May 16, 2021 – On May 6, Currie Dixon, Leader of the Yukon Party, announced critic roles for the Official Opposition party in the Canadian territory.
The critics will serve as Dixon’s shadow cabinet.
One of the critics is Canadian Filipino woman Yvonne Clark.
Clark, who was elected member of the legislative assembly or MLA for the constituency of Porter Creek Centre on April 12 this year, was named critic for the Yukon Housing Corporation, Women’s Directorate, and French Language Services Directorate.
With her election, Clark made history as the first Canadian Filipino to win a seat in the Yukon Legislative Assembly.
Clarke beat then incumbent Liberal MLA Paolo Gallina, and Shonagh McCrindle of the Yukon NDP.
A day after the election on April 13, Clarke posted the following on Facebook:
It is my privilege and honor to be your MLA and the first Yukon-Filipina to be voted into the legislative assembly. Thank you for believing in me and placing your trust in me. It was an absolute pleasure to meet so many of you during my campaign and I want to keep the conversations going!
I am fully committed to working my hardest to represent each of you, regardless of which party you voted for. Which means that I will now begin the process of ensuring that the concerns you expressed during my months of canvassing are addressed.
Please remember: my door is always open, my phone is just a dial away, and I will carefully read any emails you have taken the time to write and send my way. Thank you to Paolo Gallina and Shonagh McCrindle for being upstanding candidates to run alongside. Their passion and commitment is inspiring. And getting a call from Paolo, after the election results were announced, reinforced my feelings of what a beautiful community we live in. Congratulations to both for such strong campaigns.
Canada is made up of 10 provinces, and three territories, one of which is the Yukon. The territory is on the westernmost point of the country, bordering the U.S. state of Alaska.
The Whitehorse Star on February 4, 2021 described Clarke as a multilingual mother of three adult children.
“Now that my children have left the nest, I feel I have the time to focus on what I am most passionate about,” Clarke said in the report.
The 35th Yukon Legislative Assembly starts to meet on May 11.
Online, the Yukon Party provides a profile of the territory’s first Canadian Filipino MLA:
Yvonne Clarke is a proud parent, entrepreneur, and dedicated member of the Yukon-Filipina community and was elected in the 2021 Territorial Election to represent the growing riding of Porter Creek Centre.
Having moved to the Yukon nearly three decades ago, her wide-ranging professional background spans from public service to small business ownership and to extensive volunteer roles. A multi-lingual mother of three adult children, she wants to use her experience in areas relating to poverty, education, health, human rights, the economy and violence against women to give back to the territory.
Her experience includes serving over 12 years as a board member of the Yukon Learn Society, helping adults improve their literacy, numeracy and computer skills, and as a former board member of the Yukon Public Legal Education Association, co-authoring the third edition of “Splitting Up,” a resource for women involved in family breakdowns.
Clarke also currently serves as the Chair of the Yukon Advisory Council on Women’s Issues, advancing the legal, social and economic equality of Yukon women, and sits as a Yukon representative on the RCMP Commissioner’s Diversity Advisory Committee.
Of all her many roles in the community, she is perhaps best recognized for her leadership with the Canadian-Filipino Society of the Yukon, serving many years as president and providing advice and guidance on integrating immigrants into mainstream Canadian culture.
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