Richard John Joseph Durante (17 August 1930 at

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...

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 ...

– 11 September 2003) was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member of the

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. He was a supervising principal by career. In the 1968 general election, Tom Barnett was initially declared the winner of the

Comox—Alberni Comox—Alberni was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1979, and again from 1988 to 1993. History This Riding (division), ...

riding over Durante by a three-vote margin. But the Liberals demanded a recount whose result gave Durante a nine-vote lead, therefore giving Durante the seat in Parliament. However, Barnett and his party's riding association filed a court challenge that concluded on 3 February 1969 when two

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judges ruled that twelve

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members had voted despite being ineligible. The result was therefore invalidated. Durante was allowed to remain a member of the House of Commons for one additional week, to allow time for a possible appeal.''Winnipeg Free Press'', 4 February 1969, p. 1. The Liberals ultimately decided not to challenge the ruling, and Durante's seat was declared vacant. This led to a by-election on 8 April 1969 which Barnett won against Durante, therefore cutting short the Liberal candidate's career in federal politics.

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* 1930 births 2003 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Liberal Party of Canada MPs Politicians from New Westminster 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada {{BritishColumbia-MP-stub