Allan Warnke (October 27, 1946 – June 27, 2021) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

political scientist, professor and politician. He was a former

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, representing the Richmond-Steveston

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

from 1991 to 1996.

Biography

Before his election to the BC legislature, he ran as a BC Liberal Party candidate in the 1983 provincial election in the dual-member

Vancouver-Point Grey Vancouver-Point Grey is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was first contested in the general election of 1933. It was created out of parts of Richmond-Point Grey, South Vancouver and V ...

riding, and as a candidate of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

in the 1988 federal election in the riding of

North Island—Powell River North Island—Powell River is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1997, and again since 2015. This riding was created in 1987 from parts of Comox—Pow ...

. He then contested the 1991 provincial election as a BC Liberal candidate, and defeated former MLA Harold Steves of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

to become

member of the legislative assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

for Richmond-Steveston. He served as the official opposition critic for aboriginal affairs in the 35th Parliament. He contested the 1993 BC Liberal leadership election and finished in sixth place. For the 1996 provincial election, he was passed over for the Liberal nomination in favour of

Geoff Plant Geoff Plant, (born May 22, 1955) is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician known for his interest in citizen's legal and electoral rights and aboriginal rights. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of British Columbia, represen ...

. Warnke contested the election as an

independent candidate An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have polit ...

, finishing in fifth place. He was an unsuccessful candidate in a 1999 provincial by-election in the riding of

Delta South Delta South is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Member of the Legislative Assembly The current MLA for this riding is Ian Paton. The previous member was Vicki Huntington, the only ...

. He then ran again for his old seat in the 2001 provincial election, this time finishing in sixth place. He also ran as a candidate of the

Canadian Action Party The Canadian Action Party (CAP; , ''PAC'') was a Canadian federal political party founded in 1997 and deregistered on 31 March 2017. The party stood for Canadian nationalism, monetary and electoral reform, and opposed liberal globalization an ...

in the 2000 federal election in the riding of

Delta—South Richmond Delta—South Richmond was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004. History This riding was created in 1996 from parts of Delta riding. It was only u ...

, then in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

in the riding of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, but was unsuccessful in both attempts. Warnke was a professor of

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Vancouver Island University Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and Malaspina College) is a Canadian public research university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College opened in 196 ...

and its predecessor Malaspina University-College, as well as being the department chair. He died suddenly in June 2021 from heart disease and medical complications due to obesity and hypertension. He was predeceased by his wife of forty-one years Geraldine (née Byers).

Electoral record

Provincial

Federal

References

1946 births 2021 deaths BC United MLAs Canadian Action Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Candidates in the 1988 Canadian federal election Candidates in the 2000 Canadian federal election Candidates in the 2004 Canadian federal election Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Canadian political scientists People from Richmond, British Columbia Politicians from Edmonton McMaster University alumni University of Toronto alumni Osgoode Hall Law School alumni Academic staff of Vancouver Island University 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia {{BCUnited-BritishColumbia-MLA-stub