Dennis Patterson
{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1948)}}
{{for|the ice hockey player|Dennis Patterson (ice hockey)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| name = Dennis Patterson
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| caption =
| office = Deputy Leader of the Canadian Senators Group
| leader = Scott Tannas (acting)
| predecessor = Josée Verner
| successor = Rebecca Patterson
| term_start = March 21, 2022
| term_end = October 31, 2023
| order1 = 5th
| office1 = Premier of the Northwest Territories
| 1blankname1 = {{nowrap|Commissioner}}
| 1namedata1 = {{unbulleted list|John Havelock Parker|Daniel L. Norris}}
| term_start1 = November 12, 1987
| term_end1 = November 14, 1991
| predecessor1 = Nick Sibbeston
| successor1 = Nellie Cournoyea
| office5 = Canadian Senator
from Nunavut
| term_start5 = August 27, 2009
| term_end5 = December 29, 2023
| nominator5 = Stephen Harper
| appointer5 = Michaëlle Jean
| predecessor5 = Willie Adams
| successor5 = Nancy Karetak-Lindell
| office9 = Member of the
Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
for Frobisher Bay
{{small|(Iqaluit; 1983–1995)}}
| term_start9 = October 1, 1979
| term_end9 = October 16, 1995
| predecessor9 = Riding established
| successor9 = Ed Picco
| birth_name = Dennis Glen Patterson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|12|30}}
| birth_place = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Canadian
| spouse =
| party = Canadian Senators Group
| otherparty = Conservative (2009–2022)
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Lawyer
| profession = Politician
}}
Dennis Glen Patterson (born December 30, 1948) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who was senator from Nunavut from 2009 until his retirement in 2023. He was the fifth premier of the Northwest Territories from 1987 to 1991. Patterson played a key role in the settlement of the Inuvialuit final agreement and the Nunavut final land claim agreement. Patterson was named to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, sitting as a Conservative until 2022, when he joined the Canadian Senators Group (CSG).
Career
He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories (MLA) for Frobisher Bay and Iqaluit from 1978 to 1995, as minister of education, justice and municipal affairs, and was chosen as the fifth premier of Northwest Territories in 1987, serving to 1991. He headed the campaign that led to the creation of Nunavut in 1999.{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2009/08/28/harper_dubbed_patronage_king.html | location=Toronto | work=The Star | title=Harper dubbed 'patronage king' | first=Richard J. | last=Brennan | date=August 28, 2009 | access-date=2015-12-01}}
Patterson has served as a director of the Northwest Territories Law Foundation and as chair of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Legal Services Board until 2000. He became a private consultant in 2001.{{cite web |title=Northern Property REIT Management and Trustees |url=http://www.npreit.com/about/management.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516143816/http://www.npreit.com/about/management.html |archive-date=2007-05-16 |access-date=2007-03-28}}
Patterson was named to the Senate of Canada by Stephen Harper on August 27, 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/ex-premier-patterson-named-nunavut-s-new-senator-1.799967|title=Ex-premier Patterson named Nunavut's new senator|publisher=CBC News|date=August 27, 2009|access-date=2015-12-01}} He represented Nunavut as a Conservative until February 4, 2022, when he announced he would be leaving the Conservative Senators Group to join the Canadian Senators Group in protest over other Conservative members support of the "Freedom Convoy" protests.{{Cite web|last=Neary|first=Derek|date=2022-02-04|title=Senator Patterson leaves Conservative caucus in protest: media report|url=https://www.nnsl.com/news/senator-patterson-leaves-conservative-caucus-in-protest-media-report/|access-date=2022-02-04|website=NNSL Media|language=en-CA}} Patterson retired from the Senate of Canada on December 29, 2023.{{cite web|url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=6934|title=Profile: The Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson, Senator|publisher=Library of Parliament|access-date=2024-04-25}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=6934}}
- [http://dpatterson.sencanada.ca/ Official site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309204842/http://dpatterson.sencanada.ca/ |date=9 March 2014 }}
{{NWTPremiers}}
{{Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples}}
{{Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Dennis}}
Category:21st-century members of the Senate of Canada
Category:Members of the United Church of Canada
Category:Politicians from Vancouver
Category:Premiers of the Northwest Territories
Category:Canadian senators from Nunavut
Category:Canadian Senators Group
Category:Conservative Party of Canada senators
Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories