Yukon
This article is about Yukon Territory in Canada. See Yukon (disambiguation) for other uses.
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Yukon is one of
Canada's northern
territories, in the country's extreme northwest. Its capital is
Whitehorse.
The territory is the approximate shape of a right triangle, bordering the
American state of
Alaska to the west, the
Northwest Territories to the east and
British Columbia to the south. Its northern coast is on the
Beaufort Sea. Canada's highest point,
Mount Logan (5959 m), is found in the territory's southwest. Most of the territory is in the watershed of its namesake, the
Yukon River, and most of its few settlements are on riverbanks. Its ragged eastern boundary follows the watershed between the Yukon Basin and the
Mackenzie River watershed to the east.
Its population is 29 900 (
Yukoners).
The capital, Whitehorse, is also the largest city; the second largest is
Dawson City, which was the capital until
1952.
The very sparsely populated territory abounds with natural scenic beauty, with snowmelt lakes and perennial whitecapped mountains. Although the climate is arctic and subarctic, with bitter winters, the short summer allows hardy crops and vegetables, along with a profusion of flowers, to blossom and fruit.
The territory's major industry is
mining, including
lead,
zinc,
silver,
gold, and
copper. Indeed, the territory owes its existence to the famous
Klondike gold rush of the
1890s. Having acquired the land from the
Hudson's Bay Company in
1870, the Canadian government divided the territory off of the
Northwest Territories in
1898 to fill the need for local government created by the influx of prospectors.
Thousands of these prospectors, led by the chance at gold, flooded the area, creating a colourful period recorded by authors such as
Robert Service and
Jack London. (See also
RCMP.) The memory of this period, as well as the territory's scenic wonders and outdoor recreation opportunities, makes
tourism the second most important industry.
Manufacturing, including furniture, clothing, and handicrafts, follows in importance, along with
hydroelectricity. The traditional industries of trapping and
fishing have declined.
In the past, the major transportation artery was the Yukon River system. Today, major transportation routes include the
Alaska Highway, which passes through Whitehorse, and the Whitehorse International Airport. Southern communities are all accessible by road, but air travel is the only way to reach the few remote communities in the Far North.
Like the provinces, and unlike the other two territories, the Yukon's
unicameral legislature has a party system. Prior to 1979 the territory was administered by the
Commissioner who is appointed by the federal
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The Commissioner used to chair and had a role in appointing the territory's
Executive Council and used to have a day to day role in governing the territory. However, a significant degree of power was devolved in 1979 from the federal government and Commissioner to the territorial legislature which, in that year, adopted a party system of
responsible government. Today the role of Commissioner is analogous to that of a provincial lieutenant-governor however, unlike lieutenant-governors, Commissioners are not formal representatives of the
Queen.
In preparation for
responsible government, political parties were organized and ran candidates to the territorial
legislature for the first time in 1978. The
Progressive Conservatives won these elections and formed the first party government of Yukon in January 1979.
The
NDP formed the government from 1985 to 1992 under
Tony Penikett and again from 1996 under
Piers McDonald until being defeated in 2000. The
Liberal government of
Pat Duncan was razed in elections in November
2002, with
Dennis Fentie of the
Yukon Party forming the government as
Premier. The territory's head of state is a federally appointed
Commissioner, a role roughly equivalent to that of a provincial
lieutenant governor. The territory has one senator and one member in the
Parliament of Canada.
Much of the population of the territory is
First Nations. A land claim representing 7000 members of the Yukon tribe was signed with the federal government in
1991.
Yukon is one of four jurisdictions in Canada to offer
same-sex marriage, along with
Ontario,
British Columbia, and
Quebec. See
Same-sex marriage in Yukon.
External Link:
The 1898 Yukon Act
See also
Category:Yukon\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
