He left parliament to join the University of British Columbia (UBC) as the vice-president of External, Legal and Community Relations,[1] serving in that role until 2012.
[5][6] Owen ran as the Liberal candidate in Vancouver Quadra at the 2000 federal election, defeating Kerry-Lynne Findlay of the Canadian Alliance to become the riding's Member of Parliament.
[2][7] He was appointed Secretary of State for both Western Economic Diversification and Indian Affairs and Northern Development by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on January 15, 2002.
[7] Under normal circumstances, this would have been considered a demotion, but the shuffle placed Owen in a powerful managerial position for preparation for the upcoming Winter Olympics in British Columbia.
[2] Following the election, Owen endorsed Michael Ignatieff for the Liberal Party leadership to replace the outgoing Paul Martin.
[11] Owen resigned his seat on July 27, 2007, to become UBC's vice-president of External, Legal and Community Relations,[12] finishing his five-year term in 2012.