Anthony Wilfred James "Tony" Whitford (born June 11, 1941) is a retired politician and former Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

Whitford was born and raised in the Northwest Territories, in the small town of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories

Fort Smith, Northwest Territories

Fort Smith is a town in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located in the southeastern portion of the Northwest Territories, on the Slave River and adjacent to the NWT/Alberta border.-History:Fort Smith's history began because of the Slave River and the vital link...

, at the time the capital of the NWT. As a young man, he worked for Northern Transportation Company (NTCL) on the boats sailing the Mackenzie River

Mackenzie River

The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...

 and for Northern Canada Power Commission

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....

 (NCPC) in Fort Smith and Taltson River

Taltson River

The Taltson River is a roughly river in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It flows into the Great Slave Lake and ultimately reaches the Beaufort Sea through the Mackenzie River. Eight reservoirs, Nonacho, Taltson, King, Lady Grey, Benna Thy, Kozo, Twin Gorges, and Tsu, impound the river to...

. Whitford and family moved to Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

 in 1973 where he attended the University of Calgary

University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...

. He moved to Yellowknife in 1977 and began a career with the Territorial and Federal governments.

Whitford entered the political arena in 1988 and retired in 2010 after 22 years of civil service. In June of 2010, Whitford was appointed as an Honorary Naval Captain of the Canadian Navy

Canadian Forces Maritime Command

The Royal Canadian Navy , is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Forces. Operating 33 warships and several auxiliary vessels, the Royal Canadian Navy consists of 8,500 Regular Force and 5,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by...

 and today continues to actively serve the citizens of the North.

Political career

Whitford was first elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly in 1988 to replace Ted Richard

Ted Richard

J. Edward "Ted" Richard is a former territorial level politician, lawyer and senior judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories. Richards, a former lawyer, was a partner in the law firm of Richard, Vertes, Peterson & Schuler in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories...

 who had been appointed to the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories

Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories

The Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories is the name of two different superior courts for the Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories, which have existed at different times.The first Supreme Court of the North-West Territories was created in 1885...

. In the 1991 election

Northwest Territories general election, 1991

The Northwest Territories general election, 1991 was the 17th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 15, 1991.Twenty four members were elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly....

 he was elected to the 12th NWT Assembly

12th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly

The 12th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly was the 19th assembly of the territorial government and lasted from 1991 until it was dissolved in 1995.-External links:*...

 representing Yellowknife South

Yellowknife South

Yellowknife South is a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada.It is one of seven districts that represent Yellowknife and the current Member of the Legislative Assembly is Bob McLeod....

. While not elected in the 1995 election

Northwest Territories general election, 1995

The Northwest Territories general election, 1995 was the 18th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 16, 1995. This was the last election before the Northwest Territories was split in two with the creation of Nunavut.The big issue this election was...

, he was elected, with over 80% of the vote, to the Kam Lake electoral district

Electoral district (Canada)

An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...

 in the 1999 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...

 sitting in the 24th NWT Assembly

14th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly

The 14th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly was the 22nd assembly of the territorial government. This assembly lasted from 1999 until its dissolution in 2003. This was the first assembly in the new Northwest Territories that was split in half to create Nunavut...

. On January 19, 2000 he was appointed Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, replacing Samuel Gargan

Samuel Gargan

Samuel Gargan is a former long serving politician and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.Gargan was first elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the 1983 Northwest Territories general election. He was re-elected to a second term in the 1987 Northwest...

, a position he was to hold until December 11, 2003.

In October 2004 he became Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories and was appointed Commissioner of the Northwest Territories on April 29, 2005.

Whitford completed his term as Commissioner in April 2010 and now serves as an Honorary Naval Captain of the Canadian Navy. He maintains a busy schedule with frequent travel to the communities of the Northwest Territories as well as tending to obligations in southern Canada and overseas.

Personal life

Whitford married Mary Elaine Whitford (née Sweet) on November 9, 1966. The couple had three children, sons Warren (born June 19, 1968), Blair (born March 6, 1970), and Ian (born March 12, 1971). Elaine died of breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

 on February 23, 2003.

Whitford attended the University of Calgary and earned a Bachelor of Social Work in 1977.

Whitford lives in Yellowknife and can often be found at the local Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...

enjoying a coffee and discussing politics with the locals. His hobbies include wood working from which he crafts bird houses.