Currie Dixon (born September 2, 1985) is a Canadian politician, leader of the Yukon Party,[1] and MLA for Copperbelt North. Dixon was a cabinet minister in the government of Darrell Pasloski and is the former MLA for Copperbelt North, having served from 2011 until 2016.[2]
Early life
Dixon was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Political career
Dixon was elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly in the general election of October 11, 2011, in the newly created riding of Copperbelt North. He defeated Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell, then Leader of the Official Opposition, for the seat.
He was sworn into Cabinet on November 5, 2011, as the Minister of Environment and Minister of Economic Development. He was appointed Minister of Community Services and Minister of the Public Service Commission on January 16, 2015.[3]
He is the youngest Cabinet minister in Yukon history and among the youngest in Canadian history.[3]
On June 15, 2016, Dixon announced that he would not seek a second term as MLA of Copperbelt North.[4] The Yukon Party government was reduced to the opposition as a result of the election.
Leadership
On December 5, 2019, Dixon announced that he would run in the Yukon Party leadership election, which will be held on May 23, 2020.[5][6] He was elected as leader of the Yukon Party on May 23, 2020, replacing Darrell Pasloski, who resigned in November 2016, and interim leader Stacey Hassard; he defeated opponents Linda Benoit and Brad Cathers in two ballots.[1]
Dixon led the party into the 2021 territorial election, the Yukon Party won 8 seats and won the popular vote overall. Dixon was personally elected in the district of Copperbelt North.[7] On April 23, the incumbent Liberals were sworn in with a minority government.[8] On April 28, the NDP announced that they had entered into a formal confidence and supply agreement with the Liberals.[9]
Personal life
Dixon worked as a senior policy advisor to the Premier in the Yukon Cabinet Offices after completing university and before entering politics.[3]
Dixon holds an undergraduate degree in political science and history from Saint Francis Xavier University (2008).[10] and a graduate degree in political science from the University of Northern British Columbia (2011),[11] focusing on the relationship between the Yukon and First Nations governments in the area of education.[3]
Electoral record
| 2021 Yukon general election: Copperbelt North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Yukon Party | Currie Dixon | 717 | 51.91 | +9.8 | ||||
| Liberal | Ted Adel | 346 | 25.05 | -20.0 | ||||
| New Democratic | Saba Javed | 318 | 23.02 | +10.2 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 1,381 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Eligible voters | ||||||||
| Yukon Party gain | Swing | -13.43 | ||||||
Source(s) | ||||||||
Yukon Party leadership election, 2020
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | % | Points | % | |
| Currie Dixon | 694 | 46.55% | 752 | 50.44% |
| Brad Cathers | 682 | 45.74% | 637 | 42.72% |
| Linda Benoit | 160 | 10.73% | ||
Yukon general election, 2011
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon Party | Currie Dixon | 520 | 47.8% | – | |
| Liberal | Arthur Mitchell | 407 | 37.4% | – | |
| NDP | Skeeter Miller-Wright | 159 | 14.6% | – | |
| Total | 1088 | 100.0% | – | ||
References
- ^ a b "2020 Yukon Party Leadership Election". Youtube. May 23, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ "Yukon Votes 2011 - Copperbelt North". CBC News. October 11, 2011. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Hon. Currie Dixon, MLA Copperbelt North Yukon Legislative Assembly. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ "Yukon cabinet minister Currie Dixon won't seek re-election". CBC News. 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
- ^ Kucharuk, Tim (22 November 2019). "Yukon Party sees first leadership candidate". CKRW 96.1FM The Rush. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Currie Dixon wants to lead the Yukon Party". CBC News. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ Windeyer, Chris (Apr 13, 2021). "With no clear winner, Yukon's election-night intrigue will linger". CBC News. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Yukon Liberals set to be sworn-in as party aims to form minority government". CTVNews. April 23, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Yukon Liberals, NDP make deal to work together in government". CBC News. 2021-04-28. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29.
- ^ "Theses (1954 - present)". St. Francis Xavier University. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Recent UNBC Grad among Youngest Cabinet Members in Canadian History". University of Northern British Columbia. Nov 10, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Yukon on the 2011 General Election Elections Yukon, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2017.