Robert Evan Skelly (14 April 1943 – 6 August 2022) was a Canadian politician from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Skelly was born 14 April 1943, 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 capita ...

, British Columbia. The son of Robert Daniel Skelly and Dorothy Graham, he was educated at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. In 1965, he married Sonia Alexandra Shewchuk. He had a daughter, Susan Kathleen Skelly, born 1973; and a son, Robert Mark William Skelly, born 1975. Susan married Michael Ramsay, and they have three children: Rebecca Ruth, born 2001; Sarah-Grace Victoria, born 2002; and Maria Anne Heather, born 2010. He served in the BC Legislature from 1972 to 1987. The longest-serving member for Alberni constituency in history, he was elected five times. Skelly began his career as MLA by making his maiden speech in the Legislature on recognizing aboriginal rights in British Columbia. He became environment critic for the NDP. He was opposed to uranium mining and worked with the Skagit Valley committee against using nuclear power in Canada. He opposed the river dam at Site C on the Peace River, and the diversion of the Fraser watershed into the Arctic Sea. After visiting Bernie Sanders in Vermont, he proposed the construction of a number of 50 megawatt wood fired electric generators. He also campaigned to have the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway continue its operation as promised by the Dominion government of 1871. He was elected leader of the

British Columbia New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. As of 2017, it governs the province. It is the British Columbia provincial arm of the federal New Democrati ...

in 1984 and was Opposition Leader in the BC Legislature until 1987. During his campaign as leader of the NDP leading up to the 1986 election he made such gains that the Social Credit Party convinced Bennet to resign and replaced him with Bill Vander Zalm. The Social Credit Party went on to win 47 seats to the NDP's 22. The NDP had dropped in popular vote from the previous election, but scored a higher percentage than in the elections in 1972, 1991 and 1996. After the election, the distribution of electoral districts in the province was declared to be biased in favour of Social Credit. The courts then ordered a fair redistribution. In 1986, Skelly resigned as NDP leader, and the following year, a party convention acclaimed

Michael Harcourt Michael Franklin Harcourt, OC (born January 6, 1943) served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver, BC's largest city, from 1980 to 1986. Early life and education Harcourt was ...

as his successor. In early 1988 Skelly was elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

representing the Federal riding of

Comox—Alberni Comox—Alberni was a federal 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 was created in 1914 from parts of Comox— ...

from 1988 to 1993. He became Aboriginal Affairs critic and was present during the Oka crisis. He ran for a second term but was defeated in the

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

general election in which the New Democratic Party collapsed to nine seats. Skelly served in Parliament at the same time as his brother

Ray Skelly Raymond John Skelly (July 1, 1941 – July 14, 2019) was a Canadian politician. A teacher by profession, Skelly was first elected as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Comox—Powell River in the 1979 federal election. He ser ...

. Skelly died of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on 6 August 2022, in

Colwood, British Columbia Colwood is a city located on Vancouver Island to the southwest of Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, capital of British Columbia, Canada. Colwood was incorporated in 1985 and has a population of approximately 17,000 people. Colwood lies within ...

. He was 79.

References

External links

* 1943 births 2022 deaths Leaders of the British Columbia CCF/NDP Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia New Democratic Party MPs People from New Westminster {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub, Skelly, Bob