After a 16-month vacancy, Yukoners now know who will be filling the sole seat as their territorial representative in the Senate: one-time premier Pat Duncan.

Currently employed with the territorial Department of Justice, Duncan enjoyed two years as the first female premier of the Yukon from 2000 to 2002. She headed the territory’s first-ever Liberal government.

Reached by the Star this morning, she said the announcement of her appointment came down as somewhat of a surprise.

“I kind of didn’t think it was going to happen, but I’m thrilled (that it did),” she laughed.

She spoke shortly after the federal government detailed in a release her and three other senators’ appointments (see related coverage, p. 10).

While Duncan explained there is no one topic nor cause that she plans to focus on going forward, she did recall her roots as a child after her late father, Tommy, immigrated from Scotland.

“It goes all the way back to my days in the Girl Guides: leaving your campsite cleaner than you found it,” she said. As a result, she said, issues like climate change and global warming are near to her heart.

“Responsible economic development” is another, she added.

She has served in various roles – most recently as a manager of the workers’ advocate office with the Yukon government.

Duncan is no stranger to the political realm: she served on the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, was the Yukon’s commissioner for the Girl Guides of Canada and chaired the city’s environmental health board.

“We are servants of the Canadian taxpayer and the public,” she said.

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell, reached early this afternoon, said it’s great to have another woman and northerner in Ottawa.

Calling Duncan an “esteemed Yukoner,” he said there is especially a need for the legislative body to have a number of senators who have experience in how things work – which Duncan is well-suited to bring.

“She’ll bring great strength in that respect, and it’s great to have more of a gender balance in the Senate too.”

Bagnell explained the house of sober second thought being full will also help to ease the workload on the House of Commons, where he serves, as MPs can have often hectic schedules.

As the release noted, the number of women in the Red Chamber has increased from about 37 to 47 per cent under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The number of those who identify as Indigenous has more than doubled, it added.

Yukon NDP Leader Liz Hanson also weighed in on the appointment.

“I think it’s lovely,” Hanson said of Duncan’s new role, adding she is surprised but pleased.

Hanson referenced the one-time premier’s time in Ottawa as having included her role as constituency affairs assistant during the 1980s under the late MP Erik Nielsen. (The Whitehorse airport bears his name.)

With Duncan having been premier more than a decade later, Hanson expects she will be armed with at least some insight into the territory’s land claim agreement negotiations and devolution of powers.

“She should have a good background in terms of being able to represent Yukoners,” Hanson said, adding she sees Duncan as very accessible.

For her part, Duncan agreed being accessible and relevant, especially to the younger crowds, will be important to her as a future member of the Senate.

“I think Pat’s the kind of person who is pragmatic; she can be one of those voices that will allow the Senate to work in a way that is focused,” Hanson said.

“She’s got some good people to be joining there,” the leader added.

No one from the Yukon Party was available to comment on the senator-designate.

Premier Sandy Silver did weigh in, saying he is pleased with the appointment of his party’s former leader.

“Duncan has an outstanding record serving Yukoners,” he said in a statement this morning. “I am confident she will continue to represent us with the utmost integrity as senator.”

Duncan also received praise from one-time Liberal MLA Jack Cable this morning.

Admitting he hadn’t been following the developments around the Senate appointments too closely, the former commissioner did call her a hard-working citizen.

“She’s had quite a varied background,” he said.

He referenced her time with the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce and involvement in volunteering for sporting events like the Canada Summer and Winter Games, and her roles with the Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club.

“It’s also a question of how the Senate is going to work as independent senators; I’m curious how that’s going to work,” Cable said before laughing.

“She will have her hands full,” he told the Star.

He also acknowledged that the appointment was “a long time coming” since Conservative appointee Dan Lang’s departure in August 2017, but was glad to now have an answer.

Sue Edelman, a one-time cabinet minister under Duncan’s Liberal government, is confident that she will represent the territory well, given her “impressive résumé.

“I’m extremely pleased,” Edelman said this morning.

She noted Duncan’s familiarity with land claim agreements and negotiations will prove helpful in setting the territory apart from other areas which are more familiar with on-reserve systems.

“More than that, she comes from a strong volunteer background in community and sports, so is very involved.”

Edelman laughed that the appointment didn’t really come as a complete surprise to her.

“As soon as I heard there was a vacancy, I sort of thought about Pat just because of her knowledge of the workings in Ottawa as well as the Yukon.

“I just am so pleased and I can’t think of anybody better to fulfill that role.”

For her part, Duncan agreed that her “knowledge as a Yukoner and of the legislative process” will come in handy as she assumes her Red Chamber seat next year.

Last July, the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce sent out a notice from the Advisory Board of Senate Appointments encouraging Canadians to apply for the Red Chamber position. The feds’ announcement today comes nearly five months after that notice.

As announced by Ottawa, the other vacancy in the North was filled by Margaret Dawn Anderson for the Northwest Territories. She is a public servant who has participated in self-government negotiations.

Trudeau said in a statement the four new senators named today bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that will benefit both Parliament and the country.

“They know what it means to serve, and have dedicated their careers to making a difference in the lives of others,” he said. “I look forward to working with them on issues that matter most to Canadians.”

Duncan will sit as an independent, bringing the Senate up to a total of 105 senators for the first time in almost a decade.

The Senate acts as a secondary body to the House of Commons that reviews bills before being passed, with its work often being done via committees of about about 12 to 15 senators.

These allow for public hearings from those interested citizens.

Currently, each of the three territories holds one seat in the Senate while Ontario and Quebec have 24 each. With today’s announcement, all vacancies have been filled – with under a year left until the 2019 federal election.

YG’s justice department did not comment further on the appointment but did confirm Duncan is still employed with it and wished her well.

For her part, Duncan said she will now undergo a transition period and leave the department to fulfill her federal role in the new year, which is when the swearing-in is also expected.

Lang and his predecessor, former Liberal senator Ione Christensen, could not be reached for comment on the appointment.