Joseph "Joe" L. Handley, MLA (born August 9, 1943) is a former teacher and civil servant and was the tenth Premier

Premier of the Northwest Territories

The Premier of the Northwest Territories is the first minister for the Northwest Territories,Canada. He or she is the territory's head of government and de facto chief executive, although the powers of the office are considerably less than those of a provincial premier.Unlike provincial premiers,...

 of the Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

Early life

Handley was born in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan

Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan

Meadow Lake is a city located in north west Saskatchewan, Canada about north east of Lloydminster and north of North Battleford. On November 9, 2009, it officially became Saskatchewan's 14th city....

. Prior to moving to the Northwest Territories in 1985, he worked as an educator.

Handley joined the Northwest Territories government and served as Deputy Minister in a wide number of portfolios including Deputy Minister of Education, Deputy Minister for the Departments of Renewable Resources, the NWT Housing Corporation, Transportation and Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development. He left his career as a Deputy Minister to run for election in 1999.

Electoral career

Handley ran for election to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the electoral district of Weledeh in the 1999 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 1999

The Northwest Territories general election, 1999 took place on December 6, 1999, and was the 19th general election in the history of the Northwest Territories, Canada. This was the first election under the new boundaries that were created when Nunavut was carved out of the Northwest Territories...

. He easily defeated incumbent MLA Roy Erasmus

Roy Erasmus

Roy Erasmus is a politician and lawyer from Northwest Territories, Canada. He is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories....

. In his first term in office he became Minister of Finance, Chairman of the Financial Management Board, Minister Responsible for the Workers Compensation Board, Minister of Transportation, and Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation

Northwest Territories Power Corporation

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation was established about 1988 to acquire and operate the former Northern Canada Power Commission assets within the Northwest Territories, which at that time also included Nunavut....

.

Handley was returned to his seat by acclamation, running unopposed in the 2003 territorial election

Northwest Territories general election, 2003

The Northwest Territories general election, 2003 was the 20th general election in the Canadian territory's history, conducted on November 24, 2003, to elect the 19 members of the Legislative Assembly.The election was called on October 27...

. After the assembly convened to pick a new Premier following the retirement of Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi is a Canadian politician and the ninth Premier of the Northwest Territories.- Early life :...

, Handley ran unopposed for premier. His colleagues in the Legislature, acclaimed him to that position on December 10, 2003.

Handley served one term as premier and did not run in the election held on October 1, 2007.

In March 2009, Handley expressed an interest in running for the Liberals

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 under Michael Ignatieff

Michael Ignatieff

Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...

 in the 2011 federal election in the Western Arctic

Western Arctic

Western Arctic is a federal electoral district and senate division in Northwest Territories, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979....

 riding. Handley ran for the Liberals and placed third, he received 2,872 votes.

External links

• Joe Handley biography (Government of NWT)