| Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed Christensen to the Senate in 1999 after former senator Paul Lucier died. As a senator, Christensen sponsored amendments to the Yukon Act, the lack of which had prompted her resignation as Commissioner twenty years before.((Tim Querenguesser, "Senator Christensen announces retirement." //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 15 December 2006.)) She worked on issues including nuclear energy, water supply, global warming, First Nations' youth in urban Canada, First Nation economic development, foetal alcohol syndrome disorder, cruelty to animals, and the 2007 Canada Winter Games. Christensen voted in support of the gun registry bill. In 2006, she ended her time in the senate with a statement addressing the Conservative's cuts to literacy programs.((Julia Skikavich, "Yukon senator caps political career." //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 15 December 2006.)) | Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed Christensen to the Senate in 1999 after former senator Paul Lucier died. As a senator, Christensen sponsored amendments to the Yukon Act, the lack of which had prompted her resignation as Commissioner twenty years before.((Tim Querenguesser, "Senator Christensen announces retirement." //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 15 December 2006.)) She worked on issues including nuclear energy, water supply, global warming, First Nations' youth in urban Canada, First Nation economic development, foetal alcohol syndrome disorder, cruelty to animals, and the 2007 Canada Winter Games. Christensen voted in support of the gun registry bill. In 2006, she ended her time in the senate with a statement addressing the Conservative's cuts to literacy programs.((Julia Skikavich, "Yukon senator caps political career." //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 15 December 2006.)) |
| Ione Christensen was one of ten inductees into the Order of Yukon on New Year’s Day in 2020.((Chuck Tobin, “Territory celebrates first inductees into the Order of Yukon.” //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 3 January 2020.)) | Ione Christensen was one of ten inductees into the Order of Yukon on New Year’s Day in 2020.((Chuck Tobin, “Territory celebrates first inductees into the Order of Yukon.” //The Whitehorse Star// (Whitehorse), 3 January 2020.)) Ione was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 in recognition of her groundbreaking achievements and exceptional leadership. Her contributions have shaped the region’s legal and political landscape.((“Yukoner receive King Charles III Coronation Medals.” Yukon Government, news release #25-165. 2025 website: Yukoners receive King Charles III Coronation Medals | Yukon.ca)) |
