Darrel Stinson is a Canadian politician representing the Okanagan—Shuswap for the Conservative Party of Canada. Okanagan—Shuswap is a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons, and located in the province of British Columbia. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada) is a right wing political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ...

He was born in Vancouver, but grew up on a ranch. He left school at a young age to work, but returned later in life to get his high school diploma. He eventually became a prominent local businessman in the BC interior.

He was first elected as a Reform Party MP in the 1993 election. He became recognized for the large cowboy hat he normally wore and for his outspoken conservatism. In his first term he was also the centre of controversy. He was criticized for suggesting the best way to prevent spousal abuse was to give women handguns. He was also the centre of much attention when after opposition MP John Cannis allegedly called him a racist in the House of Commons he replied "Do you have the fortitude or the gonads to stand up and come across here to say that to me, you son of a bitch?" Eventually the Speaker chided both men for unparliamentary language. Later that same year after Jean Charest called him a bigot in a heated exchange Stinson relied that Charest was a "fat little, chubby, little sucker." In 1999 he was accused of challenging Liberal MP Steve Mahoney to fight. For the Reform Party that existed prior to Canadian Confederation see Reform Party (pre-Confederation) The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party in the 1980s and 1990s. ... (Redirected from 1993 Canadian election) The 1993 Canadian federal election, which took place on October 25th, 1993, was one of the most eventful in Canadian history. ... John Cannis (born November 4, 1951) is a member of the House of Commons in Canada. ... In a Westminster system, unparliamentary language is words or phrases that are deemed to be inappropriate for use in the House whilst it is in session. ... Portrait of Jean J. Charest. ... Steven W. Mahoney (born July 18, 1947) is a Canadian politician. ...

He was one of a handful of Reform MPs to strenuously oppose the idea of a United Alternative, being unwilling to sacrifice Reform principles to accommodate with the Tories. He eventually agreed to the creation of the Canadian Alliance and became a member of that party when it was created. He backed Stockwell Day as leader and was given a number of critics positions. Stinson was much angered by the Liberal reelection in 2000 and was one of two Alliance MPs to attend the inaugural convention of the Alberta Independence Party along with close ally Myron Thompson. This flirtation with separatism sparked controversy, and Stinson was moved by Day to the backbenchers. Stinson and Thompson were soon after at the centre of another controversy when it emerged they had convinced Day to hire a private investigator to investigate Liberals. Unite the Right, also referred to as the United Alternative, was a Canadian political movement from 1997 until 2003. ... The Canadian Alliance (in full, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance) was a Canadian right_of_centre conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. ... Stockwell Burt Day (born August 16, 1950, in Barrie, Ontario), is a conservative Canadian politician. ... Myron Thompson (born 1936, in Monte Vista, Colorado, USA) is an dual citizen of Canada and the United States who currently sits as a Conservative Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons. ...

He remained one of Day's strongest supporters, firmly against the Alliance members who tried to oust him. Stinson was reportedly one of the MPs most firmly opposed to allowing the rebels back into the party after Day resigned.

He continued his opposition to any merger with the Tories and in 2003 was the only Canadian Alliance MP to vote against Stephen Harper's merger plan in a caucus meeting, but he later came to support the new party. Stephen Harper The Hon. ...

Since 2004 he has been battling bladder cancer, and his frequent absences from parliament has played an important role in the finely balanced minority government. In the crutial May 19, 2005 vote on the Canadian budget, the 152-152 tie was broken by the Speaker voting in favour, ensuring the continuity of the government. As Stinson was undergoing surgery at the time, a Liberal MP agreed to sit out the vote as a courtesy. Cystoscopic view of a papillary bladder tumor (top); the bladder wall is visible on the bottom right Bladder cancer refers to any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ...

External links

• Official site (http://www.darrelstinson.ca/)