David Daniel Stupich (5 December 1921 – 8 February 2006) was a member of the
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...
for most years from the 1960s to the 1980s, and a member of the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
from 1988 to 1993. Stupich was born in
Nanaimo
Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
to a coal miner.
He served five years in the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
. After the war, he used his veteran's grant to get a degree in agriculture at the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
. He then became a chicken farmer and studied at night to become a
Chartered Accountant. He donated his spare time to doing books for local service clubs.
Provincial politics
His first political campaign was an unsuccessful bid to become a member of the
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...
in 1949. He was the provincial
CCF party candidate for the
Nanaimo and the Islands
Nanaimo is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.
Demographics
Geography
The riding contains most of the city of Nanaimo plus the uninhabited Five Finger Island, Snake Island and Hudson ...
riding.
He entered provincial politics by winning the
Nanaimo and the Islands
Nanaimo is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.
Demographics
Geography
The riding contains most of the city of Nanaimo plus the uninhabited Five Finger Island, Snake Island and Hudson ...
riding in the
1963 British Columbia election. He was re-elected in the
1966 provincial election when the riding name changed to simply Nanaimo, but lost the riding to Social Credit candidate
Frank Ney
Frank James Ney (May 12, 1918 – November 24, 1992) was a mayor of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, serving for twenty-one years. Ney also served a term as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. He was known for his ...
in the
1969 election. In the
1972 provincial election, Stupich defeated Ney and returned to the Legislature in the 1972 election, and remained a member until 1988. He introduced the Agricultural Land Reserve bill, which saved thousands of acres of farm land from the paver.
Federal politics
Stupich then entered federal politics and was elected in the
1988 federal election at the
Nanaimo—Cowichan
Nanaimo—Cowichan is a former federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, which was represented in the House of Commons of Canada between 1988 and 2015. It was located on Vancouver Island.
Demographics
Geography
It included, togeth ...
electoral district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
for the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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. He served in the
34th Canadian Parliament
The 34th Canadian Parliament was in session from December 12, 1988, until September 8, 1993. The membership was set by the 1988 federal election on November 21, 1988, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it wa ...
but lost to
Bob Ringma of the
Reform Party in the
1993 federal election.
Bingogate
Stupich was the central figure in a scandal since known as
Bingogate
Michael Franklin Harcourt, OC (born January 6, 1943) served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver, BC's largest city, from 1980 to 1986.
Early life and education
Harcourt was ...
. In the late 1950s, Stupich set up and controlled the Nanaimo Commonwealth Holding Society (NCHS), which raised funds on behalf of the NDP.
But after a tip that something was amiss from the head of the Nanaimo Commonwealth Bingo Association, the RCMP launched an investigation. It found Stupich ran kickback schemes in which donations to charities were refunded to NCHS. In 1999, Stupich, then 77, faced 64 charges, including theft, fraud, forgery and breach of trust. He pleaded guilty that year to fraud and running an illegal lottery, involving the misappropriation of about $1 million from the NCHS.
He was sentenced to two years, serving it on electronic monitoring at his daughter's home in Nanaimo.
Setting the home of daughter Marjorie Boggis for electronic monitoring may have been related to the prospect of Stupich spending 2 years confined at the Palatial
Gabriola Island
Gabriola Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is about east of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to which it is linked by a 20-minute ferry service. It has a land area of about and a resid ...
mansion Stupich shared with partner Elizabeth Marlow. Related charges against Marlow and Boggis were stayed as part of a complex plea bargain. Photos of the walled and outdoor pool equipped Stupich & Marlow mansion added to public outrage about the scandal.
Even though he was personally uninvolved, then-Premier
Mike Harcourt
Michael Franklin Harcourt, OC (born January 6, 1943) served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver, BC's largest city, from 1980 to 1986.
Early life and education
Harcourt was ...
resigned as a result of the scandal.
Stupich died in 2006 at Dufferin Place, a long-term care facility in Nanaimo.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stupich, David
1921 births
2006 deaths
British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs
British Columbia political scandals
Canadian accountants
Canadian fraudsters
Canadian people of Croatian descent
Canadian politicians convicted of crimes
Farmers from British Columbia
Finance ministers of British Columbia
Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
New Democratic Party MPs
People from Nanaimo
Politicians convicted of fraud
Royal Canadian Air Force officers
University of British Columbia alumni
20th-century Canadian politicians
Corruption in Canada