Esau Schafer facts for kids

Esau Albert Schafer, born on January 16, 1952, is a Canadian politician. He comes from the Yukon, a territory in northern Canada. He is known for representing the Vuntut Gwitchin area in the Yukon Legislative Assembly.

Esau Schafer's Political Journey

Esau Schafer was a member of the Yukon Party. This is one of the main political parties in the Yukon. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). An MLA is like a representative who helps make laws for the territory.

Becoming a Representative

In early 1996, Esau Schafer was elected to represent the Vuntut Gwitchin area. This happened in a special election called a by-election. A by-election takes place when a seat in the government becomes empty. This particular by-election was held after the previous representative, Johnny Abel, passed away in 1995.

The Tied Election

Later in 1996, there was a general election for all the government seats. Esau Schafer ran again for his seat. His opponent was Robert Bruce from the Yukon New Democratic Party. Something very unusual happened in this election: both Esau Schafer and Robert Bruce received exactly 69 votes!

Because of the tie, they had to find a way to decide the winner. The rule was that the winner would be chosen by drawing a name from a hat. Robert Bruce's name was drawn, and he was declared the winner.

Challenging the Results

Esau Schafer felt the election results were not fair. He decided to challenge them in court. The court agreed with him and decided that the election should be held again.

So, another by-election took place. This time, Robert Bruce won with a clear lead. This meant he became the representative for Vuntut Gwitchin.

What Esau Schafer Does Now

Esau Schafer continues to be involved in his community. Since 2003, he has been a member of the council for the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. This council helps make important decisions for the Vuntut Gwitchin people.