Peter Albert Dueck

Peter Albert Dueck (July 5, 1923 – February 19, 2015) was a politician and cabinet minister in the Canadian province of British Columbia.[1]

Peter Albert Dueck
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Matsqui Central Fraser Valley (1986-1991)
In office October 22, 1986 – November 30, 1993 Serving with Harry de Jong (1986-1991)
Preceded by	William Samuel Ritchie
Succeeded by	Mike de Jong
Personal details
Born	July 5, 1923 Aliessovo, Orenburg, Soviet Union
Died	February 19, 2015 (aged 91) British Columbia, Canada
Political party	Social Credit Party of British Columbia
Spouse(s)	Helen Goerz
Children	Edward, Gerald, Larraine, Leonard
Parents	Jacob P. Dueck
Occupation	Real estate agent, Automotives dealer

He was an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1986-1993 for the ridings of Central Fraser Valley and Matsqui representing the BC Social Credit Party and as an Independent. Dueck was appointed as Minister of Health and also Advanced Education by Premier Bill Vander Zalm.

Politics

Dueck began his political career in 1978 as an alderman and deputy mayor for the Municipality of Matsqui. He turned to provincial politics in October 1986, when he was elected to the B.C. Legislature alongside Harry DeJong in the dual-member riding of Central Fraser Valley.

Health ministry

Dueck was Minister of Health when there was public debate about provincial provision of abortion services due to the legalization of abortion by the Supreme Court of Canada and also the provincial response to the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases.

Advanced education

As Minister of Advanced Education, he announced in July 1991 the upgrade to university-college status for the Fraser Valley College in Abbotsford that later became the University of the Fraser Valley.[2]

Re-election and resignation

In 1991, the dual-member riding was split up and Dueck was elected in the newly created riding of Matsqui. Dueck and Harry de Jong were the only Socreds to win seats in the Fraser Valley.

Dueck was one of five Socred ministers, along with Jack Kempf, Cliff Michael, Bill Reid and Bud Smith, who resigned when the party was accused of misconduct after the Fantasy Garden scandal affected Socred leader Bill Vander Zalm.[1]

Dueck became an Independent MLA in February 1992, then resigned in November 1993 which created a by-election opportunity for new Socred leader Grace McCarthy to gain a seat in the legislature. Instead, the byelection saw rookie Liberal candidate and future cabinet minister Mike de Jong defeat McCarthy.[3]

Personal life

Dueck was born in Aliessovo, Orenburg, USSR to Susanna (Dueck) Dueck and Jacob P. Dueck.[4] He moved to a farm at Coaldale, Alberta at three years of age when his parents immigrated to Canada in 1926. He and his wife Helen moved to Abbotsford, BC where he co-founded MSA Motors car dealership in 1951. He later operated real estate and insurance firms.

Election results

34th British Columbia election, 1986¹

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Violet Bergen	6,805	13.44%		unknown
	Social Credit	Harry H. De Jong	15,900	31.41%	–	unknown
	Social Credit	Peter Albert Dueck	16,961	33.51%	–	unknown
	Progressive Conservative	James Alexander McNeil	4,900	9.68%		unknown
	New Democratic	J. Steven Mohr	6,052	11.96%		unknown
Total valid votes			50,618	100.00%
Total rejected ballots			627
Turnout			%
^1 Seat increased to two members from one.

References

1. Crawford, Tiffany (Feb 24, 2015). "Peter Dueck, entrepreneur, Socred minister dies at 91". The Province. Archived from the original on 2015-02-25.
2. Russell, Anne (Dec 7, 2011). "Rocky road: Getting university-college status was no easy task". ufv.ca. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
3. McMartin, Will (Apr 7, 2005). "Opinion: Battleground BC - Fraser Valley South Nine Liberal Members Likely". TheTyee.ca. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
4. GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 7.08 ed. Fresno, CA: " California Mennonite Historical Society, 2014.