Ken Sweigard
Encyclopedia
Ken Sweigard was a Pentecostal evangelist
from Grande Prairie, Alberta
, and politician who led the Social Credit Party of Canada
from 1983 to 1986.
In the 1980 election
, Social Credit's five remaining Members of Parliament (all from Quebec) were defeated. The party had not had any MPs from its old base of Alberta
and British Columbia
since 1968.
Sweigard first ran as a Social Credit candidate in the 1980 federal election. Standing in Peace River
, Alberta
, he came in fifth place with 462 votes. He placed behind the three major parties and the candidate for the Rhinoceros Party of Canada.
Sweigard first sought the party’s leadership in 1982, when he lost to Martin Hattersley
. Sweigard attended the party's leadership convention
dressed as U.S. president Abraham Lincoln
, wearing a top hat and carrying a walking stick. His entourage, dressed in 1860s style, held placards reading "Free the Slaves" and chanted "Free the economic slaves", a reference to the social credit
theory of monetary reform and opposition to the charging of interest on borrowed money.
Hattersley resigned as leader in June 1983 when the party would not expel three outspoken party members from Alberta, including Jim Keegstra who had been accused of anti-Semitism
.
Sweigard, who described Keegstra as a "fine Christian gentleman", was elected interim leader by means of a telephone conference call of 17 party members, with 9 votes to 5 votes for party vice-president Richard Lawrence and three for Adrien Lambert.
As leader, he ran in the 1984 election
in Timiskaming
, placing last with 151 votes. Nationally, under his leadership, the party suffered what was, at the time, its worst performance to date receiving only 16,659 votes nationwide.
Sweigard attempted to win the leadership on a permanent basis at the party's national convention in 1986 but fared poorly, despite telling delegates that he had been visited by an angel
who had endorsed his candidacy. Sweigard received only 9 of 114 votes, finishing well behind winning candidate Harvey Lainson
and runner-up Jim Keegstra.
After losing the leadership, he ran again in the 1988 election
in Peace River, where he came in last in a field of six candidates with 354 votes.
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
from Grande Prairie, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, and politician who led the Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
from 1983 to 1986.
In the 1980 election
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
, Social Credit's five remaining Members of Parliament (all from Quebec) were defeated. The party had not had any MPs from its old base of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
since 1968.
Sweigard first ran as a Social Credit candidate in the 1980 federal election. Standing in Peace River
Peace River (electoral district)
Peace River is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925. It is a rural riding in northwest Alberta, representing the counties of Saddle Hills, Birch Hills, Grande Prairie, Northern Lights, Mackenzie, and the municipal...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, he came in fifth place with 462 votes. He placed behind the three major parties and the candidate for the Rhinoceros Party of Canada.
Sweigard first sought the party’s leadership in 1982, when he lost to Martin Hattersley
Martin Hattersley
J. Martin Hattersley is an Edmonton lawyer and a long-time activist in the Canadian social credit movement. Born in Swinton, near Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, Hattersley earned degrees in economics and law from Cambridge University before moving to Alberta in 1956 where he worked as a lawyer...
. Sweigard attended the party's leadership convention
Social Credit Party of Canada leadership conventions
The Canadian social credit movement first contested the 1935 federal election in order to capitalize from the Alberta Social Credit League's surprise victory in Alberta's August 1935 provincial election...
dressed as U.S. president Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, wearing a top hat and carrying a walking stick. His entourage, dressed in 1860s style, held placards reading "Free the Slaves" and chanted "Free the economic slaves", a reference to the social credit
Social Credit
Social Credit is an economic philosophy developed by C. H. Douglas , a British engineer, who wrote a book by that name in 1924. Social Credit is described by Douglas as "the policy of a philosophy"; he called his philosophy "practical Christianity"...
theory of monetary reform and opposition to the charging of interest on borrowed money.
Hattersley resigned as leader in June 1983 when the party would not expel three outspoken party members from Alberta, including Jim Keegstra who had been accused of 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...
.
Sweigard, who described Keegstra as a "fine Christian gentleman", was elected interim leader by means of a telephone conference call of 17 party members, with 9 votes to 5 votes for party vice-president Richard Lawrence and three for Adrien Lambert.
As leader, he ran in the 1984 election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
in Timiskaming
Timiskaming (electoral district)
Timiskaming was a federal electoral district in the northeastern part of Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1925, and from 1935 to 1997....
, placing last with 151 votes. Nationally, under his leadership, the party suffered what was, at the time, its worst performance to date receiving only 16,659 votes nationwide.
Sweigard attempted to win the leadership on a permanent basis at the party's national convention in 1986 but fared poorly, despite telling delegates that he had been visited by an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
who had endorsed his candidacy. Sweigard received only 9 of 114 votes, finishing well behind winning candidate Harvey Lainson
Harvey Lainson
Harvey George Lainson was a Christian evangelical minister based in the Cambridge, Ontario region and was leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada from 1986 to 1990 during which time he led a successful effort to expel an anti-Semitic faction from the party led by Jim Keegstra.Lainson was a...
and runner-up Jim Keegstra.
After losing the leadership, he ran again in the 1988 election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
in Peace River, where he came in last in a field of six candidates with 354 votes.