Ralliement créditiste
Encyclopedia
Historically in Quebec
, Canada
, there was a number of political parties that were part of the Canadian social credit movement
. There were various parties at different times with different names at the provincial level, all broadly following the social credit
philosophy; at various times they had varying degrees of affiliation with the Social Credit Party of Canada
at the federal level.
The greatest success achieved by a provincial social credit party in Quebec was the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
, which won 12 seats in the 1970 Quebec provincial election
.
: "Union of Electors") was founded in 1939 by Louis Even
and Gilberte Côté-Mercier. It was the first créditiste
political movement to be active in Quebec
, Canada
. It ran two candidates, Even and Armand Turpin in the 1940 federal election
as part of the Canada-wide New Democracy
movement. Even won 17% of the vote and placed third in the riding of Lake St-John—Roberval
. Turpin placed second with over 31.8% of the vote in Hull. Even and the union attended the founding convention of the Social Credit Association of Canada in 1944 and initially opposed the bid of the western Canadian based Social Credit federal caucus to establish a central party under the leadership of Solon Low. While Even's group ran candidates in the 1945 federal election
under the national Social Credit banner and again in subsequent by-elections, by 1949 the Quebec créditistes were again running candidates under the Union des électeurs banner as they were also doing in the Quebec provincial elections.
The Union was accused of anti-Semitism and of distributing the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in Quebec. The Canadian Jewish Congress
referred to it as "fast becoming the rallying point of the numerous Jew-haters in French Canada.
The Union des électeurs electoral philosophy was that it was not a partisan political party but an organization which marshals voters to enforce their wishes on their elected representatives. Even's belief, like that of social credit originator C.H. Douglas, was that parties were corrupt and that the party system should be replaced by a "union of electors" who would compel elected officials to follow the popular will. Even and the Union broke with the national Social Credit organization in 1947 due to Ernest Manning
's increasingly hostile attitude towards them and his purge of anti-Semites from the movement. The Union influenced some Social Creditors outside of Quebec, including the Social Credit Association of Ontario which stood its candidates in the 1948 Ontario elections
under the name "Union of Electors". In British Columbia, there was a "Union of Electors" party which ran as a rival to the British Columbia Social Credit League in the 1949 provincial election
.
With Réal Caouette
and then P. Ernest Grégoire as political and parliamentary leader, the Quebec provincial party contested seats in the 1944
but won no seats and the 1948 Quebec provincial elections
when it managed to get 9.25% of the popular vote, but again won no seats. It also ran candidates federally electing Caouette to the Canadian House of Commons
in a 1946 by-election
under the Social Credit banner. He failed to win re-election in the 1949 federal election
as a Union des électeurs candidate, when the party ran a total of 56 candidates. None were successful.
The Union des électeurs faded away as a political party after 1949. In the 1950s, Caouette contested seats in various by-elections against the wishes of Even and Côté-Mercier. In 1958, Caouette broke with Even and Côté-Mercier and founded the Ralliement des créditistes, which ran candidates in federal elections in the 1950s and 1960s and was, at times, the Quebec branch of the Social Credit Party of Canada
. In 1970, the federal Ralliement des créditistes founded a distinct provincial branch, the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
.
In 1939, Even and Côté also founded a lay Catholic
group called the "Pilgrims of Saint Michael
", based in Rougemont, Quebec, that continues to promote social credit monetary policy coupled with conservative Catholicism. The Pilgrims publish The Michael Journal in English and Vers Demain in French. The group was founded in 1939 and is nicknamed "the White Berets" for the headgear worn by members.
ran under this label in the 1957
and 1958 federal elections
, but failed to win a seat.
and 1963 federal elections
, a small breakaway from Social Credit ran a single candidate under the name Candidat libéral des électeurs
without success. The 1962 candidate, J.-Edouard Pharon, received 1,800 votes – 500 more than the Social Credit candidate.
, but lost it in the next general election. He was a true believer in social credit theory and a charismatic, almost evangelical speaker.
In 1958, he broke with Union des électeurs founders Louis Even and Gilberte Côté-Mercier, and formed the Ralliement des créditistes du Canada as the Quebec wing of the Social Credit Party of Canada
on May 4, 1958. Caouette was named leader of the new organization. His party political broadcasts on Quebec television developed a great following. Caouette ran for the leadership of the Social Credit Party of Canada in 1961, but was defeated by Robert N. Thompson
.
Driven by Caouette's fiery oratory, the Social Credit party achieved a breakthrough in the 1962 federal election
, winning 26 seats in Quebec. Only four Social Credit MPs were elected in the rest of Canada.
Thompson insisted on remaining national party leader after 1962, even though the Social Credit caucus
was overwhelmingly from Quebec and regarded Caouette as its leader. Thompson accepted Caouette as his deputy leader.
This tension led to a split: in 1963, the Quebec wing became independent from the party in the rest of country as the Ralliement des créditistes, or Social Credit Rally in English. Of the 20 Social Credit MPs elected in Quebec in the 1963 federal election
, 13 followed Caouette into the Ralliement, five ran in the next election as independents and two joined the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
.
The Ralliement ran as a separate party in the 1965 federal election
. In 1968, Thompson defected to the Progressive Conservatives.
In the 1968 federal election
, the Social Credit Party won no seats in the House of Commons, while Caouette's Ralliement créditiste returned several MPs.
In 1969, the federal Ralliement créditiste formally entered provincial politics by running candidates in four Quebec by-elections. The candidates appeared on the ballot without party designation, as the party did not run candidates in the last general election. All were defeated. A dissident group opposed to Caouette's leadership founded the Parti crédit social uni
in this period.
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec
was officially created in January 1970 and fielded candidates in the 1970
and 1973
provincial elections.
In 1971, Caouette and the Ralliement créditiste rejoined the Social Credit Party of Canada, and Caouette was elected national leader.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
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...
, there was a number of political parties that were part of the Canadian social credit movement
Canadian social credit movement
The Canadian social credit movement was a Canadian political movement originally based on the Social Credit theory of Major C. H. Douglas. Its supporters were colloquially known as Socreds...
. There were various parties at different times with different names at the provincial level, all broadly following 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"...
philosophy; at various times they had varying degrees of affiliation with 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...
at the federal level.
The greatest success achieved by a provincial social credit party in Quebec was the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
Ralliement créditiste du Québec
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
, which won 12 seats in the 1970 Quebec provincial election
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
.
Union des électeurs
The Union des électeurs (UE) (in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "Union of Electors") was founded in 1939 by Louis Even
Louis Even
Louis Even was a lay Christian leader and publisher who founded the social credit movement in Quebec. He co-founded and led the Pilgrims of Saint Michael, better known as the white berets, with Gilberte Côté-Mercier and was a founder of the Union of Electors, a predecessor of Réal Caouette's...
and Gilberte Côté-Mercier. It was the first créditiste
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"...
political movement to be active in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
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...
. It ran two candidates, Even and Armand Turpin 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...
as part of the Canada-wide New Democracy
New Democracy (Canada)
New Democracy was a political party in Canada founded by William Duncan Herridge in 1939. Herridge, a former Conservative party adviser who was Canada's Envoy to the United States from 1931-35 during the government of R. B. Bennett....
movement. Even won 17% of the vote and placed third in the riding of Lake St-John—Roberval
Lake St-John—Roberval
Lake St. John—Roberval was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons.This riding was created in 1933 from parts of Lake St. John riding. It consisted of the counties of Lake St. John East and Lake St...
. Turpin placed second with over 31.8% of the vote in Hull. Even and the union attended the founding convention of the Social Credit Association of Canada in 1944 and initially opposed the bid of the western Canadian based Social Credit federal caucus to establish a central party under the leadership of Solon Low. While Even's group ran candidates in the 1945 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1945
The Canadian federal election of 1945 was the 20th general election in Canadian history. It was held June 11, 1945 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada...
under the national Social Credit banner and again in subsequent by-elections, by 1949 the Quebec créditistes were again running candidates under the Union des électeurs banner as they were also doing in the Quebec provincial elections.
The Union was accused of anti-Semitism and of distributing the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in Quebec. 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...
referred to it as "fast becoming the rallying point of the numerous Jew-haters in French Canada.
The Union des électeurs electoral philosophy was that it was not a partisan political party but an organization which marshals voters to enforce their wishes on their elected representatives. Even's belief, like that of social credit originator C.H. Douglas, was that parties were corrupt and that the party system should be replaced by a "union of electors" who would compel elected officials to follow the popular will. Even and the Union broke with the national Social Credit organization in 1947 due to Ernest Manning
Ernest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
's increasingly hostile attitude towards them and his purge of anti-Semites from the movement. The Union influenced some Social Creditors outside of Quebec, including the Social Credit Association of Ontario which stood its candidates in the 1948 Ontario elections
Ontario general election, 1948
The Ontario general election of 1948 was held on June 7, 1948, to elect the 90 members of the 23rd Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
under the name "Union of Electors". In British Columbia, there was a "Union of Electors" party which ran as a rival to the British Columbia Social Credit League in the 1949 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 1949
The British Columbia general election of 1949 was the 22nd general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on April 16, 1949, and held on June 15, 1949...
.
With Réal Caouette
Réal Caouette
David Réal Caouette was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a Member of Parliament and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada and founder of the Ralliement des créditistes...
and then P. Ernest Grégoire as political and parliamentary leader, the Quebec provincial party contested seats in the 1944
Quebec general election, 1944
The Quebec general election of 1944 was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale, led by former premier Maurice Duplessis, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout...
but won no seats and the 1948 Quebec provincial elections
Quebec general election, 1948
The Quebec general election of 1948 was held on July 28, 1948 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout.This was the third time ...
when it managed to get 9.25% of the popular vote, but again won no seats. It also ran candidates federally electing Caouette to 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 a 1946 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
under the Social Credit banner. He failed to win re-election in the 1949 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1949
The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had...
as a Union des électeurs candidate, when the party ran a total of 56 candidates. None were successful.
The Union des électeurs faded away as a political party after 1949. In the 1950s, Caouette contested seats in various by-elections against the wishes of Even and Côté-Mercier. In 1958, Caouette broke with Even and Côté-Mercier and founded the Ralliement des créditistes, which ran candidates in federal elections in the 1950s and 1960s and was, at times, the Quebec branch of 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...
. In 1970, the federal Ralliement des créditistes founded a distinct provincial branch, the Ralliement créditiste du Québec
Ralliement créditiste du Québec
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
.
In 1939, Even and Côté also founded a lay Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
group called the "Pilgrims of Saint Michael
Pilgrims of Saint Michael
The Pilgrims of St. Michael is a Roman Catholic organization in Canada that promotes social credit economic theories in Canada and other countries.The Pilgims of St...
", based in Rougemont, Quebec, that continues to promote social credit monetary policy coupled with conservative Catholicism. The Pilgrims publish The Michael Journal in English and Vers Demain in French. The group was founded in 1939 and is nicknamed "the White Berets" for the headgear worn by members.
Federal general election results
| Election | # of candidates nominated | # of seats won | # of total votes | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 Canadian federal election, 1945 The Canadian federal election of 1945 was the 20th general election in Canadian history. It was held June 11, 1945 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 20th Parliament of Canada... |
|
|
|
|
| 1949 Canadian federal election, 1949 The Canadian federal election of 1949 was held on June 27 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 21st Parliament of Canada. It was the first election in Canada in almost thirty years in which the Liberal Party of Canada was not led by William Lyon Mackenzie King. King had... |
|
|
|
|
Provincial general election results
| General election | # of candidates | # of seats won | % of popular vote |
| 1944 Quebec general election, 1944 The Quebec general election of 1944 was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale, led by former premier Maurice Duplessis, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout... | 11 | 0 | 1.44% |
| 1948 Quebec general election, 1948 The Quebec general election of 1948 was held on July 28, 1948 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Union Nationale, led by Maurice Duplessis, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout.This was the third time ... | 91 | 0 | 9.24% |
Candidats des électeurs
Réal CaouetteRéal Caouette
David Réal Caouette was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a Member of Parliament and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada and founder of the Ralliement des créditistes...
ran under this label in the 1957
Canadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
and 1958 federal elections
Canadian federal election, 1958
The Canadian federal election of 1958 was the 24th general election in Canada's history. It was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 24th Parliament of Canada on March 31, 1958, just nine months after the 23rd election...
, but failed to win a seat.
Candidats libéral des électeurs
In the 1962Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
and 1963 federal elections
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
, a small breakaway from Social Credit ran a single candidate under the name Candidat libéral des électeurs
Candidat libéral des électeurs
Candidats libéral des électeurs was a political group in Quebec, Canada. It was a moderate faction that split from the Ralliement créditiste, the Quebec wing of the Social Credit Party of Canada. The Candidats libéral des électeurs ran one candidate in the 1962 federal election, and another in...
without success. The 1962 candidate, J.-Edouard Pharon, received 1,800 votes – 500 more than the Social Credit candidate.
Ralliement des créditistes du Canada
Réal Caouette had been a social credit stalwart since the joining the movement in 1939, running as a candidate for the Union des électeurs. He won a seat in the House of Commons in a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, but lost it in the next general election. He was a true believer in social credit theory and a charismatic, almost evangelical speaker.
In 1958, he broke with Union des électeurs founders Louis Even and Gilberte Côté-Mercier, and formed the Ralliement des créditistes du Canada as the Quebec wing of 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...
on May 4, 1958. Caouette was named leader of the new organization. His party political broadcasts on Quebec television developed a great following. Caouette ran for the leadership of the Social Credit Party of Canada in 1961, but was defeated by Robert N. Thompson
Robert N. Thompson
Robert Norman Thompson was a Canadian politician, chiropractor, and educator. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, to Canadian parents and moved to Canada in 1918 with his family...
.
Driven by Caouette's fiery oratory, the Social Credit party achieved a breakthrough in the 1962 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
, winning 26 seats in Quebec. Only four Social Credit MPs were elected in the rest of Canada.
Thompson insisted on remaining national party leader after 1962, even though the Social Credit caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
was overwhelmingly from Quebec and regarded Caouette as its leader. Thompson accepted Caouette as his deputy leader.
This tension led to a split: in 1963, the Quebec wing became independent from the party in the rest of country as the Ralliement des créditistes, or Social Credit Rally in English. Of the 20 Social Credit MPs elected in Quebec in the 1963 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
, 13 followed Caouette into the Ralliement, five ran in the next election as independents and two joined the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
.
The Ralliement ran as a separate party in the 1965 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1965
The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House...
. In 1968, Thompson defected to the Progressive Conservatives.
General election results - Ralliement des créditistes
| Election | # of candidates nominated | # of seats won | # of total votes | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | |
|
|
|
Ralliement créditiste
In October 1967, the Ralliement des créditistes changed its name to Ralliement créditiste.In the 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
, the Social Credit Party won no seats in the House of Commons, while Caouette's Ralliement créditiste returned several MPs.
In 1969, the federal Ralliement créditiste formally entered provincial politics by running candidates in four Quebec by-elections. The candidates appeared on the ballot without party designation, as the party did not run candidates in the last general election. All were defeated. A dissident group opposed to Caouette's leadership founded the Parti crédit social uni
Parti crédit social uni
The Parti crédit social uni was a provincial political party in the Canadian province of Quebec. It existed on two occasions, from 1969 to around 1971 and from 1979 to 1994. The party leader in both periods was Jean-Paul Poulin...
in this period.
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec
Ralliement créditiste du Québec
The Ralliement créditiste du Québec was a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that operated from 1970 to 1978. It promoted social credit theories of monetary reform, and acted as an outlet for the expression of rural...
was officially created in January 1970 and fielded candidates in the 1970
Quebec general election, 1970
The Quebec general election of 1970 was held on April 29, 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The former Legislative Assembly had been renamed the "National Assembly" in 1968...
and 1973
Quebec general election, 1973
The Quebec general election of 1973 was held on October 29, 1973 to elect members to National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Robert Bourassa, won re-election, defeating the Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, and the Union Nationale .The Liberals won a...
provincial elections.
In 1971, Caouette and the Ralliement créditiste rejoined the Social Credit Party of Canada, and Caouette was elected national leader.
General election results - Ralliement créditiste
| Election | # of candidates nominated | # of seats won | # of total votes | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | |
|
|
|
See also
- List of political parties in Canada
- List of Social Credit/Creditistes MPs
- Politics of QuebecPolitics of QuebecThe politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...
- List of Quebec general elections
- Timeline of Quebec historyTimeline of Quebec historyThis article presents a detailed timeline of Quebec history. Events taking place outside Quebec, for example in English Canada, the United States, Britain or France, may be included when they are considered to have had a significant impact on Quebec's history....