Editing Devolution (section)

===Yukon===
In 1896, prospectors discovered gold in [[Yukon]], which prompted a massive [[Klondike Gold Rush|gold rush]] that saw the population of Yukon grow very rapidly. By 1898, [[Dawson City|Dawson]] grew into the largest Canadian city west of [[Winnipeg]], with a population of 40,000. In response, the Canadian government officially established the Yukon Territory in 1898. The [[North-West Mounted Police]] were sent in to ensure Canadian jurisdiction and the ''Yukon Act'' provided for a commissioner to administer the territory. The 1898 statute granted the Commissioner in Council "the same powers to make ordinances... as are possessed by the Lieutenant Governor of the North-west Territories, acting by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly thereof". In 1908 amendments to the ''Yukon Act'' transformed the Council into an elected body.

Over time the territorial government exercised expanded functions. Relevant developments include the following:

* By the mid-1960s, schools, public works, welfare, and various other matters of a local nature had come under territorial administration.
* Increased authority of elected Council members over the ensuing period contributed to significant changes in the Yukon Commissioner's role. In 1979, instructions from the [[Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations|Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]] (Minister) directed the Commissioner to allow elected members and the Executive Council to make important policy decisions, specifying that his/her actions should normally be based on the advice and taken with the consent of the elected Executive Council.
* As in the Northwest Territories, federal responsibilities were transferred to the Yukon government in the 1980s. In 1988 the Minister and the Yukon Government Leader signed a [[Memorandum of understanding|Memorandum of Understanding]] committing the parties to smooth the progress of devolution of remaining province-like responsibilities to the Yukon Government. Responsibilities transferred since then include fisheries, mine safety, intra-territorial roads, hospitals and community-health care, oil-and-gas and, most recently, natural resources.
* Discussion to transfer land- and resource-management responsibilities to the [[Legislature of Yukon|Yukon Government]] began in 1996, followed by a formal federal devolution proposal to the Yukon Government in January 1997. In September 1998 a Devolution Protocol Accord to guide devolution negotiations was signed. On August 28, 2001, a final draft of the Devolution Transfer Agreement was completed for consideration. The Yukon Devolution transfer Agreement was concluded on October 29, 2001, with the Government of Canada enabling the transfer of remaining province-like responsibilities for land, water and resource management to the Government of Yukon on April 1, 2003.