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Team Member

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Andrew G. Smith

Northern Advisor
Andrew G. Smith is a long time Yukoner with a decade of service in Yukon government. A trusted advisor, strategist and communicator, Andrew works closely with both the public service and the Cabinet office to build international, Arctic, and security relationships for the Yukon.

Since 2021, Andrew has been focused on the security of the Yukon and how investments in infrastructure and defence can make the territory more secure and economically prosperous. In 2024, he was tasked to bring to fruition the Canadian Institute for Arctic Security (CIAS), a new think-tank and the first of its kind in Northern Canada.

In his international relations work, he has been responsible for delivering high-profile international engagements for Yukon’s Premier, including the 2023 mission to Japan and India, Yukon’s portion of Canada’s Northern Diplomatic Tour, Alaska Governor Dunleavy’s 2024 visit to Whitehorse, two missions to London, UK in 2023 and 2024, and visits to Iceland and Greenland in 2022.

Andrew regularly represents the Yukon at the Arctic Circle Assembly, Arctic Encounter Symposium, and Canada’s Arctic Security Working Group. He was one of two Yukon delegates at the Future Arctic Leaders Conference during Canada’s chairing of the Arctic Council in 2015, and the sole Canadian to attend the inaugural International Arctic Student Week at the Moscow Institute of International Relations in 2016.

In 2021, Andrew received the highest award in Yukon’s public service for ending seasonal time changes. He intends to dine out on this achievement and expertise for the rest of his life. He was nominated for the same award in 2024 for his success in building international relations for the Yukon.

Born and raised in central Alberta, Andrew is a graduate of Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton and Yukon University in Whitehorse.