Philip Owen

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Philip Walter Owen (born 1933) was the mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia from 1993 to 2003, making him one of Vancouver's longest serving mayors. His father was Walter S. Owen, who was Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1973–1978.

Philip Owen won 3 elections as well as majorities on Council for his Non-Partisan Association party in 1993, 1996 and 1999. Some critics have complained that he was a bland politician creating a "No-fun city." However, the electorate saw fit to elect him to a total of 9 years in Vancouver's highest office, and in fact his eventual ouster in 2002 resulted from an internal party power struggle with councillor Jennifer Clarke, whose NPA supporters forced Owen to step down so that she could run for mayor. It is believed that this power struggle contributed in part to the NPA's temporary downfall in the 2002 election, and Jennifer Clarke was seen by many in a negative light for her actions in forcing Owen out.^{[citation needed]} Larry Campbell and COPE swept to power, before NPA and its new candidate, former councillor Sam Sullivan, returned to power in November, 2005.

Had Owen not been forced to resign, it is possible that Vancouver's political landscape over the past 3 years may have been very different since Larry Campbell, who is generally credited with COPE's rare election victory in 2002, did not decide to run until after Owen announced his intention not to seek a fourth term of office.^{[citation needed]}

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