General of Canada. February 17, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2017
- Geraldine Van Bibber The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved March 5, 2017