Yukon's Cable-Edelman Family.

• Author: Cumming, David

There are many examples of family members sitting in parliaments at the same time. However, the first father-daughter team to sit together in a legislative assembly did not happen in Canada until 1996. That is when Sue Edelman was elected to the 29th Yukon Legislative Assembly, joining her re-elected father, Ivan John "Jack" Cable.

Mr. Cable moved to the North in 1970 after obtaining degrees in Chemical Engineering, a Master's in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Laws in Ontario. He practiced law in Whitehorse for 21 years, and went on to serve as President of the Yukon Chamber of Commerce, President of the Yukon Energy Corporation and Director of the Northern Canada Power Commission. He is also a founding member of the Recycle Organics Together Society and the Boreal Alternate Energy Centre. Mr. Cable's entry into electoral politics came in 1992, when he successfully won the riding of Riverdale in East Whitehorse to take his seat in the Yukon Legislative Assembly.

Ms. Edelman's political presence had already been established by the time her father began his term as an MLA. In 1988, she became a Whitehorse city councillor, a position she held until 1994. In her 1991 reelection, she received more votes for her council seat than mayor Bill Weigand received. Following her time on city council, she was elected to the Selkirk Elementary School council. In the 1996 territorial election, she ran and won in the Riverdale South riding.

Ms. Edelman and Mr. Cable were two of only three Liberals to win seats in the 17 seat legislature that election, the third being future Liberal Leader, Premier and Senator Pat Duncan. Both Mr. Cable and Ms. Edelman held the position of House Leader during the course of the Legislature, and notable critic roles included Justice for Mr. Cable and Health for Ms. Edelman. The duo raised issues pertaining to the environment, poverty and care for seniors. In 1998, Ms. Edelman introduced legislation to amend the Children's Act in order to acknowledge the rights of grandparents during custody hearings. With unanimous consent, on a single day, the bill was called for second reading, considered in Committee of the Whole, and called for third reading. Upon receiving third reading that same day, the bill was assented to. The passage of this private member's bill was viewed as a great example of the legislature working well...