Tony Penikett
Encyclopedia
Antony David John Penikett is a mediator and negotiator and former politician in Yukon
, Canada
.
(NDP), Penikett was campaign manager in 1972 for Wally Firth
, the first indigenous northern MP ever elected to the House of Commons. Penikett became a member of the New Democratic Party
's federal council in 1973 and served as executive assistant to Ed Broadbent
in the mid-1970s. He was president of the federal NDP from 1981 to 1985.
Born in Sussex
, England
, on November 14, 1945 and educated at St Albans School (Hertfordshire)
in England and in Alberta and Ontario, Penikett began his Yukon working life as an asbestos mine labourer at Clinton Creek
, Yukon
, where he became active in his union as a shop steward and chair of the grievance committee. He was first elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly
in 1978. As leader of the Yukon New Democratic Party
he went from being the sole New Democrat Member of Legislative Assembly
(MLA) in 1981 to leading the party to power in the 1985 territorial election
, forming a minority government
and becoming government leader.
Penikett fought the federal government for a better deal for the territory in Canadian confederation
and for control over its natural resources. Penikett's government also negotiated and signed an umbrella agreement for First Nations
land claims
, negotiated the first four agreements with individual First Nations, and developed an economic development strategy for the Yukon in consultation with citizens.
Penikett's government opposed the Meech Lake Accord
, believing it would make it impossible for the Yukon to ever become a province
.
The NDP formed a majority government
after the 1989 election
, with Penikett as Premier
, the first government leader in the territory to be given that title. After seven years in power, the NDP was defeated in the 1992 election
by the conservative
Yukon Party
.
In 1994 Penikett resigned as leader of the Yukon NDP and was succeeded by Piers McDonald
. Robert Sheppard of The Globe and Mail
commented at the time that Penikett had dominated Yukon politics for most of his 16 years in the legislature: "In that chamber, he could be the withering educator, a monument of sound reason or electrifying passion; or a mean-spirited bully." There was an attempt later that year to draft Penikett as leader of the federal New Democratic Party
, but he declined to run. In 2003, after he had moved to British Columbia
, he was rumoured to be a candidate to lead the British Columbia New Democratic Party, but did not run.
In 1997 he was appointed by the B.C. Government to lead contract negotiations with the province's public sector unions. Between 1998 and 2000, Penikett and his colleague John Calvert negotiated 32 Public Sector Accords (on early retirement, pay equity and joint trusteeship of pension plans) with public sector employer organizations and unions representing 250,000 provincial public employers. This is to date the largest number of social contracts ever negotiated in Canada.
Penikett is now a senior fellow on native treaty issues and a visiting professor for the Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue at Simon Fraser University
. He has also worked at the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
, and for West Coast Environmental Law.
Penikett is the father of actor Tahmoh Penikett
, best known for his work as Karl Agathon
in Battlestar Galactica
and Paul Ballard in Dollhouse
. His twin daughters Sarah and Stephanie Penikett have also appeared on television, in Psych
and The L-Word.
Penikett is the author of Reconciliation: First Nations Treaty Making in British Columbia (Douglas & McIntyre, 2006); two television films, The Mad Trapper (BBC TV, London, 1972) and La Patrouille Perdu (ORTF, Paris, 1974); and several plays.
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....
, 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...
.
Life and work
An activist with the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP), Penikett was campaign manager in 1972 for Wally Firth
Wally Firth
Walter "Wally" Firth is a former Canadian politician.A Métis, Firth was the first Native politician from the North to win a seat in the Canadian House of Commons. He served as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories during the 1970s...
, the first indigenous northern MP ever elected to the House of Commons. Penikett became a member of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
's federal council in 1973 and served as executive assistant to Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
in the mid-1970s. He was president of the federal NDP from 1981 to 1985.
Born in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on November 14, 1945 and educated at St Albans School (Hertfordshire)
St Albans School (Hertfordshire)
St Albans School is an independent school in the city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, in the East of England. Entry before Sixth Form is for boys only, and co-educational thereafter. Founded in 948 by Wulsin , St Albans School is not only the oldest school in Hertfordshire but also one of the oldest...
in England and in Alberta and Ontario, Penikett began his Yukon working life as an asbestos mine labourer at Clinton Creek
Clinton Creek, Yukon
Clinton Creek was a company-owned and -operated asbestos mining town in the western Yukon near the confluence of the Yukon and Fortymile Rivers...
, 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....
, where he became active in his union as a shop steward and chair of the grievance committee. He was first elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly
Yukon 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 1978. As leader of 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...
he went from being the sole New Democrat Member of Legislative Assembly
Member of Legislative Assembly
A Member of Legislative Assembly, or MLA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the Legislature of a State in the Indian system of government...
(MLA) in 1981 to leading the party to power in the 1985 territorial 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:...
, forming a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
and becoming government leader.
Penikett fought the federal government for a better deal for the territory in Canadian confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
and for control over its natural resources. Penikett's government also negotiated and signed an umbrella agreement for First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
land claims
Yukon Land Claims
The Yukon Land Claims refer to the process of negotiating and settling aboriginal land claims agreements in Yukon, Canada.-History:Unlike other parts of Canada, Yukon First Nations did not conclude any treaties until the 1990s, despite Chief Jim Boss of the Ta'an Kwach'an requesting compensation...
, negotiated the first four agreements with individual First Nations, and developed an economic development strategy for the Yukon in consultation with citizens.
Penikett's government opposed the Meech Lake Accord
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and ten provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982 Canadian Constitution and increase...
, believing it would make it impossible for the Yukon to ever become a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
.
The NDP formed a majority government
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...
after the 1989 election
Yukon general election, 1989
The 1989 Yukon general election was held on 20 February 1989 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:...
, with Penikett as Premier
Premier (Canada)
In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....
, the first government leader in the territory to be given that title. After seven years in power, the NDP was defeated in the 1992 election
Yukon general election, 1992
The 1992 Yukon general election was held on October 19, 1992 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the territory of Yukon, Canada. It was won by the Yukon Party.-Results by party:-Yukon Votes 1992:...
by the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Yukon Party
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:...
.
In 1994 Penikett resigned as leader of the Yukon NDP and was succeeded by Piers McDonald
Piers McDonald
Piers McDonald, OC is a Yukon politician and trade unionist.Born in Kingston, Ontario, McDonald, a miner by profession, was vice-president of the Yukon Federation of Labour from 1981-1982...
. Robert Sheppard of The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
commented at the time that Penikett had dominated Yukon politics for most of his 16 years in the legislature: "In that chamber, he could be the withering educator, a monument of sound reason or electrifying passion; or a mean-spirited bully." There was an attempt later that year to draft Penikett as leader of the federal New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
, but he declined to run. In 2003, after he had moved to British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, he was rumoured to be a candidate to lead the British Columbia New Democratic Party, but did not run.
In 1997 he was appointed by the B.C. Government to lead contract negotiations with the province's public sector unions. Between 1998 and 2000, Penikett and his colleague John Calvert negotiated 32 Public Sector Accords (on early retirement, pay equity and joint trusteeship of pension plans) with public sector employer organizations and unions representing 250,000 provincial public employers. This is to date the largest number of social contracts ever negotiated in Canada.
Penikett is now a senior fellow on native treaty issues and a visiting professor for the Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue at Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
. He has also worked at the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
The Walter and Duncan Foundation was founded in 1965 by Walter L. Gordon, his wife, Elizabeth , and his brother, Duncan Gordon. It continues today as a private charitable foundation trying to improve public policy in Canada. Walter Gordon was a Canadian businessman and politician...
, and for West Coast Environmental Law.
Penikett is the father of actor Tahmoh Penikett
Tahmoh Penikett
Tahmoh Penikett is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Karl "Helo" Agathon on the Sci Fi Channel's television series Battlestar Galactica and as Paul Ballard in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse'.-Early life:...
, best known for his work as Karl Agathon
Karl Agathon
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.-Background:...
in Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
and Paul Ballard in Dollhouse
Dollhouse (TV series)
Dollhouse is an American science fiction television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon under Mutant Enemy Productions. It premiered on February 13, 2009, on the Fox network and was officially cancelled on November 11, 2009. The final episode aired on January 29, 2010...
. His twin daughters Sarah and Stephanie Penikett have also appeared on television, in Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
and The L-Word.
Penikett is the author of Reconciliation: First Nations Treaty Making in British Columbia (Douglas & McIntyre, 2006); two television films, The Mad Trapper (BBC TV, London, 1972) and La Patrouille Perdu (ORTF, Paris, 1974); and several plays.
External links
- 1998 interview with Penikett Northern Perspectives magazine