Elizabeth Hanson (born 1951), also known as Liz Hanson, is a Canadian politician from the
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
. She was the leader of the
Yukon New Democratic Party
The Yukon New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique du Yukon) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Yukon, political party in the Yukon territory of Canada.
The Yukon NDP first formed the gover ...
from 2009 until 2019, and represented the electoral district of
Whitehorse Centre
Whitehorse Centre is an electoral district which returns a member (known as an MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of the Yukon in Canada. It was created in 1992 from an amalgamation of the ridings of Whitehorse North Centre and Whitehorse South C ...
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 ...
from 2010 to 2021.
On November 22, 2018, Hanson announced her intent to resign as leader of the Yukon NDP.
Early life
Prior to attending university, Hanson's resume included involvement with high school student council, youth groups and community social action/justice movements including organizing committee(s) Miles for Millions, Arusha Cross Cultural Centre. Hanson attended the
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
and obtained degrees in political science and social work.
After graduating university, Hanson took a job as a social worker in
Souris,
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
.
In Yukon, Hanson first worked as a regional social worker for the Department of
Indian and Inuit Affairs, with a region that spanned from
Old Crow
Old Crow is a low-priced brand of Kentucky-made straight bourbon whiskey distilled by Beam Suntory, which also produces Jim Beam and several other brands of whiskey. The current Old Crow product uses the same mash bill and yeast as Jim Beam, but ...
, Yukon to
Good Hope Lake
Good Hope Lake: Is a First Nations community in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on Highway 37 not far south 94 km of the Yukon border with the and located east of the semi-abandoned mining town of Cassiar and Jade City, British C ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. She subsequently worked for INAC in
Nanaimo
Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...
, British Columbia and in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, returning to Yukon in 1989 to lead a federal self-government negotiations team.
She served as Yukon director of land claims and Indian government for the federal government until 2003, when she became the regional director general of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada in the Yukon, charged with reorganizing the department's regional presence to reflect the federal presence "post land claims and devolution". She retired from this position in 2007.
Hanson and her family completed a federal interchange to
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, with the Aboriginal and Torres Islander Commission.
She owns a property at Crag Lake, Yukon
Political career
After her retirement from INAC, Hanson became actively involved with the
Yukon New Democratic Party
The Yukon New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique du Yukon) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Yukon, political party in the Yukon territory of Canada.
The Yukon NDP first formed the gover ...
and became president of the party.
On September 26, 2009, Hanson was acclaimed as leader of the Yukon NDP, following the resignation of previous leader
Todd Hardy
Todd Hardy (May 17, 1957 – July 28, 2010) was a Canadian carpenter, trade union activist, and politician who served as Leader of the Yukon New Democratic Party. He has also served as Leader of the Opposition in the Yukon Legislative Assembly f ...
, who had resigned due to an ongoing struggle with leukemia.
Following Hardy's death on July 28, 2010, Hanson won the resulting
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
on December 13, 2010 in
Whitehorse Centre
Whitehorse Centre is an electoral district which returns a member (known as an MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of the Yukon in Canada. It was created in 1992 from an amalgamation of the ridings of Whitehorse North Centre and Whitehorse South C ...
by a large margin. She retained her seat comfortably in the
2011 election, leading the Yukon New Democrats from third party status to Official Opposition, with six of the legislature's 19 seats.
During both the 32nd and 33rd Legislative Assemblies, Hanson served on the Members’ Services Board and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. She Chaired the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in the 33rd Legislative Assembly (2011-2016).
Hanson sought re-election again in
2016 election, and although she was narrowly successful in her own riding, Hanson's party lost four of its six seats to the
Yukon Liberals and was reduced to third party status - it was also the Yukon New Democrat's worst electoral showing since 1978. The Yukon Liberals, formerly the Third Party, formed a majority government. Hanson has stayed on as New Democrat leader since the election. She is currently a member of the Members' Services Board, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and the Standing Committee on Rules, Elections and Privileges. Additionally, she serves as the New Democrat caucus critic for the Department of Finance, the Executive Council Office, the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Justice, the Department of Highways and Public Works, the Public Service Commission, the Department of Tourism and Culture, the Yukon Workers Compensation Health and Safety Board, and the Yukon Liquor Corporation.
Hanson announced her intent to resign as leader of the Yukon New Democrats in November 2018, though she remained as MLA for Whitehorse Centre. A leadership convention to replace her on May 4, 2019 selected
Kate White as the next leader of the Yukon NDP.
Hanson endorsed Ontario
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
Charlie Angus
Charles Joseph Angus (born November 14, 1962) is a Canadian author, journalist, broadcaster, musician and politician. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Angus has been the federal Member of Parliament for the riding of Timmins—Jame ...
for leader of the federal
New Democrats
New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...
in the race to replace outgoing leader
Thomas Mulcair
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
. Hanson cited Angus' "commitment to reconciliation, and understanding economic inequalities that are only amplified in the North", in addition to their history of collaboration, as reasons for her endorsement.
Niki Ashton gains support of Manitoba NDP leader, Charlie Angus woos Yukon leader
''The Hill Times'' (Chelsea Nash), May 10, 2017. Access May 10, 2017. Angus ultimately lost to Ontario MPP Jagmeet Singh
Jagmeet Singh Jimmy Dhaliwal ( ; born January 2, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2017. Singh has sat as the member of Parliament (MP) for Burnaby South since 2019.[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 ...]
, Liz Hanson
, align="right", 487
, align="right", 43.8%
, align="right", -18.3%
, 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 ...
, Tamara Goeppel
, align="right", 432
, align="right", 38.9%
, align="right", +23.6%
, -
, -
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2011 general election
, -
, 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 ...
, Liz Hanson
, align="right", 525
, align="right", 62.1%
, align="right", +9.6%
, -
, -
, 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 ...
, Patrick Singh
, align="right", 104
, align="right", 12.3%
, align="right", -13.9%
, -
! align=left colspan=3, Total
! align= 846
! align= 100.0%
! align= –
2010 by-election
, 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 ...
, Liz Hanson
, align="right", 356
, align="right", 51.6%
, align="right", +5.0%
, -
, 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 ...
, Kirk Cameron
, align="right", 181
, align="right", 26.2%
, align="right", -1.3%
, -
, -
! align=left colspan=3, Total
! align= 690
! align= 100.0%
! align= –
*''Held upon the death of Todd Hardy
Todd Hardy (May 17, 1957 – July 28, 2010) was a Canadian carpenter, trade union activist, and politician who served as Leader of the Yukon New Democratic Party. He has also served as Leader of the Opposition in the Yukon Legislative Assembly f ...
, July 28, 2010.''
References
External links
Yukon NDP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Elizabeth
1957 births
Female Canadian political party leaders
Living people
Politicians from Whitehorse
Politicians from Edmonton
Yukon New Democratic Party leaders
Yukon New Democratic Party MLAs
Women MLAs in Yukon
21st-century Canadian politicians
21st-century Canadian women politicians