Geraldine Van Bibber (born July 3, 1951) is a Canadian politician representing 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 ...

electoral district of

Porter Creek North Porter Creek North is an electoral district which returns a member (known as an MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Yukon, Canada. It contains part of the Whitehorse subdivision of Porter Creek, as well as the subdivisions of Crestview and Kulan ...

as a member 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 ...

. She was elected as part of the 2016 Yukon election. Van Bibber served as the

commissioner of Yukon The commissioner of Yukon (french: Commissaire du 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 gene ...

from 2005 to 2010 and a member of the Gwichʼin First Nation. She has also served as

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Yukon College Yukon University (formerly Yukon College) 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 c ...

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. She was re-elected at the

2021 Yukon general election The 2021 Yukon general election was held on April 12, 2021 to return members of the 35th Yukon Legislative Assembly. The election resulted in a hung parliament where the incumbent governing Yukon Liberal Party and the opposition Yukon Party won 8 ...

Political career

Van Bibber announced her intention to seek the

nomination in its

stronghold A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

riding of

in the 2016 Yukon election, which had been vacated after the incumbent Yukon Party representative,

Doug Graham Sir Douglas Arthur Montrose Graham (born 12 January 1942) is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party. Early life and family Graham was born in Auckland, and attended Southwell School a ...

, 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. 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.

Honours

Van Bibber was appointed a Commander of the Order of St. John in 2006 and was appointed as a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) 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. To coincide with the ...

- one of Canada's highest civilian honours - in 2016. 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." Van Bibber is also a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.Geraldine Van Bibber
The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved March 5, 2017

Electoral record

2021 general election

2016 general election

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Bibber, Geraldine 1951 births Living people 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century First Nations people Canadian university and college chancellors Commissioners of Yukon First Nations politicians First Nations women in politics Gwich'in people Members of the Order of Canada People from Dawson City Politicians from Whitehorse Women MLAs in Yukon Yukon Party MLAs