Caroline Cochrane

Canadian politician

Caroline Cochrane MLA


13th Premier of the Northwest Territories
In office October 24, 2019 – December 8, 2023
Deputy	Diane Archie
Commissioner	Margaret Thom
Preceded by	Bob McLeod
Succeeded by	R. J. Simpson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
In office November 23, 2015 – November 14, 2023
Preceded by	Daryl Dolynny
Succeeded by	Kieron Testart
Constituency	Range Lake

Personal details
Born	(1960-12-05) December 5, 1960 (age 63) Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada
Political party	Independent
Residence(s)	Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Caroline Cochrane (formerly Caroline Cochrane-Johnson; born December 5, 1960) is a former Canadian politician, who served as the 13th premier of the Northwest Territories, from 2019 to 2023.^[1] She is the second female premier of the Northwest Territories after Nellie Cournoyea, who served from 1991 to 1995.^[2]

Early life and career

Cochrane was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba, in 1960 and moved with her family to Yellowknife in 1963, where she grew up. She received a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University College of the Cariboo (now known as Thompson Rivers University or TRU) in Kamloops, British Columbia, in 1999.^[3]^[4] In 2023 Cochrane was recognized as a distinguished alumni at TRU and was awarded for her public service.^[5] She was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in the 2015 election,^[6] representing the electoral district of Range Lake.

Prior to her election to the legislature, Cochrane was CEO of the Centre for Northern Families, a social-service agency administered by the Yellowknife Women's Society in Yellowknife.^[7]

In October 2019, Cochrane defeated three other candidates after three rounds of secret-ballot votes and was elected Premier of the Northwest Territories.^[8]

Following one term as premier and two terms as MLA, Cochrane announced her retirement from politics in September 2023 and announced that she would not seek re-election in the 2023 Northwest Territories general election.^[9]

References

^ John Last and Sidney Cohen, "Caroline Cochrane elected premier of the N.W.T.". CBC North, October 24, 2019.
^ "Legislators pick Caroline Cochrane as new premier of the Northwest Territories". Retrieved November 3, 2019.
^ "Caroline Cochrane | the Canadian Encyclopedia".
^ "Caroline Cochrane". NNSL News. September 11, 2019. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
^ www.tru.ca, Thompson Rivers University. "Caroline Cochrane". Thompson Rivers University - Alumni. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
^ "N.W.T. votes 2015 | Yellowknifers opt for change". CBC North, November 23, 2015.
^ "Caroline Cochrane-Johnson and Daryl Dolynny: A political rookie takes on the incumbent in this western Yellowknife riding". CBC North, November 8, 2015.
^ Maloney, Ryan (October 24, 2019). "New N.W.T. Premier Chosen Under Territory's 'Consensus' System". HuffPost. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
^ https://x.com/ccochrane_nwt/status/1707515569715446171?s=46&t=9djKJBBlL73ZRHqi-HiBJQ