Government and society

Constitutional framework

The status of Yukon as a political entity within the Canadian federal system of government is defined by a statute of the federal government (the Yukon Act [1898]), in contrast to the provinces, whose existence is enshrined within the Canadian constitution. Nevertheless, Yukon’s governmental structure is very similar to that of the provinces, and the territorial government exercises most of the same powers over matters of local importance that provincial governments do. The head of government is the premier, the leader of the majority party in the Legislative Assembly. The head of state is the commissioner, who is appointed by the government of Canada to a term of no less than five years and performs a role similar to that of a provincial lieutenant governor. General elections are held every three to five years and are called by the premier. Residents of the territory are represented in the federal Parliament by one elected member of the House of Commons and one senator, who is appointed by the Canadian prime minister.

Health, welfare, and education

Educational, health, and welfare services are administered by the territorial government with financial assistance from the federal government. Comprehensive medical and hospital services are provided on the same publicly financed basis as elsewhere in Canada. Major hospital facilities are located in Whitehorse, and a system of nursing stations serves remoter centres. Police services are provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Primary and secondary education are provided by a territorial school system, and Yukon College, with its main campus at Whitehorse and a network of community branches, provides two years of university-level courses and a number of vocational and adult education programs.

The arts and cultural institutions

There has been a revival of interest in cultural activities relating to Yukon’s heritage. There are a range of programs aimed at encouraging the development of crafts, literary and visual arts, and new media. Promotions, both public and commercial, help keep alive the romanticized image of the Klondike gold rush era, which was embodied most famously in the poems of the English-born writer Robert W. Service as well as by the writings of Tom MacInnes. Reminders of the gold rush days are preserved in museums and displays in Whitehorse and Dawson, and that period is commemorated during the Sourdough Rendezvous, an annual (February) celebration of Yukon’s history and culture held in Whitehorse since 1964. Some historical sites, notably the Palace Grand Theatre in Dawson, have been restored as tourist attractions. The Yukon Arts Centre, located at Yukon College, is the main theatrical venue for Whitehorse and is also home to the Public Art Gallery. The MacBride Museum of Yukon History is a popular attraction in downtown Whitehorse.

Sports and recreation

Big-game hunting, fishing, river rafting, and camping are popular summer outdoor activities. In the winter many people enjoy dogsledding, snowmobiling, skiing, hockey, and snowshoeing. Three large parks—Kluane National Park and Reserve, Ivvavik National Park, and Vuntut National Park—offer extensive outdoor recreational opportunities. Athletes from Yukon are regular participants in the annual Arctic Winter Games, which have been held in Whitehorse several times since their inception in 1970.

Media and publishing

Whitehorse has a daily newspaper, the Whitehorse Daily Star, and some communities have local newspapers that are published less frequently. The Literary Society of the Klondike publishes a biweekly newspaper, the Klondike Sun, based in Dawson. Satellite television is available throughout the territory. A number of publicly and privately operated radio and television stations serve the region. Radio and television programs reflecting aboriginal interests are produced by Northern Native Broadcasting, Yukon, located in Whitehorse and owned by the 14 Yukon First Nations.

Early inhabitants and nonnative settlers

The earliest inhabitants of the region are thought to have been descendants of those who migrated from Asia via the Bering Land Bridge many millennia before. Archaeological research into early human occupation has centred on the Old Crow Basin, in the northern part of Yukon, and has suggested that humans were established there some 20,000 to 12,000 years ago, making it possibly the oldest site of human occupation in North America.

Yukon was among the last areas of North America to be explored by nonnatives. The First Nations peoples inhabiting the Yukon at the time of contact with Europeans included the Southern and Northern Tutchone, Tlingit, Tagish, Kaska, Tanana, Han, and Gwich’in (Kutchin). Two explorers for the Hudson’s Bay Company first entered the region about 1840: John Bell came by way of the Peel River from the north and Robert Campbell by the difficult Liard River route from British Columbia. Some First Nations groups in the area had established trade relationships with one another and were concerned that the newcomers would disrupt those relations. The company subsequently built trading posts in the south, but the hostile actions of First Nations peoples soon forced them to be abandoned. Farther north, Fort Yukon (now in Alaska) was established in 1847 on the Yukon River in what was then Russian territory. Relocated after the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, and again in 1890, Fort Yukon remained a centre for a small fur trade.