David Laxton is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician who was elected to in the

Yukon Legislative Assembly The Yukon Legislative Assembly (french: Assemblée législative du Yukon) is the legislative assembly for Yukon, Canada. Unique among Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada, three territories, the Yukon Legislative Assembly is the only terri ...

in the 2011 election. He served as the 10th Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly and represented the electoral district of

Porter Creek Centre Porter Creek Centre is an electoral district which returns a member (known as an MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Yukon, Canada. It was created in 2002 out of the Whitehorse ridings of Porter Creek North and Porter Creek South. It encompasses ...

on behalf of the

Yukon Party The Yukon Party (french: Parti du Yukon) is a conservative political party in Yukon, Canada. It is the successor to the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party. Formation With Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative federal go ...

until his resignation from caucus in mid-2016.

Political career

Laxton originally ran under the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

banner in the 2006 Yukon election in the riding of

but was defeated by incumbent

Cabinet minister Archie Lang. Following Lang's retirement, Laxton opted to run for the Yukon Party nomination in that riding for the 2011 Yukon election and was successful in his second election attempt. Laxton was sworn in as the 10th Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly on December 5, 2011. He served in that capacity until his sudden resignation as Speaker on May 10, 2016, when it was revealed that he was the subject of a

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

allegation. He was also ejected from the Yukon Party and barred from seeking its nomination in the 2016 election, despite already having won the party's nomination. He sat as an Independent in the final few months of the 33rd Legislative Assembly and did not seek re-election later that year. In 2016, he was accused of sexual assault after he hugged a woman and kissed her on the lips, twice, without her consent. He had met the woman when she was working at a restaurant and developed a long time friendship. Years later ran into her at her job as a cashier at a grocery store in Whitehorse, and gave her his card when she said "it was her last day" he offered "if you think there is something I can do to help you give me a call.". It was during a meeting at his office later that the hug and kiss happened. A Yukon court dismissed the charges in a ruling released in October 2017. He argued at his trial in August that he is by nature a physically demonstrative man, and was simply being friendly with a woman who was a long-time acquaintance. He also testified that he had been similarly physical with her in the past, and always in a friendly, non-sexual way. The complainant disagreed, and told court there had never been such contact between them, and that she had given no indication of consent before Laxton's hug and kiss at the legislative building. Faulkner decided, based on the evidence presented at trial, that Laxton's account was more believable. "While I believe substantial portions of the complainant's testimony, I remain cautious about accepting it totally," his decision reads. "In contrast, I found Laxton's evidence quite credible. He made no attempt to deny that he had hugged and kissed the complainant. He provided a more detailed and logical account of the meeting between himself and the complainant."

Early life

Laxton is a 22-year veteran of Canadian Forces—

Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) (LdSH C is a regular armoured regiment of the Canadian Army and is Canada’s only tank regiment. Currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, the regiment is part of 3rd Canadian Division's 1 Canadian Mechanize ...

—and the Mapping and Charting Establishment and served as a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

peacekeeper in three tours overseas (one in Egypt (1978/1979) and two in Bosnia 1994 and 1995). In 2009, he received commendation from the federal Minister of Veterans Affairs for his role working with Northerner veterans, the community, and commemorating the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers overseas. He is a Life Member of RCL Branch 254, a Past Member of BC/Yukon Command Executive

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...

, and a Past President Yukon Branch and Past National Vice President Yukon,

Army Cadet League of Canada The Army Cadet League of Canada (ACLC; French: ''La ligue des cadets de l'Armée du Canada'') is the civilian non-profit organization which works with the Department of National Defence (DND) to support the Royal Canadian Army Cadet program. It wa ...

. He is also the recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. He has to two children from his first marriage. Laxton resides in Whitehorse, Yukon.David Laxton
Yukon Legislative Assembly. Retrieved April 2, 2017.

Electoral record

2011 general election

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NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National ...

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2006 general election

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References