Socialist League (Canada)
Encyclopedia
The Socialist League was a Canadian
Trotskyist
group formed in 1974 by Ross Dowson
and approximately twenty other former members of the League for Socialist Action after their faction was defeated at the 1973 LSA national convention. Dowson had previously been the leader of the LSA. The group published a newspaper, Forward and soon became better known as the "Forward Readers Group" or the "Forward Group".
Dowson and his followers differed with the rest of the Trotskyist movement in Canada through their adoption of a Canadian economic nationalist perspective, influenced by the views of the Waffle
, a Marxist tendency within the New Democratic Party
(NDP) within which the LSA was active.
They argued that Canada was an economic colony of the United States
and thus an oppressed nation where other Marxists viewed Canada as a fully capitalist nation, if only a "junior partner" participating in the oppression of the developing world.
The Socialist League viewed its competitors on the left as extremists and ultra-leftists and was especially critical of their views on the New Democratic Party. The Socialist League was an entrist formation and supported full participation by socialists in the NDP where the LSA and particularly the Revolutionary Marxist Group
were increasingly critical of the NDP and came to support running their own candidates against NDP nominees in some ridings during provincial and federal elections. Instead, the Socialist League formed the Left Caucus within the NDP and worked to build a leftist tendency within the party. The Caucus' strategy was to ally with "centrists" within the NDP such as, in the mid-1980s, Judy Rebick
with whom it participated in the Committee for an Activist Party. For a time Forward had influence in a few NDP riding association
s such as in the suburban Toronto
riding of Oriole where it helped Rebick win the NDP nomination for the 1987 Ontario election
and nearby York Mills where Socialist League member Gord Doctorow was the NDP candidate in the 1985 Ontario election
.
The Socialist League remained aloof in 1977 when the RWL and LSA and its Quebec
counterparts fused to form the Revolutionary Workers League
. The group grew initially through the 1970s and was able to recruit a number of student youth, particularly at York University
but it declined through the 1980s and became largely inactive after Dowson suffered a stroke in 1989. Forward ceased publication in the mid-1980s, although the Left Caucus Bulletin continued to appear until the mid-1990s.
Prominent members of the Socialist League included Dowson, Harry Kopyto
, Lois Bedard, Gord Doctorow, Alice Klein
, Wayne Roberts
, Michael Hollett
and Ellie Kirzner. Klein, Roberts, Hollett and Kirzner left Forward in the late 1970s, and founded the alternative newspaper Now Magazine
in Toronto
.
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...
Trotskyist
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
group formed in 1974 by Ross Dowson
Ross Dowson
Ross Jewitt Dowson was a Canadian Trotskyist political figure.-Early life:Dowson joined the Trotskyist movement as a teenager during the Great Depression. The Canadian Trotskyist movement collapsed at the beginning of World War II as leaders such as Jack MacDonald, Maurice Spector and Earle Birney...
and approximately twenty other former members of the League for Socialist Action after their faction was defeated at the 1973 LSA national convention. Dowson had previously been the leader of the LSA. The group published a newspaper, Forward and soon became better known as the "Forward Readers Group" or the "Forward Group".
Dowson and his followers differed with the rest of the Trotskyist movement in Canada through their adoption of a Canadian economic nationalist perspective, influenced by the views of the Waffle
The Waffle
The Waffle was a radical wing of Canada's New Democratic Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It later transformed into an independent political party, with little electoral success before it permanently disbanded in the mid-1970s...
, a Marxist tendency within the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP) within which the LSA was active.
They argued that Canada was an economic colony of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and thus an oppressed nation where other Marxists viewed Canada as a fully capitalist nation, if only a "junior partner" participating in the oppression of the developing world.
The Socialist League viewed its competitors on the left as extremists and ultra-leftists and was especially critical of their views on the New Democratic Party. The Socialist League was an entrist formation and supported full participation by socialists in the NDP where the LSA and particularly the Revolutionary Marxist Group
Revolutionary Marxist Group (Canada)
The Revolutionary Marxist Group was a Trotskyist political organization in Canada in the 1970s. Though not a registered political party it did field small numbers of candidates in several elections....
were increasingly critical of the NDP and came to support running their own candidates against NDP nominees in some ridings during provincial and federal elections. Instead, the Socialist League formed the Left Caucus within the NDP and worked to build a leftist tendency within the party. The Caucus' strategy was to ally with "centrists" within the NDP such as, in the mid-1980s, Judy Rebick
Judy Rebick
Judy Rebick , arrived in Toronto at age 9, and is a Canadian journalist, political activist, and feminist.-Career:...
with whom it participated in the Committee for an Activist Party. For a time Forward had influence in a few NDP riding association
Riding association
In Canadian politics a riding association , officially called an electoral district association is the basic unit of a political party, that is it is the party's organization at the level of the electoral district, or "riding"...
s such as in the suburban 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 Oriole where it helped Rebick win the NDP nomination for the 1987 Ontario election
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
and nearby York Mills where Socialist League member Gord Doctorow was the NDP candidate in the 1985 Ontario election
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
.
The Socialist League remained aloof in 1977 when the RWL and LSA and its 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....
counterparts fused to form the Revolutionary Workers League
Revolutionary Workers League
Revolutionary Workers League may refer to:*Revolutionary Workers League/Ligue Ouvrière Révolutionnaire, a Canadian Trotskyist group*Revolutionary Workers League...
. The group grew initially through the 1970s and was able to recruit a number of student youth, particularly at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
but it declined through the 1980s and became largely inactive after Dowson suffered a stroke in 1989. Forward ceased publication in the mid-1980s, although the Left Caucus Bulletin continued to appear until the mid-1990s.
Prominent members of the Socialist League included Dowson, Harry Kopyto
Harry Kopyto
Hirsch Kopyto is a Canadian paralegal, broadcaster and political activist.-Early life:Kopyto was born to a Polish Jewish family in a Displaced Persons' camp in Ulm, West Germany immediately following World War II. His entire family except for his parents and a brother were killed in the Holocaust...
, Lois Bedard, Gord Doctorow, Alice Klein
Alice Klein
Alice Klein is the co-founder, editor and CEO of Toronto, Canada's longest-running free alternative newsweekly, Now Magazine and Now Communications Inc....
, Wayne Roberts
Wayne Roberts
Wayne Roberts is a Canadian food policy analyst and writer, widely respected for his role as the manager of the [Toronto Food Policy Council] from 2000-2010. The TFPC is a citizen body of 30 food activists and experts that enjoys an international reputation for its innovative approach to food...
, Michael Hollett
Michael Hollett
Michael Hollett is co-founder and co-owner of Toronto's longest-running free alternative newsweekly, Now Magazine and Now Communications Inc. He was also that magazine's first music editor.Hollett was born in Oakville, Ontario to journalist parents...
and Ellie Kirzner. Klein, Roberts, Hollett and Kirzner left Forward in the late 1970s, and founded the alternative newspaper Now Magazine
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
in 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...
.