Chris Pearson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Christopher William Pearson (born 1931) was the first leader of the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party
and the first Government Leader in the Yukon
. Pearson moved to the Yukon in 1957 and worked for the government from 1960 until 1973 when he entered private business. Prior to 1978, the territory has a non-partisan
legislature
with no individual acting as leader of the government or Premier
.
in the 1978 election
. He was not the party's leader going into the election campaign, but was chosen as government leader because of the defeat of leader Hilda Watson
in her own riding. Pearson led the Yukon's first party government until his resignation in 1985.
Pearson's government opposed transboundary native land claims and argued that the territory should be a party to land claim negotiations. The government also fought for more responsible government
in the territory and giving the territory more say over its natural resources and for the territory to be a full participant in federal-provincial conferences rather than just an observer. The government successfully obtained the transfer of a number of powers from the federally appointed commissioner
of the territory to the government.
In 1982 the Pearson government was re-elected with a majority
and attempted to deal with the effects of the economic recession
on the territory which was exacerbated by the collapse of the hard mining industry and the closure of the Faro Mine.
Pearson left politics in 1985 but his successor, Willard Phelps
was not able to turn the government's fortunes around. The Yukon New Democratic Party
won that year's election
and formed government.
Yukon Party
The Yukon Party , is a conservative political party in the Yukon Territory of Canada. It was previously known as the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party.-Declining fortunes:...
and the first Government Leader in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. Pearson moved to the Yukon in 1957 and worked for the government from 1960 until 1973 when he entered private business. Prior to 1978, the territory has a non-partisan
Non-partisan democracy
Nonpartisan democracy is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections take place without reference to political parties.-Overview:...
legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
with no individual acting as leader of the government or Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
.
Career
Pearson was first elected to the Yukon Legislative AssemblyYukon Legislative Assembly
-History:From 1900 to 1978, the elected legislative body in the Yukon was the Yukon Territorial Council, a ten-member body which did not act as the primary government, but was a non-partisan advisory body to the Commissioner of the Yukon...
in the 1978 election
Yukon general election, 1978
The 1978 Yukon general election, held on November 20, 1978, was the first conventional legislative election in the history of Canada's Yukon Territory. Prior elections were held to elect representatives to the Yukon Legislative Council, a non-partisan body that acted in an advisory role to the...
. He was not the party's leader going into the election campaign, but was chosen as government leader because of the defeat of leader Hilda Watson
Hilda Watson
Hilda Watson was a Canadian schoolteacher and politician from the Yukon Territory. She was the first woman in Canadian history to lead a political party which was successful in having its members elected....
in her own riding. Pearson led the Yukon's first party government until his resignation in 1985.
Pearson's government opposed transboundary native land claims and argued that the territory should be a party to land claim negotiations. The government also fought for more responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
in the territory and giving the territory more say over its natural resources and for the territory to be a full participant in federal-provincial conferences rather than just an observer. The government successfully obtained the transfer of a number of powers from the federally appointed commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of the territory to the government.
In 1982 the Pearson government was re-elected with a majority
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
and attempted to deal with the effects of the economic recession
Recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
on the territory which was exacerbated by the collapse of the hard mining industry and the closure of the Faro Mine.
Pearson left politics in 1985 but his successor, Willard Phelps
Willard Phelps
Willard Leroy Phelps is a former Yukon politician.-Political career:Phelps was first elected to the territorial legislature in 1974 but did not run in the first election with political party participation in 1978...
was not able to turn the government's fortunes around. The Yukon New Democratic Party
Yukon New Democratic Party
The Yukon New Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in the Yukon territory of Canada.The Yukon NDP first formed the government of the territory under the leadership of Tony Penikett from 1985 to 1992, and under the leadership of Piers McDonald from 1996 to 2000. The party's...
won that year's election
Yukon general election, 1985
The 1985 Yukon general election was held on May 13, 1985 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the territory of Yukon, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party.-Results:-Results by riding:...
and formed government.