In December 2020, Fulbrighter Tony Penikett was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada “for his contributions as a teacher, negotiator and public servant, and for his human rights activism.” As the Premier of the Yukon (1985-1992), Penikett negotiated historic agreements, including First Nations land claims settlements. He also brought forward the Yukon Human Rights Act, which banned discrimination on the basis of age, race, gender or sexual orientation.
In September 2013, Penikett became the first Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Arctic Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington. He used his time there to give a series of lectures that became the first draft of his book Hunting the Northern Character.
“We’re proud to have Tony Penikett among our alumni,” said Dr. Michael K. Hawes, CEO of Fulbright Canada. “He has had a tremendously positive impact on the country, in particular in Northern and Arctic Canada. I congratulate him on his appointment to the Order of Canada. It is a prestigious honour, and it is well-deserved.”
Penikett has served several provincial governments in Canada. He was a Deputy Minister of Negotiations and a Deputy Minister of Labour for the government of British Columbia. He has also worked as the Senior Aboriginal Policy Advisor to the Premier of Saskatchewan and as a mediator and negotiator on devolution in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon.
Penikett has lectured on the history of aboriginal treaty negotiations at Simon Fraser and Queen’s University Public Policy schools. He has authored and contributed to many books, including Reconciliation: First Nations Treaty Making in British Columbia and Hunting the Northern Character. More of his writing can be found at TonyPenikett.com.