 antony david john "tony" penikett (born 1945) is a mediator and negotiator and former politician in yukon, canada. ==early life and political activity== born in sussex, england, on november 14, 1945 and educated at st albans school (hertfordshire) in england and in alberta and ontario, penikett began his yukon working life as an asbestos mine labourer at clinton creek, yukon, where he became active in his union as a shop steward and chair of the grievance committee. an activist with the new democratic party (ndp), penikett was campaign manager in the 1972 election for wally firth, the first indigenous northern mp ever elected to the house of commons."no all-candidates meetings in yukon: opponent wary of tory hatchet man". the globe and mail, june 22, 1974. he was the party's candidate in yukon in the 1974 federal election, but was not elected. penikett became a member of the new democratic party's federal council in 1973 and served as executive assistant to ed broadbent from 1975 to 1977."penikett gets regina post". vancouver sun, september 27, 1995. he then returned to yukon, where he was elected to whitehorse city council in 1977. he was president of the federal ndp from 1981 to 1985. ==premier of yukon== he was first elected to the yukon legislative assembly in 1978, representing the constituency of whitehorse west as a member of the yukon new democratic party. he was the party's only mla elected that year. in 1981, penikett succeeded fred berger as leader of the party. under his leadership, independent mla maurice byblow crossed the floor to join the party, and roger kimmerly won a by-election for the party in october."ndp's by-election win makes it opposition". the globe and mail, october 15, 1981. with the party having surpassed the yukon liberal party 
1945_births Canadian_non-fiction_writers Canadian_television_writers English_emigrants_to_Canada Living_people People_educated_at_St_Albans_School,_Hertfordshire People_from_Sussex People_from_Whitehorse,_Yukon Premiers_of_Yukon Presidents_of_the_New_Democratic_Party_of_Canada Writers_from_Yukon Yukon_New_Democratic_Party_leaders