Elected as Yukon’s MP in September 2021, Dr. Brendan Hanley is bringing Yukon’s voice to the federal table. He is passionate about public health and climate action in the north and strongly advocates for solutions around mental health and addictions, affordable housing, and reconciliation in his political role.

MP Hanley currently serves on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health and is also a member of the Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. He is a member of the Prairie and North Caucus and Rural Caucus and currently serves as co-chair of the All-Party Mental Health Caucus.

Before politics, he was Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, holding the position for 13 years, and culminating in overseeing Yukon’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Hanley has been a northern physician for over 25 years. His medical work has been primarily focussed on northern, remote, and underprivileged populations with a background in emergency and family medicine and relief work in international conflict zones.

Brendan started his career in Newfoundland and practiced in various placements in Canada and internationally before arriving in Yukon in 1995. He is a former board member of the Canadian Medical Association. His many roles in public health include Vice-chair of the Canadian Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health and director on the Arctic Council’s International Circumpolar Surveillance Committee.

Dr. Hanley received his MD from the University of Alberta, a diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the University of Liverpool, and a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Outside of his healthcare background, Brendan is an accomplished clarinet player and long-distance runner. Brendan Hanley and his wife, Lise Farynowski, a life-time Yukoner, have two teenage children Aniela and Finnian.