Arthur Roebuck
Encyclopedia
Arthur Wentworth Roebuck, QC
, (February 28, 1878 — November 17, 1971) was a Canadian
politician and labour lawyer.
Roebuck ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1917 federal election
as a Laurier Liberal, but was defeated. He was involved with the United Farmers of Ontario
and its successor, the Progressive Party, in the 1920s before rejoining the Liberals. He won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in the 1934 provincial election
that brought the Ontario Liberal Party
led by Mitchell Hepburn
to power.
Roebuck was a senior figure in the Hepburn government serving as Attorney-General of Ontario from 1934 to 1937 as well as Minister of Labour from 1934 until 1935. A progressive, Roebuck promoted the rights of Jews against the anti-Semitism
that was still prevalent in 1930s Ontario, and defended the rights of trade union
s. He broke with Hepburn over the government's handling of the 1937 United Auto Workers
strike against General Motors in Oshawa
, and resigned in protest with fellow minister David Croll
. Roebuck remained as the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly
for the Toronto
riding of Bellwoods
until 1940.
Re-entering federal politics, Roebuck was elected Liberal
Member of Parliament
for the Toronto
riding
of Trinity
in the 1940 federal election
after successfully challenging sitting Liberal MP Hugh Plaxton
for the party's nomination. He attempted to return to provincial politics running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party at its 1943 leadership convention
to succeed Hepburn, but finished second to Harry Nixon
.
In 1945, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate
by Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King
, and remained in the Upper House
until his death. At the outset of his appointment, he worked with the Canadian Jewish Congress
and Rabbi Avraham Aharon Price
to have young, Jewish refugees released from internment camps to study in Toronto.
He was an important figure in the civil liberties
movement in Canada following the war. Following the Igor Gouzenko
Affair, Roebuck opposed the government's suspension of the individual rights of individuals accused of espionage, and criticized the use of the Royal Commission on Espionage's transcripts in court. Later, he participated in the defence of Israel Halperin, one of the accused spies, and chaired the Senate Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in 1950, advocating the creation of a Canadian Bill of Rights.
Roebuck opposed Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Senate reform proposal in 1969.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, (February 28, 1878 — November 17, 1971) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician and labour lawyer.
Roebuck ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1917 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1917
The 1917 Canadian federal election was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Canada. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription...
as a Laurier Liberal, but was defeated. He was involved with the United Farmers of Ontario
United Farmers of Ontario
The United Farmers of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada. It was the Ontario provincial branch of the United Farmers movement of the early part of the 20th century.- Foundation and rise :...
and its successor, the Progressive Party, in the 1920s before rejoining the Liberals. He won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
in the 1934 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1934
The Ontario general election, 1934 was the 19th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on June 19, 1934, to elect the 90 Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....
that brought the Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
led by Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Hepburn
Mitchell Frederick Hepburn was the 11th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest Premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37....
to power.
Roebuck was a senior figure in the Hepburn government serving as Attorney-General of Ontario from 1934 to 1937 as well as Minister of Labour from 1934 until 1935. A progressive, Roebuck promoted the rights of Jews against the anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
that was still prevalent in 1930s Ontario, and defended the rights of trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s. He broke with Hepburn over the government's handling of the 1937 United Auto Workers
Canadian Auto Workers
The Canadian Auto Workers is one of Canada's largest and highest profile social unions. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor, Brampton, Oakville, St...
strike against General Motors in Oshawa
Oshawa
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
, and resigned in protest with fellow minister David Croll
David Croll
David Arnold Croll, PC, QC was a Canadian politician.-Early life:Croll was born in a shtetl in Russia's Pale of Settlement and was brought to Canada with his family as a young boy, at which point his name was anglicized...
. Roebuck remained as the Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
for the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
riding of Bellwoods
Bellwoods
Bellwoods was a provincial electoral district in the west end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1924 to 1987.The riding elected Members of the Legislative Assembly to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
until 1940.
Re-entering federal politics, Roebuck was elected Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Trinity
Trinity (electoral district)
Trinity was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons 1935 to 1988. It covered a portion of the western Toronto. Its name comes from the Trinity-Bellwoods area that was once home to Trinity College....
in the 1940 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
after successfully challenging sitting Liberal MP Hugh Plaxton
Hugh Plaxton
Hugh John Plaxton was a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1928 Winter Olympics and later served in the Canadian House of Commons....
for the party's nomination. He attempted to return to provincial politics running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party at its 1943 leadership convention
Ontario Liberal leadership conventions
Ballot-by-ballot results of leadership elections in the Ontario Liberal Party, a political party in the Province of Ontario, Canada.Note: Before 1919, the leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party were chosen by the party's elected Members of the Legislative Assembly...
to succeed Hepburn, but finished second to Harry Nixon
Harry Nixon
Harry Corwin Nixon was a Canadian politician and briefly the 13th Premier of Ontario.He was born on a farm near St...
.
In 1945, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
, and remained in the Upper House
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
until his death. At the outset of his appointment, he worked with the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
and Rabbi Avraham Aharon Price
Avraham Aharon Price
Rabbi Abraham Aharon Price was a world-renowned Torah scholar, writer, educator, and a community leader in Toronto, Canada. He was one of the city's most influential rabbinic figures.- Community leader :...
to have young, Jewish refugees released from internment camps to study in Toronto.
He was an important figure in the civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
movement in Canada following the war. Following the Igor Gouzenko
Igor Gouzenko
Igor Sergeyevich Gouzenko was a cipher clerk for the Soviet Embassy to Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. He defected on September 5, 1945, with 109 documents on Soviet espionage activities in the West...
Affair, Roebuck opposed the government's suspension of the individual rights of individuals accused of espionage, and criticized the use of the Royal Commission on Espionage's transcripts in court. Later, he participated in the defence of Israel Halperin, one of the accused spies, and chaired the Senate Committee on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in 1950, advocating the creation of a Canadian Bill of Rights.
Roebuck opposed Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Senate reform proposal in 1969.