The “Administrator of Everything”: Parliamentary Support Staff in Smaller Jurisdictions – An Interview with Helen Fitzsimmons
With a career spanning 46 years as an employee of the Government of Yukon, including the past 21 years serving the Yukon Legislative Assembly, Helen Fitzsimmons was feted by MLAs, colleagues and peers on April 27, the last sitting day of the 2023 Spring Sitting. With unanimous consent, the Assembly delivered tributes to Helen at the end of the sitting day. Extraordinarily, also with unanimous consent, Helen then addressed the Assembly. (The last time that the rare honour of addressing the Assembly had been conferred by the Yukon Legislative Assembly upon someone had been in 2011 when the House recessed to receive an address by Governor General David Johnston). Although normally only the first hour of the sitting day is videotaped, the tributes and address were recorded and posted on the Assembly’s Facebook page. The gallery, which had been empty minutes earlier, filled to capacity for this tribute. Visitors present included Yukon’s current senator, Yukon’s former senator, a former Yukon Premier, a former Commissioner, a former Speaker, former Ministers and MLAs, former party leaders, former Chiefs of Staff and Principal Secretaries, former Clerks, current and past Legislative Assembly Office staff and caucus staff, as well as some of Helen’s friends and family. Everyone present showed great admiration and love for Helen and was eager to hear her say a few words about what her career and time at the Assembly meant to her. In this interview conducted before her summer retirement, Helen shares more insight into her life as a long-serving parliamentary support staff employee in a smaller jurisdiction.