Premier and Leader of the Yukon Party

Early Beginnings

Dennis Fentie was born in Edmonton, Alberta on November 8, 1950, and moved to Watson Lake (Yukon Territory) in 1962, at the age of 12.

Political Life

Dennis Fentie is the current Premier of Yukon and leader of the Yukon Party.

Fentie was first elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the riding of Watson Lake on September 30, 1996. In the 1996 election, Fentie was re-elected in Watson Lake and led the Yukon Party to a majority government, making his the first government to be re-elected in Yukon since 1989.   He was subsequently re-elected in April 17, 2000 for the Yukon New Democratic Party. In May 2002,  Fentie crossed the floor, becoming leader of the Yukon Party in June 2002. Later that year, Fentie won the Yukon provincial election as leader of the Yukon Party and formed a majority government. Following his election Fentie was embarrassed by revelations that he had been convicted of trafficking heroin while in his twenties.

As of August 3, 2006, Fentie no longer had a majority government. As Premier, his government’s achievements included being focused on government-to-government relationships with First Nations and neighbouring jurisdictions. Since his election, Fentie has been instrumental in negotiations with the premiers of the North West Territories and Nunavut in developing a framework for approaching northern issues and devolving power from the national to the provincial/territorial levels.

Personal and Community Life

Dennis Fentie lives in Watson Lake and is owner and manager of Francis River Construction Ltd. He is the former director of the Watson Lake Chamber of Commerce.