View source for Darrell Rankin

{{Short description|Canadian communist politician (born 1957)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    =
| name                = Darrell Rankin
| honorific-suffix    =
| image               = Darrell Rankin.JPG
| imagesize           =
| smallimage          =
| caption             = Rankin in 2008
| order               =

| office1             = Leader of the [[Communist Party of Canada (Manitoba)]]
| term_start1         = 1996
| term_end1           = 2019
| predecessor1        = Frank Goldspink
| successor1          = Frank Komarniski

| office2             = Leader of the [[Communist Party of Canada (Ontario)]]
| status2             = Interim
| term_start2         = 1995
| term_end2           = 1995
| predecessor2        = Elizabeth Rowley
| successor2          = Hassan Husseini

| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1957|02|14}}
| birth_place         = [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| nationality         =
| party               = [[Communist Party of Canada|Communist]] (1978–2019){{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
| spouse              = Cheryl-Anne Carr
| children            =
| residence           =
| alma_mater          =
| occupation          =
| profession          =
| religion            =
| signature           =
| website             =
| footnotes           =
}}

'''Darrell T. Rankin''' (born February 14, 1957) is a Canadian peace activist and former [[communist]] politician.  He was briefly the leader of the [[Communist Party of Canada (Ontario)]] in 1995, and formerly led the [[Communist Party of Canada (Manitoba)]] from 1996 to 2019. His partner, Cheryl-Anne Carr, was also active with the Communist Party.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/manitobavotes2007/parties/rankin.html "The Communist Party: Darrell Rankin", Party leaders], Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 10 May 2007, accessed 26 October 2007.</ref> Rankin left the Communist Party in 2019.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Early life and career==
Rankin was born and raised in [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], and became involved in radical left politics through an early opposition to the [[Vietnam War]].  His grandparents were active in the [[Communist Party of Canada]], which Rankin joined in 1978. He holds a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[political science]] from the [[University of Alberta]].<ref>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/series/election/2000Federal/candidates-new/1176.html Election 2000 entry: Darrell Rankin], ''Globe and Mail'', online report.</ref>

He lived in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], from 1983 to 1995, and was a leading figure in the [[Canadian Peace Alliance]] and the Ottawa Disarmament Coalition.<ref>"Handful hold low-key protests", ''Toronto Star'', 11 February 1989, A11.</ref>  A newspaper report from 1986 listed him as an articling lawyer, although it is not clear if he continued in this direction.<ref>Abby Deveney and Jacquie Miller, "First rooms open in new courthouse", ''Ottawa Citizen'', 18 August 1996, C2.</ref>  He participated in protests against the [[Gulf War]] in 1991.<ref>"Protesters condemn ground attack", ''Ottawa Citizen'', 25 February 1991, C1.</ref>

==CPC-Ontario leader==
In 1992, a majority of delegates at the Communist Party's national convention voted to abandon [[Marxism-Leninism]] and pursue a [[social democratic]] alternative.  Rankin was a part of the minority group led by [[Miguel Figueroa]] that opposed the change, and continued to support traditional communist principles.  The party split, and the minority group won the rights to the Communist Party name through an out-of-court settlement.

Rankin was appointed as interim leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) in April 1995, and led the party in the [[1995 Ontario general election|1995 provincial election]].  The national party had fallen to only 500 members in this period, and the Ontario party ran a low-profile campaign with only five candidates and an $8,000 budget.<ref>John Gray, "Liberal numbers don't add up in attack on NDP expenditure", ''Globe and Mail'', 16 May 1995, A6.</ref>  Rankin challenged [[New Democratic Party of Ontario|New Democratic Party]] [[Premier of Ontario|Premier]] [[Bob Rae]] in [[York South]], and focused on issues such as health, education, social programs and full employment.<ref>Nicolaas Van Rijn, "Meet the people who want your vote", ''Toronto Star'', 5 June 1995, A12.</ref>

In June 1995, Rankin contributed an article entitled "Observations on the Setbacks to Socialism" to the Communist Party discussion journal ''The Spark!'' (not to be confused with the [[Trotskyist]] organization of the same name). The piece examined then-recent events in [[Eastern Europe]], including the fall of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>[http://spark.communist-party.ca/html/rankin6.html Darrell Rankin, "Observations on the setbacks to Socialism"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050407013241/http://spark.communist-party.ca/html/rankin6.html |date=2005-04-07 }}, ''The Spark!'' No. 6, 1995.</ref>

==CPC-Manitoba leader==
Rankin moved to [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], in 1995 following the Ontario election. The Communist Party of Canada (Manitoba) had been without effective leadership for several years, and Rankin was chosen as the party's provincial organizer before the year was over. He coordinated the CPC-M's 75th anniversary banquet in early 1996, and was elected party leader later in the year.<ref>Holli Moncrieff, "Volunteers needed for Earth Day events", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 3 April 1996, p. 1.</ref> He subsequently led the party in the [[1999 Manitoba general election|1999]], [[2003 Manitoba general election|2003]] and [[2007 Manitoba general election|2007 provincial elections]].<ref>"Communist party plans to field five in election", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 22 March 1999, A8.</ref>

In January 2004, Rankin was challenged for the CPC-M leadership by Paul Sidon. He received 79 per cent of delegate support, against 21 per cent for Sidon.

Rankin is a founding member of Peace Alliance Winnipeg and a member of the No War Coalition (Manitoba). He helped organize protests against the 1999 [[Kosovo War|Kosovo Conflict]], the 2001 [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|NATO invasion of Afghanistan]] and the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. He wrote an article for the ''[[People's Voice (newspaper)|People's Voice]]'', the newspaper of the Communist Party, supporting [[Slobodan Milošević]]'s policies in Kosovo in order to protect Serbians from Albanians in the region whom Rankin labelled as "Fascists".<ref>Kevin Rollason, "No bombs in Kosovo, activists say", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 23 March 1999, A3; Kevin Rollason, "War in Afghanistan draws critics", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 24 March 2002, A4; Alexandra Paul, "Threats to Iraq all about oil,say protesters", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 19 January 2003, A5.</ref> He continued to write occasional articles for ''People's Voice''.<ref>For instance, [http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/Pv16ja06.html#noprivatize Darrell Rankin, ""No!" to Privatized Health Care"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514085910/http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/Pv16ja06.html#noprivatize |date=2006-05-14 }}, 16–31 January 2006 (Volume 14, No. 2).</ref>  In November 2007, he organized a party at Winnipeg's [[Ukrainian Labour Temple]] to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the [[Russian Revolution (1917)|Russian Revolution]].<ref>[http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/local/story/4075917p-4676183c.html "Communists celebrate"], ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 12 November 2007.</ref>

Rankin has campaigned for public office several times, although he has never been elected. In March 2006, he was the leader of Communist Party of Canada's Peace and Disarmament Coalition.<ref>[http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/2981/1/156/ Darrell Rankin, "Humanity needs a strong peace movement"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003308/http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/2981/1/156/ |date=2007-09-27 }}, ''Political Affairs Magazine'', 18 March 2006.</ref> He is not related to [[Naomi Rankin]], the leader of the [[Communist Party of Canada - Alberta]].<ref>Brian Laghi, "Moscow not on the North Saskatchewan", ''Edmonton Journal'', 15 January 1995, B2.</ref> Rankin ran in [[Winnipeg Centre]] during the [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015 federal election]].

==Electoral record==
{{2015 Canadian federal election/Winnipeg Centre}}
{{2007 Manitoba general election/Point Douglas}}
{{2006 Canadian federal election/Winnipeg North}}
{{2004 Canadian federal election/Winnipeg North}}
{{2003 Manitoba general election/Point Douglas}}
{{2000 Canadian federal election/Winnipeg North Centre}}
{{1999 Manitoba general election/Burrows}}
{{1997 Canadian federal election/Winnipeg Centre}}
{{1995 Ontario general election/York South}}
{{1993 Canadian federal election/Calgary Southwest}}

All electoral information is taken from [[Elections Canada]], [[Elections Ontario]], and [[Elections Manitoba]].  Provincial election expenditures in Manitoba refer to individual candidate expenses.  Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.

==See also==
* [[List of peace activists]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Manitoba Communist Leaders}}
{{Ontario Communist Leaders}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Darrell}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Ukrainian descent]]
[[Category:Canadian anti-war activists]]
[[Category:Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 2000 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 2004 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Communist Party of Canada candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Communist Party of Canada (Manitoba) candidates in Manitoba provincial elections]]
[[Category:Independent candidates in the 1993 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Independent candidates in the 1997 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario)]]
[[Category:Manitoba political party leaders]]
[[Category:Politicians from Edmonton]]
[[Category:University of Alberta alumni]]