Laurie Throness

Laurie Throness (born 1958) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election.[2] He represents the electoral district of Chilliwack-Kent as a member of the British Columbia Liberal Party. Before becoming a politician, Throness earned a place at the prestigious University of Cambridge where he studied for a Ph.D in History. After Cambridge, he went on to publish a book in 2008 on the theological origins of the Penitentiary Act of 1779.

Laurie Throness MLA
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Chilliwack-Kent Chilliwack-Hope (2013-2017)
Incumbent
Assumed office May 14, 2013
Preceded by	Gwen O'Mahony
Personal details
Born	1959/1960 (age 60–61)[1] Grande Prairie, Alberta
Political party	BC Liberal
Residence	Chilliwack, BC
Profession	Historian

Throness was previously the party's candidate in the electoral district of Chilliwack-Hope in a by-election in 2012, following the resignation of Barry Penner, but was defeated by Gwen O'Mahony of the New Democrats. He defeated O'Mahony in the 2013 general election, capturing 49.15% of votes cast compared to her 36.01% share of the vote. The BC Conservative candidate received 10.77% of the votes, and the Green Party candidate received 4.07%.[3]

Electoral record

2017 British Columbia general election: Chilliwack-Kent
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Laurie Throness	11,841	52.75	$38,776
	New Democratic	Patti MacAhonic	7,273	32.40	$25,581
	Green	Josie Bleuer	3,335	14.85	$62
Total valid votes			22,449	100.00
Total rejected ballots			145	0.64
Turnout			22,594	59.55
Source: Elections BC[4]

2013 British Columbia general election: Chilliwack-Hope
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Laurie Throness	10,053	49.15
	New Democratic	Gwen O'Mahony	7,364	36.01
	Conservative	Michael Henshall	2,202	10.77
	Independent	Ryan Ashley McKinnon	833	4.07
Total valid votes			20,452	100.00
Total rejected ballots			117	0.57
Turnout			20,569	57.38
Source: Elections BC[5]

References

1. To serve & reflect; Laurie Throness looks purpose-built to carry the torch for local Liberals Henderson, Paul J. Chilliwack Times [Chilliwack, B.C] 12 Jan 2012: A.1.
2. "Fraser Valley: End of the line for van Dongen as Liberals bolster stronghold in Fraser Valley". The Province, May 15, 2013.
3. http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2013GE/CHH.pdf
4. "Statement of Votes – 41st Provincial General Election – May 9, 2017" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
5. "Statement of Votes - 40th Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved 17 May 2017.