DAWSON CITY – History was made in Dawson City on Saturday when a territorial premier was sworn into office here for the first time.

This may seem odd, but in the days prior to 1953, when Dawson was the territory's capital, the Commissioner was the person in charge of the government, only some of his executive committee members were elected.

There was no such thing as a government leader or a premier.

So the installation of Darrell Pasloski, the newly elected leader of the governing Yukon Party, was indeed a piece of history in the making.

The late morning ceremony was brief, taking hardly eight minutes in total from the time that cabinet secretary Janet Moody introduced Commissioner Doug Phillips to the 50 or so people gathered in the former legislative chamber on the second floor of the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB; now mostly devoted to the Dawson City Museum).

"It's certainly a great pleasure to welcome you all here this morning for this special event in this historic chamber,” said Phillips, a former Yukon Party cabinet minister.

"This ceremony will see Mr. Darrell Pasloski formally installed as the premier of the Yukon. As premier, Mr. Pasloski will also become president of cabinet.”

Pasloski was elected party leader May 28, succeeding Dennis Fentie, who served two consecutive terms as premier. He did not attend the ceremony.

The newly appointed premier will carry the Finance, Executive Council Office, Yukon Development Corp. and Yukon Energy Corp. portfolios.

There were no other changes to the cabinet.

"Mr. Pasloski today takes on the obligation to Yukoners that, as premier, he will do his best to serve the Yukon and its citizens,” Phillips concluded before going on to administer the oaths.

Holding the large, white ceremonial Bible, Pasloski swore the following:

The Oath of Allegiance:

"I, Darrell Thomas Pasloski, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, her heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.”

The Oath of Office:

"I, Darrell Thomas Pasloski, do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will duly and faithfully and to the best of my skill and knowledge execute the powers and trust reposed in me as a member of the Executive Council of Yukon. So help me God.”

The Oath of Secrecy:

"I, Darrell Thomas Pasloski, do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will faithfully and honestly fulfill the duties that devolve upon me by reason of my appointment as a member of the Executive Council of Yukon and that I will not, without due authority in that behalf, disclose or make known any matter that comes to my knowledge by reason of such an appointment.”

Following this, the pair moved to a side table, where they signed the three documents that made it all official.

The first document appointed Pasloski to his new office; the second assigned him his portfolios in the government; and the third revoked Fentie's appointments to those positions.

The 50-year-old Pasloski addressed the crowd briefly after the signing.

"This is a very special day for me,” said the former owner of the two Shoppers Drug Marts in Whitehorse.

"I'm honoured today to be sworn in as premier of Yukon. It's truly humbling and I'm very proud to be elected as leader of the Yukon Party and also the Government of Yukon.

"In the coming months. I'm going to work very, very hard to ensure that I can earn the trust and respect and support of Yukoners.

"There's a lot of things going on in the Yukon. There's always challenges, but there's been a lot of great accomplishments as well. We've got a growing population. Our economy is strong. We have excellent relations with our First Nations governing partners.

"In conclusion, I would like to thank and recognize outgoing premier Dennis Fentie and his team for the excellent job they've done to this point.

"We are on a path of prosperity, and we need to continue to build on our successes and maintain that movement with integrity and with respect and a team approach, to continue to make Yukon a place that we all want.”

Events at the OTAB concluded with much picture-taking, hand shaking and a special family shot of the Pasloski family, including his and spouse Tammie's parents, who travelled here from Yorkton, Sask., for this occasion, on the front steps of the building.

The Pasloskis, who have lived in Whitehorse for the past two decades, have four offspring ranging in age from 19 to 26.

Greetings arrived from Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the form of a press release.

"On behalf of our government, I offer my most sincere congratulations to Mr. Pasloski on winning the leadership of his party and becoming the next premier of Yukon,” said Harper, under whom Pasloski contested the Yukon seat in the 2008 federal election.

"Our government has made Canada's North a cornerstone of its agenda, and I look forward to working closely with him to take action on the priorities of Yukoners and all Canadians, including the implementation of our Northern Strategy.” 

Harper also commended Fentie for his years of service and wished him well in his future endeavours.

For the leadership, Pasloski beat MLA Jim Kenyon, who Fentie dismissed from the cabinet during the leadership campaign, and Whitehorse businessman Rod Taylor.

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