Whistle Bend North MLA Yvonne Clark will be Canada's first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Photo Courtesy of Crystal Schick Photography.
Whitehorse, YT – Whistle Bend North MLA Yvonne Clarke will be nominated as the Speaker of the next Legislative Assembly, becoming the first Filipino Speaker in Canada’s parliamentary history.
Premier-designate Currie Dixon announced his intentions to make the nomination yesterday, just days before he and his cabinet will be sworn in.
“It is a great privilege to take on what is an important role in our democracy – Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly,” said Clarke in a statement. “I would like to thank the incoming Premier for choosing me to fulfill this duty.”
Clarke will also be the second woman in Yukon to hold the post, after Patti McLeod in 2016. Dixon said that he will appoint McLeod as Deputy Speaker.
First elected in 2021 in Porter Creek Centre, Clarke has served in several critic roles and sits on the Steering Committee of Canadian Women Parliamentarians. She also remains active in Yukon’s Filipino community.
Dixon and his cabinet will be sworn in at the Yukon Arts Centre on Saturday at 2 p.m.
