Ione Christensen

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The Honourable
Ione Christensen
CM OY
Senator for Yukon
In office
September 2, 1999 – December 31, 2006
Nominated byJean Chrétien
Preceded byPaul Lucier
Succeeded byDaniel Lang
Commissioner of Yukon
In office
January 20, 1979 – October 6, 1979
Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau
Joe Clark
PremierChris Pearson
Preceded byFrank Fingland
Succeeded byDouglas Bell
Mayor of Whitehorse, Yukon
In office
1976–1979
Preceded byPaul Lucier
Succeeded byArt Deer
Personal details
Born
Ione Jean Cameron

(1933-10-10)October 10, 1933
Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
DiedSeptember 15, 2025(2025-09-15) (aged 91)
Spouse
Arthur Carsten Christensen
​
​
(m. 1958; died 2020)​
Residence(s)Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

Ione Jean Christensen, CM OY, (née Cameron; October 10, 1933 – September 15, 2025) was a Canadian politician who served as a Senator.[1]

Life and career

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The daughter of former North-West Mounted Police constable Gordon Irwin Cameron, and Dawson City born Martha Ballentine Cameron, her family moved to Whitehorse in 1949. Christensen graduated from high school in 1953. She received an associate in arts degree in business administration from the College of San Mateo in California. In 1968, she married Art Christensen, a geologist.

In 1971, she was appointed the first woman justice of the peace and judge of the juvenile court in Yukon. In 1975, she was elected the first woman mayor of Whitehorse;[2] on the same day, Yolanda Burkhard was elected as the first woman mayor of Dawson City.[2] In 1979, she served as the commissioner of Yukon, being the first woman to be appointed commissioner.

In 1980, she ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal candidate, in the federal election for the riding of Yukon. She lost by 101 votes to Erik Nielsen.

In 1994, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (CM).[3] Her father was also a member. In 1999, Christensen was appointed at the recommendation of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to the Senate.

On December 31, 2006, Christensen resigned from the Senate to assist her ailing husband.[4] Her husband died in 2020.[5]

In 2019, she was made a member of the Order of Yukon's inaugural class.[6] The first 10 recipients were named ahead of the ceremony on December 2, 2019.[7][8] Christensen also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2023.[9][10][11]

Christensen died on September 15, 2025, at the age of 91.[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ione Christensen – Parliament of Canada biography
  2. ^ a b "Two women elected mayors in Yukon vote". The Globe and Mail, December 13, 1975.
  3. ^ "The Honourable Ione J. Christensen". Governor-General of Canada. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  4. ^ Christensen retires, Qonfusion, December 15, 2006. Retrieved on March 3, 2007.
  5. ^ "Arthur Carsten Christensen". Heritage North Funeral Care. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "Nominate an exceptional Yukoner for the Order of Yukon". 30 May 2019.
  7. ^ "First batch of recipients named for Order of Yukon | CBC News".
  8. ^ "Whitehorse Daily Star: Commissioner names first recipients of the Order of Yukon".
  9. ^ "The Honourable Ione J. Christensen". Governor-General of Canada. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  10. ^ "The Honourable Ione J. Christensen". Governor-General of Canada. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Ione Christensen". Governor-General of Canada. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  12. ^ Trail-blazing Yukon politician Ione Christensen dies at 91