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

premier of the Northwest Territories The premier of the Northwest Territories is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian territory of the Northwest Territories. The premier is the territory's head of government, although the powers of the office are considerably ...

Early life

Handley was born in

Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan Meadow Lake is a city in the boreal forest of northwestern Saskatchewan, Canada. Its location is about northeast of Lloydminster and north of North Battleford. Founded as a trading post in 1799, it became a village in 1931 and a town in 1936 ...

in 1943.CIM Bulletin, Volume 94
/ref> 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 Weledeh (or Yellowknife - Weledeh) was a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It was one of seven districts that represent Yellowknife, and included the more rural communities of Dettah ...

in the

1999 Northwest Territories general election The 1999 Northwest Territories general election was held on December 6, 1999. This was the first election under the new boundaries that were created when Nunavut was carved out of the Northwest Territories. 19 members were elected, five fewer tha ...

. He easily defeated incumbent MLA

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. Erasmus was elected to the Northwest Territories Legislature in the 1995 Northwest Territ ...

. 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 The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) is an electric utility in the Northwest Territories of Canada. NTPC was formed in 1988 to acquire and operate the former assets of the Northern Canada Power Commission in the Northwest Territori ...

. Handley was returned to his seat by acclamation, running unopposed in the 2003 territorial election. After the assembly convened to pick a new Premier following the retirement of Stephen Kakfwi, 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 under

Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff ( ; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a historian, Ignatieff has ...

in the 2011 federal election in the

Western Arctic Northwest Territories () is a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada. The electoral district covers the entire territory. This riding was created in 1962 from Mackenzie River riding. It was composed of the ...

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

References

External links

Joe Handley biography (Government of NWT)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Handley, Joe 1943 births Living people People from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan Politicians from Yellowknife Premiers of the Northwest Territories Liberal Party of Canada candidates in the 2011 Canadian federal election Members of the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories Indspire Awards 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories