Succeeded by Mike de Jong Spouse(s) Helen Goerz | Name Peter Dueck | |
Born July 5, 1923
Aliessovo, Orenburg, Soviet Union ( 1923-07-05 ) Children Edward, Gerald, Larraine, Leonard Parents Jacob P. Dueck
Susanna (Dueck) Dueck Died February 19, 2015, British Columbia, Canada Political party British Columbia Social Credit Party | ||
Peter Albert Dueck (July 5, 1923 – February 19, 2015) was a politician and cabinet minister in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
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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.
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.
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.
Personal life
Dueck was born in Aliessovo, Orenburg, USSR to Susanna (Dueck) Dueck and Jacob P. Dueck. 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.