Geraldine Van Bibber (born July 3, 1951) is a Canadian politician representing the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

electoral district of

Porter Creek North Porter Creek North is an electoral district which returns a member (known as an MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Yukon, Canada. It contains part of the Whitehorse subdivision of Porter Creek, as well as the subdivisions of Crestview and Kul ...

as a member of the

Yukon Party The Yukon Party, formerly the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party, is a conservative political party in Yukon, Canada. History The Yukon Progressive Conservative Party was founded in April 1978. Long time Yukon legislator Hilda Watson was ...

. She was elected as part of the 2016 Yukon election. Van Bibber served as the

commissioner of Yukon The commissioner of Yukon () is the representative of the Government of Canada in the Canadian federal territory of Yukon. The commissioner is appointed by the federal government and, in contrast to the governor general of Canada or the Lieuten ...

from 2005 to 2010 and a member of the Gwichʼin First Nation. She has also served as

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Yukon College Yukon University (formerly Yukon College) is a public university in the Canadian territory of Yukon. The university main campus is based in Whitehorse, although the institution also operates 12 campuses throughout the territory. The university c ...

and Administrator of the Yukon. Prior to being appointed to office, Van Bibber worked for the Yukon Department of Finance. She was also instrumental in the formation of the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association, as a private tour operator. She was re-elected at the

2021 Yukon general election The 2021 Yukon general election was held on April 12, 2021, to return members of the 35th Legislature of Yukon, 35th Yukon Legislative Assembly. The election resulted in a hung parliament where the incumbent governing Yukon Liberal Party and the ...

Political career

Van Bibber announced her intention to seek the

nomination in its

stronghold A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

riding of

in the 2016 Yukon election, which had been vacated after the incumbent Yukon Party representative,

Doug Graham Sir Douglas Arthur Montrose Graham (born 12 January 1942) is a former New Zealand politician. He was an MP from 1984 to 1999, representing the National Party. Early life and family Graham was born in Auckland, and attended Southwell School ...

, announced his retirement. Although highly unusual for a former Commissioner to run for elected office - given the position's non-partisan nature - she was not the Yukon's first Commissioner to later seek elected office, and was already serving in a partisan role at the time as Senior Advisor to the Premier in the Yukon Party Cabinet Offices. She was elected to the Yukon Legislature for the riding of Porter Creek North on November 7, 2016. Van Bibber is currently a member of the Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments and the Standing Committee on Appointments to Major Government Boards and Committees. She is also the Yukon Party caucus critic for the Department of Education, the Aboriginal relations branch of the Executive Council Office, and the Department of Tourism and Culture. As of September 29, 2024, Van Bibber serves as the Official Opposition critic for Economic Development, Tourism and Culture, the Yukon Energy Corporation, and the Yukon Development Corporation. On January 28, 2025, Van Bibber announced that she would not run for re-election in the 2025 election and instead serve as

campaign chair.

Honours

Van Bibber was appointed a Commander of the

Order of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...

in 2006 and was appointed as a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

- one of Canada's highest civilian honours - in 2016. Her citation into the Order of Canada recognizes her "role in making the territory a travel-destination by coordinating its tourism industry and broadening awareness of its unique Indigenous cultures." Van Bibber is also a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.Geraldine Van Bibber
The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved March 5, 2017

Electoral record

2021 general election

2016 general election

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Bibber, Geraldine 1951 births Living people 21st-century members of the Yukon Legislative Assembly 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century First Nations people Chancellors by university and college in Canada Commissioners of Yukon First Nations politicians First Nations women in politics Members of the Order of Canada Politicians from Dawson City Politicians from Whitehorse Women MLAs in Yukon Yukon Party MLAs Canadian Gwich'in people