Leonard Barry Pashak was a Canadian university instructor and politician.
33 Facts About Barry Pashak
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Barry Pashak served as member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1986 to 1993, sitting with the opposition New Democratic Party caucus.
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Barry Pashak was one of the first two NDP MLAs to be elected in southern Alberta.
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Barry Pashak grew up in the Mission district of Calgary, and attended Holy Angels School and St Mary's School.
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Barry Pashak studied engineering at the University of Oklahoma and obtained a Bachelor of Science from the University of Calgary in 1962.
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Barry Pashak earned a Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Calgary in 1971.
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Barry Pashak subsequently taught mathematics and then sociology and political science at Mount Royal University for more than 25 years.
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Barry Pashak finished a distant third out of four in the hotly contested race behind incumbent Social Credit MLA Robert Simpson and winning Progressive Conservative candidate Roy Farran.
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One year later, Barry Pashak ran in his first federal election.
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Barry Pashak stood as a federal New Democratic Party candidate running in the 1972 federal election in the Calgary North federal electoral district.
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Barry Pashak finished a distant third place out of five candidates losing to Progressive Conservative incumbent Eldon Woolliams.
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Barry Pashak attempted a second run at federal politics running for a seat in the 1979 federal election.
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Barry Pashak ran in the federal electoral district of Calgary East for the NDP.
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Barry Pashak was defeated by Progressive Conservative incumbent John Kushner and finished behind former MLA Albert Ludwig in the field of seven candidates.
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Barry Pashak ran for a second time in the electoral district of Calgary East.
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The election was a virtual rerun with Barry Pashak facing Kushner and Ludwig for the second time.
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On election night Barry Pashak finished third out of the eight candidates but lost almost 700 votes from his 1979 total.
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Barry Pashak returned to provincial politics running as a candidate in the 1982 provincial election in the electoral district of Calgary-Buffalo.
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Barry Pashak finished a distant third out of four for the fifth time in his career behind winner Progressive Conservative candidate Brian Lee and defeated incumbent Tom Sindlinger.
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Barry Pashak made an electoral breakthrough when he ran for a seat in the 1986 provincial election in the electoral district of Calgary-Forest Lawn, which was a stronghold for the Progressive Conservatives.
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Barry Pashak won the district on heavy vote splitting, finishing slightly ahead of Progressive Conservative candidate Moe Amery to win his first term in office.
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Barry Pashak was the NDP's opposition critic for the energy and education during his time in the legislature.
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Hawkesworth recounted how Barry Pashak endeavoured to improve documentation and disclosure during his tenure as chair.
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Barry Pashak's efforts laid the foundation for "much better fiscal reporting" than previously in place.
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Barry Pashak was a strong proponent of what has become International Avenue, a district in Calgary that features restaurants and shops of various cultures.
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Barry Pashak ran for a second term in office in the 1989 provincial election, facing Amery for the second time.
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Barry Pashak defeated Amery and two other candidates by a larger margin then in 1986 to return to office.
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Barry Pashak ran for re-election in the provincial electoral district of Calgary-East, facing Amery for the third consecutive election.
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Barry Pashak briefly returned to the Alberta provincial political scene in 2000 to become leader of The Equity Party, a minor centrist political party in Alberta.
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Barry Pashak took up competitive bridge after retiring from politics.
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Barry Pashak later endorsed Dave Taylor in the latter's run for leadership of the Alberta Liberal Party in 2008.
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Barry Pashak suffered a stroke in around 2010, which rendered him unable to speak.
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Barry Pashak died on February 3,2021, in Calgary, at the age of 83.