Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Editorial: UVic’s Norman Ruff believed in positive change

Politicians, pollsters, journalists, former students — on a sunny Sunday afternoon, they all took turns paying tribute to Norman Ruff in media interviews and online.

Politicians, pollsters, journalists, former students — on a sunny Sunday afternoon, they all took turns paying tribute to Norman Ruff in media interviews and online.

Ruff, a professor emeritus at the University of Victoria since he retired in 2005, taught political science for 36 years at the university. He was an inspiring professor, whose passion for politics, depth of knowledge and humour shaped the lives of thousands of students, whether they went on to cabinet posts, political journalism or simply brought a new interest and understanding to the political process.

But his influence went far, far beyond the university campus. Ruff was committed to sharing his knowledge and passion for politics as widely as possible, in part because he believed in the power of an informed public and the possibility of positive change.

And he recognized that the media provided a tremendous opportunity to reach the public.

There are stories of newspaper editors who briefly imposed bans on quotes from Ruff, simply because he appeared in their pages so often. And he was a ubiquitous media presence.

But for good reasons.

Ruff was extraordinarily knowledgeable, with an encyclopedic grasp of politics throughout the province’s history and a sharp insight into each new development in the often bizarre world of B.C. politics. He was brilliant at taking complex issues and presenting them in an interesting, understandable way. Ruff was “the teacher of us all,” said Vaughn Palmer, the Vancouver Sun’s longtime political columnist, with “an uncanny ability to communicate.”

And he never sank into cynicism or partisanship. Ruff saw politics as a way to make life better, and his comments always showed a belief that change might be difficult, but it was far from impossible. He was kind, courteous and funny, and interviews were a pleasure, as well as enlightening.

Ruff also recognized his role as an academic in sharing the knowledge he had gained. He was always available; when UVic published a guide for reporters with a list of professors and their areas of expertise, Ruff was the only one who provided his home phone number.

Ruff died in hospice Saturday at 78, claimed by cancer. Just four days earlier, he published a commentary in the Times Colonist proposing an approach to electoral reform that could help overcome the many obstacles.

Until the end, Norman Ruff was making a difference. Despite never having held elected office, he was for decades one of the most influential people in B.C. politics. He will be missed.